1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



559 



For the New England Farmer. 



NOTES BY RAII. IN" MASSACHUSETTS 

 AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



Appearance of the Country— First Snow— Cattle in the Fields 

 — their Exposure questioned — Breeds — Durham, Devon and 

 Hereford — Army Horses. 



A few days ago an urgent business call obliged 

 me to make a tour by rail to a small town beyond 

 Claremont, N. H. If my excursion had been one 

 of pleasure, doubtless I should have chosen a 

 more auspicious season. As it was, the pleasant 

 anticipations of a visit to a portion of the coun- 

 try where I had never been, could not shut out 

 all forebodings of the vigorous weather which I 

 might encounter. Determined to enjoy myself as 

 much as possible, I assumed a guardianship of 

 the car-stove, feeling that, by this means, I might 

 be safe ; at least for a portion of the journey. I 

 had reason to congratulate myself for the wisdom 

 of this precaution, as the weather grew colder and 

 colder ; the wind shrieking through the car-ven- 

 tilators, the snow falling in occasional flurries, all 

 combined to instil a greater appreciation of the 

 comfortable position which I had secured. The 

 cars, meanwhile, were rapidly whirling along the 

 road to Fitchburg, and as soon as the suburbs of 

 Boston had been passed, I began to look with in- 

 terest upon the fields spread out before me. 



The country along the road, till we near the 

 New Hampshire line, is certainly, at this period, 

 most uninteresting to the traveller. The existence 

 of manufacturing towns seems to have relaxed 

 the efforts of the farmers in their vicinity, and 

 nowhere did I see that look of thrift which is such 

 a prominent characteristic of the middle and 

 western portions of our State. 



So long had the advent of frost been delayed, 

 that many people seemed to have doubted its 

 coming at all, and had neglected to gather their 

 corn and pumpkins ; they must have suffered from 

 their carelessness that very night. Many were 

 still turning their cattle to pasture, doubtless la- 

 boring under the mistaken notion, that by doing 

 so they would harden their constitutions so as to 

 enable them to bear the better the rigors of the 

 winter. Most of these poor animals had sought 

 some sheltered situation, and stood shivering in 

 contorted attitudes. A few hours' sunning in the 

 middle of the day, may be profitable ; but a pro- 

 longation of the exposure is detrimental. Such 

 treatment in the case of milch cows will not fail 

 t) decrease the flow of milk, and to lower their 

 stamina by forcing them to crowd their stomachs 

 with the withered and frost-bitten grasses. 



Nearly every animal that I saw along the road 

 in Massachusetts, bore marks of a cross with the 

 Durham. Their appearance and condition would 

 seem to coincide with my idea, that for so hilly a 

 country, the Durham is not profitable, but must 

 give precedence to the neater and more compact 

 Devon. The New Hampshire farmers seem to 

 be convinced of this, as they have almost invari- 

 ably preferred the Devon stock. Nor do facts 

 prove that the common complaint against the di- 

 minutive size of the latter is always true. A gen- 

 tleman whom I met, mentioned that at a Town 

 Fair in Claremont, twenty-seven yoke of cattle 

 were exhibited, the lightest pair weighing 3,900 

 pounds, and the heaviest 4,400 pounds. These 

 were all grade Devons, and were sufficiently hardy 

 to stand the extremes of climate. 



1 have no reason to doubt the statement, as the 

 gentleman is a resident, and is a person entitled 

 to credit. I do not wish, however, to be consid- 

 ered an indiscriminate advocate of the Devon. 

 The Durham may be profitable in Connecticut, in 

 Central or Western Massachusetts, but I think, 

 unless more than ordinarily well cared for, would, 

 in New Hampshire, soon degenerate. If a large 

 breed of cattle is desirable, I think that the Here- 

 ford would be found suitable for farmers living 

 on the banks of the Connecticut river. It matures 

 slowly, but is possessed of a hardy constitution, 

 is nearly as large as the Durham, and its beef is 

 unrivalled. The oxen are quick and gentle in the 

 yoke, and are easily handled. This breed seems 

 to be the most powerful rival of the Durham, in 

 England, and in some quarters, it has had the 

 preference. 



The contractors of horses for the army, have 

 been making purchases in this region, and these 

 animals are becoming scarce. Their value, how- 

 ever, has not increased, as there is now no active 

 demand. 



I regret that circumstances did not permit me 

 to remain in New Hampshire a few days longer. 

 As it was, I gathered much useful information, 

 and got some insight of the practice in farming 

 in that State. F. A. T. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 A COLD FKUIT HOUSE. 



Being a reader of the Farmer, and having no- 

 ticed that through the medium of its valuable 

 columns, you are willing to impart useful knowl- 

 edge to all its perusers, I would be much obliged 

 to you, or some correspondent, to give me a lit- 

 tle insight toward the stock and management of 

 a cold fruit house. My house is built to the end 

 of my dwelling-house, facing south ; it is 27 feet 

 long, 10 feet wide, the sashes 12 feet long. I 

 have dug out the earth 2 feet deep, all on the in- 

 side, and about 4 feet in front, drained it, and 

 made my bed of turf, or old stable manure, old 

 mortar and soot, street sweepings, &c. Now 

 what are the best kind of vines for me to get, and 

 how many should I put in a house of that de- 

 scription ? How shall I proceed when planted ? 



My dwelling being heated by a furnace, I can, 

 if required, apply a little artificial heat, if that 

 will do. I can draw about 200 gallons of rain 

 water on the inside of the house, towards water- 

 ing the plants, &c. Thos. P. Jones. 



New Glasgow, N. S., Oct., 1861. 



Remarks. — We have had no experience in the 

 management of a cold fruit house. There are 

 persons who have, among our correspondents, 

 some of whom we hope will reply to the inquiries 

 made above. 



The Beautiful. — Beautiful things are sugges- 

 tive of a purer and a higher life, and fill us with 

 mingled love and fear. They have a gi-aciousnesa 

 that wins us, and an excellence to which we in- 

 voluntarily do reverence. If you are poor, yet 

 modestly aspiring, keep a vase of flowers on your 

 table, and they will help to maintain your dignity, 

 and secure for you consideration and delicacy of 

 behavior. 



