1862. 



^E\V ENGLAND FAUMER. 



459 



information, and should form a part of every agri- 

 ■cultural library. The volume for 1859 contains a 

 letter from Mr. Wright, our Minister at Berlin, in 

 which he states some encouraging facts as to the 

 artificial propagation of fish in Germany and 

 France, He says that by proper attention to the 

 matter, salmon in Hanover have become so abun- 

 dant, tlmt they are within the means even of the 

 peasants, as well as the nobles ; whereas, a few 

 years ago, they were a luxury only seen on the ta- 

 bles of the wealthy. In one of the domains of the 

 Emperor of France, near St. Cloud, is a small 

 pond of about two and a half acres, supplied by 

 springs, and but about twenty feet deep in the 

 deepest part. In lSi36 it was drawn off and re- 

 filled and stocked -srith trout, which at four years 

 •old, -were in 1859 about a foot and a half in length. 

 In April and May 1857, several thousand young 

 salmon bred at the College de France two months 

 before, were added. In 1859, at a single draft of 

 a net, about 450 pounds of salmon were brought 

 up in the presence of their Majesties. They av- 

 eraged about a foot in length. A very important 

 fact was ascertained : that these salmon of 18 

 months old, were ready to spawn, although they 

 had never been to the sea, nor in any streams, and 

 their eggs have been since artificially hatched. 



Why should not our ponds be thus rendered 

 productive, and so the wealth of land-owners and 

 of the country be increased ? H. F. f. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A. PATTERN" GAKDEN". 



Mtu Editor : — I know you are always willing 

 to publish communications from jjractical farmers. 

 Now, I do not come under that head, exactly, but 

 I can never bear- to see an inch of ground unim- 

 proved or unadorned, and I have a desire to tell 

 you what I have now growing on three hundred 

 wid twenty feet, by actual measurement, in the 

 backyard of the house I occup)\ With the assis- 

 tance of my wife, who is better posted in these 

 matters than I am, we count nixty-six distinct va- 

 rieties of flowering plants ; one prolific grapevine ; 

 one peach tree, on which we count twenty-seven 

 iarge and handsome peaches ; two varieties of 

 raspberries ; string and shell beans from which we 

 have already gathered several "messes ;" squash 

 vines, trained on an out-house, with five splen- 

 did "Hubbards" attached, and five hills of French 

 tomatoes, (not much account.) Of the flowering 

 shrubs there are quite a number of varieties of the 

 same kinds, which we did not add to the count. I 

 was induced to measure the ground occupied by 

 the above, from hearing a neighbor remark that he 

 would admire to have a garden if he had the room. 

 I contend that any one who has room to set a su- 

 gar'box, can have a garden. What saj' you ? 



Judge French "took us all down" to the City 

 Hall, Saturday evening, to hear his war speech. I 

 tell you it was great. We are so used to the ster- 

 eotype process over here, that the Judge's style 

 took hugely. We cry for more ! G. M. L. 



Charlestown, Awjast, 1862. 



WOODCHtrCKS. 



Speaking of boyhood, did you ever hunt wood- 

 chucks .•' AVe remember well what venatorial ]Der- 

 turbation our young bosom used to suffer on see- 

 ing a woodchuck popping u]) his head above the 

 grass, and with what headlong zeal we plunged af- 

 ter him, invariably to just miss catching him as his 

 tail disappeared down his hole. This region seems 

 to be a favorite haunt for these marmots. Some 

 dozen we judge, are tenants on our farm. The 

 boys have made several sagacious forays upon 

 them, with arms and dog, but Sir Marmot has al- 

 ways been a little too deep for them. Not so the 

 dog. Jocko had been down upon a visit to a 

 neighboring dog, talking of rabbits, cats, and oth- 

 er things which have power over dogs' imagina- 

 tion. On his way home, a young woodclmck, 

 Avhose ma did not know that he was out, inadvert- 

 ent!}' exposed himself. The temptation was too 

 strong for Jocko. With one or two tremendous 

 bounds, a nip, and a very busy shaking, and the 

 work was done. For all the good his parents had 

 of him, the woodchuck might as well not have 

 been born. John skinned him neatly. He was 

 roasted. The family sat around. The lady of the 

 house peremptorily i-cfused to touch the "var- 

 mint." The eldest son agreed to support the fath- 

 er, and the two yoitnikers were fierce to eat wood- 

 chuck ! The head of the family disposed of one 

 mouthful, and looked around. Being watched, he 

 boldly took a second, and was imitated. But 

 about the third taste made it plain that woodchuck 

 satisfies the appetite very speedily. 



These singular chubby, nimble fellows have very 

 good times of it, on the whole. They wake up 

 from a winter's sleep — enjoy the spring, summer, 

 and autumn. They have no migration to attend 

 to. They lay up no stock of Miuter food. When 

 the time comes, they roll up into a heap, in the 

 chamber of their burrow, poke their nose into their 

 belly, and tuck their tail around, to make a good 

 finish, and then the}' outsleep storms, snow and 

 winter. But we have saved one member of this 

 family even this trouble. We have looked in the 

 Prices Current of the Independent in vain to find 

 the ruling prices of woodchuck skins. Can any 

 one inform us ? From the amazing enterprise 

 shown by the boys, hitherto, they might turn an 

 honest penny yet, in selling packs of woodchuck 

 skins. 



Meanwhile, my young marmots, you are Avel- 

 come to all the clover you can eat, to all the holes 

 you can dig. You may sit serene after )'our morn- 

 ing feed, and sun yourselves without fear of the 

 boys, for, really, jesting apart, they are not half as 

 smart as you are. Don't flinch if they shoot, es- 

 pecially if they take aim. But beware of the dog. 

 He does not say much. He is apt to perform first, 

 and promise afterwards. — Beecher. 



CUBING PORK. 

 A French chemist has lately asserted, that 

 scurvy will never arise from the use of salt provi- 

 sions, unless saltpetre be used in the curing ; that 

 salt alone answers all the purposes, provided the 

 animal heat be entirely parted with before salting. 

 He claims that the insertion of pork in pickle 

 alone is not suflicient, but that it should be rubbed 

 thoroughly with dry salt after it has entirely part- 

 ed with its animal heat, and that then the fluid 



