286 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 9, 18 



A.Vn IIOiniCULTlKAl, RFOISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, March 9, 1842. 



STATISTICS OF AGRICUI/rURt;. 



The labl<>8 we give in this pnper iiro prolmbly llio 

 most (iirrrct and valuable upon thi< subjcot, thai can be 

 had for rtf»'r«nc« for leu years to cnmc. The lion. H 

 W. KJIsvvcirllr, Commissioner of I'alenis at Wnsliington, 

 himaclf a zealous friend of ihe agricultural interests, lias 

 superintended llieir constiuclion and eoireciion, from 

 the census returns, llisown comments upon tlicni are 

 more viiluablo thai) can be made l>y almost any other 

 man in tlie country. We liavo no idea of apologizing 

 for giving so much space to this matter. The tables 

 will be in<er<pling to nil of our readers who wish to 

 know any thing concerning the exfnl of the agricultural 

 interests ol the nation, and concerning the prineipal [;ro- 

 ductiims ol the several Stoics. Apart from any iinmc- 

 ale ami direct interest ihat will be taken in this pipor, 

 its value for reference well entitles it to republication in 

 pages that are so generally prescived and bound us ours. 



serviceable to grass lands 10 roll Ihcni early in ihe spring. I it more friable; fino gravel or sand will d.) thls;1 

 Thus you replace the earth around the grass roots which I yournmnurcs for this lot will be better if comp|^ 

 the Host has thrown oway. You press down the i with these articles, than if mixed with heavy 

 bunches and the small stones which would obstruct the , loam, or will. muck. A compost, half dung ant) 



!»(.£«!' 



FARM WORK.— FUEL--PRUNING. 

 The usual time flir nctual commenceinoiit of field la 

 bora in Ibis vicinity, is about the first week in April. 

 Previous to that time, the fuel for the year should be 

 collected and worked up. The winter has been so mild, 

 that many of the swarnps fiom which wood is usually 

 taken in the winlcr, have not been lirm^frizen, and 

 Ihe absence of snow has rendered many other wood lots 

 inaccessible. The quantity of fuel ciilhcted around the 

 farm-hoiiscB now, is probably inuch lees than is usual at 

 this season of t'lo year. There may Ije opporlunity to 

 use the sled yet ; and there probably will b'^ tint gond 

 sicding is not to be exprcled. On many farms it »ill 

 be well to give the old apple trees — the old forest trees 

 in pastures and around fields — the willows by the brook. 



scythe. 



Collars, traces, chnins, yokes, bows, carls, hoes, shov- 

 els, manure furks, and numerous oilier articles, should 

 be looked up and put in order for use. 



A man's success in farming depends much upon the 

 manner in which he does bis work. Thorough tillage 

 is the most profitable. But this cannot well be accom- 

 plished without good thiols. The benefits of a good 

 plow are not confined exclusively to the ease of draft ; 

 but they extend to the crop. Where the eaitli to the 

 depth of six or eight inches, is all well taken up and 

 turned over, the roots of the plants will work better 

 ihan where a f purlh, a sixth or an eighth of tlie soil is 

 (eft unmoved by the plow. We believe that Ihe econo- 

 my (.f getting good tools is not fully understood by n 

 vast number of those who till the soil. When the 

 greater amount of work thai can be performed, and ihe 

 better quality of the uork, arn both taken into the ac- 

 count, it may he shown that the money required f^>r Ihe 

 purchase of good implements will be profilably invested. 



fine gravel, will be butler on heavy, tenacious sniliJ 

 on peat meadows, tlian pure dung. On ihe cola 

 now referred to, the manure should be kept neil 

 surflice and some ol it put in the hill. 



If you intend to put |K)lotoes on any ptirtion of 

 heavy .-oil, you may put ihc compo-l of dun^' and 

 el in liie hill, but put in the hill also, something] 

 will give the potatoes a loose and airy bed. 

 stalks of Indian corn, old potato vines, rotten 

 fine brush, brakes, ferns, or any thing of the kind] 

 answer the purpose. 



If you arc to put potatoes on n light and poroo 

 these substances are not so needful in Ihe hill, but I 

 they would be of great service. Also a sprinklinl 

 salt and lime — two parts lime and one of salt, whieh] 

 hem mixed for scTcral weeks, will be of great sen 

 either in or on ihe hill, for this is one of the niusti 

 ing applications that can be made to the earth. 



PLANS FOR THE SEASON. 



What arc you iriiemling to do on your farm the com- 

 ing season .' You mean, no doulil, to sow grain, plant 

 corn and potatoes, <S:c. You know where you shall 

 BOW, and on what lau<i you shall plant. Very well so 

 far. 3ul this is not enough. You ought now lo liave 

 thought of the peculiar properties of the soil of each lot 

 on which you aru to operate, and to have judged what 

 kind of crop is best suited to each particular lot and to 

 the crop that is lo.gtow upon it. You should know too, 

 how many hiails of manure you can spare to each field, 

 prohnlily. By l')ad we mean about 43 cubic feet, or one 

 third of the cord ol \2S feet. These general points 

 should be sel lied, before the spring, work commences. 

 The outlines of the season's work should be well defined 



&c. &c., a thorough pruning. By this course, much and distinct in the mind. For then you may give direc- 



good summer fuel may be procured. And though it 

 mav be better for the trees to prune in May than in 

 March, yet since the labor can be ruuch bettirr spared 

 now than afler the planting season comes on, we advise 

 farmers to be trimming the trees, colluding the brush, 

 and working it up. 



TfJOLS. 



Plows. Soon these iiiiplcments will be wanted. If 

 you have wrou«;ht iron shares, have tliem sharpened 

 now, while you can conveniently spi.ro the horss and 

 yourself lo go to ihe hlacksmilh's, and while he is not 

 pressed wiili work. If you use the cast iron, see that 

 your points are in good order ; always have at least one 

 spare point for each plow on hand. 



Ifarriiw. Tliii iiislruiiieiit is not used enough. All 

 sward land should be h.irrowed lengthwise ihe furrow 

 and then cp sswise. Thus llio land works easier through 

 the season, and the crops are better. Let the teeth of 

 the harrow he sharpened. 



Roller. Many farmerH are yet williout ihis instru- 

 ment of liunliandry. Pome with whom we converse, 

 gieatly misunderstand its action upon the land. It is 

 siipposeil by Ihein ihal llio only effect is to consolidate 

 or harden Ihe soil ItuI no oilier instrument does more 

 than ihis to pulverize or make fine, especially where 

 the soil is luvipij. Let llic roller preccdi' the harrow, 

 and then Iho land harrows up tery mellow. It is well, 

 also, lo Icl it follow Ihe harrow and slightly compress 

 iho surface of light lands where grain is sown ; and it Is 



lions lo others wiih promptness, or you may go on reso- 

 lutely Willi the work, if you are doing ii with your own 

 hands. You can lell as well now as in April what kind 

 of grain will probably do best on the land you intend to 

 lay down — you can tell how much and what kind of 

 grass seed you shall want. Tlieiln things should be ob- 

 tained in good season, before Ihc spring work drives. 



You know very well that your unmixed barn and hog 

 manure has never lasted long on that plain field where 

 you intend to plant corn. The soil is so warm and 

 loose, ihat audi manures there ducomf.oso very rapidly, 

 iind though they nourish the crop well in the early pan 

 of the season, they fail in the laller part of summer. 

 Wlialever manure of this kind you put on thai (irid, 

 should be mixed with a good supply of swamp muck that 

 has bocn/ro:cn or tlrUd, or wiili clay, or both, aiol into 

 the compost should be put ashes, lime, or plaster, ac. 

 cording as ihn one or ihe other is found must useful to 

 your sfiil. Such a compost well worked into your po- 

 rous land, will be more enduring than pure dung. 

 Here the whole should bo spread, and the crop should 

 nut be hilled. 



But you know equally well that the sloping lot near 

 Ihe liaot of the hill, which you intend to plant, is cold, 

 and that the lonnure does not work well in the earl) 

 pari ol the season-, hero the meadow mud or muck 

 would imhibe too much moisture, and would not under- 

 go decomposition with sufticienl readiness lo mike it 

 valuable. This soil being liable to beco.ne lumpy and 

 bu covered with a hard criisl, needs somclhing to make 



FENCES. 



Have you ascertained how many railsand posuJ 

 are to want this spring, in order to put the fenc* 

 good condition .' It is lime lliat they were ct 

 be sharpening the rails and morticing the posts, 

 soon as the frosl is well out of the ground, the 

 inav be attended to. 



Will tliQt old gate post answer another season ?• 

 the gate hold together. Either repair now, or get| 

 things in readiness for repair at the proper tiioe. 



THE WEATHER. 



Up lo the morning of Saturday, March 5, the 

 ness ol the weather was very unusual for the sesaa. 

 We aru told that a few nectarine and peach buili,h 

 warm situations begin to "show their colors;" and ■• 

 learned also that on Friday a tanker, worm, bona SA 

 toorm, was found by one of our distinguished horlicflt. 

 turists in Roxbury. The buds on very mnny trees m 

 much swollen. On Satuiday morning, after a sliowM, 

 with lightening and thunder, the wiml came fiom tW 

 North Kosl, and indicated a disposition to give iis irinttr 



) 



LEATHER CHII'S AS MANURE 



Mr Editor — Will you or tome of your corrcspo* 

 dents have the goodness, lo tell inc the valfie of a c 

 or two of the shavings of tanned leather, which hli 

 been oiled .' Is it worth any thing for manure? 

 seems 10 be insiduble. What is the best melhod of 

 ing il ? For what crops «ill it be the nuist eflicuioui' 



By answering the foregoing questions, you will utiligl 

 Your friend. Ah iNquiiiCK. 



Can any one give us help •" — Eu. 



Ornamental Farming. — It is not inconsistent with tin 

 character of a farmer to be a man of laste. " God niaih 

 tlie country — man made the town." There is no reasOl 

 why oriiamenial ftftming should not b» eultivaled , atd 

 it is not inconsistent with the highest regarl to prolil, K 

 embellish our grounds and our habitations, and t<> rendu 

 our homes as beautiful ns a refined tasle can make ili«a. 

 If these high accumplishiiienls of taste slid menial iiilli- 

 vation can lender no service, and are unliliiiig 1 1 .ui lOh 

 proved agriculture, then, as Cheevor remarks, (i"d cal» 

 iKit appear as an archileel of practical wisdom, since hi 

 sky and oarlh arc every whire robed in beauty. — Dtf 

 Xolt. 



The noblest work man can engage in, it 

 with an elevating powei upon a human soul.. 



io oper»l» 

 Chunnint. 



