1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FAR:MEII. 



5-/ 



"WIIfTEB CABE OP TENDER PLANTS. 



Now, before the ground freezes, is the time to 

 give attention to such tender or half hardy plants 

 as we wish to ])reserve. The losses that annuall}^ 

 occur for the want of it are numerous and vexa- 

 tious, when a little pains at the proper time would 

 be quite likely to prevent both. 



We have no good r)ut-door grapes yet, that are 

 sufficiently hardy to bear the changes of our win- 

 ters. The Isabella is often killed to the ground, 

 and the Concord is occasionally. If either of 

 these are sev€rely pruned soon after thej' shed 

 their leaves, and then carefully bent over upon th« 

 ground and covered three or four inches with 

 soil, they will be kept in a' state of perfect preser- 

 vation until spring. They may then be raised 

 early or late, accordins? to their locality or the 

 state of the season. When a late frost is feared, 

 they may be kept down until the '20th of ^Nlay, 

 and upon being taken up then, will be found fresh 

 and plump, and their blossoms will be quite likely 

 to escape iujury by frost. Covering with straw, 

 It aves, sawdust or hay, does not have the same ef- 

 fect as covering with soil. Under these the plants 

 shrivel a little, and do not present that fresh and 

 full appearance that they do when covered with 

 soil. They are probably partially dried by the 

 searching fall and f5pring winds, or by winter 

 winds when the ground is not covered with snow 

 — while those that are covered with soil do not 

 seem to lose a particle of their juices. 



Blackberry and raspberry bushes may be treat- 

 ed in the same way, though the operaUon is a 

 more difficult one, on account of the thorns on 

 tlie blackberry, and the brittleness of both the 

 blackberry and raspberry. But where they are 

 so laid down tliey come out in very fine condition 

 in the spring. 



With tender rose bushes another course may be 

 pursued. Head them down — which is usually fa- 

 vorable to the rose — and bind hay or straw around 

 them, and then insert short and thick white pine 

 boughs into the ground and tie them about J-he 

 hay that encloses the bush. But in a mellow soil 

 h is not difficult to heel the bush over a little upon 

 the surface with the aid of a spade, and cover it 

 with soil. 



The Wistaria, and any other climber or shrub 

 that is not perfectly hardy, may be greatly pro- 

 tected by laying it upon the ground and covering 

 with evergreen branches, or where they cannot be 

 conveniently laid down, have the branches set 

 against and tied ai'ound them. Under this treat- 

 ment the plant will come out in the spring full of 

 sap and vigor, and immediately start into a rapid 

 and healtlw growth. When this takes place, the 

 cultivator is amply repaid for his care, and greatly 

 enjoys the results of his labor. The appearance 

 of the garden and lawn depends considerably up- 



on the preparation which is bestowed upon th 

 plants during their winter life — for when neglect 

 ed, they come out in the spring in a starved ar 

 shrivelled habit that requires half a summer" 

 warming aiid watering and fostering to brii,, 

 them up to a flourishing condition. Let this h- 

 reraembei'ed, and the profDer care bestowed i 

 season, and there wiU be less regret for the loss ( ; 

 favorite plants, and less complaining because tin ; 

 do not make a better appearance. 



A NOVEL RAM. 



There is safety in a multitude of rams, as ( ." 

 counsellors. Yankee invention does not rest co:;- 

 tent with its "Monitors," "Puritans" and "Kei.- 

 kuks," but keeps on trying to make somethir.i; 

 simpler and better than these. About a thousani 

 models of novel M'ar vessels have been lodged ;.: 

 the Patent office; and for many hundreds of thc:;^ 

 patents have been issued. Some are good froi.: 

 stem to stern ; others are bad all over ; and som 

 have one or two new points which, if combine I 

 with other inventions of tried and improved excel- 

 lence, would be worthy of immediate adoption i:. 

 the American navy. The newest and oddest ram 

 of the season is an oflspring of the mechanical 

 genius of Mr. King, of this city. The hull is thai 

 of aji ordinary steamship, built of iron, with i\\\> 

 screw pro]>ellers at the stern. It is roofed like 

 the exi)loded Merrimac, not with rails, however, 

 but with iron plates, lapping over each other liko 

 the slates of a house roof. The thickness of ti:j 

 plate is three inches. Behind the plates is a sec- 

 ond roofing of India rubber, of the same thick- 

 ness. The whole is compactly joined together, an .1 

 (such is the theory of the inventor) will vibratj 

 and yield elastically to a cannon ball, but cann'';t 

 be pierced or knocked down. The angle of tl, ; 

 roof is such as to make the missile glance ofi"; 

 and the iron plates are lapped over in a manner 

 reverse to that of house-slating, .so that they can- 

 not be turn up at the edge. Nothing but actual 

 experiment can demonstrate how f\ir this nov ! 

 plan may be trusted in a close encounter with the 

 tremendous modern artillery. The prow of the 

 ram is a long cast steel beak, fashioned on a fa- 

 miliar model, entirely submerged, and capable of 

 dealing a terrific blow. Supplementary to this is 

 i a novel and (literally) a striking point. It is a 

 sharp steel prong which is thrust out suddenly 

 and with great force, or drawn back, by a sepa- 

 rate engine at the middle of tlie vessel. This 

 prong is worked wiih great rapidity, and woul.i 

 tear a hostile vessel to pieces with a succession i;;" 

 staggering blows. The ])urpose of the inventor 

 is to strike with the cutting prow, and then t ■ 

 finish up with a dose of the prong, until the ene- 

 my cries, "Hold, enough !" This singular ram 

 may be seen at the Americair Lloyds, 35 Wall 

 Street, — Journal of Commerce. 



Lampas in Horses. — When lampas appear, 

 sponge the horse's mouth a few times with a solu- 

 tion of alum water. We have practiced this sim- 

 ple remedy, in many cases, and always with satis- 

 factory results. — Working Farmer. 



