142 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



NOV. 8, ISJJi. f,v 



AND HORTICULTURAL RFGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, November 2, 1842. 



WORK AFTER HARVESTING. 



The fine wcatiier (if l+ie post five or six weeks, lins 

 enabled the farmers generally to gather in their iibuii- 

 dant crops in good season. The labor of harvesting is 

 now mostly over. The wet weather of the past season 

 lias been j'eculiar, and merits a passing remark. The 

 spring opunt'd early t\ir plowing and otlier work upon 

 the farm. The weather for sowing the summer grains 

 and for planting corn and potatoes, was propitious— but 

 June was a wet and cool month. About the 5ili of July 

 the weather became settled, giving three gnoj we'^ks 

 for getting in the greater part of the English hay and the 

 earlier grains ; but August and purl of September were 

 very wet, causing much damage to later grains, to fresh 

 meadow liay, salt hay, &c. There wap, however, an 

 abundant (;rowth of second crop or after-math npon the 

 mowing fields, and vegetation was generally vigorous — 

 the fields retained their verdure through the season, and 

 all crops were generally healthy and luxuriant. When 

 the rains of September were over, the weather became 

 beautiful, and has continued so almost without change 

 up to the present. Near forty d,iys have passed in which 

 there have been scarcely two rainy ones. The later sec- 

 ond crop of hay Vf as well made in the first portion of 

 this fair weather, and since then the autumnal crops 

 have be-n secured in fine condition. So much of di- 

 gression. 



To return to our subject — Work after harvest. Clean 

 out the ditches and drains in your lowlands, so that the 

 waters of the winter and spring may pass off freely. If 

 you can find a spot dry enough, get out muck or meadow 

 mud fur use anotlier year — or if you can open a needed 

 diich through your meadow, be busy about that. Some 

 of your stone fences may need lesetling: new stone 

 wall may be wanted. Leaves, potato vines, dried muck, 

 &c. &c. are to be brought to the barn- yard and hog- 

 yard for litter and manure. The contents of the yards, 

 on many farms, are to be carried to the fields. If the 

 manure or compost now taken out is strong, and is in- 

 tended for planting next spring, either spread it forth- 

 with and plow it in, or put it in heaps of good form, and 

 cover it with meadow mud or soil to preserve it from 

 the wasting action of winter's winds, frosts, and snows. 

 After the yards are cleared, put into them meadow mud, 

 soil, or whatever else you may find more convenient 

 and desirable. Where a choice of materials can be had, 

 it is well to take that which is unlike the soil to which 

 you intend to apply your compost when made. If you 

 intend it for the reclaimed meadow, then loain, clay, or 

 sand, cither of them is better than meadow mud. If for 

 a clayey soil, take sandy materials : if for sandy soil, 

 take meadow mud : for light upland soils generally take 

 meadow mud ; — clay does well on such soils, but it 

 makes bad work in a wet yard, and we would rather 

 carry it directly to the field, there leave it in small heaps 

 or spread it over iho surface, as is most convenient, and 

 let it take the action of the frosts. 



Autumnal plowing too, is desirable. All clayey and 

 heavy soils are the better for being plowed in autumn. 

 It benefits them to ridge them up by turning two fur- 

 rows together. When thus fixed, the land becomes fit 

 for the plow earlier in the spring and works better 

 through the summer. Nearly all the lands to be tilled 

 the next season, would be benefited by plowing before 

 winter. The larva; of destructive insects are likewise 

 destroyed by fall plowing. 



THE VALUE OF CARROT, BEET AND RUTA 

 BAGA TOPS AS MANURE. 



Mr Wm. F. Porter, of Newton, mentioned to us the 

 other day, that ho has grown carrots on the same ground 

 four successive years, and that his crop has been annually 

 increasing — at the same time some of his nciglibors 

 have been growing their carrots on the same grounds for 

 successive years, and have found their crops regularly 

 diminishing. The only respect in which Mr P.'s course 

 has differed from that of his neighbors is, that he has 

 topped his crop upon the ground and plowed the tops in, 

 while thoy have removed the tops. 



Last season we topped ruta bagas on the ground where 

 they were grown, and havn thought that the ruta bagas 

 there have done something better this season than on 

 the pan of the field from which the tops were removed. 



It has been told to us that a field high upon the moun- 

 tains in Lyndesboro', N. H., has been sowed to grain 

 for many successive years — that the grain is threshed up- 

 on the mountain and the straw annually plowed into the 

 land on which it grew. The report adds, that the crops 

 of grain here are regularly increasing. 



These things suggest, the questions whether carrot 

 tops are not a peculiarly good manure for carrots ; beet 

 tops for beets ; ruta baga lops for ruia bagas ; straw for 

 grain, &c. We can add a few other facts : three or four 

 years ago, when fitting ground to sow corn in drills for 

 fodder, which ground had been planted to corn the pre- 

 ceding year, we took pains to collect all the old stalks 

 that lay along near three of four of the drills, and place 

 them in the drills. These rows or drills were thought 

 to yield better than the others, where the stalks were 

 left scattered upon the surface or partially buried. 



We published, a few weeks ago, an article which 

 maintained that the trimmings oY grape vines are the 

 best manure for the vine. 



These things suggest a subject on which it is desira- 

 ble that farmers should make observations. 



PRICES OF PRODUCE. 



The general inactivity in manufacturing operations, 

 and the abundant crops of the year, have caused the 

 productions of the farm to bring but very low prices — 

 farmers are not doing any thing like a good business — in 

 the way of profit we mean. Business generally being 

 dull last spring, eveiy mechanic who could get a patch 

 of ground, set about cultivating his own potatoes, cab- 

 bages, &c. &c. This caused more land to be tilled than 

 is usual, and diminshed the number of purchasers. In 

 all parts of the country too, the soil has yielded abun- 

 dantly. Wholesale prices are low. In this city, good 

 potatoes go at from 20 to 25 cts. Beets, carrots and ruta 

 bagas at from 5 to 7 dollars per ton. Onions at 1 dollar 

 per barrel ; butter at 15 to 20 cts. per lb , &c. Beef is 

 at from 15 to 5 dollars per hundred. Pork at 5 to 5 1-2 

 cts. These prices sre favorable to the dwellers in the 

 city, but are loo low for the farmer. 



The God -of the seasons has been bountiful, and for 

 this every benevolent heart will rejoice. We do not 

 comp/am of the low prices; but simply state the facts. 

 And we say to the dwellers in the city, that the farmers 

 are seeing hard times. 



EXTRAORDINARY COW. 



We have heard that a cow was offered for premium i 

 the Fair of the American Institute, New York, by tb 

 Mayor of Brooklyn, that has yielded, for ten months, 8 

 average of 27 quarts of milk per day. 



The cow was purchased in England, by the master 

 some vessel coming to New York, and sold by him u 

 on his arrival. She is without pedigree. The own 

 has once in four or five weeks cut the end of her it 

 slightly, so as to produce a little bleeding, and has occ 

 sionally baihed her back and loins with spirits of turpe 

 tine, to increase the secretions in the urinary passagi 

 The food has been varied every week somewhat, but 

 amounts to about six quarts of Indian meal and six q 

 of oat meal per day, besides as much hay ar.d grass 

 she will eat. Such is the report. We should be hap| 

 to learn from the judges (for we have two of tbeni 

 this vicinity,) whether the report is correct. 



COMMON SCHOOLS. 



The season is drawing near when the farmers are 

 send their sons and daughters to school for the wint 

 Teachers are now to be engaged, where this has r 

 been already done. Men are to be selected to wh( 

 the young are to be entrusted awhile for the training 

 their intellects, and to some extent, their morals. T 

 duties of Committee men in this matter, are vastly i 

 portant. Upon their selection of a teacher depends 

 no small degree the intellectual and moral welfare 

 all the children and youth around them. Let not a bai 

 ful parsimony prevent your taking him for the teaci 

 who is likely to perform the teacher's duties best. T 

 blindest and most injudicious of all measures of pseu 

 economy is that which makes the cheapness of a teache 

 terms the chief consideration in engaging his servic 

 The good or evil consequences of his teachings, are i 

 to be reckoned by dollars and cents. A good school 

 six weeks, is better — vastly better, for your childr 

 than a poor one for twice six weeks. 



Read, parents, read — if you can got it — the Oration 

 Hon. Horace Mann, Secretary of the Board of Edu 

 tion, before the citizens of Boston on the 4th of Ji 

 Learn there our country's need of good schools. Le 

 there our dangers and duties, and then perform v 

 your part towards the rising generation. 



Manvfactureof Silkin Ohio. — We find the follow 

 statement in one of our exchange papers. There 

 many evidences in different parts of the country, that i 

 withstanding the severe shock which the silk culture 

 ceived from the exphision of the Multicaiilus bubble, i 

 by no means prostrated. It is really very gratifyini 

 observe the amount of enterprise and perseverance I 

 is brought to bear upcm this subject. We hope its frie 

 will never tire, unless it shall be thorouglily demons 

 ted that silk cannot be profitably made in the Un 

 States.— Fur. Cab. 



" Mr John W. Gill, of Mount Pleasant, Hamilton ■ 

 Ohio, manufactured during the last year, upwards 

 $9,000 worth of silk goods. His clear profit on the c 

 ital invested, was ten per cent. He has three large 

 cooneries, and commenced this season to feed upwt 

 of two millions of worms, which he calculates will yi 

 him upwards of six hundred bushels of cocoons, w< 

 at present prices, ,«:2,000, but much more to him, as 

 will manufacture the whole crop into various fibrics. 



Some read to think — those are rare : some to write — 

 these are common ; and some read to talk — and these 

 form the great majority. The first page of an author not 

 unfrequently suffices all the purposes of this latter class, 

 of whom it has been said, they tieal books as some do 

 lords ; — they inform themselves of their titles, and then 

 boast of an intimate acquaintance. — Lacon. 



Addrkss to the Norfolk County Tempkrance Si 



ETY, Sept. 2!), 1S42. By John Qvincv Adami 



Gould, Kendall &, Lincoln, Boston. 



This Address has been spoken of by some as ailvo 



inc the moderate use of wine ; others have denied t 



it does any such thing. The latter are correct; thoi 



this assertion needs explanation. The wisdom of 



sage, and the consistency of ihd christian who holds 



to the oracles of God as the best fountains of instriicli 



shine out in every page of the address. Mr Adaii 



positions are all of them obvious and necessary ded 



tions fiom the scripures he quotes. 



