NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



301 



and external cause. The same maybe said of some 

 other varieties. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SEPTEMBER WORK. 



The season of growth upon the farm has nearly 

 passed; and now as the fruits of the earth are put- 

 ting on the ripening tints of autumn, the cultivator, 

 obeying the intimation of the season, should carefully 

 carry out his plans and be especially watchful 

 "that nothing be lost.'' Improve the Mind and 

 iBiPROVE THE Farm, v^'ould be a good motto for 

 farmers. And at no season of the year can more 

 be done in both respects than in the approaching. 



The Argriculiural Exhibitions will soon occur, 

 and these furnish valuable aid to the farmer. By 

 these he may learn better modes of husbandry, 

 correct himself wherein he has misjudged, and by 

 actual comparison, select the best kinds of animals, 

 fruits and vegetables. In order that the public 

 should have fair opportunities at these shows, ev- 

 erything should be fully labelled, giving the true 

 name of the fruit or article, and the name of the 

 person who offers it, with his -post-office address. 

 Visitors could then make a memorandum of such 

 articles as they might wish to obtain, and would 

 thus have afforded them every facility for procur- 

 ing the articles desired. We could wish that ar- 

 rangements might be made on these occasions by 

 which the farmers could be accommodated with an 

 undisturbed opportunity to examine the various ar- 

 ticles offered without the annoyance of a crowd, 

 or that greater and growing evil of our times, — 

 rowdyism. Railroad companies should promote 

 attendance at these exhibitions by reducing the 

 fare as low certainly as on any other occasion. 

 The rule adopted by some companies of allowing 

 the officers and committees to pass free, and de- 

 manding of others full rates, is, we think, very ob- 

 jectionable. All should be treated alike in this 

 matter. The fare should be put as low as possible, 

 and then farmers and their families can afford to 

 enjoy their peculiar "holiday." 



Now is a good time to make sidewalks. If 

 your farm is under good cultivation, — walls and 

 fences in good order, and meadows reclaimed — 

 you can ornament or beautify the whole estate in 

 no way more surely than by making a sidewalk in 

 the road-side against your whole farm. We never 

 pass through a certain town in Essex county with- 

 out a feeling of respect towards the venerable cler- 

 gyman of the place, who some years ago prompt- 

 ed his people to unite on the "voluntary principle" 

 in making tasteful sidewalks, extending in various 

 directions through his parish. To the passer-by, 

 these convey an impression of the industry, sobrie- 

 ty and taste of the people, which could not be ob- 

 tained in any other way. Besides, there is a little 

 more dignity and comfort afforded to all classes of 

 pedestrians — upon the raised sidewalk, shaded by 

 the graceful rock-maple, than they could hope for, 

 if left to take their chance with the mud, sand, 

 horses and carriages of the travelled highway. 

 Where the land is low or wet, take the small, 

 waste stones that are encumbering the farm, and 

 place them along, and then cover them with sand, 

 gravel or gravelly loam. 



Corn Stalhs should be taken off about the middle 

 of the month, probably; although some farmers let 

 them remain on. It is said that the corn will be a 

 trifle heavier when the top-stalks are not removed. 



But the grain in weight would hardly compensate, 

 we think, for the loss on fodder and for the extra 

 labor in harvesting. If the stalks remain on until 

 the coin is ripe, they lose all their sweet juices, 

 and are no better than rye straw; and it is slow 

 work to husk the corn when gathered in this way. 

 We think the old way the best. We know one 

 firmer who lets all grow together, and then pulls 

 it up, instead of catting it ! 



Winter Wheat should be sown early this month. 

 The success which has attended the raising of this 

 grain in this State and in Maine should encourage 

 farmers to enter upon its cultivation. From ex- 

 periments which we have had with manures for 

 this grain, we are fully satisfied that ashes are the 

 best applied at the time of sowing, or early in the 

 spring. 



In gathering Beans, it is better when practicable 

 to cut them than to pull them, as they will be more 

 free from dirt, and the vine* will dry more readily. 

 The common grass hook or corn cutter is a suitable 

 instrument with which to do the work. 



Cut or pull the weeds, and put them in the hog 

 pen, and not allow them to go to seed. It rains 

 .so frequently that the hogs need all the weeds and 

 litter that can be afforded them. 



Plums. — There will be a good crop of this fruit 

 the present season. In most sections the curculio 

 has done less injury than usual. The canker 

 worms have their turn. 



Corn that ripens first should be selected for seed. 

 Weed and thin out turnips. They should not be 

 nearer than foui or five inches of each other. If 

 wasps infest your ripening grapes, hang phials 

 containing sweetened water near the vine, in 

 which they will be caught and destroj'ed. 



For the New England Fanner. 

 THE POTATO PRIZE. 



Mr. Cole: — We know of many sensible men 

 who regard that resolve of the last Legislature, 

 offering a reward of ten thousand dollars "to any 

 person within this commonwealth who shall sat- 

 isfy the Governor and Council that, by a test of at 

 least five successive years, he has discovered a sure 

 and practical remedy for the potato rot" — as very 

 poor legislation. For ourselves, we thought at 

 the time it was very harmless, and therefore well 

 enough. But as the season has advanced, we have 

 in some degree changed views on the subject; and 

 now fear it will be positively mischievous. There 

 is danger that it may raise expectations and hopes 

 as destructive to the better interests of the commu- 

 nity as would be the discovery of a gold mine in 

 our midst, or the creation of a magnificent lottery 

 with a most eligible "scheme." Under the cir- 

 cumstances, it may be safely presumed that while 

 but one fortune can be made under this act, many 

 may be lost or impaired. Above we have quoted 

 the essential part of the resolve, and italicized one 

 word in it to which it would be well for the com- 

 petitors to direct their attention. It says in the 

 terms that to secure the $10,000 he must ''discov- 

 er the remedy.'" To test or apply a remedy for 

 five years, or five hundred, which he did not dis- 

 cover, will not give a claim to the reward. Now, 

 so far as we have read, nothing that amounts to a 

 now discovery has been made. Everything which 

 has come under our notice is but the reiteration of 

 what was recommended and applied in France and 



