260 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



1 



FEB. !91, 184fe>l^' 



^=sr 



7*. per ihoosand : 4 horses in a wagon easily bring ! 

 3000. Supposinfj the drain? to be a rod, i. o. 5 \.'i 

 yards nsunJcr, tlie usual distance, 2000 turves 

 amply suffice for one acre of land : the durability 

 of the drainafje depends upon the soundness of the 

 clay, the depth in the earti) at which the turf is 

 buried, and ttie goodnc-.ss of turf, which varies in 

 different parts of the fen. I have myself beon n 

 ile-niakcr for my own consumption, nnd used 

 many thousands, but after twenty years of practi- 

 cal experience of tile and turf, prefer the latter ; 

 it is two-thirds cheaper than tiles, and, where sheep- 

 folds are set, not so liable to have tli« drains bro- 

 ken in, the turf pfiving way to the drift, whereas the 

 tile breaks and the earth follows. I now cut across 

 the old tile drains to make turf ones in opposite 

 directions, and deeper in thn ground. The tile- 

 drains are fretiuently found to be destroyed — rats, 

 rabbits, moles, or narrow wheeled carriages pass- 

 in? over them sre all injurious. Turf is found 

 to be sound which has been laid Ki years, but it 

 pays well to renovate the drains every eight sea- 

 sons. The $hape of the drains corresponds with 

 the turf. I send a slight sketch. The first opera- 

 tion is with a double-breasted plow, which makes 

 t deep impression in the land : the laborer then 

 lakes a shovel to clear out the loose earth ; after- 

 wards he uses th« spade ; lastly he uses the land- 

 ditch tool, with which the lower part of the drain 

 i« excavated to the depth of twelve inches more : 

 the widlh of this apertifre is about 3 inches at the 

 top, and is gradually .'■educed by the shape of the 

 imi)lement to 1 at the bottom. The drain is per- 

 fectly cleared by a drawing-tool or hoe. The torf 

 is then pressed into the drain by the foot to its 

 depth, which is about 3 inches, leaving an open 

 course for the water of about 9 inches deep under- 

 neath ; when expanded by moisture, with the earth 

 filled in open, it will bear any weight of horsd or 

 cart. Th« party of men who undpitake the job 

 generally carry to the field a small iron drift, with 

 which they break or remove any stone that may in- 

 terrupt the spade ; if a large one they dig it out, 

 filling the space with clay out of which the drain 

 is formed for the turf A little boy or girl, from 

 six to eight years old, commonly attends each 

 drainer, with a tin mug, often an old powder-tin, at- 

 tached by a bit of siring to the end of a stick, and 

 filled frequently with water out of a pail, with 

 which the child follows the spade, and by pouring 

 it out when necessary loosens any stiff piece of 

 clay or earth ; when not wanted, the boy shovels 

 out thn moulds, previous to the operation of the 

 spade, or collects the stones cast out, for which he 

 is paid per load. The price of draining varies 

 from 3«. 6d. to 5a. per score rod, including hoy's 

 wages ; a good hand will execute 14 rod, Rome 

 I more, in the day. Sometimes 2, or even 3 spaihs' 



depth is taken out to get a proper level, or to pene- 

 trate the clay, when the price of course rises in 

 proportion. If the shoulders of the drain give way 

 in a gravelly or galty place, bushes or stubble are 

 placed under the turf, which is doubled to fill a 

 larger aperture. 



Land-ditching, as it is here termed, is a work in 

 which laborers take an interest ; families work to- 

 gether ; there is a competition between different 

 parties, which is a stimulus to all ; the work is 

 never too hard for children, their attention must be 

 always engaged; and the advantages arising to 

 landlord, tenant, and laborer, are so abundant, that 

 I hope I laay be excused in prolonging this com. 

 munication, as well as in earnestly recommending 



this simple and economical method to all classes 

 not convinced by experience of the benefits arising 

 from frequent drainage of surface-water in a heavy 

 country. 



For the growth of turnips on this heavy soil, Mr. 

 King's method is to plow hi.'i land after wheat up- 

 on 8 furrow ridges, twice if necessary, during win- 

 tor : early in the spring, about April, these ridges 

 are split by the plow ; the manure is plowed in 

 as upon the Northuinberland system. These ridges 

 are not disturbed till the time of sowing turnips, 

 when he takes a shim, which is a sharp piece of 

 iron about 3 1-2 feet long and 3 feet wide, with a 

 sharp edge, attached to a pair of wheels like Kent- 

 ish plow wheels, and cuts under every ridge and 

 manure, ridge after ridge, throughout the field ; this 

 operation destroys annual weeds as well as plow- 

 ing. The earth in a pulverized state, and manure 

 which hos had time to work, are mixed together, 

 and the seed which is drilled upon it grows with 

 astonishing rapidity, and for two years has produ- 

 ced such a crop of turnips as I never saw upon 

 such a description of soil. Sometimes they are 

 drawn off, at others fed upon theJand, when good 



weather permits. 



G. F. HOLCOMB. 



STABLES. 



Nothing conduces more to the health of a horse 

 than a good and wholesome stable. It should be 

 built upon a high, airy, and firm situation, that the 

 horse, in bad weather, may come in and go out 

 clean. No animal delights more in cleanliness 

 than the horse, or to whom bad smells are more dis- 

 agreeable and pernicious. Great attention should 

 be paid to the removal of all offensive and putrid 

 nwttor, to prevent the farcy and other troublesome 

 and distressing diseases, which frequently proceed 

 from such neglect. A log stable is preferable to 

 any other, on account of its odmitting a free circu- 

 lation of air in Slimmer, and by the use of slabs or 

 straw in winter, can be made warm and comforta- 

 ble. Opposite to each stall there should be a lat- 

 tice or window, with a shuttor ; by which means 

 you can, at pleasure, either welcome the cheering 

 breeze, or bar out the threatening storm. The rack 

 should he smooth, high, and firmly fastened to the 

 wall, which will prevent a horse injuring his eyes, 

 skinning his face, and doing himself otiier injury 

 when feeding. The upright pieces in a rack shouhl 

 be four, or four and a half inches apart, to prevent 

 long food from being unnecessarily wasted. The 

 halter should never be tied to the rack, (several 

 fine horses having been ruined by such careless- 

 ncss,) but should be fastened to a ring in the man- 

 ger, and confined by a longer or smooth piece of 

 w(,od, weighing about a pound. With a haller of 

 this description, there is no danger of a horse's 

 hanging, alarming, or injuring himself. A stall 

 should be four and a half or fivo feet wide, which 

 will allow him to lie down with comfort. The sta- 

 ble floor should be planked, to make the coat of 

 hair show to advantoge, but a dirt floor is far pre- 

 ferable, when a horse is wanted for service ; there 

 is a moisture received by the hoof from the earth, 

 which is absolutely necessary to make it tough and 

 serviceable. Kilher kind of stable floors should 

 be a little raised towards the manger, to turn the 

 urine from the stall, which produces an unpleasant 

 smell, and (when permitted to stand a length of 

 time,) very unwholosiime vapors. When the size 

 of the (table is calculated for several horses, the 



partitions between the stalls should be neatly 

 smoothly planked low enough to the floor to 

 vent the horse when lying down, from gettil 

 legs through, and high enough at top to pi 

 them from smelling, biting, and molesting eael 

 or. A plentiful bed of clean, dry straw affoi 

 a fatigued or travelling horse, as great a wel 

 as his food, and is as necessary in the stable 

 pitch-fork, curry-comb and brush. — Mason's I 



GATES AND BARNS. 

 It is said that a farmer may always be kna 

 his gates and fences. There is no doubt tit 

 the remark. If you see good gates and fein 

 a farm, you are very opt to see good barns, I 

 and shelter for cattle. They are unerring^ 

 of a good fanner. The time saved in p 

 through gates, instead of pulling down ba 

 fences, will amount to many days in the cot 

 the year. If you have good fences, your c 

 secured from ihe depredation of aiiimals, wh 

 some cases amount to an almost entire destn 

 of it. Besides this, there is no time lost in 

 ing and guarding your field. If you have f, 

 barns, your fodder, hay, straw and shuck are M , 

 from destruction of the weather, and contain nj,, 

 nourishment for your cattle and horses. tjnodiL, 

 bles and shelter are absolutely essciniHl. Willi,. 

 them you cannot expect to keep your stock in| , 

 order. When sheltered and protected from 

 cold and rain, less food will answer all doi| 

 animals Farmtrs' Gaz. 



w 



UNIFORMITY IN THE TREATMENT i 

 STOCK. I 



I know no greater mistake that farmers con 1 

 in respect to their animals, than in their vara I 

 nnd capricious treatment of them ; soinetimay^:; 

 ing them to repletion, at other times subjflBnlii 

 them to the most severe usage ; taking thedpfi 

 example, from the pastures in the autumn in! i 

 condition, and by hard usage in winter, red« I 

 them to mere skeletons before the sprini; ' t 

 animal constitution always sufl'ers cs8c:ili'\II- ■ 

 such reverses. It is said that a sheep is n.vei t 

 but once. There is a great deal of truUi in • 

 assertion. Perhaps it is to be received wuht i 

 qualifications; but I know how very diflicuit 

 to raise an animal from a low condition 

 mers prejudice very greatly their own int«l 

 suflTering their milch cows to come out 

 spring in low condition. During the tim 

 dry, they think it enough to give them the c 

 fodder, and that in limited quantities ; this, tM > 

 a time of pregnancy, when they require the kiw 

 treatment and the moat nourishing food. Tl 

 itself, under this treatment of the cow, is e; 

 feeble, lie finds comparatively insuflicieni 

 port from his exhausted dam; ond the return 

 the cow makes in milk during the summer, ii 

 less than it would be, if she came into the 

 in good health and flesh. It requires the 

 summer to recover what she has lost. The 

 constitution cannot be trifled with in this 

 Co/m«ii'» Fourth Report. 



A notorious rum-drinker having died, soD 

 asked the cause of his death. A wag replia 

 breath had become lo strong that he could n't i 



Travellers now go from Boston lo Roe 

 (450 miles,) in 24 houra. 



