1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FAIIAIER. 



159 



potatoes on the same quantity of land ; if my theo- 

 ry is right, the first year paying all expenses, the 

 second year, up to harvesting, the cost will be about 

 the same for each crop ; the worth of the potatoes 

 from the four rods, say two barrels at $5,00, cost of 

 harvesting and marketing to Boston $1,25, leaving 

 a balance of $3,75 for the crop of potatoes ; then 

 the crop of strawberries, 100 boxes at 25 cents, 

 $25,00, picking and marketing, 7 cents a box, 

 $7,00 ; leaving a balance of $18,00 in favor of the 

 strawberries, or $14,75 more profit than the pota- 

 toes. I shall not say anything of the peach, pear, 

 plum and quince, regarding them rather as of the 

 orchard than the garden, and will close by saying 

 that if here, in Concord, we should give more at- 

 tention to the cultivation of the small fruits, it would 

 be not only a source of pleasure, but of profit. The 

 saving that we should make on the freight of the 

 small fruits compared with the heavy vegetables 

 would be no small item. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE GOVERNOR'S AGRICULTURAL 

 KOTIONS. 



With great propriety his Excellency queries 

 whether or not the time has not arrived, when a 

 limit should be placed to the incorporations of new 

 agricultural societies, with the aid of the bounty of 

 the State. 



While these societies embraced entire counties, 

 we saw no objection to their organization, but when 

 they come to be four in a single county, Worcester 

 and Middlesex, [three in Middlesex. — Ed.] for in- 

 stance — giving four times as much money to each 

 of these counties as was given to other counties of 

 equal population and business — it was apparent 

 that here was an inequality that might awaken 

 jealousy and dissatisfaction. For ourselves we should 

 be satisfied if this State bounty was entirely discon- 

 tinued. We think the societies can get along quite 

 well without it, much better than a straitened State 

 treasury can in paying it. We think the farmers 

 are so alive to the advancement of their own best 

 interests, that they will sustain societies when and 

 whereever they ought to be sustained. 



It has been demonstrated, again and again, that 

 one thousand dollais annually can easily be raised 

 by the receipt of a small admission fee, from those 

 inclined to visit fairs. A judicious distribution of 

 this sum in rewards of merits is all that is needed. 

 We do not hold to the giving of $1000 for the ex- 

 hibition of a single animal, be they never so good. 

 Such donations have a bad tendency — they en- 

 courage gambling, and dissipation, and many con- 

 sequent evils. We have seen more than enough of 

 these things ; and hope the day has gone by when 

 they will be countenanced by distinguished and 

 discreet gentlemen. Senex. 



Jan. 17, 1857. 



PLO^VING WITH Cows.— A farmer in California 

 states that he has plowed seventy-five acres this 

 year with a yoke of cows. He says they are faster 

 walkers than oxen — that they give milk, and save 

 the expense of keeping another team. 



For the New England Farmer. 



HOW TO GST THE K. E. FARMER. 



To Mister Brown, the Printer: — Sir — I 

 don't write many letters to folks, because I never had 

 much schooling, and if I want anything in particular, 

 1 always talk it right ofi" the best way I can ; but as 

 I never get down to Boston, I want to tell you how 

 I come to take your books. You see, I'd heard 

 our folks a great many times talking about book- 

 farming, and tell what they had heard say or read 

 of the new notions in agricultural books and pa- 

 pers ; sometimes it was about guano, and what tre- 

 raendus great crops it would fetch ; and then, agin, 

 it was all about 2)hosphates, or super-phosphates, 

 or muriates, or something else that would make 

 rich farmers ; and it kind of stuck in my crop that 

 I must stand by like a fifth carf, and not say a 

 word, just because I hadn't read anything about it. 

 I used, sometimes, as we sat chatting together, in 

 the long winter evenings, tell my woman about 

 what I'd heard say, and finally, says she to me — 



"Dave, why don't you 'scribe and take them 

 books ?" 



"Well, I don't know," says I, "only because I 

 can't afford it ; they cost a dollar a year, you know, 

 and we have always been upon the principle that 

 *a penny saved is tuppence earned ;' and in these 

 hard times I can't afi'ord to spend a dollar a year 

 for farming books." 



"Well, Dave," says she, "'many mickles make a 

 muckle.' Now, let your wife contrive, for as the 

 old saying is, 'where there is a will, there is a way.' 

 You know, Dave, everything is high ; our store 

 goods are so dear, I haven't bought a new gown 

 this winter; when we were first married, we used 

 to sell our butter at ninepence a pound ; and the 

 best pieces of clear side pork out of our barrell to 

 our hired help for ten cents a pound ; our best fat- 

 ted Thanksgiving chickens didn't bring us but six 

 cents, and them real fat goslins, you sold them al- 

 ready dressed, for five cents a pound; and our 

 hens' eggs, all we could get was six cents a dozen, 

 and store pay, at that ; and you know, as well as I 

 do, that after working hard all summer, your pota- 

 toes wouldn't bring but a shilling a bushel." And 

 so she kept on telling about what had been, till I 

 got tired of it. 



Says I, "wife, I thought you was going to show 

 your contrivance ; this don't look much like it." 



"Well, well," says she, " 'hold on to the hair, 

 and run with the dog.' Now, Dave, if you railly 

 want them books, I'd have 'em anyhow ; and as to 

 the pay, I'll tell you how 'a penny saved is tuppence 

 earned.' Now, if you will only raise two bushels 

 more of potatoes, this year, there is one dollar ; 

 one more bushel corn, there is another dollar ; take 

 a little more pains with your land, and get one more 

 bushel of rye to the acre, and there's another dol- 

 lar ; four bushels more of turnips will pay for the 

 books. So much for your side. Now, then, I can 

 just as well raise three more chickens, and after be- 

 ing M'ell fattened, I know Mr. Brown v^ould give you 

 the books for the chickens, if he has a family ; and 

 then he must have eggs for his children, and at the 

 price, three dozen will about pay for it. And you 

 know, our butter brings thirty cents a pound, now ; 

 you used to sell eight pounds to our neighbors for 

 a dollar ; there is a saving of four and three-fourths 

 pounds, which is worth a dollar and forty-two cents, 

 clear gain ; so you see, your wife's contrivance is 

 worth something, after all." 



