1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



157 



is this : On all land that is not so rocky under- 

 neath as to make digging expensive, never take 

 a stone away that is not wanted for wells, or for 

 some other special purpose, but dig holes and 

 place them in so that they shall not come nearer 

 than eight or ten inches of the surface. This can 

 be done as cheaply as they can be carted off and 

 piled up in some other place. There are, at least, 

 four advantages in this process. 



1. The surface is relieved of them, so that they 

 are out of the way in cultivating. 



2. If not too far below the surface, they attract 

 moisture, and are especially valuable where deep- 

 rooted plants are cultivated in times of drought. 

 Fruit trees flourish finely over them. 



3. They are storehouses of heat, warming the 

 soil about them, and the young roots that pene- 

 trate it, and acting like bottom heat in a forcing 

 house. 



4. So much of the land as is dug over to re- 

 ceive the stones, is thoroughly trenclied, and will 

 feel its influences for many years, whether it is 

 cultivated or kept in grass. 



comes hard and sound. Cut and saw basswood 

 in summer, and in a few weeks it will become 

 thoroughly seasoned, and will finally harden so 

 as to almost resemble horn. Cut it in winter, and 

 it will be so long in seasoning as to become part- 

 ly decayed before the process can be completed. 

 No doubt, the presence of the water or sap in 

 great abundance in winter, and especially towards 

 the latter part, hastens this incipient decay. 

 Rails cut and split in summer, and the bark pealed 

 to hasten drying, have lasted twice as long as 

 winter cut rails. — Coimtiy Gentleman. 



PLANTING TREES. 



BLUE-GEASS REGION" OF KENTTTCKY. 



The editor of the Boston Cultivator, writing at 

 Georgetown, Ky., says that section presents in 

 many respects a striking contrast to any portion 

 of New England. 



In an agricultural view, we see little prepara- 

 tion for winter, at least, little that we are accus- 

 tomed to see at the North. The large barns in 

 which our farmers shelter their animals and the 

 provision for them, are not found here. There is 

 nothing like what we should call a barn, and but 

 seldom any artificial shelter for stcck, except 

 stables — mostly quite rude, being often made of 

 logs — for working horses. Neither are there 

 stacks of hay on farms in general. The stock is 

 supported in winter almost entirely by grass. 

 "Winter pastures" are reserved, on which the 

 blue-grass (Poa pratensis) with its long, soft 

 leaves, covers the ground like a mat, and there is 

 seldom any weather that the stock cannot graze. 

 Indian corn is produced in large quantities, and 

 the stalks and husks of this grain, shocked in the 

 field, afl"ord fodder for the stock when the grass 

 may be covered with snow, which, however, is not 

 often the case for many successive days. Corn in 

 the ear or unhusked on the stalk, is fed to fat- 

 ting stock or for other purposes, according to the 

 wants of animals. 



The country is remarkably healthy, not only for 

 the human race, but for all domestic animals. 

 The freedom of cattle and hogs reared here from 

 disease, has often been commented on by butchers 

 who slaughter animals from different sections. 



Time for Cutting Timber. — We have been 

 long satisfied that the best time to cut timber is 

 in summer, provided it is not left in the log, but 

 is immediately worked up into boards, rails, or 

 whatever is intended. It dries rapidly, and be- 



Persons intending to plant trees should begin 

 to think of the matter now, so as to be ready to 

 enter upon the work as soon as the opening of 

 the ground will permit. If the selection of the 

 land, the selection of trees, the varieties to be 

 used and the distances apart at which they are to 

 be set, are to be left until May, when the lark is 

 whistling on the top of the maple, the work will 

 probably be done in such a hurried manner as to 

 cause many mistakes. All these preliminaries 

 may be arranged by the sitting-room or kitchen 

 fire, and may be aided by suggestions of the wo- 

 men, or by those of the sons who are to assist in 

 the labor. This is the engineering, or planning 

 part of farming, and never should be left to be 

 decided upon when the time has come to do the 

 work, any more than the carpenter should decide 

 what kind of a barn he is to build for you, when 

 he has got his force together to raise it ! 



Having decided what distances shall be pre- 

 served, they may be set off", and then the holes 

 should be dug as early as possible. It would 

 have been better had the earth been thrown out 

 last fall. The holes should be large — never less 

 than four feet in diameter by eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches deep, and if six feet in diameter, they 

 are all the better. The earth thrown out should 

 be turned over two or three times, so that it may 

 all receive portions of the rain that falls, and the 

 energizing influences contained in the atmosphere. 

 Under this process, that which was taken from 

 the bottom of the hole will be greatly improved. 

 It may answer to dig the holes only a foot deep, 

 and spade the bottom six or twelve inches ; but 

 this process is not so thorough as that of throw- 

 ing the earth entirely out. 



Before setting the tree, the black top soil 

 should be thrown into the bottom of the hole, 

 with a sufficient quantity of other black soil near 

 to fill the hole up to within two or three inches 

 of the surrounding surface. If it can be afforded, 

 a little well rotted compost may be mingled in 

 with decided advantage. In this manner a com- 

 plete root bed is formed for the new comer ; one 

 favorable to excite numerous fibrous roots, be- 

 cause it is rich, light, and capable of attracting 



