270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1824. 



FARMER'S CALEJ^DER. 



The time of year has now arrived in which 

 the Master Cultivator and his posse coniitatus 

 shonlil be as bnsy as bee?, and as nimble as fly- 

 ing squirrels. But it is not proper that the Lord 

 of the soil, and his phalanx of hired or house- 

 hold assistants should skip about like startled 

 rabbits, without knowing what they are about. 

 There should be metiiod in every movement, 

 and a reason for every step. 



But some [leople spin round and round, like 

 a top tuirled by a truant, and attempt every 

 thin"' without accomplishing any thing. They 

 are ahvavs in a hurry, though they never make 

 haste, and I'orm as many unnecessary tracks as a 

 spaniel that is cutting capers to curry favor with 

 his master. 



Such busy bodies work hard, but not knowing 

 how to set themselves properly to work they 

 bring nothing to pass. They appear like ani- 

 mal machines intended to represent perpetual 

 motion, but though always moving they no more 

 go forward than a squirrel in a wheel, or a mouse 

 jn a tread mill. They undertake twenty things 

 at once, but not being able to be in more than 

 one place at a time — owning but one pair of 

 iinnd^i, and having but one head a|)iece on their 

 shoulders they fail to accomplish any one of 

 their undertakings. 



Such are the evils consequent to the lack of 

 system in business. In order to avoid such ca- 

 lamities the farmer should have a plan of his 

 ^vork cut and dried before liand. He should do 

 one thing at a time ; finish one job before he 

 commences another, and do that first, which 

 iirst needs doing. 



Finish cutting, splitting and piling your wood, 

 drawn last winter. You should always keep at 

 least one year's slock of fuel before hand. It is 

 said by those who have calculated on the sub- 

 iect that dry wood will go twice as far as green 

 wood, and we believe this is correct, at least so 

 I'ar as respects wood to be burnt in the summer 

 for cooking. The Farmer's .^*.«istant says, " 'n 

 cutting wood short, after it is caited home a saw 

 fcbould he used ; as this makes a great saving of 

 the )vood, and is at the same time equally cx- 

 pcditiaut.-." Some farmers in some parts of the 

 t;i)unlry, make great use of ilry white pine for 

 fuel. This is very difficult to cut with an a,\e ; 

 and two men with what is called a cross-cut saw, 

 t'lir a saw with '"o handles,) will saw more of 

 this wood than four men could cut with an axe 

 in the same lime. Small sticks however, espe- 

 cially if green are best cut with an axe. 



As soon as the frost is sj> far out of the ground 

 that you can drive a stake you will give your 

 ienccs a thorougli review, and subslautial re- 

 pairs. No man, who is possessed of a spark ol 

 sensibility, or a grain of forecast can sleep qui- 

 etly, or realize any enjoyment during his wak- 

 ing hours, when ho knows that his fences are 

 ill a low, weak and tottering condition, entirely 

 incompetent to afford security to his crops. The 

 < :;uol'iil farmer will therefore make " assurance 

 douldy sure" by a few extra stakes, and super- 

 mi merary rails rather than anticipate the shock- 

 ing sounds o{ liogs in the corn ! sheep in the mow- 

 ii:'j lot ! coxc'S in the cabbage yard ! ^c. 



"ii'vou have new fences to build, and timber 



and stones are scarce you may as well make post 

 and rail fences. If the ground will admit of it, 

 especially if it is so moist that it would be be- 

 nefitted by draining, you may proceed (as recom- 

 mended in the Farmer's Assistant) to set your 

 posts on a bank made of the earth of two small 

 ditches thrown up together. If the posts are 

 too small to have holes made through them, the 

 rails may be flattened at the ends and fastened 

 to ihe posts with spikes, or with wooden pins, 

 well secured. 



Mr. Preston, of Stockport, Pa. recommends 

 setting posts with Ihe top parts placed in the 

 ground, and intimates that they will, in tha( po- 

 sition, last three or four times as long as when 

 the butts are placed down. The same judicious 

 and experienced agriculturist advices, in mak- 

 ing fences, always to place the rails with the 

 heart side up. The posts should be set at leant 

 two feet in the ground. If those parts of the 

 posts which are to be placed in the ground are 

 burnt in a hot tire till quite black they will last 

 much longer than they would otherwise. Some 

 farmers cut their posts so long, and mortise them ' 

 in such a manner, that when the lower ends 

 have become rotten they can turn them upside 

 down, and it is said that they will last nearly as 

 long again when managed in that manner. 



Get your agricultural implements such as 

 ploughs, harrows, carts, hoes, &c. in readiness 

 for use. These you have doubtless kept under 

 cover during Ihe winter, and they will last long- 

 er if they are painted or covered with some 

 suitable composition. "Dr. Lewis," says the 

 Domestic Encvclopedia, " advises all wood that 

 is exposed to Ihe inclemency of the weather, to 

 he coated with a preparation of pulverized jiil 

 coal* and melted tar, reduced to the consistence 

 of paint, which he has found by experience to 

 be very efficacious." Covering wood repeat- 

 edly with train oil, or other greasy substance 

 will have a tendency to preserve it. Or if more 

 convenient use some cheap sort of paint, such 

 as Spanish brown or red ochre. VV'here ma- 

 chines are necessarily exposed in the field, a 

 great part of the season, they require to be new 

 painted at least every second year. This ap- 

 plies as well to the iron as wood, which should 

 be kept coated with paint or oil as far as prac- 

 ticable. 



Particular attention should be paid to your 

 cattle especially to cows which have lately 

 calved, or are about to calve. If cows are 

 lean when calving no management afterwards 

 will firing them to yield, for that season, any 

 :hiiig like Ihe quantity of milk they would have 

 yielded had they been kept in good condition 

 during the winter and early in the spring. The 

 Germans in Philadelphia, who supply the mar- 

 ket with milk regularly feed their cows at mid- 

 night with short feed during the winter. The 

 disease called Ihe hollow horn, or horn distem- 

 per is owing to scanty feed. Roots such as po- 

 tatoes, mangel wurlzel, carrots, &c. should be 

 given them during winter and early spring, with 

 their dry food, and they will serve both for food 

 and medicine. The quantity ol" roots allowed to 

 each cow, ox, &.C. should be varied according to 

 circumstances, and the quantity and quality ol 

 the dry food consumed by them, and Ihe apparent 

 keenness of the appetite of the animals. Cattle, 

 especially if fed with roots, should have a pto- 



* Perhaps charcoal would do as well. 



per quantity of salt. Some advise to place sai 

 under cover, and to let cattle, sheep, &.c. alway; 

 have access to it and eat as much as their ajipe- 

 tites crave. Dr. Cooper, editor of the Philadel 

 phia edition of the Domestic Encyclopedia says 

 "A quarter of an ounce of salt per day to sheep, 

 and one ounce per day to cows and oxen, is ao 

 allowance ample enough." 



aiGA FLAX SEED. The attention of Ag:ricuUurist 

 will be directed to an article m our paper of this day 

 pafE 267, respecting the introduction and diffusion o 

 Flax Seed from Riga in the United States, by means o 

 the valuable donation of the Hon. T. H. Perkins t< 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society. 



AMHERST itfSTiTtiTioN. In a preceding page of tbl le SI 

 day's paper we have given an article relative to th» (»» 

 College proposed to be incorporated at Amherst, iti " 

 this State. The question respecting the propriety a 

 granting a Charter to that Institution we have nevei 

 examined, knowing that we could never decide upon 

 it. Both parties have a right to be heard, and make 

 their wishes and feelings known to the public, and wISt ^ 

 have therefore published the piece alluded to, withon 

 meaning to express any opinion with regard to a mail 

 ter, which as respects us is coram non judice, [beyoii| 

 our jurisdiction] as lawyers phrase it. 'Hi' 



Insurrection in the Side Prison — On the 12th inS 

 the convicts in the State Prison, in Charlestown rose i 

 open and determi.ied rebellion against their OflTicersi 

 the Government of the State. They were not subdue 

 till the appearance of a Company of the United Stat| 

 Marines had paraded in the Prison yard with fix^ 

 bavonets. 



Prison Limits The Legislature of Mississippi 



passed a law, declaring the limits of each county to] 

 the prison bounds, and prohibiting the imprisonment | 

 any white woman for debt. 



The Greek Boy.— Cayt. Partridge, of the Milita 

 School, at Norwich, Vermont, has generously ofi'eredi 

 support and educate at his own expense, the Greek b| 

 who arrived in this country last year, and whose ] 

 rents and six brothf rs were murdered by the Turks 

 Scio. The lad is now in Baltimore, but will come i 

 to this city as soon as the means are raised. A fi^ 

 dollar? of the Greek Fund may here be appropriate 

 to send him to Vermont.— JV. 1'. Spec. 



Mnmmolh Hog. — Mr. John Mail, near Cohocsink,| 

 the Northern Liberties, has fattcried and kilhri a Hfl 

 weijhin" 915 lbs.— length from the nose to the tai| 

 l-2'leet,''girth 7 1-2 feet. — Ainer. Sentinel. 



Fireproof and Water proof Cement.— To half a ] 

 of milk put an equal quantify of vinigar in ordei! 

 curdle it, then separate Ihe curd from the whry aW ^ 

 mix it with the white of four or five eggs, beating tilt j 

 whole together ; when it is well mixed, add a little 

 quick lime passed through a sieve, until it has acqn 

 ed the consistence of a thick paste. "With this cemei 

 broken vessels, and cracks of all kinds may he mendj 

 It dries quickly and resists the action of fire and wafl 



fori:ic;n. 



No intelligence from Kurope since cur last, 

 following items are gleam d from the latest Lon 

 papers which have come to our hands. 



A thumb pottle of green grapes for making tarts yi] 

 yesterday exposed for sale in Covenl Garden for 

 strawberries in large pottles were also at market. 



[Kt w Times, Feb. 7. 



The Season. — The continued mildness of the 1; 

 month has produced a nosegay from Ihe flower garr 

 very seldom combined in this climate ; slock.';, w 

 flowers, and primroses, now accompany the laure.'tini 

 lilacs are in full bud. Two or three frosty niglits ^ 

 been all tliat the month has afferded; the coldest 

 at tight in the morning within, doors was at 34 def 



