32 



TTTE GENESEE T'AR:MER. 



NOTKS ON THE WkATHKR FROM NOVEMBER loTH TO Dk- 



CBMBKR IGth, 1(502.— The dull cloudy weather of the last 

 half of this November is only equaled hy that of the pre- 

 cediiiit mouth and a half. The temperature has been 

 quite uuifonn, the mean of the last half being 06.9°, or 

 2..5° above the average for twenty-five years ; and of the 

 month, SS.l'', or only 0.*2° above the average. 



Rain and snow gave 2.46 inches of water. No ice has 

 yet formed in the canal ; but the amount from tolls 

 exceeds 5.000,000 dollars. 



The coldest day was 2S« on the 2-lth, and the hottest 

 day, 48*= on the I'Jth. The business of autumn is pretty 

 nearly fiMshed ; some potatoes have not yet been dug. 



December began with moderate heat, but on the 6th snow 

 squalls began early from the nortlrtvest, the cold increas- 

 ed through the day with high winds, and on the 7th was 

 9" at 7 A.M., the coldest day ; canal frozen, having no 

 ice before; more snow, but too little for sleighii^g, aiid 

 on the 11th snow all melted ; streets muddy. The cold 

 period extended far and wide over the country, much 

 snow and well drifted over New England and into Can- 

 ada, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and even further 

 south ; a severe time, from the high northwest wind and 

 the preceding moderate weather. Morris Canal in New 

 Jersey frozen, and the Hudson at Albany and downward. 

 Warm weather followed, and the last three days were 

 quite warm, 62" at noon of loth, and 54.7" for the day; in 

 the evening much rain, and air much cooled, so that snow 

 is expected. 



Wk Need to be More Careful. — We scarcely ever 

 look at a market report without seeing evidence of the 

 advantage of paj'ing more attention to the preparation of 

 articles sent to market. Well-bred and well-fatted beef 

 cattle in New York sell for ten cents a lo., while "scalla- 

 wags" seek buyers at five or six cents. The carcass of a 

 poor sheep sells for |1.00, while that of a good, fat sheep 

 brings $5.00 or ?6.00. Poor chickens sells for 6c. or 7c. 

 per lb., while those well-fattened and properly dressed 

 bring 10c. or lie. If we turn to the foreign market re- 

 ports the same thing is observed. American butter and 

 cheese in Kngland, as a rule, sells for less than that from 

 uny other country, and there is a greater range in the 

 price, indicating a want of uniformity In tLi article, in 

 the last report o*" Mj« " Dublin Smithfield Market," in 

 the IrUA '^farmers Jazttte are the following quotations : 



Bao.9i:, Irish, per cwt, .'iZs. Od. b'>s. Od. 



9econ, American, per cwl, 358. Od. 42s. 0<l, 



These figures tell the story. We need to he more carefuU 



Gone ro the War. — Mr. J. S. Shattdck, of Aurora, 



Ind., who took one of our Cash Prizes last year, writes 



fhat he has little hopes of taking a Cash Prize this year, 



as a great many of his old subscribers are gone to the 



war. He says, however, he will do all he can for us. 



That is right. We do not- expect as large clubs as 



formerly. 



-% ■ 



Wk have been obliged to leave out over a page of ad- 

 yeriisements from this number of the Farmer. Our 

 friends must bear with us. Our space for advertisements 

 is quite limited, but we shall endeavor to make room for 

 all such as are appropriate to our columns. 



Father Buckminster, of the Massachusetts Plough- 

 man, has sold his paper and retires from the profession 

 in iha eightieth yamr of his age. We are sorry to part 

 with our experienced friend. During the twenty-one 

 years he hay published the Plovghman he has ever proved 

 faithful to his trust, has written much and well, and re- 

 tires to his farm and his Devons with the best wishes of 

 all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. 



While penning the above lines, -onr thoughts turn to 

 another well-known agricultural jjublisher, who, though 

 not so old a man, has been ten years longer in the har- 

 ness. We refer to Luther Tucker, of the Country Gen- 

 tleman. Mr. T. started the Genesee Fa rmev m 1S31, and 

 from that day to this, as publisher and editor of the 

 Genesee Farmer, Albany Cultivator and Country GentU- 

 man, has been among the foremost friends of agricultural 

 improvement in the State and in the counti-y. Though 

 still comparatively a young man, he is the oldest liviiig 

 agricultural publisher in America, if not in the world. 

 Long may his useful life be spared. 



Chaffing Fodder. — We wish all our agricultural 

 writers would use the word "chaffed" fodder instead of 

 "cut" fodder. It is more definite. Wheu we speak 

 about "cutting" hay, it is not always easy to determine 

 at once whether we mean cutting the grass to make it 

 into hay, or cutting the hay into chaff for feeding pur- 

 poses. Martyr's Fncydopedia says the word chajf " iB 

 sometimes used, rather i7npn>perly, to denote straw cut 

 small for the food of cattle." Webster, however, says 

 of the word "chaff-cutter": "A machine for cutting up 

 straw, Ac, into chaff." 



If no one can give us a better word, let us speak of cut 

 fodder as chaffed fodder. The fodder is cut into ckoff. 

 and for this reason the word will be appropriate enough. 

 Then there is another reason : Our old Saxon word 

 "chaffer" means to cheapen; and is it not true that a 

 chaff-cutter c/u'ap«/M the fodder? The fodder is cut into 

 chaff and chaffered (cheapened) at the same operation. 



"Keep the Sheep at Home." — Such was our advice 



last month. We still think it sound. The price of grain 



and hay, however, is very high, and there is an unusual 



number of sheep in the hands of farmers in this State. 



It is pofsible that prices next spring will not be high 



enough to pay for keeping of them through the winter. 



If the sheep are fat, it may be well to sell when you have 



a good offer. To sell poor sheep is the highth of folly. 



Such sheep have recently been solo in New York for 



$3.00 per head, and as the pelts are worth from $1.50 to 



$2.00, the price obtained for the mutton must have 'Deen 



low [indeed. Government is supplying the army with 



more or less mutton in place of beef, and this will help 



to keep up prices. 



>«.• 



Pianos. — Wo would call the attention of our readers to 

 the advertisement of William McCammon, successor to 

 BoARDMAN, Gray A Co., of Albany, N. Y. Those wish- 

 ing a good piano, can not do better than to put them- 

 selves in communication with Mr, McCammon. He is a 

 gentleman of sterling integrity, and his j)iunos will gire 

 good satisfaction. Send for one of bis illustrated cai»- 

 logues. 



