230 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JAsr. ir, 1844 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



F.dited 1>)r Joseph Breck. 



BosTon, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1844. 



BUSINESS FOR JANUARY —No. II. 

 Cutting and SUdding Wood. 

 We presume every lliriving farmer has already made 

 a commfiicement (in this laborious work; he lias, no 

 doubt, been busy every pleasant day during the past 

 month, and the fine sledding so well improved, that his 

 wood-pile has already bi-gun to make an imposing ap- 

 pearance, and perhaps hie whole year's stock has been 

 brought linme. The old practice of going over the lot, 

 and selecting here and there a tree, such as are found in 

 a decaying slate, is a bad one, as many young trees are 

 thereby very much injured or completely destroyed. 

 We believe this ccpurse is now almost universally aban- 

 doned, and our most calculating farmers make a clean 

 sweep of ilieir lots, e.tcept the very young trees, whieh 

 are spared, if it is decided to let it grow up to wood 

 again ; or if they are all cut close, they will start up 

 again with great vigor. It is pleasing to see the rapid 

 progress a young wood lot will make from year to year, 

 when the old wood has all been cleared off. The sun 

 and air will give the saplings a wonderful start. We 

 have seen a wood lot in twenty or tvvcntyfive years from 

 cutting, thickly and evenly set with trees of sufficient 

 growth to be fit subjects for the woodman's axe. The 

 stumps of young and vigorous trees will be inclined to 

 throw up sprouts of a very luxuriant character, and a 

 third growth will be making rapid progress before the 

 farmer is hardly aware of it; whereas from old trees 

 this will not be the case. It is important to have all the 

 wood hauled before this month closes. The oxen are 

 now, or should be, in good heart, and the snow is not 

 generally so deep as in the month of February. If this 

 viotV. is deferred, it may be very difficult, or even im- 

 possible, to execute it, as very deep snows will greatly 

 impede the travelling, or render the entrance into many 

 lots inaccessible. In culling the wood from a lot, noth- 

 ing should be thrown into the wood-pile which would 

 prove more valuable for limber or fencing stuff. The 

 proprietor should carefully select every thing of this 

 kind, and board and other logs designed for sawing, 

 should be carted directly to the mill. Every farmer 

 should calculate to have a large stock of dry wood on 

 hand at all times, so that he may be enabled to sell oc- 

 casionally to those who are either unable to lay in a 

 stock, or to those that are improvident. To be obliged 

 to cart wood for his own use, in the summer, as we have 

 sometimes seen, is altogether out of character, and ar- 

 gues great want of prudence and forethought — and, we 

 may add, some folks think, is an indication of any thing 

 but thrift. We have seen a farmer (?) in hay time, un- 

 der the necessity of going into the woods with his oxen, 

 fell a tree, draw it home whole, and cut it up by piece- 

 meal, as his wife might want it, to keep her pot boiling. 

 (Wonder if he had his dinner in season.) This, how- 

 ever, was not in Massachueelts, and we hope it was an 

 ex'.rcme case in the State where we witnessed it. 



Care of the Stable tr Bam. 



It will be necessary to keep a watchful eye at the 

 barn, and see that the animals are well supplied with 

 proper food at the regular lime, and kept in a comforta- 

 ble stale. The boys or hired men will need some look- 

 ing after, or else the hay may disappear faster than was 

 expected. It is good economy to cut the feed. We 



have practiced it for the Inst seven years, and think 

 there is much saving by it. Tlie horses will eat hay of 

 an inferior quality when cut, especially if a little meal 

 is mixed with it. We have kept from four to six horses 

 in this way most of the lime, and they are always in 

 good flesh and spirits, although the work of some of 

 them has been severe. The way we manage is as fol- 

 lows : We have a box or trough eight feet long, sixteen 

 inches wide inside at the bottom, widening to two feet 

 at the top, and about elghleen inches deep. This stands 

 on one side of the barn floor, with Green's Straw Cut- 

 ter (advertised on another page,) at one end. As the 

 fodder is cut, it falls into ihe box, which is capacious 

 enough to hold the feed fnr our horses and eight cows 

 or more With this machine, which is undoubtedly the 

 best, a sufficient fiu:intily can be cut in a few minutes 

 for the morning's feed. It is then sprinkled or mode- 

 rately wet, and the desired quantity of meal thrown 

 into it, and with a shovel, the whole is thoroughly mix- 

 ed together. In this way our horses consume much 

 marsh hay and other fudder of a coarse kind, which 

 with a peck of carrots per day, will keep them in ex- 

 cellent order : we have sometimes given the horses a 

 peck of carrots morning and evening, to good advantage. 

 To our milch cows, we give one quart of meal each per 

 day with their cut fVed, and a peck of carrots in addi. 

 lion, and should give tliem half a bushel each if our 

 stock of roots would hold out. We cannot speak in too 

 high terms of the utility of roots for horses as well as 

 neat stock : they eat them with a good relish, and with 

 their dry food are highly favorable to their health. We 

 prefer carrots to any other root. 



The animals should be regularly supplied with water. 

 In many of the barns recently erected in the vicinity of 

 Boston, the water is brought into troughs directly be- 

 fore ihe cattle. These troughs are covered with lids 

 fastened with hinges, on the side opposite to the cattle, 

 who soon learn lo help themselves whenever they want, 

 by turning up the lid with their noses. This is a very 

 comfortable and convenient way for them. Others have 

 good conveniences In the barn-yard, while some still 

 drive their cattle to the nearest brook or pond, which 

 causes a great waste of manure, and exposes the cattle, 

 when it is slippery, lo accidents, and it is also a waste 

 of the time occupied by the one who drives them. 



It may be unnecessary lo remind the farmer of the 

 importance of having a warm barn, but it will do no 

 harm surely lo give a word of caution. Those who 

 have the old fashioned cold barn, should endeavor lo 

 prevent the cutting winds from blowing upon iheir cat- 

 tle, by closing the cracks which admit the wind, by 

 nailing over them slips of board or laths, and other 

 means should be taken to keep out the cold. Air can 

 be admitted when necessary, by opening the window, 

 in the day time, but at night the cattle should be kept 

 warm. 



The cows and oxen as well as horses, shonld have 

 the currycomb or card faithfully applied to their hides 

 every morning and ko|it as clean as possible: it will be 

 found conducive to their health as well as comfort. 

 They should also have a good beddinj of straw, leaves, 

 or some oilier material every night. The stables should 

 be so constructed that the urine will not stand upon Ihe 

 floor, but it should pass directly into the cellar, (if, luck- 

 ily there is one, as all good barns should have,) on lo 

 the compost heap beneath. We have no gre-jl opinion 

 of the man who does not regard the comfort of his cat- 

 tle. " The merciful man is nerciful to his beast." 



Implements and Tools, 

 On severe stormy days, it is not desirable for man or 

 beast to bo exposed lo the wintry blasts, but the time 



may be profitably spent by the farmer in looking ir 

 hit tool house, (if he has been ao thoughtful as to hai 

 one,) and takn an inventory thereof, ascertaining wl 

 will be necessary lo purchase, condemning such as r 

 not worth mending, and taking into consideration su 

 as may be repaired without too nnjch expense. He 

 are some rakes : one. is minus a tooth, and anothi 

 more unfortunate, has lost three. Now, act the pi, 

 of a dentist, (your knowledge is equal to some of the 

 travelling artists,) and fit in some new ones. Anotli, 

 has lost Its head, and still another perhaps, its stale: y 

 -can make a good one out of the two. The dung-fo 

 with broken tine, and shovels that need a rivet, m 

 be sent off to the blacksmith. The plows, we pi 

 ceive, are in good order: they were cleaned and put 

 their places after using them in the fall ; but we thiii 

 you had better have some extra points on hand, as 

 will be vexatious to be ;obliged lo stop in the midst i 

 your plowing in April, and send to town for them : i 

 member "a siilch in time saves nine." Let us look 

 the Seed Sower: you will have occasion to use it c 

 tensivcly next spring, as you must raise more roo 

 Ah, you exclaim, I remember now, it went the roun 

 among our neighbors last spring, after my own sowi 

 was done, and no wonder it is out of repair. I do r 

 like to meddle with it, so I will send it in to Willis. 1 

 will rig it up in fine style, and it will come back 

 good as It was when new five years since. Now si 

 we " have a place for every thing, and every thing 

 its place." But the axes — if the storm abates, we sh 

 want to use them in the morning, so get some hotw 

 tur and have them put in fine order. These fricti 

 rollers lo the grindstone — what an improvement ! ht 

 much time is saved by them— and the cost is a me 

 trifle. Now Js a good lime to rig up your grindsto 

 with them, if you have one that is worth any thing; 

 not, manage to get one at some rale, and see that y i 

 procure one with a good gril, and be dependant no mo 

 upen your neighbor, whose patience has so long be' 

 tried by jour use of his. Put yourself in a situati< 

 lo requite some of the good deeds of neighbors, and leai 

 lo " do unto others as you would that others should i 

 unto you." 



The Maine Farmer appears in a new and handson 

 dress. " Brother Holmes," its present editor, has co 

 ducted it from its commencement — and, uniting mui 

 good sense with much good humor, he makes his pap 

 one of the most useful and enlerlaining in all "do* 

 east." The farmers and mechanics of Maine, lo who 

 interests it ii devoted, should give it their support. 



To Kill Flits in a Cheese Room or Elsewhere. — Cheei 

 rooms are freq«enlly kept closed and darkened, lokei 

 out the flies, as the dairymaids say. Mr Livesay asser 

 that this practice, ruinous lo cheese, may be avoided I 

 occasionally boiling a pennyworth of quassia chips in 

 pint of water, sweetening it, and placing it on plate 

 about the room. It will destroy all Ihe flies that taste i 

 Cheese, he says, being animal matter, cannot have t< 

 much air. I have noticed that those cheeses which hai 

 been kept is a large, well-aired room, have been qui 

 sound; and those kept in a close, ill ventilated roon 

 were either faded, or very bad in flavor. Thoui 

 cheese should not be kept in too high a temperature, yi 

 they will bear the summer heat very well, provide 

 they have a constant supply of good air. — Alb. Cult. 



Fish Oil. — Several persons in Connecticut havings 

 it staled that fish oil put upon fruit trees, would keepo 

 insects, applied it to peach and plum trees, and the n 

 eult was, all the trees died. — lb. 



