NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



3r 



grain of the smaller fowl, while the produce of 

 eggs in numbers will he equal. Supposing the 

 eggs are sold by weight, the difference would 

 probably be as five to six. Now, any one who can 

 do a simple sum in addition and subtraction can 

 satisfy himself whether he had better purchase the 

 large fowl or the small one. The reader will here 

 perceive that I have figured on a small scale, but 

 he can also perceive that my figuring is equally 

 applicable on a large scale. 



It was my intention when I commenced this arti- 

 cle to give a sort of history of my success in tiie 

 different breeds of fowls; but I forbear, as 1 have 

 already pursued the subject to sufficient length. I 

 desire to state, however, for the benefit of those 

 who have followed me thus far, with the expecta- 

 tion of ascertaining "the right kind of fowls" for 

 profit, that if I could be placed in possession of the 

 24 pure Yankee hens I owned six or eight years 

 ago (which, by the way, produced me upwards of 

 3300 eggs annually), I would relinquish my pre- 

 sent stock in tr^de, which consists of upwards of 

 60 of various breeds. 



Everything must have its day and run; and so of 

 course will the "fowl fever." My candid opinion 

 is, that in less than ten years, the pure Yankee 

 fowl will stand in the same relation to the foreign 

 fowls, that the foreign fowls now do to our com- 

 mon fowls. They must be crossed with our breed, 

 or they will eventually run out. Please mark my 

 prediction, Mr. Editor. Albert Todd. 



Sinithfield, R. I. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 POTATO CROPS. 



Mr. Cole: — So fluctuating is the condition and 

 progress of the potato, as now cultivated, that 

 what is averred one loeek, may be far from the 

 fact the next. It seems to be admitted by all, that 

 the last half of the month of August is the most 

 critical period, in relation to what is called the po- 

 tato disease. So far as I can learn, this disease 

 has not shown itself to any extent in this vicinity. 

 One man whom I know, has gathered and sold 

 from his farm, the present season, seven hundred 

 bushels of potatoes at an average price (when put 

 up in barrels) of one dollar per bushel, about four 

 times as much as they used to command when po- 

 tatoes were plenty, before the rot was known 

 among us. Of the entire crop he did not find one 

 per cent, defective. Still there was here and there 

 one, when cut, that would show the mulatto col- 

 ored stain, which I take to be an unmistakable pre- 

 cursor of decay. On Saturday, I spoke with a 

 farmer from Middleton, who was taking with him 

 some potatoes to retail in the market, and asked 

 him if he found anything of the rot among his po- 

 tatoes. He said he had not, until he dug those he 

 then had, — about two busliels. From these he 

 had thrown out about half a bushel, which, he 

 thought, had a suspicious look. On turning over 

 those in his basket, a few were found tinctured 

 with a tinge of suspicion; so that we are not yet 

 so far out of the woods, in regard to the potato 

 rot, that it will be safe to cry very loud lespectintr 

 it. Those who have sold their potatoes and pock- 

 eted their money, may rest easy, provided they 

 gave no assurance of soundness, directly or indi- 

 rectly; but, as a general thing, a warranty on po- 

 tatoes is not a very safi' business. 



One word as to the Danvers Reds or Bradstreet 



•potato, to which the attention of your readers was 

 called in the spring. This appears to be a late va- 

 riety. It has grown luxuriantly, and, so far as I 

 have seen, the yield is firm and sound. I saw 

 them growing in Middleton, on the farm of Br. 

 A. Nichols, along side of a variety obtained from 

 the eastern part of Maine, and I must admit that 

 the Maine potato had a decidedly superior aspect. 

 Some of these I have tried upon the table, and 

 find they taste as well as they look. Generally 

 speaking, the quality of potatoes this season is 

 good. What is to be the result of the crop, can 

 be better told the last of October, than the last of 

 August. P. 



Danvers, Sept. Slh, 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 QUESTIONS. 



Mr. Editor: — Will you please to answer the 

 following questions? 



Are side shoots as good to bud apple trees from 

 as the leading ones'? 



Where nursery trees the first year from the bud 

 are much inclined to branch, is it best to prune 

 them? 



Will a good supply of mulching around young 

 standard apple trees, with the rest of the land ly- 

 ing in grass a part of the time, answer as well as 

 constant cultivation 1 



What is the size of the Red Russet apple com- 

 pared with the Roxbury Russet, and does it bear 

 much in odd years 1 



Will you name a few of the most valuable kinds 

 of apples for cultivation, having special reference 

 to those that are constant bearers or bear most in 

 odd years? Wm. G. Churchill. 



Deer field, N. H., Sept. 2, IB51. 



FEEDING AND FATTENING SWINE. 



The following article which we find in the Maine 

 Farmer, contains some excellent hints on the sub- 

 ject of fattening hogs; and as the business is now 

 in season, we lav it before our readers. 



Mr. Editor:— Many of the experiments I have 

 observed, have resulted in a loss, instead of profit 

 to the owners. And why is this? In the first 

 place, I am aware that an error is committed in the 

 outset. We buy too much live pork; the main ob- 

 ject should be, to make pork, not to buy it. We 

 should also consult economy in judging what num- 

 ber of hogs we can keep to advantage; the larger 

 our family, and the larger our dairy, the more we 

 shall find it expedient to keep; for there are a vari- 

 ety of articles in a family which may be thrown to 

 waste and be lost, if not given to pigs. Almost all 

 of every rank, trade, or profession, especially out 

 of the cities, find it a matter of convenience to keep 

 at least one hog. Although corn, or meal, is the 

 staple article for fattening, yet there are remnants 

 of bread, bran, meats, fish, vegetables and various 

 other articles, such as skim-milk, whey. Sic, from 

 a dairy, which greatly promote the growth of pii-'S, 

 and becomes a nuisance cast into the gutter. These 

 it would be unfair to charge to the account of the 

 pigs. 1 shall therefore attempt to show that by 

 keo})ing only a suitable number of hogs, and leav- 

 ing out of the account all waste articles, that rais- 

 ing our own pork may be more economical than 

 buying pork for cash. 



