40 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



CONTENTS or THIS NUMBER. 



January Page 9 



Force— Men and Horses Compared— Dry Food for Hogs 10 



Hong Kong, China H 



Agriculture in Common Schools 13 



Grape Culture- Vegetable Growth 14 



Agriculture in Common Schools 15 



Exhibiting Herds of Cattle 15 



A Beautiful Cotswold Buck 16 



The American Soldier 17 



"How is it, then, that Farmers Get Along?" 17 



Production of Grain — Punctuality 18 



Autumn — Winter — James S. Grennell 19 



The Vear of Fruits 19 



The Grape Cure 20 



Potato Starch — How the French Economize 21 



What is Done with Herring — Old Eagles and their Nests 22 



Home After Business Hours 22 



Retrospective Notes 23 



The Eye of the Crab— Little Hungry Minds 24 



N. Franklin (Me.) Agricultural Society's Show and Fair 25 



Farm Buildings and Fences 25 



Estimating tiie Capacity of Barns 25 



Tillin? Orchards— The Birds of New England 26 



Flax— Barley— Wheat 28 



American Pomological Society 28 



How the Turks Smoke 29 



Essex County Show — Saw-Dust for Stables 29 



Papier Macbe — Trust — Pruning Forest Trees 30 



Westford Acadelny — Large Deposit of Honey 31 



Kindness to Animals — A Word on the Toad 32 



R. A. Smith's Patent Farm Fence 33 



Keeping Fruit Through Winter 34 



Culture in Common Schools — Grub in the Head of Sheep.... 35 



Cross Plowing 36 



Are Apple Orchards Profitable on Arable Land ? 36 



Facts About Apples .37 



Extracts and Replies 38 



Old Apple Orchards — Ladies' Department HQ 



Cattle Market for December 40 



REDUCTION IN SIZE. 



As we intimated in the December number, we 

 send out the Farmer, this month, somewhat reduc- 

 ed in thickness. We have made no change in the 

 size or style of the page, so that the volume when 

 completed and bound will be as nearly uniform 

 with former volumes as possible. This change is 

 rendered necessary by the large advance in the 

 price of paper, which, though it may not be sus- 

 tained for many months at its present high figure, 

 will in all probability cost us during the entire 

 year an advance of fifty per cent, on last year's 

 price. We make as little change as possible in 

 the appearance of our magazine, and shall restore 

 it to its old size at the earliest moment we can do 

 so without actual loss. 



CATTLE MARKETS FOR DECEMBER. 



The following is a summary of tho reports for the four weeks 

 ending December 18, 1862 : 



NUMBER AT MARKET. 



The following table shows the number of cattle and sheep 

 from the several States, for the last four weeks : 



H^^ The government is now daily feeding in the 

 city of New Orleans more than 32,000 whites, 17,- 

 000 of whom are British subjects, and mostly claim- 

 ing British protection. Of all this vast number of 

 poor, only about one thousand are native Ameri- 

 cans — the rest are made up of the several national- 

 ities represented here from all parts of the globe. 

 Beside all this drain upon the generosity of the gov- 

 ernment, there are 10,000 negroes to feed. 



Remarks. — During these four weeks there have been at mar- 

 ket 1378 cattle and 2328 sheep more than there were last yea» 

 for the four corresponding weeks. At the same time the number 

 of Western cattle and sheep is much smaller this year than last. 

 Last year we reported 1702 Western cattle and 2328 sheep, and 

 this year only 805 cattle and 438 sheep are put down as coming 

 fi-om Albany. This deficiency has been well supplied this year 

 by Northern and Eastern oxen ; thus distributing among the 

 farmers of New England probably over seventy thousand dollars 

 of the sum which was paid out last year for Western stock. 



The proportion of oxen has been unusually large during the 

 month, and that of store and small beef cattle much smaller 

 than it was in October. 



The supply of choice extra beef has been small, while that of 

 the second and third qualities of beef has been too large for 

 the market, and some cattle have remained unsold at the close 

 of the last two markets. Consequently there has betn a greater 

 advance on extra beef than on the ordinary qualities. Two 

 year-olds, &c., have improved more than common oxen, for 

 which the market has been quite dull for the last two weeks. 



For some time past most of the sheep which are brought to 

 market, are engaged to certain butchers before their arrival. 

 Consequently there has been but little seen or heard of the sale 

 of sheep. From 4}i to 5J4C #'lb.,has been the range of fair 

 and good sheep ; a few large and fat at 6c. Comparatively few 

 however have as yet been sold by the pound, most being taken 

 at so much per head. The variation of the figures in our scale 

 of prices for sheep indicates rather the change in qup.lity than in 

 price. Prices have been pretty uniform during the month, 

 while the quality has varied much. At the last market there was 

 a lot of 200 "pelters" from Canada, which sold for $2 per head 

 or less ; while the two previous weeks we heard of no lots be- 

 ing sold under $3. 



Working oxen have been plenty during the month, and have 

 been sold at about their value for the shambles. 



Milch cows have been in fair demand, and prices remain 

 about the same as heretofore. Cows and young calves from $25 

 to $35 — inferior ones have sold for less, and those warranted 

 superior for more. The average value of cows may bo illustrated 

 perhaps by a sale outside of the market. In one of the towns in 

 the vicinity of Boston, the stock of a milk-farm was recently sold, 

 among which were 65 cows, which were sold, at auction, at an 

 average price of $28 per head. The stock was regarded as a very 

 good selection. 



Hides, 8c '^ ft. Tallow 8c. CaU skins, 123^0. Pelts $1,75 

 to $2,00. 



