NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



371 



hands; or even to experienced persons, if careless 

 and in a hurry. No care of preparing the soil, or 

 of placing the tree in it, will atone for cracked 

 stems or mutilated roots. After removing the sur- 

 face of the earth, the tree should be gently raised, 

 which will indicate the direction of the roots, and 

 enahle the operator to remove them carefully by 

 hand. When out of the ground it is better that 

 the sun and wind should never strike them, though, 

 they may be exposed for many hours without ma- 

 terial injury. In transplanting, set them on a level 

 with the surrounding ground, spreading the roots 

 in every direction in the hole. The tree ought to 

 be placed on a slight mound with the roots slightly 

 dropping around it, rather than in a cavity. Placed 

 in this position, with the pulverized earth sifted 

 about the small fibres or spongioles, and all other 

 matters in relation to it managed as we have sug- 

 gested, there is no more difficulty in making your 

 apple tree live and flourish, than there is in pro- 

 ducing any common farm crop. Two persons are 

 required to do the work with ease. 



This is all that is necessary in transplanting ap- 

 ple trees — there is no other secret about it. No 

 beginner need anticipatea failure if he adopts these 

 plain suggestions. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NEW ENGLAND AND THE WEST. 



A COMPARISON BETWEEN THEM, IN AN AaUICULTllRAL POINT 

 OF VIEW. 



BY A.GR1C0LA. 



The question whether the Western States pos- 

 sess, for tlie farmer, superior advantages to the 

 Eastern, is often asked, and notwithstanding it 

 may seem strange that there should be any doubt 

 in relation to the answer to so simple a query, yet 

 there seems to be a division of opinion ; some 

 maintaining that the advantagesof the West, every- 

 thing being considered, greatly outweighs those of 

 the Atlantic Slates, while others are equally as 

 confident that the advantages of the latter prepon- 

 derate. 



Althouffh I may differ from a majority of my 

 Yankee countrymen, yet I think 1 have sufficient 

 reason for planting myself upon the broad ground, 

 that, all things being taken into consideration, 

 the Western country is very much better adapted to 

 agricultural purposes than New England ; nay, 

 that a vast many of our New England farmers 

 would greatly better their condition by removing 

 westward, although they have what is generally 

 called a "pretty good farm," and are "outof debt." 



When it is realized that farmers in this part of 

 the country are obliged to work one-half of the 

 whole time in pioviding for their neat stock, and 

 when it is considered that cattle at the "West"' 

 almnst entirely supply tbeir own wants, that they 

 need scarcely any care from their owners, as some 

 winters they receive nothing from the harn, while 

 in most cases hay need not be given them only du- 

 ring an occasional storm, — it must be admitted that 

 the Western farmers possess a vast superiority 

 over those of the East as regards one invaluable 

 "z/fflrt," — the saving of time. Perhaps it may be 

 said, that to assert that six months are employed in 



taking care of cattle is all "gammon," as to do 

 this during the cold season takes but a sinall part 

 of the time, and that he has an al)undance of time 

 for other work. Now it must be admitted that our 

 farmers go to the barn, to attend to their cattle, on 

 an average of five or six times each day for five 

 months; but suppose it docs not eniplny more than 

 a third of the time, the state of the farm is such, 

 being covered with snow for at least several 

 months every year, — there is little else necessary 

 to be done, except to provide fuel and tahecare of 

 the fire. 



Here is another disadvantage to which the 

 Western farmer is not subjected only in a measure; 

 for It beins generally moderate weather there, 

 much less fuel is needed, and of course as much 

 less labor is rendered necessary. 



And also our hardest month's work, haying, is 

 almost unknown among the farmers of the West. 

 As in proportion to their cattle they do not need 

 perhaps one-tenth of the hay which is necessary 

 for us. 



Thus the farmer of New England is employed 

 durino- five or six months, in doing that which the 



"11- 



farmer in the West can almost entrrely dispense 

 with. And of course the latter has so much lon- 

 ger time to make improvements upon his farm; or 

 else to acquire property, in the same proportion as 

 he gains the more time, the more rapidly. 



But it seems to me that even if the Western 

 farmer could have no more time to cultivate his 

 land than his Eastern brother, he would possess a 

 decided advantage over the other. 



Our farmers here in New England cannot, per- 

 haps, with their other work, "carry on"' each with 

 biting extra assistance, — more than five acres of 

 corn, and at the same time raise other provision 

 sufficient only for his own consumption. We do 

 not, I think, raise in general above thirty hushejs 

 on an acre. Five acres at thirty bushels per acre 

 would be 150 bushels, which at 75 cents, the aver- 

 age price, perhaps, would make $112.50. A man 

 who clears by means of his crops $112,50, aljove 

 what is necessary for his own use, does as well as 

 farmers generally in New England. 



In many parts of the Western country a man can 

 cultivate and harvest, as well as market the pro- 

 ceeds of, thirty acres of corn, which may average 

 fifty bushels per acre; which will gi^e 1500 bush- 

 els. And this at one-thir-d of a dollar per bushel 

 would make $500. Hence in this one item he 

 would gain in one year over his Eastern brother, 

 $387,50; for the Western man could, (lerhaps, 

 raise enough for family consumption, "over and 

 above" the 1500 bushels corn. And again, it is not 

 uncommon for farmers in the West to possess from 

 30 to 100 head of cattle, which are worth frnm a 

 third to half as much as here; while farmers here 

 do not in general own more than from 12 to 20 

 head. Here is another source of considerable profit 

 with little expense. 



Much has been said against the climate of the 

 Western States, but I believe I am safe in saying 

 that many parts are healthy — almost equal to New 

 Entrland. 



I know that it has been often intimated that the 

 state of society is such at the West that a "virtu- 

 ous" man would be disgusted to reside there; but 

 if the Western people are as bad as some have rep- 

 resented, it is tlie duty of ui.iny of our upright citi- 

 zens to take up their residence among them, that 



