266 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



stones, planks or boards should be laid at the bot- 

 tom, else the stones laid on each side, to form a 

 channel will sink in the mud, and the mud will rise 

 and obstruct the channel. 



Soon after the drains are made, the meadow will 

 settle, and the earth become more firm and dry. — 

 When there are no roots or other obstructions, and 

 the ground is sufficiently hard, it is best to plough, 

 as this operation will more thoroughly destroy the 

 weeds and wild grasses. Whether the meadow is 

 plouged or not, a good coat of gravel or sand 

 should be hauled and spread. Gravel is best, and 

 sand or sandy loam is preferable to a more compact 

 or tenacious soil. After applying the gravel, add 

 a good dressing of compost manure. Harrow thor- 

 oughly, sow herds grass and red-top the latter pari 

 of August or early in September, and work it in 

 with a brush harrow, and clover seed in March, 

 and a good crop may be expected the next season. 

 If the ground be not sufficiently firm to cart on gra- 

 vel or sand, it must be delayed till it is frozen in 

 winter. Compost manure may be carted on also 

 and spread with the gravel as soon as it is thawed 

 in March, and brush over with a harrow before the 

 meadow is thawed. Then sow herds grass, red- 

 top and clover, and the seed will take without 

 brushing. A tolerably good crop may be expected 

 the same season. 



These general remarks may be of advantage to 

 the inexperienced; there are various circumstances 

 attending these operations on which the operator 

 must exercise his judgment at the time of ])erform- 

 ing them, as no precise rule can be given, adapted 

 to all circumstances. There are meadows is Mas- 

 sachusetts, which, before drained, were valued at 

 only ten or fifteen dollars per acre, that have been 

 reclaimed at a moderate expense, and are now worth 

 two hundred dollars per acre; as they will usually 

 pay the interest on that sum from the net profit 



DRAINING CELLARS. 



Some cellars are so wet that they not only need 

 a drain from the cellar, but it is necessary to make 

 a drain round the cellar at the edge, to keep the 

 surface sufficiently dry; or instead of a drain around 

 the cellar, there must be a floor of plank or other 

 materials. One of the most expensive and worst 

 modes is a plank floor; it not only costs a good 

 deal in the beginning, but this cost occurs very of- 

 ten, as the planks soon decay, from the moisture 

 under them. A cellar with a plank floor is not 

 good to keep vegetables in. Another great evil is 

 the unwholesome air produced by the decay of the 

 planks, which affect not only the atmosphere of the 

 cellar, but that of the rooms above. 



The following is a very cheap and excellent 

 mode for making a good cellar, where the soil is 

 wet. Sink the cellar walls about one foot below 

 the surface of the cellar. This lower part may not 

 have a good face, but no part of the stone should 



project in far, as they will be in the way of the 

 drains. After the walls are made, dig a channel 

 around by the wall about one foot deep, and of the 

 same width, with a slight descent towards the drain 

 from the cellar. Then lay at the bottom of this 

 channel, a few inches from the wall, draining tiles 

 or pipes. At the corners, as the pipes cannot be 

 inserted into each other, nor the end of the tiles 

 brought in close contact as in straight draining, 

 some stones should be laid neatly and firmly around 

 the open space at the corners, and covered with a 

 thin flat stone. 



All should be well done, so that the rats cannot 

 disturb them. Theii cover the tiles with gravel or 

 gravelly loam, and fill up the channel with the same 

 soil that is used for the surface of the cellar. At 

 the end ofthe tiles, at the outlet, place a wire screen, 

 or some pieces of wire or long nails, so that the 

 rats cannot enter the tiles. If the soil in the cellar 

 is not suitable to make a good surface, procure fine 

 loam and spread it over to a suitable depth. Tread 

 or beat it down solid, and it will inake a good firm 

 floor; and if it keep a little moist, it is the better 

 for keeping both vegetables and fruits. A sandy 

 cellar is very unfavorable for many purposes. 



A cellar thus drained will bs sufficiently dry 

 when there are no springs inside the drains. In 

 that case the water should be conducted off by tiles. 

 The degree of moisture at the surface of the cellar, 

 which should be slight, such as we find in common 

 tillage land in fair ^j^eather, must be regulated by 

 the depth ofthe loam, much depending on the wet- 

 ness ofthe soil, and its texture in regard to retain- 

 ing moisture. 



This mode of making a good cellar, where the 

 land is wet, is very cheap and durable. The tiles 

 or pipes would cost only about one dollar for a cel- 

 lar 25 feet square, and the cost of laying thern is 

 but a trifle. Pipe tiles suitable for the purpose are 

 made in this vicinity, specimens of which may be 

 seen at the horticultural store in School Street. — 

 We hope this subject will receive inore attention, 

 and that wooden floors for cellars will be dispensed 

 with. 



A SUCCESSION OF STRAWBERRIES. 



The following is a good succession of strawber- 

 ries for a long period: Early Virginia, Hovey's 

 Seedling, Jenny's Seedling, and Williey. We had 

 fruit, from them for nearly five weeks. These va- 

 rieties are all great bearers, and the fruit is excel- 

 lent; excepting the fruit of the Williey, which is 

 pretty good. They are all remarkably vigorous 

 and hardy, excepting Hovey's Seedling; this needs 

 to be planted thick, as it does not form runners or 

 ofsets so fast as the other varieties, and it is also 

 rather liable to be winter killed. 



[1^ George Thurlow, of West Newbury, has a 

 young orchard of beautiful young Baldwins, cover- 

 ing thirty-five acres ! 



