242 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



degree than to sorrel. Where it has taken com- 

 plete possession of the ground, by mowing it ear- 

 ly, before any of the seed has matured, and mak- 

 ing it in a grass-cock, with as little exposure as 

 possible to the sun, it furnishes a very good hay 

 for horses and sheep ; and in this way it should 

 be appropriated, whenever such a crop is unfortu- 

 nately produced. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE FARMEB'S KITCHEMT GABDEN. 



No part of the farm pays as well as the kitch- 

 en garden, if well taken care of. I do not mean 

 by this that every farmer can make money by rais- 

 ing vegetables for market, because that is impi-ac- 

 ticable, but it is a self-evident fact that the farmer 

 must procure the support of his family from his 

 farm, and a well conducted garden will produce 

 more towards this than any other part of the farm 

 of five times the extent. 



The use of vegetables and fruit as a diet is said 

 by medical men to be conducive to health, and as 

 most people, and especially children, are fond of 

 garden fruits, it is policy for every farmer to pro- 

 vide a plentiful supply for home consumption. It 

 would seem that people having all the convenien- 

 ces that farmers have, as regards land and plenty 

 of leisure time to take care of a garden, would be 

 the ones that would consume the most of such 

 things ; but it is a fact that the people of cities 

 and villages use more vegetables than the same 

 number of land-owners. Take a look among the 

 farmers, and you find that one-half of them have 

 no garden at all, or at most, a little corner in the 

 grain field which is overrun with weeds, and as 

 soon as the grain is harvested the cattle are often 

 turned in to destroy what there is ! Others have 

 a place set apart for the purpose, but do not get 

 time to do anything in it until all the spring farm 

 work is done, thereby making it too late to secure 

 any of the kinds requiring early planting, and de- 

 stroying the possibility of getting early vegeta- 

 bles. This is a great loss, when we take into con- 

 sideration that such things are relished a great 

 deal more in the hot weather of June and July, 

 than later in the summer. What is more aggra- 

 vating than to know that your neighbor has green 

 peas, new potatoes, string beans, and the like, and 

 your own but just up, and all through your own 

 neglect by not planting in season ! 



Let me say a few words in behalf of the farm- 

 ers' wives and daughters, who, during the first tw'o 

 or three months of summer, have to i-ack their 

 brains to think of something to get for dinner, 

 which the men can eat, — for when they come in 

 from the field, weary with labor, their stomachs 

 are apt to revolt at salt pork and old potatoes ! 

 But if there are early potatoes, peas, beans, and 

 other vegetables in the garden, they know just 

 what to get for dinner, and when the workmen 

 come in, they eat with a relish, and nothing does 

 the faithfid wife more good than to see her hus- 

 band eat the victuals she has cooked for him, as 

 if they tasted good. 



The garden should be near the house, as house- 

 keepers do not always have time to go far ; and 

 if it is close by, a great many leisure moments 

 can be spent in weeding, &c., which could not be 



done if it were far from the house. The best soil 

 for a garden is either a muck or sandy loam, but 

 as we can not always have the right kind suitably 

 convenient, we must make what we do have, as 

 nearly right as possible. If it be too moist, drain- 

 ing must be resorted to, and such land generally 

 makes good gardens. In fact, the best garden I 

 ever saw was a marsh, thoroughly drained, and 

 well manured to warm it up. The manure for the 

 garden should be well rotted, and if allowed to 

 remain in a vault or cellar through the summer, 

 all seeds would be killed, thus saving a vast amount 

 of work in weeding. Apply the manure in the 

 fall, and plow in immediately, plowing again in 

 the spring, which thoroughly incorporates it with 

 the soil. As soon as the weather will permit, 

 plant some early potatoes, peas, and all kinds of 

 early vegetables, which are not liable to be killed 

 by frost, putting in others along as the season wUl 

 permit, and when they come up, keep them well 

 hoed and free from weeds, and you will have the 

 satisfaction of having something good, as well as 

 your neighbor. At another time 1 will, if desira- 

 ble, give specific directions for raising various gar- 

 den vegetables. w. H. 

 Neio York, March, 1862. 



EXTBACTS AND BEPLIES. 



A EOOT CUTTER— CARROT WEEDER — MANGOLDS 

 AND CARROTS — HORSE WITH A COUGH — POOR 

 FARM, AND NO MONEY OR STOCK. 



1. A friend of mine is very desirous of obtain- 

 ing a root cutter. If you know of any, please say 

 what kind, and whether they will cut large tur- 

 nips fit for sheep ; that is, cut them small enough ? 



2. Do you know of any tool to cultivate and 

 weed carrots by horse power ? 



3. Do you know upon any reliable data the rel- 

 ative value of an acre of carrots and the same of 

 mangold wurtzels, and their value for feeding 

 sheep and other stock ? 



4. Do you know any remedy for a horse which 

 has a severe cough ? 



5. What would you recommend a man to do 

 who has got a run-down farm, who has no money 

 and very little stock ? A few remarks on the sub- 

 ject may be of great value to a poor farmer. Per- 

 haps his Excellency, Gov. Holbrook, would give a 

 little advice on this subject. 



John H. Constantine. 

 Campton Village, N. H., 1862. 



Remarks. — Willard's Patent Root Cutter, fig- 

 ured and explained in the monthly Farmer for 

 January, 1859, is just the article you need. It 

 cuts the roots in strips about as long and as wide 

 as a man's forefingers, but not more than a quar- 

 ter of an inch thick. And this strip is broken 

 partly through, several times, so that sheep or 

 lambs have no difficulty in eating them. One 

 bushel of turnips a minute may be cut with one. 

 Price $10. Sold by Parker, Gannett & Osgood, 

 Blackstone Street, Boston. 



2. We know of no implement precisely adapted 

 to the cultivation of carrots by horse power. 

 Mannas Vegetable Weeder might be used with 

 horse, but man power would be better, we tlaink. 



