1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



347 



farms of which he speaks. They are natural caus- 

 es — causes which puny man cannot control — and 

 instead of being evidences of poverty and decay, 

 they are to us clearly evidences of progress and 

 prosperity. That is, man has exhausted the soil, 

 cut off its timber, and carried off innumerable 

 crops of rye and corn, and herds of fat cattle, and 

 with these nearly all the minerals near the surface, 

 together with the vegetable matter that had been 

 accumulating by the agency of trees, bushes and 

 coarse plants, through the lapse of countless gen- 

 erations. 



Why should he remain there longer ? If the 

 land is of easy access and cultivation, and he has 

 managed it skilfully and economically, he can re- 

 main forever and it will never fail to reward all 

 his labor and care. But if it is not of this char- 

 acter, his course is precisely that of the miner, — 

 he lays bare the vein, extracts the precious ore, 

 exhausts it, and then seeks another and more 

 promising spot, and in so doing proves himself 

 to be a man of discernment and progress. 



We do not agree entirely with our correspond- 

 ent's views of the manner of educating the child- 

 ren of the State, as if there were no law compell- 

 ing it, there would soon be a fearful number who 

 could not read and write. But when we reach 

 that Elysian age Avhen all parents are qualified to 

 teach their children, and have leisure to attend to 

 it, we shall be happy to see the B oard of Educa- 

 tion and all superintending School Committees 

 ranked with the things of "old fogydom" — but, 

 ■we guess not, until then. When do you think it 

 will be, brother farmer ? 



We should not feel it a hardship to extend 

 these remarks much farther — for the subject is 

 prolific of thought — but other matters pressing at 

 present forbid it. We send by mail, a letter writ- 

 ten in August, 1856, describing the country we 

 saw at that time, and giving some of the reasons 

 why more than Jifty farms were deserted, which 

 we saw in the course of one day's ride by horse 

 power. 



Open vs. Covered Drains. — Mr. Mechi thus 

 explains the reason why covered drains are so 

 much more effectual than open ones : '"A deep 

 open ditch will not drain the adjoining soil, be- 

 cause when the sides are dry the water rises up 

 tovvards the surface by capillary attraction, and 

 thus heads back the water behind it. Put pipes 

 into the bottom of this ditch, fill it up, and it will 

 then drain the adjoining soil." 



Another Recommendation for the Apple. 

 — Chemical researches show that good varieties 

 of the apple are richer in those bodies which 

 I strictly go to nourish the system than potatoes 

 '■ are ; or, in other words, to form muscle, brain, 

 (nerve, and, in short, assist in sustaining and 

 building up the organic part of all the tissues of 

 the animal bodv. — Anon. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CULTUBE OF TOBACCO. 



Mr. Editor : — In agricultural papers I often 

 see inquiries relative to the culture of tobacco. 

 And as often as I read a reply to such inquiries, I 

 am impressed with a sense of an unsatisfactory 

 answer. My method is this : 



First, the soil should be naturally strong and 

 warm, that which has not been abused by over- 

 cropping. And then with the following treat- 

 ment a good and paying crop may reasonably be 

 expected. Plow as early as possible after the crop 

 of grass or grain has been harvested ; weeds then 

 growing will be destroyed, and by decaying, help 

 to enrich the land ; the seeds already ripe will 

 germinate in time to be killed by autumn frosts ; 

 if likely to ripen their seeds too soon for the 

 frost, they should be destroyed by a thorough 

 harrowing, which, by the way, will be no disad- 

 vantage to the ground. Tlie plowing should be 

 sufficiently deep and the furrows so carefully 

 turned over that the turf will not be disturbed ; 

 say seven to ten inches, according to depth of 

 soil and previous treatment. When dry, a heavy 

 roller passed over it previous to harrowing, will 

 be found beneficial. It is now in good condition 

 to rest till spring, and in the meanwhile receive 

 the benefits of rain, snow, air, light and frost. 



As soon as in good working condition in the 

 spring, spread broadcast fifty ox-cart loads of 

 well-rotted manure to the cere ; and with a 

 Share's coulter harrow, cover it just deep enough 

 to ])revent its being sun-dried. If the season is 

 sufficiently advanced, the weather and soil warm, 

 give it a very thorough harrowing with a fine- 

 toothed harrow. Don't be afraid of harrowing too 

 much. Better use horse flesh in May, than your 

 own to drive the hoe in the hot summer months. 

 The ground is now ready to receive the seed ; 

 and here we come to the most important point. 



I would prepare the seed thus : Soak it twenty- 

 four hours in pure rain water, caught as it falls 

 from the clouds, that the clean, pure tobacco seed 

 need not be contaminated by coming in contact 

 with the filth of the roof of a human being's dwel- 

 ling; then boil it eight and forty hours in a 

 bright copper kettle, and lest the seed should not 

 all germinate, plant five to eight grains of Indian 

 corn in each hill. The prospect is now good for 

 a crop that will support human life, and by pro- 

 moting health, leave the brain clear and healthy, 

 so that the soul may expand and rejoice in the 

 contemplation of the Creator and the created, 

 rather than sink to the level of the mountain 

 goat and tobacco worm. G. w. H. 



Neio Bedford, 3d Mo., 20, 1860. 



Tanning Skins with the Fur on. — Nail the 

 fresh skins smoothly and tightly against a doer, 

 keeping the skinny side out. Next proceed with a 

 broad-bladcd blunt knife to scrape away all loose 

 pieces of flesh and fat ; then rub in much chalk, 

 and be not sparing of labor ; when the chalk be- 

 gins to powder and fall off, take the skin down, 

 fill it with finely-ground alum, wrap it closely to- 

 gether, and keep it in a dry place for two or three 

 days ; at the end of that time unfold it, shake out 

 the alum, and the work is over. — Scientific Amer- 

 ican. 



