358 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



I could feed without going ofiF the farm for any- 

 thing, a span of lieavy horses, and a yoke or two 

 of oxen when I chose, keeping myself ready to 

 buy or sell, according to circumstances. To re- 

 lieve my family of labor in the house, I would gen- 

 erally sell the milk for the market, realizing near- 

 ly fifty dollars each from my cows, for the year, at 

 the present prices of milk, at the door. If I had 

 plenty of help in the house, I would make butter, 

 as being more profitable, and would, by the help 

 of the milk, keep al^out as many swine as cows 

 I should look sharply into the swamps for a place 

 for cranberries, which afford as profitable a crop 

 as any other. 



I would not have a largo or stylish ho'usc, nor 

 would I feel obliged to ride to cliurch in a car- 

 riage worth two hundred dollars, when I preferred 

 walking, because my neighbor Jones did, or to 

 furnish a parlor elegantly with Victoria curtains, 

 or Prince Albert carpets, and keep it shut up, 

 because I was afraid of what Mrs. Grundy would 

 say. 



I think we New Englandcrs are more extrava- 

 gant in our dwellings, and carriages, and furni- 

 ture, than any other people on earth. 



Furthermore, I should keep my eye on the mar- 

 ket, and when I thought proper, I should put in 

 an extra acre of early potatoes, or perhaps an as- 

 sortment of market vegetables. I should attend 

 the cattle markets, and buy and sell cattle to keep 

 my stock good. When hay and cattle were both 

 at extravagant prices, as at present in this neigh- 

 borhood, I should take the liberty without ask- 

 ing permission of the town authorities, to sell ofl' 

 the most of my hay and stock, and wait quietly a 

 year or two the fall of the market, in the mean- 

 time trying a few scientific experiments with gua- 

 no and super-phosphates, until I should have 

 manure a.gain of home manufacture. 



The Eastern part of ^Massachusetts is full of 

 such farms as I have described, and I know of no 

 people in the world whose life seems to be nearer 

 to the true idea of comfort a d independence than 

 those wlio occupy them. They work hard but 

 they la])or with the spirit and courage of freemen. 

 They have no masters to drive them, either with 

 the lash, or the fear of losing their offices. Such 

 days as this — the anniversary of the battle of 

 Bunker Ilill — inspire them anew with thankful- 

 ness for the blessings of freedom. 



They are not rich, but they know not poverty, 

 and no wealth elsewhere can purchase the secu- 

 rity, the civil and religious liberty, the education 

 of intellect, of heart and of taste, enjoj-ed by the 

 farmers of New England. 



With much respect, Henry F. Frenxh. 



A New Use for Collodion. — Cotton powder, 

 dissolved in ether, forms a varnish which sticks 

 fast, dries quickly, is impermeable to water and 



impenetrable to air ; it is called collodion, and is 

 much used in surgical cases. A gardener has just 

 discovered that it may be made of vast utility in 

 producing plants and shrubs from cuttings. On 

 making the cutting, tlie varnish is applied to the 

 part cut, which immediately becomes closed, or. 

 so to speak, healed. The cutting is then planted 

 in tlie ordinary way. Out of twenty-six cuttings 

 of hot-house plants to which collodion Avas ap- 

 plied, twenty-three struck root, whereas out of 

 the same number to which it was not applied, on- 

 ly twelve succeeded. With plants kept in gi'cen- 

 houses, and those in the open air, even moi'o sat- 

 isfactory results have been obtained. The collo- 

 dion may also be most advantageously employed 

 in grafting. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CLIMATE IN CANADA WEST. 



Friend Brown : — Many people have an idea 

 that Canada is a frigid region, lying somewhere 

 north 0? civilization, where 



"Winter reigns tremendous o'er the conquered yesr," 



and to mention the name almost makes them draw 

 closer to the fire. A little study and reflection 

 will satisfy any one that this is incorrect. True, 

 at jMontreal and Quebec, and in a large part of 

 Canada East, the winters are long and the cold is 

 sevei'e,but the best part of the Province, containing 

 nearly all the inhabited part of Canada West, lies 

 south of tlic latittide of Montreal, and directly 

 west of the State of New York. Tiie climate and 

 productions are similar to those of that State. 



It is to be hoped that our geographers will, in 

 future, devote more than half a page to the history 

 and description of this growing province. 



My intention, when I commenced this article, 

 was to give the state of the weather for the last 

 six months at this place, showing tlie extremes of 

 temperature, and also the mean, based upon ac- 

 tual observation. ISIy residence is in Prince Ed- 

 ward County, in lat. 44° north, about a degree 

 and a half north of Boston, and on the meridian 

 of Washington. The climate is viiry changeable, 

 often varying from 20*^ to 40^ in twenty-fotir 

 hours. In one instance, lust winter, the mercury 

 fell 30° in twelve hours. 



By reference .to my record of the weatlier in 

 which tlie height of the mercury at G o'clock, A. 

 M., and at 1 and G P. M., is daily noted, I find 

 the 



Jlcan temperature of the 12 Mo., 1S53, was 24.40°; 

 " " " 1 " 1S54, " 21.61°; 



" " " 2 " " " 19.53°; 



« u u y u a u 30.730 ; 



" " " 4 " " " 40.60"; 



" " " 5 " " " Se.TO-'; 



In the 12th month the range of the mercury 

 was from 45" above to 11° below zero. 



In the 1st month the range was from 46 above to 13 below. 

 " 2a " " 41 " 10 » 



" 3d " " 53 " 9 above. 



" 4th " " 66 " 22 " 



" 5th " " 16 " 29 " 



Though 13° below zero was the coldest at i/iis 

 place, yet it was said to be 20'^ below in some lo- 

 calities in this vicinity. Snow seldom falls deep 

 here, though there is much more in counties north 

 of this. Perhaps our proximity to jthe lake, has 

 a tendency to diminish the depth of snow. Last 

 winter I measured the depth at the close of each 

 storm, and found the total 5^ feet, yet it was not 



