*298 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MARCH 89, 18 <r. 



crefliliility of tlie almvo stnleDiPiit, Imt I have iini 

 tlie lenst (kiil>t but tliat fllr Hiadslrect lias lipcn 

 pei-fcctly honest in tlio account which he has kept 

 between himself and " Olil Star." If he lias de- 

 viated in any particidar, it is in the charjies In- 

 lias made for her kcepinjr, as all who know the 

 worth of keeping a row, will agree with me in 

 sayins $20 is more than an averasre worth the 

 last 18 years. I am fnlly jjersuaded that in this 

 county, not an eipial is to he found for Mr Brad- 

 streer's old. * 



Topsfied, Jan. 28, 1837. 



Raise morfl Clover Seisd. — Mr Editor : — 

 Since it has been discoveri'd that the article of 

 wheat can sncressfully he raised on a clover ley, 

 which clover ley cannot be produced without clo- 

 ver seed, which is now known to he dear, and 

 scarce, owing, no doubt, principally to fodiler hav- 

 inir been very dear in the year 1835-6 ; therefore 

 farmers saved none of their a;rass for seed. The 

 summer following, calculating on liay bringing a 

 great priie in all after time, they raised very little 

 hay seed, and sold off such great quantities of 

 stock, and comparatively few months being left to 

 consume hay, of course it has become reasonably 

 low in market. This, therefore, is a favorable 

 time to urge the raising of clover seed the ensuing 

 siimiricr ; by wliich means much more wheat v\ill 

 be raised, and we Farmers shall not he under tiie 

 neeilless necessity rif " going to New Yoik to 

 mill." 



Since clover seed has become so valuable an 

 article, we need not fear loss by raising it. 



Maine Far. 



Wheat Crops. — It is yet too early to form any 

 decisive opiuion respecting the growing wheat 

 crop, luit we are sorry to learn from various pahs 

 of Vugiaia, that tie jirospect is poor ; and that 

 some are |;rocuring spring wheat to sow, while 

 others propose to sow the common wheal as soon 

 as the frost leaves the ground. Another failure 

 of cro|)s then^ must inevitably produce much suf- 

 fering, as they have not had a full crop for sever- 

 al years — Zanesvilte Gaz. 



The FIRST Caj.f of a heifer is liest for rearing ; 

 tho reason alledged, that the cow could not be re- 

 duced by milk during gestation. Late fallen 

 calves, in M;.y and .tune, are never so liardy when 

 grown up, or bear the winters so well, as those 

 dropped in Slarch ; the chief reason of this i.«, l)e- 

 canse late fallefi calves must be weaned late, and 

 they alvvays pilch, or fall away a little oo wea?)- 

 ing, the fipproach of vvinter prevents their reeov- 

 B.''y, B).'<) JiQthiiig aftiu-Wards makes amends. 



Lisle. 



Sewing Silk. — The manufacture of American 

 Sewing Silk is becoming important, and the arti- 

 cle is obtaining the best reputation. The Silk 

 Company at Northampton, are manufacturing at 

 'the rate of $200 per day, and yet-eannot supply 

 the demand. We are pleased to learn that a 

 Company has been incorporated to grow and 

 manufacture the same article in West Springfield. 

 — JVorthamplon Con. 



Did yon make root crops for your stock Inst 

 year.' If you did not, do so this, and next year 

 you will thank us for reminding you of what you 

 ought to do. 



Bl'CIi.\VHKAT STRAW. 



!n answer to a question put to us some time 

 since, by "A Young Farmer," whether "any use 

 could be made of his buckwheat straw," we re- 

 [ilied that it was better for his milch cows than 

 the best timothy hay, that Ids cows wonlil eat it 

 with equal iividity ; that if it had not been loo long 

 exposed to the vicissitudes of the weather, it 

 would prove equally nutritions; that so far as the 

 secretion of milk was concerned, it was infinitely 

 preferable to any hay or fodder within our knowl- 

 edge, and that if cut anil boiled, it would make 

 most excellent slop for his cows. In a conversa- 

 tion with a gentlemtui from Virginia a few di.ys 

 since, we were happy to find our own o|iinion and 

 experience confirmed by an anecdote which he 

 related. At the time of thrashing out his buck- 

 wheat, he was from home, ami contrary to his 

 usual practice, which was to cast the straw into 

 the baru-ynrd amongst the other litter, his haniis 

 stacked it in a fold-yard, with his other hay and 

 fodder, where it was accessible to a portion of his 

 cattle. On bis return home, he found that his 

 stock had niade as free use of the buckwheat 

 straw, as with either his hay or fodder, thus es- 

 tablishing the fact these animels, which should be 

 admitted to be judges of what suits their own ap- 

 petites, when left to theiruwn choice, had by the r 

 selection of this hitlierto neglected food, pointed 

 out a new source of economy to the farmer and 

 planter, which too many have not properly ap| re- 

 ciated. i'uckvvbeat, as every one knows, can be 

 jfrown U|)on almost any soil, if planted from the 

 opening of the gromid in spring, till the heginiiitig 

 of Jidy, anil will not only yield a haiidsome re- 

 turn of grain, hut a full and wlndesome supply of 

 as good hay as any agriculturalist ever fml his 

 cattle withal 



",\dversity," to use a trite adage, " is the moth- 

 er of invention," so should the experience of the 

 last few years, teach every one engaged in tiling 

 the earth, to hushaud every means within his pow- 

 er, ami of resorting to every resoiu-ce witiiin the 

 compass of his ability, to make liis stock comfor- 

 table, and keep them in a plentiful supi)ly of food 

 during the inclement months of winter. It is the 

 custom of most farmers to sow buckwheat in the 

 poorest spot on the farm, and even when thus 

 treated, often without manure, with no other cid- 

 ture than a ploughing and harrowing, its product 

 is from 20 to 30 bushels to the acre, according to 

 the season. When placed under more advanta- 

 geous circimistances, on good soil, or land (rop- 

 erly manured, it has l)een known to give a pro- 

 dm-t tif from 6(i to 70 bushels to the acre. If then 

 instead of sowing a small patch merely to aflbrd 

 meal enough for the winter suijily of those de- 

 lightful cakes, which adil so much to the luxury 

 of the farmer's winter breakfast table, he were to 

 .sow from 10 to 2;i acres, how much of profit wouhl 

 eiiur- to him? how much wlndesome food would 

 he secure for his cows .' and how much solid 

 comfort to all and every thing around him.' Than 

 buckwheat grain, nothing is eaten more readily 

 by the poultry and the pigs, p'or the former it 

 is the best food in winter, largely contributing by 

 the great proportion of lime of which it is com- 

 posed to make them lay ; for the latter, or for 

 breeding sows, if reduced to meat and boiled into 

 slop, it is at once nourishing and fatiening. For 

 sows with young pigs, nothing is more eomluctive 

 to the secretion of jdentiful supplies of milk. And 

 should the straw be cut and steameil, and thus 



given to milch cows, it wouhl serve as a substi- 

 tute for other slops, and wouhl materially increase 

 the quantity as well as th(^ qnalily of their milk. 



resides the above uses of this article, if sown 

 cr.i y, in the proportion of 2 bushels to the acre, it 

 wouhl hear niouing twice duilng thi! seas(m, and 

 would afford most excellent grass for soiling: and 

 lieyond all question, there is no green crops that 

 can he turned in with the exception of a clover- 

 ley, that make so gootl a dressing for ground for 

 wlieat, as does buckwheat. 



When sown for the grain, from one to one and 

 a half bushels to the acre is enough seed. — Ball. 

 Fanner. 



SILK ClILTURE IS MAINE. 



Bv the following extract from the Report of the 

 Committee on cro| s, of the Penobscot Agricultu- 

 ral Society, it will be seen the climate of Maine 

 throws no insurmountable obstacle in the way of 

 the silk grower. The towi shi|) of Newport is sit- 

 uated betvveen the Kennebeck and Penobscot riv- 

 ers, at about eqni-distai'ce from each, and within 

 a few miles of the 45lh degree of latitude. "Your 

 Committee take great pleasure in making known 

 the enterpise of individuals in Newport for tlie 

 production of silk. The three nurseries entered 

 for premiums, s; eak well for the foresight mani- 

 fested in a branch of industry whicli l)iils fair to 

 rival almost any other in the United Slates. — 

 Maine has too long and too often locked on the 

 exertions and enterjiri.se of other sections with fol- 

 ded arnis, and seen their labors crowned with suc- 

 cess, before attemi;ting any thing herself 



There is a branch of-induslry springing up, 

 wfiich may be engaged in by any owner of land, 

 with little or no ca| ital. The first thing is to 

 make a bed, 50 f'y 4, rich, and sow an ounce of 

 mulberry seed, which produces 5000 plant.s — then 

 an acre of hmil, in good condition lor corn or po- 

 tatoes, is sufficient for the plants in hedge. Here 

 is the capital invested. Let one half of what is 

 said in regard to [U'ofits be true, and two or three 

 females, in eight weeks, will realize a sum suffi- 

 cient to support a decent sized family a year. — 

 Y'otir Committee were shown samides of the trees 

 from the nursery of Mr F.. 15. bhavv, and found 

 lot the least appearance of suffering by our win- 

 ter. They think the time may come, when, as 

 our fair daughters are about to leave the paternal 

 roof, and become bone and fl(sh of another, the 

 question of which cow, how many sheep, Low 

 many lieds, blankets, sheets, &e., sh.ill she have, 

 wii not he the only one discussed in tim family 

 circle; but in addition to all this, how many suits 

 of silk curtains, pairs of hose, gowns, cloaks, quilts 

 and counterpanes, whic h have been made in the 

 family. Your Conuiiitlee leave this subject with 

 regret, because if wealth and iudeptndeiice are a. 

 blessing, they may be jiossessid by many who are 

 now compaiatively desiitnte." 



The Committee awarded the first | i-emium of 

 S3, to Enoch C. Shaw, tlie .second of $2, to John 

 Wilson, and also recommeiiihd a gratuity of $2, 

 to Bi nj. Shaw, for the 3d be^t mulberry imrseiy. 

 —Silk Cult. 



Give such hogs as you have in your pen, once 

 a week, a few shovels full of charcoal, or pieces 

 of rotten wood. 



Plant no more ground than you can well ma- 

 nure and cultivate to advantage. 



