15 



JSEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



last year's growth of the limbs you will prevent 

 them from stretcliing off into long and slender 

 forms, and l)reaking down whenever they bear. — 

 It has the effect, al30,of thinning the fruit, because 

 it takes away a considerable portion of the blos- 

 som buds. 



Mowing Fields. — See that the drains are all 

 free, and gather up branches from the apple trees 

 or brush left on meadows which have been over- 

 flowed, so that they may not be in the way in 

 haying time. 



TR.xNsrLANTixG. — Nothing is easier if you know 

 how — and really, it is a very simple matter to do 

 it, and do it well. 



If the true is two years from the bud, a hole six 

 feet in diameter is not too large ; 18 inches deep 

 will answer, throwing back the top earth into the 

 bottom of the hole. Take the trees up with the 

 utmost care, and break as few of the little sponge- 

 lets as possible. How could a child suck an orange 

 with jaws broken, and lacerated lips ! In the 

 centre of the six-foot hole raise a little conical 

 hill and place the tree gently upon it ; the roots 

 will then fall into a somewhat natural position. 

 Now with the fingers place them all straight, and 

 sift in the fine, rich mould, that the delicate fibres 

 may nestle among it. 



There ! you have treated, that tree with proper 

 consideration, and it will bow to you ere long, 

 filled with luscious fruit. 



Plowing.— Plow not while the soil is wet and 

 mixes into mortar. It will bake in lumps and re- 

 main so through the summer unless by dint of 

 hard knocks they are broken up. Even though 

 the season be late, it is doubtful whether any 

 thing is gained by plowing before the ground is 

 sufficiently dry to have it drop partially to pieces 

 on its being turned over. 



But plow deep — take hold a little lower than 

 you did last year ; an inch of yellow subsoil will 

 soon become more than an inch of black upper 

 soil. Remember the proverb about having "corn 

 to sell and keep." 



Grafting, fencing, the nursery, clearing up the 

 garden, the door-yard, the wood-pile, and numer- 

 ous other things, will require attention now. Let 

 us lay hold of the work liefore us with cheerful 

 and hopeful hearts, and pursue it with a well-tem- 

 pered zeal ; the seeds sliall spring upward from 

 the sod, and He who giveth the increase shall glad- 

 den our hearts with abundant Harvest. 



A New Mixture. — Those who cannot economi- 

 cally procure a supply of guano for their crops, 

 will find an excellent substitute in the following. 

 The quantity is for one acre, and will be found 

 sufficient to ensure a good crop : — 



Tak^ two bushels of bone-dust, 4 bushels of 

 ashes, 25 lbs. nitrate of potash, saltpetre 25 lbs., 



nitrate of soda, {soda-saltpetre) and 50 lbs. of com- 

 mon salt. 



Mix the whole well together, sow broadcast, 

 harrow in, and roll. 



By many trials made with this mixture, it has 

 been proved to be an excellent article, especially 

 on corn or wheat. * 



For the New Ensland Farmer. 

 MONTHLY FARMER FO^ MARCH. ' 



Mr. Brown : — I offer the following brief review 

 of the March number for publication, byway of 

 experiment. If my remarks on the various arti- 

 cles shall induce a more careful reading of the 

 Farmer, one chief design will be accomplished ; 

 for I apprehend careless reading is becoming one 

 of the vices of the time. 



^^ Calendar for March. '^ — Pleasant remarks on 

 this month of "many weathers," with suggestions 

 upon several topics of thought and action appro- 

 priate to the month. Books and study recom- 

 mended. Now, that the prospect for the immedi- 

 ate establishment of agricultural schools has be- 

 come rather dubious, let us resolve, like Esop's 

 Reapers, to take hold of the work ourselves. 



'■^PemHar DifficuUies of New England Hus- 

 bandry.'''' — From want of the 60,000 acre estates 

 of England, our schemes of improvement must be 

 more liumble than theirs. There, one farmer di- 

 rects GOOO pair of hands ; here, often, two pair 

 only. A difference too often overlooked in our 

 "books." Our soil, too, is poor ; but our com- 

 petitors. South and West, are fast reducing their- 

 to an equality with ours. 



^'■Black Knots on Plum Trees.'''' — Experiments 

 which show the cause of the trouble to be a small 

 moth. The writer alludes to "remarks on ants 

 and aphides," which we hope to see before our 

 trees are again infested by them. Necessity will 

 soon bring us to the study of Entomology. If la- 

 dies will take hold of the subject, there may be 

 hope ; but at present, insects seem to have the 

 advantage, altogether, of the men. 



'■^Core Worm." — A simple remedy proposed. 

 Try it — it may do good. 



'■'■Chinese Farming.'''' — How much history tells 

 of kings and fighters ; how little of what we ought 

 to know I Have looked over a large volume on 

 China, lately published by Sears, without finding 

 any answer to the question, how do the Chinese 

 keep tlieir land productive ? Have always under- 

 stood they saved everything. 



^'■Cultivation of Flowers" recommended. 



^^ Bristol County Agricultural Society." — No- 

 tice of its "Transactions," with a richly deserved 

 compliment for the address of Hon. !Mr. Win- 

 throp. Following which, are notices of several 

 other County "Transactions," with an extract from 

 Gov. Boutwell's address before the Ilillsboro' 

 (N, H.) Society. The Governor says "the intelli- 

 gent cultivation of the land does not exhaust but 

 enriches it." Why, then, need England import 

 bones, guano, &c.? 



' ' The American Crab Apple. ' ' — Never was much 

 interested in crabby apples, generally, but this 

 cut and description of the original, is certainly 

 very interesting. 



'■'■Birds of New England," No. 2, on the win- 

 ter retreat of swallows. Our birds are fast de- 



