i86 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DFC. 15. t^41 



liad access to other things, their owners having 

 wilfully BJiul their eyes to the true circumsiances 

 of the case. Depend on it, no sheep will continue 

 in liealth during six weeks on turnips alone, much 

 less will it cmitinue throughout that time to take 

 on fill. Much of the mischief attending a want of 

 hitter matter, is obviated by the plan of allowing 

 the sheep corn, salt, oil cake, and hay, which serve, 

 cppcciilly the last, as tolerable substitutes for it. 

 Good hay ought always to be plentifully supplied 

 to shi-ep on turnips, as, from the variety of the 

 plants composing it, it contains much that is not 

 to be found in turnips. Besides, one of the most 

 useful bitters with which we are acquaitited, (the 

 lioghean — Menyanthes Trifotiata) occurs in mea- 

 dow hay, and is a plant suflicient of itself to save 

 the animal from the consequences of neglect. 

 Whenever you hear of remarkable instances of 

 sheep becoming quickly fat on turnips, you may 

 safely believe they have had liberty to nibble some- 

 lliing in addition to the ordinary provender. They 

 have, had access to broom or whins, perhaps only 

 to bushes that are laid as a defence on dykes, or 

 only to the scanty pickings on the edges of fields ; 

 still they have by such means in a manner satis- 

 fied the craving for bitter aliment, and enabled 

 their stomachs to turn to better account the other- 

 wise unprofitable turnips. Broom is at all times 

 an excellent medicine for sheep, and one which 

 they are partial to, and which ought therefore to 

 be placed, if possible, within their reach." 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



STOCKING CORN— CASTING FOAL. 

 In the Farmer of Nov. 24, we have Mr Durand's 

 method of stooking corn, from the Albany Cultiva- 

 tor. With him I entirely agree, that cutting up 

 corn is the easiest, safest, and best way of manag- 

 ing, both for grain and fodder; and also that lay. 

 ing down the corn, or binding it into bundles, is 

 tedious and unnecessary. I take five rows, select- 

 ing two good hills on the centre row, and twisting 

 their tops together for a foundation ; then cut and 

 jet round these two hills as much as will make a 

 stook of a suitable size ; put your arms round the 

 .atook, and take hold of about half a doxen good 

 stalks, cross them, bring them forward and tie with 

 a grain knot. Then double down the tassels and 

 bind with one stalk, or twist them together, and 

 the stook is done. I think my way rather the best; 

 for t MO hills stand braJ'ng' ""'' S'^'^ '''° ^'''°'' ^""^'' 

 a support that they cannot bio.''' °^'"'- '^'"' ®P*'='^ 

 in the centre gives the air a chanv.-c to circulate, 

 and the corn will not damage in any 5>eathe.'; even 

 If put up green and wet. But I think the jreates: 

 improvement on Mr Durand's mo-J. ,s in W? 

 with the stalks: this, though difficult to describ^;-! 

 s done m an instant, and save, the trouble of mak- 

 >J bands. Doubling dow„ the tasselH is of no 

 great co.isequence, but adds to the neatness of the 

 stook, and a very slight fastening is sufficien t. Corn 

 put up ,n tliis way. will stand for any lo ngth of 

 t-me in any kind of weather, and be perfec tly safe 

 r.u„ every thing but vermin. When you ,v,sh to 

 or c, ', T "'"''^"'* "^e^the st^k. arid a^oth- 

 Z.1 "T^""''.'"^ ••'"'• *'th a sioA;; ,.nd both 

 .together throw It in the cart. 



Now my hand is in I wirI. (« «, i 



.»Jatate„/„c, hop;n'g:h:?;r^---.r"o; 

 -^on«of,our readers .i,Jravo/u.Uh ,2 •::;it.- 



I have often heard that the sight of fresh beef 

 would make a mare with foal iniscarrry, but always 

 considered it as a moon story. Is it true or not.' 

 Now for the fact. We had a four-year old mare 

 which had brought a fine colt this spri.ig, and was 

 again with foal. About three weeks since, some 

 beef was to be killed on the barn floor near her 

 stable. A neighbor who was assisting, said she 

 must be turned out of the barn or she would lose 

 her colt. As it was cold, and stormy, I would not 

 consent, but to pacify him, put her in a remote part 

 of the barn, and mostly out of sight of our opera- 

 tions, and when the beef was carried in and the 

 floor cleaned up, she was returned to the stable. In 

 a few days I perceived that something was the 

 matter with her; she was dull and sluggish; hair 

 I looked bad, and something was evidently the mat- 

 ' ter, though I did not suspect the real cause, but 

 laid it to her lampers and shedding her teeth. In 

 just fourteen days she miscarried. This one case 

 establishes nothing, and though every body here is 

 sure that the same eflect will follow the same cause, 

 yet no one can give me another instance in their 

 own knowledt;e. I can easily suppose that beef or 

 any thing else that would frighten a mare, might 

 produce this eflTect; but this mare was not fright- 

 ened, betrayed no uneasiness, and kept eating the 

 wliolo time. For old traditions unsupported by 

 evidence, I have but little respect; but as all true 

 theories are formed by a collection of facts, I sub- 

 mit this with the hope it may prove in some way 

 useful. B. 



Ktnnebee Co., Mt., Dec. 5th, 1841. 



Our correspondent B., in his sensible remarks, 

 has said al! that seems necessary, unless more 

 facts can be adduced. We never before heard of 

 the existence of tho opinion he alludes to, and have 

 nothing to say either in its support or refutation. 

 Can any one give us otiier facta .' — Ed. 



n 



CHOICE OF WHEAT.— SURFACE MANUR- 

 ING. 



Absence from home during the latter part of Oc- 

 tober, and continued indisposition since, have pre- 

 vented our paying attention to several of the past 

 communications at tlie time of their appearance, 

 when comments would have been better timed, and 

 perhaps more satisfactory than now. These seve- 

 ral omissions will now be supplied. 



\Vc entirely agree with our valued correspon- 

 dent, Mr A. Nicol, in considering it an important 

 desideratum, that some of our most experienced 

 and successful wheat farmers shall present their 

 opposite views of preference for each of sundry 

 different kinds of wheat as the supposed beet crop. 

 .\nd without designing to exclude, or to slight such 

 infornr"''"" '"' opinions from any other source, we 

 oiild espcT'""/ fPquest the opinions of Messr.-f. 

 nil I'arler of .'^birley, John A. Sidden, of West- 

 over af.a William B. Harrison, of Brandon, be- 

 cause unde'Btanding that '^^se gentlemen prefer 

 difi-erent wheaC.-i. and becau5C t,';e judgment of each 

 of them deserves hrgh. respect. \'s ^o^'d name 

 many others from whom opinions on this sulijcct 

 wouid be no less valued, but of wli -se preference 

 of kind nothing has been heard. 



In our own general practice for more than the 

 twenty last years, we have adhered to the "moun- 

 tain purple straw wheat," and, on tho whole, have 

 preferred it to any other kind. Sundry other kinds 

 have been tried as part of the crop, because sup- 

 posed at the time to be preferable ; but each has 



been afterwards abandoned, and the mountain pu 

 pie straw again sown exclusively. Our preferem 

 was founded on the belief that this kind, on a gen 

 ral average of years, was at least as productive 

 any, and that the grain was better able to wit 

 stand •.vet weather during harvest, than any whi 

 wheat, and perhaps most of the red wheats. AA; 

 later wheat would be more liable to be injured I a 

 rust ; and any bearded wheal is less manageable 

 safe ill reaping, shocking and thrashing by m 

 chinos. The grain is supposed by experienct 

 millers to make the richest and best flour — thoug 

 of course not so white, and therefore not so higj 

 priced as the flour of the thin-skinned and mo:i 

 tender white wheats. These, our grounds of pir 

 ferencc, are stated to invite correction of our judfc 

 ment, and opposing views from better sources 

 information. 



If the writer of a recent communication signal 

 S., at p. 028, had been a reader of the earlier v<x L 

 umcs of the Fanners' Register, he would haveseM 

 mniiy confirmations of his opinion, (though a^ •„ 

 dcoiiieJ in his region both novel in practice a|p 

 heterodox ill theory,) of the propriety of applyio( 

 putrescent manures to the surface. We have fil 

 seven or eight years considered the advantage ■ 

 settled by suflicient experience ; and the ralw 

 or theory as being perfectly satisfactory. And" 

 it be as improving to soil or crop, or even nearly 

 to apply manure to the surface as to plow it undfl 

 it offers a gain of 50 to lUO per cenL in the vain 

 of the general manuring operations of a farm, 

 the greatly increased convenience. Under t 

 formerly supposed necessity for plowing under m» .. 

 nil res to prevent their waste, they could be applie i 

 but at certain times, and under certain condition 

 of nionure, and of crop. But, if it be permitted t 

 apply to the surface, the application is not only ai 

 most always more easy and convenient, but th 

 manure may be laid on when too coarse to be easi 

 ly plowed under, or when the state of the land c 

 the crop would not permit plowing. Forcultivate 

 crops, and short or partially rotted manure, w 

 should care very little whether it were plowed un 

 der just before planting, or given as top-drcssinj 

 very soon after; and considerations of mere con 

 venience would induce the choice of either mode 

 lint perhaps the very best application of coarse ma 

 nuro is on clover, (or other grass) not designed ti 

 be grazed or mown. Tho manure gives as mucl 

 and as early benefit to the clover as it could U 

 any tillage crop ; and the increased growth of tht 

 clover serves to speedily cover and shade and keef 

 moist the manure, so as to induce its speedy rot 

 tinir : and as fast as it rots, its enriching parts are 

 taken up by the growing crop, and through its in- 

 crease, the quantity of manure is multiplied for the 

 use of the next grain crop. If pine leaves are laid 

 over wheat after tho sowing and harrowing, and 

 before the plants come up, there is not only a slight 

 early benefit from tins coarse and poor manure, but 

 a valuable protection from the winter cold, both to 

 the wheat and the clover seed sown thereon. So 

 fur as this can be done, nt so busy a season, it il 

 the best mode of using the Takings of pine land. 

 'I'hc trash might be raked up and left in hoapi 

 during the previous autumn and winter, as it roti 

 very slowly in heaps. 



The greatest economy of applying the manuNiJ 

 to the surface, furnishes the explanation of all thtfl 

 i.stiue and beneficial reported in the article at' 

 page 043, as a new and wonderful discovery made 

 in France, We liave no question that the factt 



