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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



ture of the succeeding spring wake it into life 

 and activity. Perhaps the freezing and thawing 

 of winter may be needed to open the rigid ligne- 

 ous covering in which it is sealed up, as is the 

 case with the seeds of the nut and the peach. 



The buds of the tree unfold in the spring, and 

 however high it may rear its lofty head, or how- 

 ever wide it may spread its sturdy arms, it is in a 

 brief space of time clothed in beauty and when it 

 has formed and matured its fruits and seeds, it 

 does not cease from its labor, but diligently 

 forms the fruit buds for the coming year, and ac- 

 cumulates materials for their organization and 

 development. 



Nature has made wonderful provision for the 

 propagation and preservation of plants. Some 

 are propagated only by the seeds, others by the 

 roots, by layers, by grafting and by budding. The 

 seeds of some are furnished with wings, that they 

 may be transported to spots suitable for their 

 growth ; some are enveloped in coverings so im- 

 penetrable that they are not easily acted upon 

 even in the stomachs of birds and animals, so 

 that they may be carried by them to distant places, 

 and distributed over the surface of the soil. 



October is a good season to study the habits 

 of the seed-bearing grains and plants, and to ob- 

 serve the varied and curious provisions which are 

 made for the security and distribution of their 

 seeds. 



The evenings are getting long, and invite to 

 neighborhood visits and social gatherings. The 

 old-fashioned husking-bees, as they were called, 

 seem to be getting out of date, at least, in our 

 vicinity. Should the lads and lasses unite in a 

 protest against the introduction of husking ma- 

 chines, as the Kilkenny laborers have against 

 mowing machines, we should be almost tempted 

 to join them. Those were glorious times when 

 we used to go to huskings in our young days. 

 All the girls and young men in the neighborhood 

 would assemble in high glee. The lantern sus- 

 pended from the end of the long pitchfork thrust 

 into the haymow, gave just light enough to ena- 

 ble us to pick up the ears of corn, as we sat or 

 stood around the golden pile. 



In those days, the girls did not wear crinolines, 

 and a fellow could get within arm's length of 

 them. Sometimes, when the company was large, 

 or the space small, we were compelled to sit or 

 stand close together, and this mightily increased 

 the sociability, if not the amount of work done, 

 on these occasions. When the husking was over, 

 about ten o'clock, the sport was by no means 

 done. We have never enjoyed any suppers since, 

 as we did those suppers with the girls after husk- 

 ings. The newly-baked bread and sweet butter, 

 the baked sweet apples, the pumpkin pies, and 

 other fixings, disappeared with amazing rapidity* 



Sometimes we had tea or coffee, and sometimes 

 sweet cider. One farmer, we remember, always 

 gave us a drink of metheglin. We wonder how 

 many of our readers can tell what metheglin is. 

 After supper and a song, or a dance, or both, we 

 had to gallant the girls to their honaes. This was 

 always a pleasant walk by moonlight — and when 

 there was no moon, it was none the less so, pro- 

 vided, always, we had managed to get the girl of 

 our choice. 



Those good old times have deeply impressed 

 themselves upon our memory. We ne'er shall 

 look upon their like again. Even the old pump- 

 kin pies themselves are not half so common as 

 in the time of those sports and customs, and the 

 pumpkin itself is not cultivated half so much as 

 its intrinsic value deserves. Sweet; cider is es- 

 teemed a rarity, but those moonlight walks, about 

 the noon of night, were the greatest rarity of all ! 



The old soldier 



'shoulders his crutch 



And shows how fields were won," 



so we, in imagination, revisit the scenes of our 

 youth, and recall many of the pleasant occasions 

 and joyous emotions which were then present 

 realities, and perhaps this reference to them may 

 set some of our older readers rummaging among 

 the memories of the past ; and if it should call 

 up some long-forgotten incidents, some delightful 

 moonlight walks, during which the parties agreed 

 to walk together through the remainder of life's 

 journey ; if it should suggest to some grandfa- 

 ther a good story for his grandchildren, — if it 

 should even be the occasion of one good batch 

 of pumpkin pies, who will say that we have made 

 it in vain ! 



Bee Harvests. — There are for the bee three 

 harvest seasons every year, — spring, summer and 

 autumn. If only one of these yield abundantly, 

 the bees will secure a supply for all of their 

 prospective wants ; and so likewise if all three are 

 only moderately good. When they can gather 

 plentifully during two of them, they secure a sup- 

 ply and a surplus; and when all three yield amply 

 there will be a superabundance of stores. As a 

 general rule, destitution or starvation will only 

 occur among bees which are diseased or misman- 

 aged; especially when by improper or excessive 

 pruning in the spring they are constrained to use 

 for comb-building the avails of the early harvest, 

 and the latter ones prove to be meagre. — Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal. 



Dried Sweet Corn. — Now is the time to dry 

 sweet corn for winter use ; and if dried properly 

 who is there that don't like it. Take the best 

 ears, cut from the cobs, and spread in dishes or 

 tins, and put in the stove oven and beneath the 

 stove. It will dry in a very short time. Don't 

 scald it as some recommend who don't know any 

 better. It is much better without, will dry just 

 as quick. — Exchange. 



