258 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



IM 1, 

 I. 



BROADCAST SOWEH. 

 The above cut is a representation of Luce's Pa- 

 tent Broadcast Sower. The action of this Ma- 

 chine is very simple, and so well shown in the en- 

 graving, that a description is hardly necessary. 

 Whatever is to be sown is placed in the box or hop- 

 per on the rear of the machine, and the quantity is 

 regulated at pleasure by the driver, by means of a 

 rod under the seat, connecting with a valve in the 

 bottom of the hopper, which controls the su])ply 

 allowed to pass down into the revolving disks below. 

 The cogs on the wheels turn these disks by a sim- 

 ple connection, as shown in the cut, each side being 

 independent of the other, and are easily thrown 

 out of gear by means of a small rod not shown in 

 the cut, which is operated by the driver. The ma- 

 chine is adapted for one or two horses, and will sow 

 a breadth of wheat or rye of thirty -two feet, as flist 

 as the team will walk. Of lighter seed it will sow 

 a less breadth, of from eighteen to twenty- five feet. 

 It is also adapted for sowing lime, ashes, plaster, 

 guano, or any other similar fertilizer, in any desira- 

 ble quantity. For sale by Nourse, Mason & Co 

 Quincy Hall. Price $50. 



small, and the kernels large ; on its being ground 

 and made into bread, it appears more glutinous, re- 

 sembling wheat flour, than most any of the north- 

 ern corn. Some might object to it on account of 

 its pale red color, but that is but a trifling fault 

 against the advantages it has in its large yield and 

 early maturity over most other corn ; it has the 

 combined advantages of the Canada and southern 

 corn. I think we have two or three favorable sea- 

 sons for corn, while we have one for potatoes; pay- 

 ng a high price for labor, to fill our cellars with 

 'rotten potatoes," seems to be a serious drawback 

 on the farmer, and when he is called on to pay his 

 taxes, he feels the deficiency, and sees it too at the 

 bottom of his wallet. Corn has the advantage of 

 almost any othey kind of crop ; if the stocks and 

 husks are seasonably and carefully secured, they 

 will nearly pay the labor bestowed upon the crop 

 for cattle's food ; they eat them with the same avid- 

 ity that they would the best English hay. I think 

 formers in New England, who have not tried it, 

 will do well to plant the Brown corn ; my experience 

 thus far goes in favor of it, believing it to produce 

 a greater yield than any variety I have tried here- 

 tofore. Silas Beown. 

 JV. Wilmington, Jlpril 2, 1857. 



For the New England Farmer. 



KDTG PHILIP OE BROWII CORIT. 



Messrs. Editors: — The uncertainty of obtain- 

 ing a crop of potatoes for a dozen years past, ex- 

 cites the inquiry in my mind, whether our labor 

 could not be better disposed of than in attempting 

 to raise a crop so liable to disappoint our exjjecta- 

 tions. Three years out of the last twelve, my po- 

 tato crops have been nearly worthless ; the last 

 autumn we put into our cellar about 100 bushels 

 of as good appearing potatoes as commonly grow 

 on my soil, which were carried out of the cellar in 

 March, a putrid mass of filth, better calculated to 

 breed the plague than aflford us any nourishment. 

 Two years out of three, my potatoes have proved 

 more or less rotten ; sometimes they have rotted in 

 the field, at others in the cellar. I have been think- 

 ing whether it would not be better, partially to 

 abandon this system of rotten potato raising, and 

 apply our labor and manure to our cornfields ; corn 

 for ourselves or animals, is quite as nutritive and 

 wholesome as potatoes, and a more reliable crop ; 

 the whole plant is useful, tops, seed and all, where- 

 as if potatoes rot, all is lost. I am rather straying 

 from my subject, but will relate my experience in 

 raising the Brown corn. 



In the spring of 1854, 1 received a small parcel 

 of the King Philip or Brown corn for seed, from 

 our worthy Secretary, C. L. Flint, Esq. I planted 

 it in my garden, and it got ripe previous to the se- 

 vere drought of that season, so that I had a good 

 supply of seed for a small field the next season, 

 1855, but a frost the last of August diminished my 

 crop to some extent. The last season, 1856, we 

 planted the same field again, lightly manured, and 

 a little ashes applied to the hill previous to hoeing, 

 and it ripened early, and produced me the best crop 

 I have had for many years. On husking the Brown 

 corn, we find the ears of good length, the cobs 



For the New England Farmer. 



COST OF FENCING. 



I this morning saw a mechanic occupied in placing 

 an iron fence in front of and about a wooden house 

 that had been erected about thirty years, and which, 

 with moderate repair, will probably remain thirty 

 years more. The whole extent of fence may be 

 200 feet, and I understood him to say it would 

 cost between two and three dollars per foot. I 

 asked what would be the expense of a fence made 

 of wood, that would last as long as the house ; he 

 said it could be built for less than half the cost of 

 an iron one. But, said he, the iron will be cheap- 

 est, because it will never decay. But then, it oc- 

 curred to me, what would be the use of the fence, 

 after the house had decayed ? There is very little 

 probability that another house like the present will 

 ever be erected there. Do we not frequently over- 

 look in our calculations the symmetry of things, 

 and make the parts disproportionate with each 

 other ? 



If you are about to erect a permanent monu- 

 ment, it will be wise to jmt a permanent fence 

 around it ; but if you are erecting a temporary 

 building, let your fence be of the same character. 



^pril 11, 1857. Observer. 



When Corn Grows. — Dr. R. Harrison, of 

 Prince George County, Va., has taken pains to 

 make some careful examinations to ascertain wheth- 

 er corn grows, as is generally supposed, more at 

 night than by day. August 1, corn grew. in twen- 

 ty-four hours five inches ; at night one and a half, 

 and in the day time three and a half inches. Au- 

 gust 2, it grew four and seven-eighths inches ; at 

 night one and seven-eighths, and in the day three 

 inches. Several other observations made at difi'er- 

 ent times are detailed, with similar results. 



