1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



389 



dollars, -when -without question every dollar spent 

 pays an investment of more than ten per cent. 

 There is no speculating thing about this, it is for 

 the benefit of the whole State, and I may say the 

 ■whole United States. But I will not pursue this 

 subject. Massachusetts has reason to be proud of 

 the report ; it is a credit to the State, and to its au- 

 thor. Let every farmer secure a copy who can, and 

 my word for it, if he heeds its instructions, he will 

 be a better farmer, and a better man. Noefolk. 

 June, 1857. 



HOME MADE WINES. 



Some months ago, we had a call from farmer M.'s 

 "gude wife," who gave us some information about 

 her manufacture of wine from cranberries, and oth- 

 er fruit, which we published at the time. Mrs. M. 

 has paid us another visit, and informs us that in 

 consequence of our little notice, her correspondence 

 has increased wonderfully, and unless we come to 

 her relief, she will have to give up all her domes- 

 tic duties, and devote herself to writing recipes for 

 the multitude who apply to her. To relieve the 

 good lady from the pressure of a business to which 

 she is less accustomed than to milking cows or 

 making cheese, we have copied her recipes, and 

 give them for the benefit of our readers. 



CKANBEKRY WINE. 



Take refuse or frost bitten cranberries, put them 

 in a bag and express the juiee, by means of a cheese- 

 presp, or in any other convenient way. After once 

 pressing, wash the pulp and press again. The 

 liquor will then contain about one-tenth part of 

 water. Add three pounds of sugar to a gallon of 

 the juice, and let it ferment in the ordinary way. 



ELDEILLERRY WINE. 



Use the same i)roportions of sugar and juice as 

 for cranberry wine. 



BARBEEr.Y WINE. 



To one quart of the clear juice add three quarts 

 of water, and three pounds of sugar, and let it fer- 

 ment as usual. 



GRAPE WINE. 



Express the juice, as with the cranberries, wash- 

 ing the pulp in the same manner ; the liquor will 

 be about one-tenth part water. Add sugar, three 

 pounds to a gallon of juice, and ferment as before. 



We have before us a sample of wine made from 

 each of these recipes. The cranberry and barberry 

 wines make a very pleasant drink, when mixed 

 with about four or five times the amount of water. 

 The other two kinds are excellent in their present 

 state. 



Trial of Mowers. — We find in the Cincinnati 

 Daily Gazette an account of a trial of reapers and 

 mowers, which took place at Hamilton, Ohio, on 

 the 2d inst. The grass cut is described as "heavy 

 timothy," and every mower which was operated 

 was eminently successful, so far as mere cutting is 



considered. The entries numbered twelve com- 

 bined machines, sixteen reapers and seventeen 

 mowers, some of the reapers being entered as com- 

 bined machines also. The power required to work 

 each machine was ascertained by means of a Dy- 

 namometer, and the average of the twelve mowers 

 was 350 pounds, the average width of swath being 

 5 feet 1 inch. The average draft of twelve reapers 

 was 248 lbs., width of swath oh. feet. These ma- 

 chines were operated in a field of wheat. 



After a thorough examination, the committee 

 made the following awards : 



Mower — First Premium $50, Manny's Combined- 



" Second Premium $30, Ohio Mower. 



Reaper— First Premium $50, Atbins'. 



" Second Premium $30, Ohio Harvester. 



Combined — First Premium $50, Manny. 



" Second Premium.... $30, Iron Harvester. 



The force of draft and width of swath of the 

 successful machines was as follows : 



Mowers— Manny's 350 lbs 6 ft. swath. 



" Ohio Mower 400 lbs 4 ft. 8 in. swath. 



Reapers.— Atkins' 275 lbs 5 ft. 6 in. swath. 



" Ohio Harvester.. 275 lbs 6 ft. swath. 



It will be seen that while Manny's machine re- 

 quired only the average draft, the width of swath 

 was nearly a foot more than the average of all the 

 machines. The other successful machines are not 

 so well known in New England, and we doubt if 

 any of them have ever been used in this vicinity. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



A FROST IN JULY. 



From several careful observers, who were abroad 

 at four o'clock this morning, I learn there were de- 

 cided indications of frost. An occurrence in July 

 so unusual is worthy of special record. What is 

 to be the consequence of so much cold, and so 

 much damp, is quite problematical. If there be 

 any meaning in the well established saying, that 

 corn will grow when the bears are about, and if 

 these are indispensable prerequisites to the growth 

 of corn, we have not, as yet, any well founded as- 

 surance of a mature crop of corn. s. D. 



July 2, 1857. _ 



state of MAINE POTATO. 



Dear Sir : — I herewith send a small sample of 

 the "real" State of Maine potatoes, and will be 

 much obliged to you if you will try them upon your 

 own table, and judge whether your correspondent, 

 "Norfolk," and Norfolk's wife, have not been de- 

 ceived in the purchase of the State of Maine pota- 

 to. I know of several varieties of potatoes having 

 heen sold as the State of Maine, and the deception 

 has proved prejudicial to the reputation of the gen- 

 uine. Respectfully yours, Thomas Norton. 



Paris, Me., June, 1857. 



Remarks, — Accompanying the above letter was 

 a sample of the State of Maine potato, which we 

 have eaten with abundant relish. We have had 

 no better potatoes upon our table for a year, and 

 think none will surpass them, at this late period. 

 We have understood that there is an inferior vari- 



