76 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



The tollowing is quoted with approbation in a w^ 

 published the present year, in Edinburgh and Lond 

 ^ - . . .X .. -ural Tour throvgkl^irnm gtiUm 



some parts of Flanders, Holland, 

 France. />'// a Depulatlon of the Caledonian HorlicuUu- 

 val Socieli/." We had before observed, that orchards 

 commonly flourished remarkably, and were unusually 



orki room in which the tire 13, ami the outward air ; 

 and consequently much cold air is prevenle 

 into the house. 2d. 



11 is 



jood 



entitled, -Journal of a -f^-'-'l'"™/^ ^;y ,1;^, '^t plan t" have the Haircasc between the upper and 



, lower rooms tighlly eaclosed : by this means the 

 (torrent of cold air that comes down from our 

 i chambers to our lower rooms, would in a gjrea! 

 ' measure be prevented. Those who have made 



f,.unful on the sides of hills, and other uneven ground^, , ^^^ ^^ ^ ^^.^^ ^^^^^.^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ 



but had formed no conjecture respecting the cause 

 Ihis singular effect, which, we think is satisfactorily ex- 

 plained by what is here presented. Editor. 

 On the Advantages- fjf planting Fruit Trees on De- 

 clivities, in a letter from the liev. John Walker 

 to Lord Karnes, dated Moffat, Feb. 18, 1773. 

 Dodart first observed that trees pushe<l their 

 branches in a direction parallel to the surface of 

 the earth. If a tree stands on a steep, it pushes 

 both towards the hill, and towards the declivity ; 

 but on both sides it still preserves its branches 

 parallel to the surface. As there is an attrac- 

 tion between the upper surface of leaves and 

 light, I am also persuaded, though not equally 

 certain of it from experiment, that there is an 

 attraction of the same nature betiveen the under 

 surface of leaves and the surface of the earth. 

 This 1 consider as the cause of the phenomenon. 

 1 had lon^ observed, that the most fruitful 

 orchards, and the most fertile trees, are those 

 planted o:i a declivity, and the steeper it is," 

 though not quite a precipice, the more fertile 

 will they prove. But 1 was never satisfied is to 

 the cause of it, till I called to mind the above 

 observation of Dodart; which occurred to me 

 vfhen I was in the town of Jedburgh. Tiiere 

 is more fruit about that place, and more fruit- 

 bearing wood upon the trees, than 1 have seen 1 

 in any other part of Scotland : but its orchards 

 and fruit-gardens are mostly situated in very 

 steep places. ] 



It is well known that the spreading ol trees 

 always renders them fruitful. On a plain, how- 

 ever, they incline to shoot upwards ; and there- 

 fore art is called in by skilful gardeners, and ap- 

 plied in various ways to check their perpendic- 

 ular, and to promote their lateral growth. But 

 this point, which can only be gained upon a 

 plain by art, is obtained upon a declivity by na- 

 ture. There a tree loses its tendency to shoot 

 upwards, and in order to preserve lis branches 

 parallel with the surface, J« constrained to put 

 them in a lateral direction. 



Hence an important rule in the choice of 

 orchards and gardens. 



oughly acquainted with the comforts of it, will 



seldom be persuaded to part with it at scarce 



Thomson's, James' and ConnePs 



2-ood patterns. The Lenox stove, 



any price. 

 stoves are a 



so called, from being cast at Lenox, Mass. hav- 

 ing the oven underneath, is much liked. The 

 Putney stove is good except for large rooms; 

 it consumes a good deal of fuel : if it had some 

 pipe to it, I should like it better, but those who 

 have them admire them for cooking. For 

 those farmers who make economy a great ob- 

 ject, it is an excellent |)lan to have the pipe of 

 the kitchen stove go through the sitting room. 

 OF THE WORK SHOP. 

 It is of very great importance to a farmer to 

 have a shop in which he can work in rainy 

 weather and in the winter season. Every far- 

 mer should be something of a mechanic : a ve- 

 ry little experience vvill enable him to use the 

 most common carpenter's and joiner's tools. A 

 small farmer who sends for a mechanic to do 

 every little job, must expect to die poor: few 

 are so improvident. But 1 would not stop here — 

 1 am convinced that most of our farmers would 

 make more money if they made a point o( car- 

 ruing on some mechanical business in the noinier. 



New England farmers, as a class of people, 

 j are perhaps the most ingenious in the known 

 world ; but from the fall to the spring litlle 

 I comparatively is to be done in agriculture, and 

 consequently, they do but little. What they get 

 in the summer they too often spend in the win- 

 ter by contracting a habit of lounging in stores 

 and taverns. " When people have nothing to do 

 the Devil sets them to zj-or/c." To improve our 

 short summers to advantage, most farmers in the 

 winter should be mechanics, and most of our 

 mechanics in the summer months should be tar- 

 mers : — This would have a wonderful effect to 

 preserve their constitutions. Our shoes, hats, 

 clothes, ploughs, carts, sleds, and indeed all our 

 implements of agriculture and most kinds of 

 household furniture should be made in winter. 



From the Brattleborough MessengtT. 

 •Observations on the construction of Farm Bui 

 ings, Gardens, ^c. 

 It is not the design of the writer to give a 

 general plan of all the buildings necessary for 

 a farmer to carry on his occupation to advan- 

 tage ; but merely to give a few hints which 

 strike him as worth noticing. 



OF THE HOUSE. 

 It is very desirable, in our cold climate, to 

 construct our houses .so as to guard as much as 

 possible against the inclemency of the winter, 

 •with the least possible degree of fuel. 1st. Our 

 kitchens and sitting rooms ought never to have a 

 door open directly from the open air. By having 

 a small entry on the ineide of the house, or a 

 porch without, an atmosphere is created of a 

 medium temperature between the air of the 



FEEDING STOCKS. 



As a further improvement in the feeding of 

 II Ic.iitlo, I would recommend that the shucks 

 [busks] be well wet wilh brine, as they arc stow- 

 ed away in the fall. This was recommended to 

 me the last winter, and was done in this way : 

 as many shucks were thrown in the house at a 

 time, as would raise it six inches, after being 

 well trod down ; as soon as they were sufhcient- 

 ly trod, the surface was well sprinkled wilh 

 brine ; as many more were then put in, and the 

 same process observed, until the whole were 

 put away. In this way one bushel and a half of 

 salt were applied to the shucks taken tVom a 

 hundred bushels of corn, and the consequence 

 was, my shucks were heartily eaten by my cat- 

 tle, and until last winter, they never would eat 

 them, as long as they could get pea vines. This 

 is not all the advantage resulting from salting 

 them; it was very evident that they were ren- 



dered much more nourishing, as the dry cattl^ 

 which were fed on the shucks alone, were im 

 nearly as good onler as (hose which were fed oin 

 ihe vines. To do this properly, they should not 

 be made so wet as to heat and mould. The eX'J 

 pense need not be conntrd at all, as cattle, whila 

 these shucks are given them will require no oth- 

 er salting. 



As there is so little economy observed in fat< 

 ting hogs in this part of the country, I beg "' 

 leave to notice this subject, and point out a bet 

 ter and cheaper mode. The common practice 

 is lo put them in a large pen and throw the 

 corn on the ground ; in a wet season, they are 

 soon up to their knees in mire, and not a drj 

 spot to lay on. In this situation there must bi 

 much corn wasted, and they cannot possibljj 

 thrive but very slowly. My practice has been 

 to make two square pens aiijoiniug; they ar^ 

 both floored with rails, and one of them is si 

 covered as to turn the rain, and is well litterej 

 with leaves or straw, and fresh litter added a 

 least once a week. In the other pen a trougl 

 is placed in which they are fed from twice i 

 three limes a day. One meal they are fed oi 

 peas, and the other two on corn ; it is sometinii 

 boiled and well sailed, and al other times rav 

 This has been my practice for three winters' 

 and my hogs have always fatteneil very fast ani 

 ate much less than those fed in the uncomfort* 

 ble manner above described. , 



Last winter, after killing off half of my fai 

 tening hogs, the others were fed altogether q 

 fine corn meal, and although the weather ha 

 got much more severe, they fattened much fas 

 er than they had done before, and ate still lei 

 Last winter, when my fields were cut, I con| 

 nienced feeding my. little stock of out hogs a 

 corn ; their allowance was six quarts ; but wh« 

 the weather became severe, they fell away (afi 

 on this allowance. 1 then laid the corn asidi 

 and had four quarts of corn meal boiled ever 

 (lay, in ten gallons of water, until it boile 

 clown to about eight; in this half a pint ( 

 salt was occasionally thrown while boiling 

 when done it was taken up into a large tub, an 

 given them the next day, and in one week froi 

 Ihe day Ihis practice was adopted, they looke 

 much better, and from that lime increased i 

 llesh. When the spring opened, they were fe 

 only three times a week, in the same mannc 

 and in the month of May, reduced to twice 

 week, and by the middle of June it was di: 

 continued. Had I persisted in giving them tl: 

 six quarts of raw corn, I am satislicd more tha 

 half would not have seen the spring. 



1 have also adopted the practice of grimlii: 

 all my horse corn in fine meal, and find lliat 

 save a third after paying the toll. 



J. D. GALLARD. 



From Memoirs of the New York Board of Agrir ulliin 



ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEIU'. 

 Bj/ the President of the Jlgricullural Society of .SVci , 

 ben County. \ 



I am very much pleased with the prospect < 

 another agricultural volume, and wish to coi 

 tribute to it whatever lies in my power. Hai 

 ing turned my attention, for a ten years past 1 

 the raising of sheep, I think my experience bt 

 enabled me 1o make some observations, whic 

 may be of service to my brother farmers. 



There are two subjects, connected wilh Ih 

 raising of sheep, to which I beg leave to direc 



