386 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



cold substitute, in the shape of whey, skim-milk, 

 or some other innutritious slop. The consequence 

 of this short-sighted, mistaken economy, is that the 

 starved sufferers become puny and sickly, stunted 

 and unthrifty, and that death steps in, now and then, 

 to relieve some of them from their miserable life of 

 avarice, inflicted starvation and suffering. Those 

 who would avoid this cruelty and miserable econ- 

 omy, and those who would secure animals that will 

 pay, will keep their calves tvell for the first three or 

 four months ; for creatures starved and stunted in 

 their youth will never make as thrifty, healthy, 

 well-formed, and able-bodied cattle as those which 

 had a better start in life. — Country Genlkman. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CHERRY BIRDS. 



Standing by a back window of my shed the oth- 

 er day, I heard the chirp, chirp, chirping of a flock 

 of cherry birds, on an apple tree a few feet from 

 where I was standing. I turned and looked at them, 

 and watched them a few minutes. There were 

 perhaps 15 or 20 scattered over the tree, running 

 up the twigs, as large as a pipe-stem, pick, pick, 

 picking at the canker worms, that were scattered 

 over the leaves eating their dinners, while the birds 

 made their dinners of them. I told my boys this 

 spring, that we would set out a few more cherry 

 trees, so as to have a sufficiency for the birds and 

 ourselves too ; but seeing how much they are my 

 friends, I will not only allow them to stay on suffer- 

 ence, but succor and protect them in future. Speak- 

 ing of birds, recalls to my mind what I saw while 

 riding a year ago last spring. A number of crows 

 were on the ground a few rods from the road, while 

 one as sentinel, was posted on a tree. As I rode 

 up, he gave no warning note ; when I came oppo- 

 site, I drew up my whip as a gun, upon which they 

 all arose in a body, pitched into the one on the tree, 

 who incontinently took to wing, they flying after 

 him and picking him as far as I could see, while he 

 cawed out a useless remonstrance. 



Medford, June, 1857. L. W. Hildreth. 



UNDERDRAINING. 



This useful farm-improvement is done in differ- 

 ent ways by different farmers. Some use stones, 

 while others use tiles or lumber. Economy and 

 efficiency are the main questions that ought to pre- 

 sent themselves to the enterprising farmer that is 

 about to commence this improvement of his wet 

 soil. Stones, tiles and lumber have each their ad- 

 vocates. 



For instance, it would be deemed a great folly 

 by reasonable men, for a farmer who had land that 

 required draining, and also stones of suitable char- 

 acter convenient, to purchase tiles, especially from 

 a distance, to lay his drains. By laying stone 

 drains he will accomplish a double purpose ; he 

 clears his land of surface rubbish, and reclaims 

 valuable land ; but where stones are wanting, tiles 

 cannot be conveniently had. The former materials 

 make durable work, while lumber is liable to de- 

 cay in a short time, when the work has to be re- 

 peated. 



The article written by George E. Waring, Jan., 

 and published in the JSTew York Tribune, under 

 date of April 4, 1857, advocating the exclusive use 



of tiles for draining purposes is certainly too pre- 

 judicial for any liberal-minded farmer to admit ; I 

 therefore beg leave to differ from friend Waiing; 

 he, as well as I, and everybody else, will occasion- 

 ally commit errors, but I "admire him for the stand 

 he takes in favor of reclaiming land by drainage. 

 Stone drains offer everything else that tile drains 

 do, besides "a channel for the slow percolation of 

 water" in the soil, the only characteristic which he 

 allows the "old" fashioned "stone and brush-drains." 

 Brush-drains, I consider next to no drains at all, 

 but I will go into an obligation with any gentleman, 

 to lay a stone drain equal to any other drain in all 

 respects; to be sure, the thing must be understood 

 by him who does it, and he well done. 



The narrow drains made by draining spades, for 

 burying tiles in ditches, will do very well, and will 

 save much ditching in soil that consists of loam, 

 clay or sand, but when the ground is hard and 

 mixed with stones it will not answer. In that 

 case the ditches must be wide enough to admit a 

 man with a common shovel inside of it, and a good 

 pick will have to be applied vigorously ; of this 

 matter I can attest from my own experience, and if 

 friend W. calls on me I will demonstrate to him 

 all I have here said. I am willing to allow any 

 subject or system all it is entitled to, but no more. 



J. S. Keller. 



Orwigsburg, Pa., Jlpril 7, 1857. 



Remarks. — We have not seen the article pub- 

 lished by Mr. Waring, and perhaps have not the 

 peculiar skill of Mr. Keller in constructing stone 

 drains. We have plenty of stones for the purpose 

 of drainage, and have constructed many drains of 

 them in both dry and sandy loams. They operated 

 well for a time— but the first star-mole that made 

 his way to one of them left an inviting opening 

 for the next drenching shower to follow. This, of 

 course, was repeated a good many times and in a 

 good many places during the year, and the work 

 of destruction was begun. Unless laid very deep, 

 frost also deranges the upper portion of them, and 

 lets the fine soil down. We have, therefore, great 

 doubt whether it is not best, in the first instance 

 to use the tile. It costs much less to lay tile 

 than stone, and when the work is once well done, 

 and the tile entirely below the frost, a drain is 

 made of great permanence and utility. 



Preserving American Grain. — The results of 

 some experiments made in France in the preserva- 

 tion of grain have but very recently been published. 

 A year ago exactly, 2175 bushels of American wheat 

 were, by way of trial, enclosed in two silos of sheet 

 iron — large cylinders sunk in the ground — and were 

 carefully closed, sealed and covered. The seals 

 were removed in the first week of last month, in 

 presence of two delegates from the War Office and 

 of several members of the Commission for Military 

 Stores. The grain was then subjected to a strict 

 examination, and unanimously declared to be ex- 

 actly the same as it was when sealed up. The cost 

 of preserving corn by means of these silos does not 

 exceed sixteen cents per two and three-quarters 

 bushels, while all danger of loss by fire or vermin 

 is entirely obviated. — Scientific American. 



