1S62. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



1G3 



occurred to the people of our State, the last yeai', 

 from the failure to appreciate the real value of 

 wool and the condition of the wool market ; and 

 whereas, there is a question interesting alike to 

 producer and manufacturer as to the manner of 

 preparing wool for the market ; therefore, 



Mesolved, That for the purpose of discussing 

 these and other questions important to the wool- 

 growers of the State, and for the purpose of aid- 

 ing in the reaching of reliable conclusions with re- 

 gard to these matters, we recommend the hold- 

 ing of a WooL-GuowERs' Convention in tliis 

 State, some time during the present year. 



Itcsolved, that the Secretary be requested to 

 call such a Convention, to bo held under the aus- 

 pices of the Vermont State Agricultural Society 

 at Rutland, on the afternoon of the ninth day of 

 September next ; said day being the first day of 

 the annual Fair of our Society. 



Daniel Needham, 



Secretary Vermont State Agricultural Society. 



For the New England Farmer. 



TIMELY" ADVICE TO A BROTHER 

 FARMER. 



Mr. Editor: — The New England Farmer, 

 which is always a welcome guest in my family 

 every Saturday evening, has just been laid aside 

 for the pen, in order, if possible, to answer some 

 of the inquiries of your correspondent, "Hamp- 

 shire," concerning "What shall I raise, or how 

 shall I make farming profitable, in these times ?" I 

 feel more constrained to converse with him on ac- 

 count of the noble stand he has taken not to cul- 

 tivate the filthy weed, tobacco. And I extend to 

 him the right hand of fellowship, believing, as I do, 

 that the raising of that Avhich does not tend to cul- 

 tivate neatness and good breeding in society, does 

 not constitute true farming. 



True fanning does not consist in placing too 

 much value upon dollars and cents, but rather in 

 returning, in some manner, to the soil, the crops 

 taken therefrom. Better that any farmer should 

 return to his farm all proceeds of it, rather than 

 to lay up money in banks, or invest it in any oth- 

 er way. Then why is not this as good a time for 

 the farmer as any ? If a farmer begins by laying 

 out the proceeds of his farm in some way upon his 

 farm, it will some time return to liim the interest, 

 and I am very firm in tlie opinion that it will re- 

 turn a dividend also. By a continuance in so do- 

 ing, he Avill, by the natural increase of his income, 

 be enabled more extensively and scientifically to 

 cultivate his farm, as each succeedhig year he 

 reaps the reward of his husbandry. 



What should we say of the merchant, who 

 should lay up in some safe place, every dollar he 

 chanced to make, instead of laying it out to re- 

 plenish his stock, and thereby make his business 

 more prosperous, as well as more profitable. If 

 this is the true course for the merchant, then why 

 not for the farmer ? And when he has enriched, 

 beautified and ornamented the fiarm he now occu- 

 pies from the resources of the farm itself, which I 

 believe is possible, then let him extend the area 

 of his farm, and continue the true cultivation of 

 the earth while liis strength of body and mind 

 permit. 



Here let me again say to your con-espondent 

 that I truly congratulate him in the stand he has 



so nobly taken, and I take it for granted that he 

 is one of those firm, resolute, whole-souled men, 

 who will withstand the temptations of those 

 around him. 



Let us, then, not judge of farming, as concern- 

 ing dollars and cents, but rather in retu.niing to 

 the farm all Ave can make it produce, to increase 

 its fertility and value, thereby maldng farming 

 jirofitable ahvavs. WORCESTER. 



Feb. 8, 18G2. 



For the i\i'ut England Farmer. 

 COE'S SUPERPHOSPHATE. 



Having seen a communication in the N. E. Far- 

 mer of Dec. 21st, signed by S. L. White, South 

 Groton, in vv'liich he speaks about using Coe's su- 

 perphosphate of lime without much, if any success, 

 I Mould say that I have used it for several years 

 with very satisfactory results to myself. In the 

 fall of 1860, in harvesting my corn,. I found I had 

 by measure one-third more of com where lime was 

 used in the liill, than where none was used ; tliis 

 year the odds was not as much, but nearly as fol- 

 lows : 



The piece I have just har\ested measures 5| 

 acres, very nearly, on which I raised 740 bushel 

 baskets of ears of corn, as bright and yellow as 

 any one could wish to see, wliich is a little over G-1 

 bushels to the acre. In June, 1859, 1 plowed and 

 planted the piece with potatoes, corn, ruta bagas, 

 itc, with scarcely any manure. I put plaster in 

 the hill and had as good a crop as could be expect- 

 ed. In the spring of 18G0 I sowed the same 

 piece with oats, and had a very bomitifui crop, 

 without any further manuring. As soon after the 

 oats were gathered as I could attend to it, I had 

 the stubble plowed under ; in the spring of 1S61 

 I spread on about 30 ox-loads, of 30 to 2o bushels 

 each, of manure to the acre, and plowed it well, 

 (for I don't a])prove of half-plowing.) On the two 

 last days of May I planted it, putting in the liill 

 one table-spooniul of plaster and lime mixed 

 together about half and half ; I left two rows with- 

 out anything in the lull. In two rows alongside 

 of these I used a single handfid of wheat bran to 

 the hill, and two other rows alongside, I used one 

 spoonful of clear phosphate of lime in the hill, and 

 the result was as follows : 



Clear lime to the row 17 bushels of ears. 



Bran 16 " " 



Lime and plaster 15 " " 



Notliing 15 " " 



The rows Avere about 220 liills long. The com 

 where notliing was used Avas not near as sound 

 and good as any of the rest, the clear phosphate 

 being the best. I think the corn was enough bet- 

 ter Avhere the phosphate and bran Avere used, to 

 pay all the expense, even if there had been no 

 more bushels. In using the bran, or clear phos- 

 ])hatc, there should be some dirt kicked on before 

 dropping the corn. I shelled four baskets of my 

 corn and got tAvo bushels and tAvo quarts. It is 

 the tAvelve-roAved variety. I do not think, nor ex- 

 pect, the phosphate Avill ansAver in the place of 

 manure, but merely as a stimulant. 



L. C. French, 2d. 



Bedford, N. H., Dec. 30, 1S6L 



P. S. — I forgot to say that I can find a good 

 many ears of corn among mine that have over 800 

 kernels to the ear. L. c. F. 



