1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



225 



The two-horse Machines weigh 514 pounds 

 each, I'un on two driving -lolieels placed 30 inches 

 apart, each wheel 28 inches in diameter. The 

 frame rests upon and is firmly secured to the 

 axle of the wheels, and supports the gearing and 

 a seat for the driver. The finger-bar is attached 

 to the Machine by one bolt, and can be easily re- 

 moved by taking off one nut ; and when placed 

 upon the frame under the seat, the Machine can 

 be driven from field to field as easily as a light 

 cart. The knife is driven by a crank-pin, pro- 

 jecting from a well-adjusted balance-wheel, which 

 gives it a steady, uniform motion ; it has a ra- 

 pid motion with a short stroke, which enables 

 the Machine to do good work when the team 

 moves as slow as horses or oxen can walk. These 

 Machines can be easily and instantly thrown out 

 of gear, thereby giving motion to the driving 

 wheels only when mowing. They cut a swath 

 four feet wide. 



The one-horse Machine is constructed on the 

 same plan, and in the same manner in all re- 

 spects, as the two-horse Machine, except that it 

 has shafts instead of a pole, weighs 50 pounds 

 less, (4G4 pounds,) and cuts a swath three and a 

 half feet wide. 



LAMFAS IJSr HORSES. 



A correspondent of the Mark Lane Express 

 writes how a cure of this disease was effected by 

 homoeopathic treatment, in the case of a valuable 

 carriage horse : 



The animal had been suffering from the disease 

 for sometime before the servant mentioned that 

 it was ailing. An allopathic veterinary surgeon, 

 who was consulted, declared that it was impossi- 

 ble to remove the diseased part except by cutting 

 and burning. This we refused to permit, and be- 

 gan to treat it with homoeopathic remedies, but, 

 owing to our want of skill, without any success ; 

 the horse became daily worse; the palate and 

 gums were so swollen as to prevent the power of 

 mastication, and were like a white sponge. In 

 this emergency we took the liberty of consulting 

 a clever homoeopathic M. D., who advised us to 

 try Rhus toxicodendron A, five drops in half-a 

 pint of water, twice a day. In sixteen hours from 

 the first dose, there was an improvement in the 

 color of the gums and palate. The following day 

 the swelling began to subside, and in seven days 

 the creature was quite well, and has never since 

 that time (a period of two years and a half) had 

 any recurrence of the ailment. 



Clubbing of Cabbages. — A handful of super- 

 phosphate and a tablespoonful of McDougall's 

 disinfecting powder, put into each hill of some 

 1500 cabbages belonging to a correspondent of 

 the Philadelphia Farmer and Gardener, saved all 

 but about twenty, which probably missed their 

 portion of phosphate and powder. 



for the New England Farmer. 

 FARM IN CONN". RIVER VALLEY. 



Mr. Editor : — I am a young farmer living in 

 the Connecticut valley, near Mounts Tom and 

 Holyoke ; have long been interested in your val- 

 uable paper, and gleaned therefrom much instruc- 

 tion of great value in my daily occupations: I 

 read from week to week with great interest its ag- 

 ricultural and scientific discussions : together 

 with the reports of the weekly Legislative agri- 

 cultural meeting, and market reports. Since I 

 have been engaged in farming, I have often looked 

 in vain for contributions from "tillers of the soil" 

 in this section of the country. As our farming 

 in the alluvial soil is quite different from that in 

 most parts of the State, a little good advice is 

 what we need, and should appreciate. For the* 

 benefit, perhaps, of some who have never become 

 familiar with this section, I will name some of 

 these differences. The farms are generally small, 

 but often large barns may be seen well filled, 

 showing that a few acres, well tended, are much 

 more profitable than many half cared for. $200 

 per acre is about the average price for land. We 

 have no pastures, therefore cows are mostly kept 

 in stables, fed on cut feed, and for a change, on 

 green food in Summer. We have no top-dressing 

 to do for our mowing, that is all done on the 

 low lands by the Connecticut river, avoiding 

 thereby all discussions as to which season is the 

 best for these deposits. 



There is a great advantage derived from having 

 the land scattered in small lots, as each farmer 

 has thus several different kinds of soil to deal 

 with, enabling him to raise different kinds of crops 

 to good advantage ; the principal of which are 

 broom-corn, tobacco, corn, potatoes, wheat, rye, 

 oats, barley ; to these we hope soon to add flax. 



We "Young America," believe in plowing deep ; 

 "our fathers" tell us to "]et the plow run lightly," 

 but I think they acknowledge the benefit derived 

 from deep plowing in case of drought or a dry 

 season. Many have experimented upon lots, in " 

 plowing under green clover and rye in the spring, 

 and in the fall broom-corn, stalks and buckwheat. 

 I would like to assure you, in closing, that if 

 your attempts to give us, weekly, an accurate ac- 

 count of beef markets are successful, your reward 

 from this vicinity will be in obtaining no't a few 

 subscribers. In this important reform, we all bid 

 you "good speed." 



I would like your opinion in regard to plowing 

 under clover in June for tobacco ; as it is then 

 tall, rank and green, I imagine it injures the pres- 

 ent crop. Would it not be better to mow it, and 

 let it wilt ? Young Farmer. 



Northampton, Feb., 1861. 



Remarks. — We have been told by chemists 

 that if clover is plowed under when green, that as 

 soon as it begins to ferment it throws off its 

 starch and sugar in the form of gas, and these 

 fertilizing properties are lost. Others do not 

 deny the fact that these valuable properties are 

 transformed into gases and pass off, but that the 

 gases are retained in, and absorbed by the soil, 

 and that nothing valuable is lost. You must 

 look into the matter more thoroughly for yourself. 



