1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



267 



The rule for after cultivation, as well as for pre- 

 paring the beds and getting in the seeds, are in 

 every respect similar to those adopted in the man- 

 agement of the common carrot. .When cooked, 

 the roots are said to make an excellent feed for 

 hogs, and' in their crude state, are fed to oxen, 

 horses, cows, sheep, and other domestic animals. 



MAHURmO FRUIT TREES. 



The Dutch, who are admirable gardeners^ had 

 in the great exhibition an instrument called an 

 "earth borer," for manuring fruit trees without dig' 

 ging the ground. A circle of holes is bored around 

 the tree at two feet distance from the tree, and a 

 foot from each other. Taking the tree at a foot 

 diameter at the surface of the soil, the circle will 

 be five feet in diameter and fifteen feet in circum- 

 ference; and if the holes are three inches diameter 

 and a foot apart — fifteen inches, there will be about 

 twelve holes ; more or less according to the diam- 

 eter of the tree. They are eighteen inches deep 

 (where there is enough depth of soil) and slanting 

 towards the centre; are filled with liquid manure, 

 diluted more or less in dry weather, and stronger 

 as the weather is wetter. For the time of applica- 

 tion, Dr. Lindley tells us in the Gardener's Chron- 

 icle, Feb. 21, 1852,.— "For fruit the proper time 

 for using liquid manure is when the fruit is begin- 

 ning to swell, and has acquired, by means of its 

 own surface, a power of suction capable of opposing 

 that of the leaves. At that time liquid manure 

 may be applied freely, and continued from time to 

 time as long as the fruit is growing. But at the 

 first sign of ripening, or even earlier, it should be 

 wholly withheld. If liquid manure is applied to a 

 plant when the flowers are growing, the vigor 

 which it communicates to them must also be com- 

 municated to the leaves, but when leaves are grow- 

 ing unusually fast there is sometimes a danger that 

 they may rob the branches of the sap required for 

 the nutrition of the fruit ; and, if that happens, the 

 latter falls off. And we all know that, when ripen- 

 ing has once begun, even water spoils the quality 

 of fruit, although it augments the size, as is sufH- 

 ciently shown by the strawberries prepared for the 

 London market by irrigation ; great additional size 

 is obtained, but it is at the expense of flavor, and 

 any injury which mere water may produce will cer- 

 tainly not be diminished by water holding ammo- 

 niacal and saline substances in solution." I am not 

 aware that this information has made its way into 

 our orchards, finding no allusion to it in any of our 

 books on orchard management, nor at our agricul- 

 tural meetings. The time is just coming for put- 

 ting it to the test, and it remains with the fruit 

 growers to see what profit they can make of it. 

 They need, in these times, all they can get, and this 

 method has the recommendation of requiring little 

 outlay, if any. — Mark-Lane Express. 



The Horse. — If you have the care of horses, re- 

 member that a horse is more easily taught by gen- 

 tle than by rough usage. If you use him well, he 

 will be grateful ; he will listen for and show his 

 pleasure at the sound of your footsteps. As to his 

 food, you should do by him as you would by your- 

 self — "little and often." As for his work, begin 



early and then you need not hurry. Remember it 

 is the speed, and not the weight, that spoils- many 

 a true hearted worker. 



SINGIHG BIRD'S PETITION TO THE 

 SPORTSMAN. 



Wouldst thou have me fall, or fly f 

 Hear me sing, or see me die ? 

 If thy heart is cold and dull, 

 Knowing nothing beautiful — 

 If thy proud eye never glows 

 With the light love only knows — 

 If the loss of friends or home 

 Ne'er hath made life wearisome — 

 If thy cheek has never known 

 Tears that fall with sorrow's moan — 

 If a hopeless mother's sigh 

 Brings no tear-drop from thine eye, 

 Thou may'st smile to see me die. 



But, if thou canst love the lay. 

 Welcoming the birth of May — 

 Or summer's song, or autumn's dirge, 

 Cheering winter's dreary verge — 

 If thou lovest beauty's hues, 

 Decked with light or gemmed with dews — 

 If, all meaner thoughts above, 

 Thou canst hope, and trust and love — 

 If, from all dishonor free. 

 Thou canst Nature's lover be — 

 Spare her minstrels,— pity mel M. 



Philadelphia, May, 1849. Horticulturist. 



For the lietv England Farmer. 



SOILING CATTLE. 



Mr. Editor : — I noticed, in one of the last num- 

 bers of the JVeiu England Farmer, that one of your 

 subscribers makes inquiries in regard to soiling cat- 

 tle, and also wants to know about the Egyptian 

 millet. Where pasturing is scarce, and consequent- 

 Iv dear, as is the case on most of the river flats in 

 New England, I am persuaded that in very many 

 instances, at least, stock can be kept cheaper in the 

 barn than elsewhere. From a close observance of 

 some of my neighbors, for several years, who are 

 accustomed to keep their cows in the barn, wholly 

 during the summer, I am persuaded that it can 

 be done cheaper, where land is dear; for in such lo- 

 calities, the pasturing is usually poor, for farmers 

 think they cannot afford to use good land for pas- 

 turing. We have usually practiced sowing a piece 

 with corn, to be used during the dry months of 

 August and September. But this always seems as 

 though the land lay idle nearly half the season, as 

 we get but one crop, which will not answer for far- 

 mers on Connecticut river. If we could procure 

 something of proHfic growth, that would spring up 

 from the old roots, and produce several crops in a 

 season, it would be just the article that short, poor 

 pastures, together with dry summers, and a con- 

 stant demand for butter have compelled us to look 

 for. 



Just the article I have described above, is found 

 in the Egyptian millet. I have raised this millet 

 on a small scale for two years, and in my opinion 

 it is worth five times as much as corn, sugar cane, 

 or anything else I have yet seen. I raised some of 

 the sugar cane last year, and procured my seed 

 from Col. Peters, of Atlanta, Ga., personally, so 

 that I am confident I got the pure article. There 



