78 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SEPTEMBER ir, 1 '!34, 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPT. 17, 1834. 



PARMER'S WORK. 



MANURE IN PASTURES, cfcc. 



" Every fortnight," says an English Agricultu- 

 rist " I send my boy with a shovel and wheel- 

 barrow to take up the dung in the pastures, which 

 is put on a heap and covered up with earth or 

 ashes ; as I think that nothing encourages and 

 promotes the rank and strong tufts of grass, which 

 take up a great part of most grass land, and 

 which the cattle will not touch, more than the too 

 common practice of suffering llie dung to remain 

 on the ground. By a strict adherence to tlie 

 above method of taking up the dung, my pastures 

 become an entire level of grass. In a few weeks 

 the grass is grown on the places where the dung 

 was laid, and not a vestige of the dung is to be 

 seen. But in those pastures where the above is 

 not practised 1 usually find a great part of tbein 

 incommoded with numerous tufts of rank grass, 

 and a great quantity of dung, especially in au- 

 tuNiU when llie pastures begin to fail, and tliis in 

 fact is to diminish or take nearly an eighth of such 

 ppstures, not to mention the very great diflerence 

 of the ilung both in quantity and quality."* 

 ~ In Great Britain, land is dear and labor cheap, 

 and as circumstances alter cases, it njay with ns 

 be a question whether the course above recom- 

 mended is advisable. But farmers will determine 

 for themselves, whetlier they will incur the labor 

 and expense attached to preserving and accumula- 

 ting manure. In pastures which are rich and well 

 stocked with neat cattle, it would, perhaps, be ex- 

 pedient to save manure in this way. It might be 

 gathered in a cart or wheel-barrow, thrown into 

 heaps in the pastm-e, or drawn to the farm-yard, 

 as circumstances might direct, and covered with 



earth. 



There can be no doubt that in all cases where 

 cows, or other stock are confined every night in 

 yards, that it is good husbandry to throw the ma- 

 nure 'they ujake into heaps every morning, or at 

 least every two or three days, and cover it with 

 common earth, ashes, marsh ujud, loam or other 

 suitable matter to preserve the deposit from bemg 

 drieil up, washed away, or given to the elements 

 without that kind of eipiivaleut, which lawyers call 

 a quid pro quo. 



PLOroHING. 



It is best that most tillage lands should be 

 ploughed in autuum. Fall ploughing saves time 

 and labor in the spring, a season in the year when 

 cattle are conmionly weak, and the liurry of hn- 

 siness presses heavily on the farm. But a soil 

 which is light ami saudy should not be disturbed 

 by fall ploughing, but left to settle down and con- 

 solidate through the winter. 



GATMF.RING AND PRESERVING POTATOES. 



With regard to the time in which potatoes 

 should be gathered, we have found that practical 

 fanners entertain different oinnions. It is, how- 

 ever, acknowledged by all, that when intended for 

 consumption, and not for seed, they should not be 

 gathered till they are ripe. The ripeness of the 

 potato may he perceived by the appearance of the 

 tops, which will begin to decay as soon ns the 

 roots have arrived at maturity. After that period, 

 we are told by some cultivators, it is important 

 that the potatoes should be gathered and boused 



» Hunter's Georgical Essay*. 



as soon as convenient, or immediately alier the tops 

 are decayed either by ripeness or frost. Others 

 say that potatoes will keep best in their native 

 beds till the ground is frozen. But at any rate, it 

 is best not to defer digging' till very late, lest cold 

 weather should shut then] in the ground till spring, 

 and perhaps destroy them. 



The old fashioned mode of harvesting potatoes 

 was, to dry them in the sun as you would grass 

 tor hay. Rees' Cyclopedia directs, " as soon as 

 potatoes are gathered, they should be allowed to 

 remain some days to dry before they are stored." 

 This we believe to be wrong, especially in our cli- 

 n)ate ; for an exposure of two or three days to si 

 cloudless sun in September, or October, would 

 cause potatoes to turn green, taste strong and bit- 

 ter, and become in some degree, poisonous. It is 

 now said by practical farmers, that the less ]U)ta- 

 toes are exposed to sun and air after being taken 

 from the ground the better, and that it is advisable 

 to i)eirnit some part of the soil in which they have 

 grown to adhere to and mix with them, when 

 housed. It may be best, however, not to dig and 

 deposit potatoes immediately after a heavy rain, 

 but permit them to remain a few days in the hills, 

 10 get rid of their superfluous moisture, which 

 will in due lime be expelled by the vital energies 

 of the roots. 



Mr. Buel of Albany, observes, ' it were better 

 that the sun never should shine upon potatoes, 

 that they should be housed with all the dirt that 

 adheres to them, thttt it is beneficial to add more 

 dirt in the bin or cask, to exclude external air as 

 murji as possible, and that their surface should be 

 kept moist, and the atmosphere which surrounds 

 them as little above the freezing point as possible.' 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL^SUabyry. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 RECIPE FOR KILLING COCKROACHES. 



Take oat-meal, or silled corn-meal, mix it well 

 with molasses, then add a snflicient quantity of 

 reil lead, and intimately incorporate it with the 

 first conqiound, after which afiply the admixtm-e 

 on the mop-boards, si.les of cracks, and any other 

 places frequented by these insects ; they will gree- 

 dily devour it and die. F. S. 



For the New-England Farmer. 

 BEES. 



r.lR. Editor, Through the medium of your val- 

 uable paper, I would inquire of those experienced 

 for information resiiecting the best time for remov- 

 ing bees from an old hive to a new one, also the 

 best method of doing it. 



Manchester, Ct. 1834. 



FRUITS EXHIBITED. 



Horticultural Hall, Sept. 13. 

 Pears. By Enoch Bartlett, Esq. of Roxbu- 

 ry — Gushing Pears, and the Juhounot. 



By Mr. of Quincy — line specim.us of 



Bartlett Pears. 



By .loHN Heard, Jr. Esq. of Waterlown— Cres- 

 sanue, Johonnot, and St. Ghi.-lain Piai>. The 

 last especially of excellent flavor. 



By Mr. Manning — Lowrie's Bergnmolte or 

 Prince's Sugar, not of snpericu- flavor ; \allee 

 Francbe, or Vallee, a good sized roundish fruit of 

 excellent flavor. Also, Dearborn's Seedling, n su- 

 perior fruit, very early ; the tree is of vigmous 

 grovvth, and is stated by Mr. M. to be a great 

 bearer. 



Apples. By John Prince, Esq. of Roxbury — 

 Rucku)an's Pearmaiu. 



By Mr. Joseph Balch of Roxbury— Hawthorn- 

 dean, very handsome. 



By I\Ir. E. M. Richards, American Summer 

 Pearmaiu. 



By Mr. French, from Mr. Jairus Lincoln of 

 Hingham — Seek-no-furlber, very good. 



By Mr. B. V. French— a large fruit, I'onml or 

 cordate, covered with dark red, and spriidiled 

 next the sun with dark crimson, of good flavor. 

 This fruit was called the " Emperor Alexander," 

 we think however eiToneously, as the Enqieror 

 Alexander is described as a " greenish yellow li'uit, 

 slightly streaked with red in the shade, but mar- 

 bled and stre;died with bright red and orange next 

 the sun." Also, by Mr. French, a small ordinary 

 looking roundish fruit, sprinkled with i)ale dull 

 red, almost throughout, on a dull yellow ground. 

 This fruit was called the Jonathan — but as we 

 think very incorrectly. The true Jonalbaii is a 

 very extraordinary fruit, of good size, very regu- 

 lar in form, and covered on a fine yellow ground 

 almost throughout with fine dark crimson, and 

 eminently beautiful. 



Plums. By Mr. B.V.French, a good sized 

 oval fruit, pale, red and spoiled, of an astringent 

 flavor, name unknown. 



Grapes. A native grape from the Messrs. Win- 

 ships, of good flavor. Remarkable buds of the 

 I'dake J^ectar!)ie were also jiresented by Mr. J. 

 Blake, for distribution. 



By order of the Committee, 



William Kenrick. 



I 



TO MAKE TOMATO KETCHUP. 



Take a quantity of ripe tomatoes (say two gal- 

 lons)' cut them in small pieces, (lut them in a small 

 earthen pot or jar ; about half a pound of salt, 

 a table spoonful of allspice, the same quantity of 

 pepper, a quarter of an ounce of mace ; tie the jar 

 up close, put it in an oven after the bread is taken 

 out, and let it stand all night, and repeat it three 

 times when you bake bread ; then strain it off" and 

 bottle it, and it is much better than mushroom 

 kctidiup for culinary purposes. 



Tomato Sauce Peel and slice twelve tomatoes, 

 add three pounded crackers, pepper and salt them 

 to your taste, stew 15 minutes. — Cummunicated. 



^^ Grand Exhibition of Fruits and Flowers, at 

 Faneuil Hall, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 

 of this iveek. 



EXHIBITION OP FLOWERS. 



M. P. Wilder, Dorchester — Dahlias, King Wil- 

 liam 4th, Brown's Ophelia, Lady Gray Squib's 

 Prince George, Globe Purple, Antonia, Countess 

 of Liverpool. 



Messrs. Hovevs, Cambridgeport — China Aster 

 from their garden. 



S. H. Weld, Roxbury — Dahlias, &c. 



Mount Auburn Cemetery — Bouquets. 



Messrs. Putnam, Salem — Queen of the Whites, 

 Rosy Crimson, Earl of Sandwich, Bonny Dee, 

 Amelia, Wells' Calypso, Red Globe, Countess of 

 Liverpool, French White, Theodore, Pulen, Beau- 

 ty of Salem, Algernon Sydney, Crimson (j'lobe, 

 Beauty of Surrey, Dcnnissii, Kentish Hero, Bar- 

 ret's King,Belladonna, Russell's Maculatum, Feath- 

 ered Light, Crimson Globe, Black Prince, Wells' 

 Royal Lilac, Purpurea Elegans, Antonio. 



Tho's. Mason, Charlestown Vineyard — Dahlias, 

 King of the Whites, Auemonoeflora, Coccine»» 



