1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



399 



FuT the Sew England Fanner. 

 NOTES FROM THE MONOMACK. 

 BY SAGGAIIEW. 



A Walk Through My Garden. — The loca- 

 tion is near the southerly edge of a bhiff, Avhich 

 rises rather abruptly about eighty feet from the 

 river — the ground is nearly level, and the garden 

 faces about south-east, \vith no ])rotection from 

 the northerly winds which sweep down the valley, 

 except a six foot close board fence. The soil is a 

 light sandy and gravelly loam, with a substratum 

 of sand on the north part, and of loose gravel on 

 the south part. Both tb.e soil and the subsoil are 

 so porous that the opinion was freely expressed by 

 my friends, when my trees and vines were plant- 

 ed, that they would "never amount to much." 

 Two years ago last October there was not a tree 

 or shrub on the place, except one poverty-stricken 

 seedling peach tree, which latter was promptly 

 dug up and converted into fire wood. Now let 

 us take a walk around this lot of 120 feet square 

 and see what we can find worth noting. 



Grapery. — This is a very chea])ly built leanto, 

 of 9 by 18 feet dimensions. Only the roof is 

 glazed, and that is made entirely of common sec- 

 ond-hand window sash. The cost of the whole, 

 including the border, was not over twenty-five dol- 

 lars. Tiie border is about six feet wide, and two 

 feet deep, and contains, besides the soil taken 

 from the spot, about one-fourth cord of old barn- 

 yard manure, and ten bushels of oyster shells. 

 Six vines (layers of the previous year) were plant- 

 ed in this house two years ago last April, (ISGO.) 

 The first year they made a moderate growth, of 

 well-ripened and short-jointed canes. Our friends 

 didn't expect much from such a miserly made 

 house and border, and their expectations seemed 

 to be fully realized. The second year the vines 

 were allowed to bear an average of four bunches 

 of fruit each. The grapes ripened well, and the 

 vines made all the new growth that they were al- 

 lowed. It was evident that the border, with the 

 occasional liquid manurings, was amply nourish- 

 ing for the time being. Last fall the vines were 

 cut back to about six feet of cane each, and the 

 border moderattely top-dressed with barn-yard 

 manure and muck compost. This spring, long af- 

 ter my grape friends had uncovered their own 

 vines, the vines were set to work again, and now 

 (J uly 22) the six vines show an average of twelve 

 bunches each of good looking fruit, and appear to 

 be in excellent condition. The only ventilation 

 possible, is by the door at one end, and a common 

 sash window in the back side, opening into the 

 wood shed. Being absent myself from morning 

 until nearly evening, the care of opening and 

 closing the house has been attended to by my 

 '•help-meet," and has consisted of little else than 

 daily opening the door and window in the morn- 

 ing, and closing them at four or five o'clock in the 

 afternoon. Occasionally the inside border is giv- 

 en a good soaking with clean water, or sink drain- 

 age, and the vines syringed. 



From my experience thus far, joined with a 

 somewhat extensive reading and observation, the 

 conclusion is forced upon me, that the raising of 

 excellent grapes under glass is a very simple 

 thing, and need not be an expensive one. Of the 

 many graperies I have visited, there is not one of 

 them all but what were built at an unnecessarily 



large expense. Having nearly completed arrange- 

 ments for the erection of a new one this fall, I 

 hope soon to be able to prove to the readers of 

 the Farmer that a very little money will fuimish 

 them with a neat and complete house for growing 

 the finest grapes. 



As our friend BroAvn likes short articles — that's 

 where he is just right — we must defer our notes on 

 the out-door grapes, &c., until another time. 



For the Hew England Farmer. 

 CLOVER CROPS. 



Mr. Brown : — In your edition of July 12th, 

 of weekly Farmer, I noticed a short piece on the 

 cultivation of clover as fodder. The article em- 

 braced four questions which I think are of great 

 importance to all farmers. First, as to the best 

 kind for New England farms. What the practice 

 is on the continent I know not, but here the farm- 

 ers all follow one routine, as to seeding down, and 

 as regards kind and quality sown. Yet, from my 

 own observation, I should judge that the red clo- 

 ver did as well here as any other. There is one 

 man on the isle who has about two and a half 

 acres of white clover that has come in naturally ; 

 this is the first season it has been cut for fodder, 

 so that its merits cannot be descanted on at pres- 

 ent. 



The second query, "What is the best method 

 of producing it ?" is the one I would like for you 

 or some of your correspondents to answer partic- 

 ularly, and at the same time I would like to pro- 

 pound a question for some of them to enlighten 

 me upon ; to wit, — Would a person not get as 

 much hay from two acres of good land, to seed 

 down in the fall to clover, and mow first and sec- 

 ond crops the following year, and instead of fall 

 feeding the land turn under that feed for manure, 

 and again seed to clover, and at the same time 

 improve his land a little each year ? If he could 

 do so, Avhat is the best month to so do in ? 



We are all now in the midS't of haying, and 

 have the promise of more than an average crop 

 of hay. Our own and other vegetation is back- 

 ward, and fears are entertained of the wheat be- 

 ing a total failure, on account of a little fly that 

 has taken it. Is there any remedy for it ? 



Nantucket, July 1, 18G2. Tob\voasil\. 



Remarks. — We are glad that our queries in 

 regard to the cultivation of clover crops are at- 

 tracting attention. We prefer that others should 

 answer these, and the one propounded by our cor- 

 respondent, above. In the meantime, we shall 

 improve every opportunity to converse with farm- 

 ers, and endeavor to get their opinions on the 

 questions submitted. 



Expensive Ceremony. — The expenses of the 

 canonization of the forty Japanese martyrs at 

 Rome amounted to nearly 82.000.000, 70,000 of 

 which were furnished by the Franciscans, and 30,- 

 000 by the Jesuits and Carmelites. The tapers 

 used at the church were 35,000 in number, of the 

 purest white wax, each weighing three pounds, 

 and alone cost $25,000. 



