314 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JULt 



■will get a machine that will not cause them to re- 

 gret that they had not bought some other kind. 



In reading Mr. Holbrook's communication in 

 reply to some questions about grass lands, where 

 he speaks of Fowl Meadow grass, it brought to 

 my remembrance an incident. Some 15 years 

 ago, I had reaped some Fowl Meadow grass, and 

 saved the seed, and I asked a trader in Exeter, if 

 he wanted some Fowl Meadow seed, and he re- 

 plied by saying, "What, Fowl Weather seed ? (), 

 no, don't want any." I felt so amused at his mis- 

 take, that I did not stop to inform him that he 

 misunderstood me. 



Grass looks well. We are having a nice rain, 

 (June 3.) There is quite a blow of apples ; more 

 than in 18.39. While our beloved country is threat- 

 ened by rebels, and traitors, with dissolution, it is 

 very important that the husbandman should not 

 slack his hand, but remember that the foundation 

 of any country's prosperity is based mainly on 

 its agriculture. For we read in Proverbs, 28, 

 19, "He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of 

 bread, but he that followeth after vain persons, 

 shall have poverty enough." N. Shaw. 



Orchai'd Hill, Kensington, N. H., June, 1861. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DOGS AND POVBBTY. 



Mr. Editor : — I noticed an article in your pa- 

 per of the 25th, which very much attracted my at- 

 tention, and I wish it might attract the attention 

 of every family in New England, especially those 

 who keep a dog. Perhaps I might become as 

 much attached to a dog as many others, if I were 

 to indulge in keeping the unprofitable and use- 

 less animal, but I am glad that, as yet, I have no 

 desire to keep one. The gentleman who wrote 

 the piece I refer to, more than intimates that we 

 can not keep both dogs and sheep, and I would, 

 with him, ask which of the two shall we keep ? 

 He also says that, if dogs must be kept, let there 

 be an improvement in the breed, and have a dog 

 that is worth keeping. Now I very much doubt 

 whether a dog of any kind would be worth keep- 

 ing to thousands that keep them. What profit 

 or use, I ask, is a dog of any kind, to men living 

 jn the city, that have to work at day labor to sup- 

 port a family ? It may be well enough for shop 

 or store-keepers to have a dog to give the alarm 

 at the approach of the thief, but to most who keep 

 them, they are altogether useless. I know of men 

 who have pastures more adapted to the keeping 

 of sheep than they are for cows, and I have said 

 to them, why not keep sheep, and less cows, and 

 they all say, because of the dogs, which, if they 

 do not kill the sheep, frighten them so that we 

 could not keep them in our inclosures. I hope 

 men will continue to talk upon this subject until 

 people get their eyes open. When I hear men 

 talking about the profit of keeping dogs, I often 

 think of the poor man who applied to the author- 

 itiesHFthe town for help. As the Selectmen went 

 to the house to examine the circumstances of the 

 poor man, they found there a large dog. Why, 

 said they to the man, if you are so poor as to 

 need assistance from us, why do you keep the 

 dog? You might as well keep a hog, and that 

 would be of some use to you. But, replied the 

 man, he is a valuable dog ; I think I could get at 



least $50 for him. Well, said they, sell your dog, 

 and then if you need help, we will help you. A 

 few days after, the poor man went to them, and 

 told them that he had sold his dog and now want- 

 ed assistance. How much, they asked, did you 

 get for your dog ? $50, was the reply. Very 

 well, if you have $50, you do not need help fronl 

 us. But, said the poor man, I did not sell for 

 cash ; I took an old slut at $20, and three pups at 

 $10 each. Barnes Putnam. 



Nashua, May 28, 1861. 



HOW I TREAT MY TUBKETS. 



It may be interesting to some novice in turkey 

 raising, to know my experience in that line. Two 

 years ago this spring, a neighbor sent me a pres- 

 ent of eight turkey eggs, and as I had never 

 raised any before, I looked upon the undertaking 

 as gigantic. However, I gave them over to the 

 care of a common hen, and resolved to find out 

 something about the proper method of rearing 

 them from some book or agricultural paper. In 

 due time six turkeys made their appearance, and 

 I commenced my practice at all hazards. I made 

 a small coop with a tight roof, and in this I con- 

 fined them nights and rainy days until they were 

 half grown. In fine weather they had the range 

 of a clover field, where they found a plentiful sup- 

 ply of bugs, and I fed them three times a day un- 

 til four weeks old with corn dough mixed with 

 water, adding to the dough, rainy days, a small 

 sprinkle of black pepper. I also chopped up fine 

 all the onion tops, which they ate greedily. I 

 kept a pair over winter, and through the summer 

 the hen laid 36 eggs, at three different times — 

 from these, part having been broken, I reared 18 

 fine large turkeys, with the same treatment as 

 above. Last winter I killed and sold all but five 

 hens and two gobblers. I have already collected 

 about 50 eggs, have 40 set, and hope to raise 100 

 turkeys this season. My turkeys are a very com- 

 mon kind, some entirely white, some quite dark. 



Becapitulation. — To insure success in turkey 

 raising, they must be kept perfectly dry while 

 young, have access to plenty of bugs in fine 

 weather, plenty of onion tops, and a little pepper 

 in their feed in damp chilly weather. — Country 

 Qentleman. 



Fertilizing Value of Marls. — The sub- 

 stances which determine the fertilizing value of 

 Marls are exactly the same which affect the ag- 

 ricultural value of limestones. Their value for 

 agricultural purposes may be briefly stated as de- 

 pending, — 



1. On the power of swelling and falling to a 

 fine powder when slaked with water after burn- 

 ing. 



2. On the quantity of carbonate of lime and 

 magnesia contained in the different specimens. 



3. On the quantities of silicious matters which 

 are present in most kinds of limestones. 



4. On the proportion of phosphate of lime pre- 

 sent in variable quantities in different specimens 

 of limestones. 



5. On the proportion of alkaline salts, which 

 most limestones contain in variable quantities. 



6. On the proportion of gypsum which is found 

 in some limestones. 



