1860. 



KEW EXGLAKD FARMER. 



the door ! It can be done, but only tlu-ough un- 

 remitting skill and toil. "Livelihoods are hard to 

 get," but they are as easily acquired in farming or 

 gardening, as in most other callings, and farming 

 and gardening demand, as well as other callings, 

 skill and capital to ensure successful results. The 

 idea, so widely extended, is entirely erroneous, 

 that any body can at once be a farmer or a garden- 

 er. They may just about as appropriately be a 

 xa'WTer or a minister. Any man can ploM' ; so any 

 man can preach or give advice. We sincerely hope 

 some gentleman of genius and experience will 

 show our correspondent "how he may cultivate 

 three acres of rich land so as to support a small 

 family." 



THE SEASON — CROPS — COIIX LAND — STOCK AND 

 H.\Y. 



The past summer has been a very uncommon 

 one. There has been a killing frost every month 

 of the past season. It has been dry as well as cold. 

 After the equinoctial storm of September loth, 

 tnere was a great change in the weather. It has 

 oeen remarked, "If it clears off warm after the 

 equinoctial storm, every after storm will clear off 

 warm." And such appears to have been the case 

 the past fall. Although Ave have had many frosty 

 nights, and quite a number of snow squalls, it has 

 been rather a pleasant fall thus far. The ground 

 is still open, and the pastures ai-e quite as green 

 as they Avere some of the time last summer. Wa- 

 ter is very low yet; but few springs or v^-clls have 

 started, that were dry. We have had but one 

 good shower of rain for five weeks. 



The lesson of the past season teaches us, that, 

 as far as raising corn is concerned, the high, hilly 

 xand is best. Most corn on such land about here 

 has ripened, while that on low lands has? been a 

 failure. Corn that was planted deep, stood the 

 spring frosts better than shallow planting. 



There is quite a panic about here just noAV, on 

 account of the loAvness of stock, and a supposed 

 scarcity of hay ; the latter has sold at auction as 

 high as fifteen dollars per ton ; about double the 

 usual price. Auctions are getting to be rather 

 plenty. Many are selling their farms ; many 

 more are selling stock and hay, and others are 

 selling stock, and keeping their hay for a better 

 price. There is, in reality, no scarcity of hay ; but 

 stock is rather cheap and poor. City folks must 

 expect poor beef this Avinter. Hekkit. 



Cedar Valley Place, Newbury, Vt. 



SPONT.iJNEOUS COMBUSTION IN IL\Y. 



Can you give me any information concerning 

 the combustibility of salt hay stored in a barn ? 



Tavo barns of ours have been burned, one last 

 year, and one this year, each of Avhich had several 

 tons of this kind of hay, and nothing else stored 

 in it. My OAvn opinion uoav is, that each of these 

 fires originated in s])ontaneous combustion : the 

 hay in each case had been stored there two or three 

 months previous to the fire. It is Avell knoAvn that 

 English hay stored in a green state, Avill thus 

 catch fii-e, but salt hay, even if put in green, 1 have 

 hvays before considered safe in this respect. Sev- 

 eral of my neighbors Avish for a little more light 



upon this subject. I hope they may have a more 

 satisfactory liyJd than I have had. Information of 

 this kind, I see, is frequently elicited by like pub- 

 lications in your valuable paper. Omega. 

 lioxhury, Mass., Nov. 15, 1859. 



Remarks. — We are sorry not to be able to shed 

 profitable liyht upon the question propounded by 

 our correspondent. No doubt some one caa, and 

 Ave hope Avill, give it attention. 



WISE MEN OF THE EAST. 



I have noticed, of late, several communications 

 on important points of culture, under the signa- 

 ture of experienced cultivators, in this vicinity. I 

 am glad to see these ; Wit at the same time, can- 

 not but think, that they Avould do avcU to remem- 

 ber, that others may knoAv something as well as 

 themselves. For instance, I believe the late Dr. 

 Harris, of Cambridge, kncAV something about "in- 

 sects injurious to vegetation." But Avhen I see 

 his vicAvs controverted and denounced, by young 

 men Avhose beards are not yet fully groAvn, excejjt 

 a little on the upper lip, perhaps, I think such 

 young ones Avould do avcU to keep in the shade a 

 spell longer. Essex. 



Nov. 20, 18J9. _ 



RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 



I have knoAvn many specimens of these ; but the 

 question often recurs, hoAV long will they stay re- 

 claimed ? My ansAver is, just so long as the cold, 

 stagnant waters are kept entirely aAvay from the 

 fibrous roots of the vegetable groAvth. When a 

 damper is thrown upon those fibres, by accumulat- 

 ed Avaters, then the perfect reclamation of the 

 meadoAvs gives Avay. As Avell might avc expect a 

 reclaimed drunkard to stay reclaimed by taking a 

 small "horn" each day, as a reclaimed meadoAv to 

 produce SAveet products, Avithout more than ordi- 

 nary care applied. What is bred in the bone, can- 

 not be beaten from the fiesh. p. 



Nov. 24, 18.39. 



AG-KICULTUBE IN CHIITA. 



Every substance derived from plants and ani- 

 mals is carefully collected by the Chinese, and 

 converted into manure. Oil cakes, horn and bones 

 are highly valued ; and so is soot, and more es- 

 pecially ashes. To give some notions of the val- 

 ue set by them on human offal, it Avill be sufficient 

 to mention that the barbers most carefully collect 

 and sell, as an article of trade, the somewhat con- 

 siderable amount of hair of the beards and heads 

 of the hundreds of millions of customers, AA'hom 

 they daily shave. The Chinese knoAv the action 

 of gypsum and lime ; and it often happens that 

 they rencAV the plastering of the kitchens, for the 

 purpose of making use of the old matter for ma- 

 nure. 



Xo Chinese farmer ever sows a seed of corrh 

 before it has been soaked in liquid manure diluted 

 Avith Avater, and has begun to germinate ; and ex- 

 perience has taught him, (so Iil^ asserts.) that this 

 operation not only tends to ])romote the groAvth 

 and development of the ])laut, but also to protect 

 the seed from the insects Iiidden in the gi-ound. 



During the summer months, all kinds of vege- 

 table refuse are mixed Avith turf, straAV. gi'ass. pe'ii 



