122 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



gin right in this business, and lay a good founda- 

 tion in the minds of farmers, and not begin without 

 a substantial base and rear a splendid fabric, a grand 

 scheme, that will totter and fall before it , is com- 

 pleted. Practical farmers must see, feel and ac- 

 knowledge the want of a college, and be conscious 

 of its utility, and its preference to other plans, be- 

 fore it can succeed. Others may dwell eloquently 

 on its advantages and its beauty, but farmers must 

 support it with their purses, and their influence, else 

 it must fail and pass away, as a scheme. In due 

 time a school and State farm may be desirable, and 

 they may grow out of the doings of a board of agri- 

 culture. 



RAISING WHEAT IN NSW ENGLAND. 



A great deal is said upon this subject, at the 

 present time; and it is urged that we should raise 

 our own bread-stuff in this part of the country, and 

 no farmer should buy flour while he has land that 

 will yield a crop of wheat. We have no doubt that 

 many farmers would find it profitable to raise their 

 own bread-stulT who do not now accomplish this de- 

 sirable object; but there are others who give their 

 whole attention to the dairy business, or to raising 

 other profitable crops, or who are near a market 

 where milk, fruit, and vegetables are in demand, 

 who may gain by buying instead of raising their 

 materials for bread. 



There is in New England waste land sufficient, 

 if improved, to supply the whole population with 

 bread. And there are many farmers that live in 

 the interior where land is cheap, who raise crops 

 and sell them at a low price, and then buy flour that 

 has been brought one thousand miles to a market 

 on the sea-board, and is then carried back into the 

 country at an extra expense of 50 cents on a barrel. 

 It may not be profitable for farmers in New Eng- 

 land to supply our large markets with grain and 

 flour, but we believe that there are a great many 

 farmers who live remote from markets where flour 

 is high, and other produce low, who wall find it 

 profitable to raise grain enough for their own sup- 

 ply- 

 Most of the tillage lands in New England are 

 adapted to the raising of wheat, and with good man- 

 agement, it usually succeeds well. The best soil 

 is one that is rather strong, of fine tilth, and put in 

 rather high condition for previous crops. This 

 preparation is better than to apply manure to the 

 wheat crop, as in such case there may be a rapid 

 growth, producing the rust. Yet if the land is rath- 

 er poor, a moderate dressing of well decomposed 

 manure may be applied to advantage. It should be 

 intimately mixed with the soil. 



It is of great importance to select the best varie- 

 ty of wheat for seed. By using sieves of suitable 

 size, the small sliriveled grain may bo excluded; and 

 by washing in salt water, the light grain will swim 



and may be skimmed ofl^. After draining off the 

 salt water, apply lime. 



Culture of Celery. — For early use it should 

 be started in hot-beds; but for later use, it may be 

 sown out in April. When the plants are of suit- 

 able size, transplant into a rich deep soil. Set in 

 trenches 2 1-2 feet apart, and 15 inches deep. Put 

 a few inches of mellow manure into the bottom of 

 the trench, and as much good loam, and mix inti- 

 mately together. Set the plants six inches apart. 

 If convenient take up a ball of earth with each, and 

 transplant in the evening, or in damp weather. — 

 Stir the soil fretjuently, and as the plants grow, 

 earth up gradually, until the trench is nearly filled, 

 leaving only a small depression to catch the water. 



On Setting Fruit Trees. — Mr. William G. 

 Churchill, Deerfield, N. H., inquires whether it 

 would not be well in setting standard apple trees, to 

 let them lean to the south in order to avoid the sun 

 scald. He observes that a large part of the old 

 trees in that vicinity lean in a north-western direc- 

 tion, which he attributes to the prevalence of south- 

 easterly winds. 



In any location where winds generally prevail in 

 one direction, there is an advantage in setting the 

 tree leaning a little to the windward; and in case 

 the wind is in a southern direction, there is the ad- 

 ditional advantage in avoiding the powerful effects 

 of the sun on the trunk. But this effect of the sun 

 is less on the apple than on the cherry and pear. 



Reward for a Remedy for the Potato Rot. 

 — A reward of $10,000 has been offered by the 

 government of this commonwealth, to any person 

 in the State who shall discover a complete remedy 

 against the potato rot, to be tested by experiment 

 for five years to the satisfaction of the governor and 

 council. 



(j^ We published an article sometime since in 

 regard to some person selling some poor apples to 

 Dr. Kelley, of Newburyport, for the Danvers Win- 

 ter Sweet; and as Mr. W. G. Lake, of Topsfield, is 

 an extensive dealer in fruits and trees, and he 

 thought that article reflected upon his reputation, we 

 give notice that Dr. Kelley says that it has no refer 

 ence to that gentleman. 



Skill in Farsiing. — Skill adds more to the 

 profits of farming than hard work. In the article 

 of butter for instance, the same outlay is required, 

 or nearly the same, to make a hundred pounds of 

 poor butter, as would be required to make a hun- 

 dred pounds of that which is good. But, when the 

 two articles are marketed, there may be five or six 

 dollars of clear extra profit in the pocket of the 

 skilful dairyman. The importance of scientific 

 farming is realized by those who have found such 

 benefit as is noted above in nearly every department 

 of their labor. 



