388 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



In some respects an agricultural paper appears 

 better to us, where each article has a full signa- 

 ture. But is none of lha.t/ancy ? A man's name 

 is his own property, in a sense that useful truth 

 can hardly be said to be. Those who write for 

 papers are with much propriety called "contribu- 

 tors." The editor holds a contribution box for 

 them to give what they may be disposed, for the 

 good of his readers. Some men give a large sum. 

 Take such a man as writes for the religious press, 

 for the agricultural, the moral, the scientific, &c. 

 Let him write for a half dozen or more papers, two 

 or three articles for each eveiy month, and when 

 time and study, stationary used and postage paid 

 on his letters to editors, all come into the account, 

 it will swell to an enormous tax. T am not guess- 

 ing about it. Besides, to pay for all the papers he 

 is somewhat under necessity to patronize, counts 

 up again. 



For one, I must urge that a man has a right to 

 keep his name to himself, if he commits no assault 

 upon any man who wears a name. A writer who 

 fires his shots at other men's names, certainly ought 

 to expose his own as a target. But one who, like 

 me, meddles with no other man's name, caimot be 

 supposed to need a la!)el upon him to keep him 

 "right side up with care." 



The editor will perhaps balance his head upon 

 his thumb, in the style of Benjamin Franklin, and 

 say, "If you won't sign your articles, I don't care 

 if you stop writmg." 



All we have to say to it, is, — the world is full 

 of notions, and ours must have a place in tlie 

 world's budget. c. 



Mason, N. H., Oct., 1851. 



Remarks. — Name, or no name, our correspon- 

 dent is most heartily welcome to our columns. We 

 hope to hear from him often. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DOMBSTIO POULTRY. 



BY G. TILLINGHAST HAMMOND. 



Main says, "the breeding and rearing of domestic 

 fowls includes two special, though different ob- 

 jects. The first, is that of rearing poultry foi 

 amusement; and the second, doing the same with 

 a view to profit." 



In France, poultry forms an important part of 

 the live stock of the farmer. And we see no rea- 

 son why it should not be of the same relative 

 importance in this country. Most farmers have 

 paid very little attention to this part of their pro- 

 fession. Of late, however, it has begun to as- 

 sume more importance. Farmers in general 

 manage their poultry in not the best way, for them 

 or the fowls. 



They are permitted to run where they please ; 

 to lay, and sit at any time they may wish. And 

 when the hen comes off with her chickens, she is 

 suffered to ramble about, exposing the young 

 brood to cold and wet, which thins them off rapidly. 



It is left with them to find a place to roost where 

 they can, probably in some exposed situation, such 

 as a tree, or out-house. 



They are allowed to go half starved; no atten- 

 tion being given to feeding them. 



And who would wonder if few eggs were pro- 

 duced, and the spare and sickly chickens which 

 are hatched seldom yield much profit. 



Try it, farmers, give your hens a chance to 

 return all the profit they are able to. And after 

 one such effort, in which they have been well 

 cared for, if they do not change, then discard them 

 from the farm and introduce stock that will be 

 profitable. 



Brooklyn, N.Y., Nov. 12, 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A RAPID GROWTH. 



Gentlemen : — On the 8th of April last, I pur- 

 chased a pig weighing 136 pounds, at six cents a 

 pound, making $8,16. I killed him on the 8th inst., 

 and he weighed, dressed, 560 pounds. I sold him 

 for seven and a half cents a pound, for which I re- 

 ceived $42 in cash. 



Truly yours, Thomas D. Bond, Baker. 



Wilmington, Nov. 8, 1851. 



Remarks. — The above is the greatest gain we 

 have ever heard of in an equal amount of time ; the 

 increase being four hundred and twenty-four pounds 

 in 214 day.s ! nearly two pounds a day for the whole 

 time. Our friend Bond must possess a secret that 

 has never found its way into our pig trough. He 

 signs himself a Baker, and we suspect the secret of 

 his success passed through the baker's oven or 

 kneading trough. Whatever fed upon, (if it were 

 not bank-notes,) there must be profit in making 

 pork with such a rapid gain. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 lOB HOUSES. 



Mr. Editor: — I have taken the liberty of writ- 

 ing, for the purpose of giving you rny plan of fill- 

 ing an ice house, hoping it may benefit those who 

 live a long distance from any river or pond where 

 ice may be obtained. My ice house is made by 

 setting a frame ten feet square into the ground, and 

 plank set up on the outside, and dirt thrown in to 

 hold them up to the frame. The sides and top of 

 rough boarding, the floor made of loose plank, and 

 filled by letting a part of my surplus water run in 

 during the coldest weather, which freezes up solid 

 and keeps well. The plan was ridiculed at first by 

 some of my friends, but the experiment for the last 

 two winters has changed their opinion. 



Respectfully yours, C. S. Hamilton. 



Hartford, Oct., 1851. 



PLOWING BY STEAM. 



Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, an opulent and 

 practical cultivator of the Grimsthorpe estate, near 

 Bourne, England, has recently made several most 

 successful experiments in opening and pulverizing 

 the soil by an engine. A writer in the London 

 Ncivs, describing them, says that steam plowing 

 is now no longer a problem. The field selected 

 for the last experiment had grown a wheat crop, 

 and was of good tillable soil. The engine was 

 placed on a moveable train at the end of the field. 

 By way of testing the relative powers, the plow, 

 a double one, with reversed shares and coulters, 

 was drawn in one direction by horses, and contra- 

 rily by steam. The horses, four very powerful 

 animals, had much labor to drag the implement, 

 and that only at a slow pace; whilst the engine, of 



