74 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



For the New England Farmer. 



A ]SrE"W TRIAL TO BE MADE IN 

 FARMING. 



Mr. Editor : — I have been amused as well as 

 edified by the several pieces which have appeared 

 in the Farmer lately concerning the "profits of 

 farming." I notice a wide difference of opinion 

 betwixt some of your correspondents, and am in- 

 clined to believe that either one is nearer right 

 than the other thinks him to be. The fact is, farm- 

 ing is some like the United States Constitution, 

 it can be made to read either ^;>?'o or con. Being 

 a constant reader of the Farmer, I think I glean 

 a great deal of valuable information from its col- 

 umns, but perhaps a little practice will do me 

 some good ; people will often learn something by 

 expressing their own opinions, that they would 

 not while listening to others. 



About a year ago, wishing to settle in some 

 business, and having a capital of about $800, af- 

 ter careful deliberation I concluded to enter the 

 list of farmers ; accordingly I purchased an old 

 worn-out farm of one hundred acres, up here 

 amongst the Green Mountains, for which I paid 

 $1200, and after buying necessary tools, a *' un 

 and some other stock, 1 find myself in debt about 

 $800. Now, I think, Mr. Editor, that if farming 

 cannot be made profitable by me, at lease, I shall 

 soon find it out, and you shall be duly apprised of 

 *the fact. It is evident to me, however, that farm- 

 ing in this section is not made to pay, at present. 

 The land generally is uneven and stony, and is 

 better adapted to the dairy business, raising stock 

 and fruit, than to raising grain. The most of the 

 farms about here were bequeathed to the present 

 owners by their ancestors, and they, in turn, will 

 leave them to their children, the land continually 

 growing poor, and each succeeding tenant poorer. 

 How long they will last in this way I don't know, 

 for they were worn tln-eadbare years ago, each 

 generation doing their best to rob those who may 

 come after them. I suppose this is the kind of 

 farming friend Pinkham refers to that don't pay. 

 I believe he does not say farming won't pay — but 

 we will see. I am going to know, and I believe 

 some of my neighbors are thinking about it for 

 the first time, too. 



We are about forming a farmers' club in this 

 town, but it is rather dull work ; the most of the 

 farmers either think they know enough, or they 

 don't care ; there is not much of a revival yet, but 

 wo have some hopes of one. I will add, by way 

 of general information, that I believe this to be 

 poorest section for farming in the State. It is lo- 

 cated about twenty-one miles west of Connecticut 

 river. Springfield, our nearest city, is about thir- 

 ty miles, and Northampton, the nearest town of 

 any importance, is twenty miles distant ; the near- 

 est railroad station is sixteen miles. 



Geeen Mountain Boy. 

 Gummington, Mass., Dec, 1859. 



Bourbon County, two-year old mules brought from 

 $80 to $125 75, Two hundred Mexican mules 

 bought $80 20 per head. One auctioneer sold 14 

 horses at an average of $13i 85. In Scott, 50 

 mules sold for $155 each. In Madison Cotmty, 

 250 hogs on foot, averaging 434 pounds, were 

 bought at $4 per 100, gross. 



For tJie New England Farmer. 



LirWAR IN"FLUE]SrCE UPOlsT THE 

 TEMPERATURE. 



Mr. Editor : — In compliance with the request 

 of your able and gentlemanly contributor, "N. T. 

 T.," of Bethel, Me., in a communication in the 

 November number of the monthly Fanner, p, 

 52(5, in which, in refen-ing to myself, he says, "I 

 wish your correspondent would give us the aver- 

 age of the temperature of high and low^ moon for 

 a number of years past in September and October. 

 Also, answer this question : Do we seldom have a 

 frost till the full moon, or two or three days after 

 in September ? And do we not almost invaria- 

 bly have a frost at this time ?" I give in answer 

 the date of all the frosts that have occurred in 

 September in Springfield, (in latitude 42 degi-ees, 

 and elevation above the sea about 225 feet,) accord- 

 ing to my record for the last four years ; and for 

 the convenience of the reader, put the date of new 

 and full moon in connection. I also give the "av- 

 erage temperature of high and low moon" in Sep- 

 tember and October, for the same length of time. 



1 will first, however, correct a mistake by which 

 "N. T. T." was led to say — "His obsei'vations, 

 seventy-four in numlier, on the mean temperature 

 of high and low moon giving almost three degrees 

 colder in high than low moon, is as Vv'ide a differ- 

 ence as I should expect," &c. Instead of saying 

 .29° (twenty-nine one-hundredths of a degi-ee) as I 

 intended, I Avas made by the t}q)es to say 2.9° 

 (two degrees and nine-tenths,) varying the state- 

 ment quite essentially ; but the figures in the ta- 

 ble were correctly given, and consequently contra- 

 dicted the error. I was also, by a similar accident, 

 made to say "I find the average of the observa- 

 tions to be 22° (twenty-two degi-ees) lower when 

 the moon was high," &c., instead of .22° (twenty- 

 two one-hundredths of a degree.) as I intended — 

 simply by the misplacement, in one instance, and 

 omission in the other, of the decimal point. 



The dates of all the frosts that have occuiTed in 

 September in the last four years, their extent in 

 regard to severity, and the minimum temperature 

 of the day on which they occurred, and the date of 

 new and full moon in the same month, for the 

 same length of time, are given, as follows : 



Prices of Farms and Stock in Kentucky. 

 — We copy a few items of recent sales. A farm 

 three miles from Shelbyville, of 234 acres, sold for 

 $74 40 per acre ; an unimproved farm of 108 acres 

 in the same county, for $50 per acre ; a farm one 

 mile fr^omMt. Sterling of 330 acres at $93 15 per 

 acre ; another of 100 acres at $125 per acre. In 



Date. Extent. 



1856, Sept. 25.... very light. 



1857, " 8.... " " .. 

 " " 19 •• " 

 « " 30 



1858, 



25.. 

 26.. 

 27.. 

 2S.. 

 29.. 



7.. 



S.. 



9.. 

 15.. 

 IG.. 



Min, 

 Memp 

 ...3S\ 

 ...38' 



. " " 30' 



.ice formed 30 



. " » 30't 



.heavy white frost.. 32' I 

 . " " " ••32' * 

 . « " " ..34' f 



.light ?>'' I 



.ice formed 2S' J 



.very light 30° "| 



.light 37' 



.vei-y light 40' )■ 



.severe 34' | 



. " 34 J 



New Full 

 Moon. yioon. 

 ..28th 14th. 



8' J 



0°> ...ISth. 



0') 



.4th. 



rth 22d. 



