230 



NfiW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



idea of experimenting Avith guano, and find that 

 from your ignorance of its properties and tlie true 

 modes of using it, j-our corn never sprouts, and 

 your potatoes do not come up till dog days, 1 

 pray you do not j^iublish your testimony that gua-j 

 no and scientific agriculture have both proved 

 humbugs, just as you expected. I read of a man 

 once, wlio was advised to try salt as a manure, and 

 he did try it, and wrote his opinion for publica- 

 tion in an agricultural paper. He said he was 

 satisfied that salt did more hurt than good ; that 

 he put a half pint into each hill of potatoes, and 

 half of them never grew at all, and those that 

 did grow came to nothing. 



Another man, who tried guano on his cucum- 

 fcers, said that on applying it one morning to some 

 hills already up, the vines grew so fast that he 

 was obliged to run to get out of their way, Ijut 

 they kept uj) with him and twined round his legs 

 so as to stop him. lie then put his hand into his 

 pocket for his jack-knife, with which to cut loose 

 from them, and found there a cucumber gone to 

 soed ! Now, if you expect your cucumbers and 

 squashes to grow at that rate, you will probably 

 be disappointed. 



Excuse me if I have herein addressed you as a 

 person somewhat unlearned in the mysteries of 

 Agricultui'c. It is manifest from the fact that you 

 do not state in your letter what Am/c? of guano you 

 have procured, that you do not know the differ- 

 ence between the Peruvian and Saldanher Bay 

 guano, although the first contains about 17 per 

 cent of ammonia, and the latter about 1.^ per cent., 

 while the latter contains more than twice as 

 much of the phosphates as the former, so that 

 tliey are about as much alike as salt and salt 

 petre. 



I am glad to see that you are beginning to 

 take an interest in this subject. If at any time 

 I can be o^ further service to you in the "pursuit 

 of knowledge under difficulties," I hope you 

 will not hesitate to command my services. 



With sentiments of the highest consideration, 

 yours truly, Henry F. Frkxch. 



R. M., Esq. 



Storing Apples in dry Sawdust. — I have a 

 dark closet in my house, or rather I live in a row 

 with windows back and front. The house is four 

 stories high, and the length from front to back is so 

 great, that we have three rooms on the floor, the 

 centre dark. On the third story the floors are 

 plaster, and I find the temperature so even that I 

 use it for a wine-store in preference to the cellar, 

 and have it fitted with bins. In this room I put 

 some hampers of apples (like pearmains.) I want- 

 ed one of the hampers and turned the apples in one 

 of the binns, amongst the dry sawdust (pine saw- 

 dust.) A fortniglit ago we looked at them, hav- 

 ing used up the others gathered at the same time, 

 and fi'om the same tree, all of which were much 

 wrinkled, but on taking those off and from among 

 the sawdust, I found them in a most beautiful 

 condition; those covered with sawdust were as 

 plump and fresh as when gatliered ; while those 

 partially buried were only so to the extent covered 

 with the sawdust, the upper portions being wrink 

 led. 1 am so pleased with the discovery, that I 

 shall pack them in lunns next year, for I have no 

 doubt they will keep in this way till next Christ 

 mas. — Ayr {Scotland) Advertiser. 



For the New England Farmer. 



NORTHERN FARMING. 



The following brief account of farming on the 

 "Line" was written at my request, and submitted 

 to me, with the privilege of offering it for pul)lica- 

 tion, "entirely on my own responsibility." It 

 is at your service, Mr. Editor, if you think, with 

 me, that many readers of the Fanner will be glad 

 to know how people live where corn ripens once in 

 four years, or so, where apples will not grow, and 

 where a snug little frost every month in the year 

 is no uncommon occurrence. My brothers object 

 to the publication of their statement, on the gi-ounds 

 that some of their neighbors are better farmers 

 than themselves ; that they have no big stories to 

 tell — nothing to brag of, at all ; that, beginning 

 the world entirely empty-handed, they have not 

 even "got a-going" yet ; and that by putting them- 

 selves or their farm "into the papers," they shall 

 exhibit more vanity than good sense. They con- 

 sent to its publication, therefore, only on condi- 

 tion that the editor and myself will step in be- 

 tween them and the force of these objections. 

 Yours, &c., s. F. 



Winc/icsicr, May, 1854. 



Situated in the northeast corner of Vermont, 

 about one-half mile west of Connecticut river, and 

 extending almost to Canada lino, our farm consists 

 of two hundred and seventy-five acres'; one hun- 

 dred acres enclosed as a mowing field, of which ten 

 to fifteen are cultivated yearly ; one hundred acres 

 pasturing, and the remainder woodland, on which 

 are twelve to fourteen hundred maple trees suit- 

 able for "tapping," andplenty of good spruce and 

 hemlock for building, fencing, &(?. We purchased 

 in 1849, and it was then considered to be in a good 

 state of cultivation, for this section, as a stock 

 form . 



The amount of hay cut in 1848 was about 70 

 tons; in 1843, 90 tons. Of grain we raised in 

 1852, oats 000 bushels, buckwheat 200 ; in 1853, 

 oats 250, buckwheat 200 bushels. Of roots — last 

 year (1852) potatoes 200 bushels, (badly rotted) 

 turnips 200 ; in 1853 about as many potatoes, (a 

 very light crop,) and 300 bushels ruta-bagas on 

 one-half acre. Have measured and fed turnips 

 and buckwheat, and we estimate turnips worth 

 12A, when buckwheat sells at 40 to 42 cents, and 

 oats at 30 cents per bushel, for feeding raw to 

 shoats, but think the best way Ave can feed tur- 

 nips is to cattle in winter with hay — say to cows, 

 oxen , and calves ; calves we think pay best for 

 turnips. Fall before last we cooked turnips, but 

 could not see much advantage in it. 



The great object of our cultivation here is the 

 production of grass. For this purpose we think 

 the best course is to keep land in tillage only one 

 year. Spread on manure, 30 to 40 loads, (of 35 

 bushels,) and turn over the sward in the spring, 

 with a furrow seven inches deep, harrow thoroughly, 

 sowing the grain after it is partly' harroAved ; then 

 bush it over, after which grass seed is soaatq, and 

 rolled, which sufficiently covers the seed, and 

 leaves a smooth surface for the scythe. For pota- 

 toes, land thus prepared is furrowed, the seed 

 dropped, and covered by a light furrow turned 

 upon the potatoes from each side of the roAV ; cul- 

 tivated tAvice, with very little hoeing, as fcAV Aveeds 

 start up by this process, and we find hand-hoeing 



