168 



XEW EXGL.^T) FARMER. 



May 



CO>'TE>'TS OF THIS >'niBER. 



Thoactts sn^Bsted by May Page 137 



Time for Heifers to Come in 1-S8 



ChiM-I-ife Atdcds ihe Be<:hnai:as 13S 



IUi1rv-%'U of Massschtiierts. 133 



K:-' ■- - ~ —r;e-.ro<p«iive Notes 1"9 



Pr ->:?^t?benLte>iforthe Pnrsnitsof Life. ...140 



Pr TTT Tree? — Tarn from Milkweed. 141 



fai^ ~ ■ ,. -^ '.'Tertased 141, 147, lo3 



The « ii Farsa-Hocse — BtKivers near Sacramento 142 



XewTi.v.rs 143,149,156 



j-^ - w ---.pck— Fidelity of a Pog 143 



■W ::.r= — Onr Northern Firmers. 144 



Tr . 'rnaiaect and Profit 145 



Ex '.^s 146. lC2,lo8 



O - .V.-maAs 147 



F^r -:— Label for Fruit Trees 147 



Fr.'i^r - .. i^ares 14? 



Savet^- B-ones 149 



Wool 'rrosing 150, 1*5 



Mapi- S^gar— Little Thln^ 151 



Lejirixivo AgTiC'lnira! iltefisg? 152, loS 



Eajfsinz Ca'-v«: — Preserving Plant Cctacss loo 



Th - -^i."^ 7 155 



Br 1S6 



C: ■ -ha-e— Health; Oct Feet liT 



Me:>:r . . •— ... i.trcord forFebmarr i:,7 



If we kne? 35S 



Experliaents in Feedicc Pigs 160 



Best Tim? to Feed Grain to Sheep 160 



Price of Jlilk — Wcmea widi Rakcs ai:d Spades 161 



Schooler's Patent Iceberg P.efri?erator ICl 



An Agriculmral CoUess 162 



Listener a: tic State Hoose, No. 2 1^ 



Stra »^b^ rrr C- 1 ;c re 137 



Review of the Marfeet 16S 



ILLUSTRATIOXS. 



Initial Letter 137 



Scho<-jl'-T"s Pstent Icelserg Kefrigeratcr 161 



CATTLE T.TARTTZxS F03 APKTT,. 

 The iolloTiitig is a soiainiuy of iJif> reports for the lour weeks 

 ending April 16, lSd3: 



>X3iBEP. AT IIAKKET. 

 Cczi'e. Snfep. Sn-Jes. Fat Hogt. Feai: 



lfarch25 1565 3228 22-3 — l.jO 



April 1 1612 3115 3.» — 300 



" 9 1041 321)1 12>X» — 4(-0 



" 16 1250 1726 liXO 4C0 000 



Total .S433 11^*3 2775 400 1450 



The f ?!!owjje table exhibits the number of cattle and sheep 

 from each State for the last fotir weeks, atd for the correspotid- 

 ing fo^r freeks last rear ; also the loiil number for tie first six- 

 teen w^ks of t-ath J ear: 



TEI3 TEAS. tAST TEAB. 



Cattle. Slieep. Cattle. SJieejt. 



Maine 347 — 4Sl — 



Xew HimpiUre 663 3149 £.50 2013 



Vermont 12S3 4S72 8i4 6393 



Massach-Oiett; 513 J64-3 603 1S38 



Nonhcm Xew York. 23 ZSOj ,„ 



Canada 46 175 j ^"" ~ 



Western States ■2rAi 1149 2406 250 



Total, last foir week?, 5.4cS 11.2&3 4.774 :o,.y>4 



Total, since Jan. 1^15 wits.) 23,762 44,515 19,599 43,652 



PRICES. 



itfar.26. ^fpr.l. Apr.'i. Apr.Xi. 



B€ef,l;t,2d fcSdqnaL 6JS5i 6^38^ 7 59 'laS 



" a few extra 8iS9i 8|a9 9ig9.i »Ja93 



Sheep and lambs, ¥* lb SJa&J 84a9| 7 g9 7 g9 



Swis^. stores, wh'sale..... .9 ^6 5|»6| 3 ^6 3 g6 



I" " retail ..^h'^ 6157^ 5^57 6 §7 



Hidef, ^Ib 8 a3| 8 gSJ 8 gSJ 7^58^ 



Pelts, each, %\ §44 $4 544 $3iS3J $3 @3J 



TaUow, ^& 8Ja9 8Jg9 8 S8i 8 aSi 



BEt«ES.— The change in prices of cattle and sheep has been 

 greater daring the past four weeks than daring any eqtial nom- 



[ ber of weeks for the last year, if not for several years. For the 

 ! first week, we reported an advance '.f about fjC»? ft. on beef; a 

 ' gain that was lost the next week ; and yet pri;es are 75c ^ cwt. 

 ! higher at the close of the month than at its c^icuencement. A 

 few of the very choicest extra aud premiums are sold at 19c ^ 

 ffi).. and very little beef fit to eat has cost Wss than Sc ^ fi>., for 

 the last two weeks. 



Hides and tallow hive also declined in price, and calf skins 

 may be reponed as dull. Dnrins the fall and winter the butch- 

 ers hare been able to sell the hiae ard tallow for more ^ &. than 

 they paid on the dressed weight of their cattle ; but fjr the last 

 month they have generally paid more ^ tt>. for the best catJe 

 than their hice and tallow are worth in market, — a change of no 

 little consequence to the butcher. 



Sheep re^thel the highest point on the scale of prices, the first 

 week of the ttrm, when a few lots sold tor loc ^ ft. Smce then 

 prices have d-.-clmed from one to tiro ceiit~ V* il>- on the live 

 weight : in consequence chiefly of pelts failing in value about one 

 dollar ami fifty cents each. 



Some of the butchers argue that there is little probability that 

 sheep will c )mmand much higher prices than those paid the past 

 two K^eeks. They say that the country is full of shetrp, and that, 

 in cons< quence <<i the high prices of wool, farmers ^culd not sell 

 niitil after shearing, when there will be large numbers of sheep 

 ' thrown up n the market. Especialiy is this true, they say, of 

 the Western States. We notice by the report of the New York 

 market, for April 14th, ihat slicc-p were quctcd r.t from &>^ to 10c, 

 with a lively niarket, which does not look much like veri^-ing 

 the foregoing prediction. 



For several months past the Vermont Central stock cars have 

 reacherl the market by way t f th^ Fitchborg, instead of the Low- 

 ell Railroad. This change has e.tcited a spirit of competition 

 l)etween the two routes, so that the stock on both routes has ar- 

 rived at Cambridge early Tuesday nmrnicg. Aliliough there is 

 no-ninally no chatige in the markit day, there is practically a 

 radical change in the ince of bu>ii>es3. At present, the traile at 

 Cambridge is mostly done Tuesday lorenooa. .-Vf^cr dinner a 

 part of the drovers who have any stock unsold start at once for 

 Bnghton, while others rtcicin an hour or two, awl thsrn start for 

 Brighton, or put up their stock in Cambridge. Icr several weeks 

 there has been no market at Canibridge on Wednesday. At 

 Brighton most of the Western ctinle are sclj Tues<lay ; aldioc^ 

 cattle are also sold there on Wedpes«iay acd Thursday, — tlie 

 latter being the great day for the retail trade in working oxen, 

 milch cows, goats, old hurscs, carts and wagons. 



' Sales cf Cattle and Sheep. 



The following is from our repon cf sales. April 16: 

 Geo. W. Jones ofiered fir sale this week sotae very rich Dnr- 

 ; ham irrade bullocks ; one pair fjur-years old l:\st fall, fed by 

 1 Eeitt Brothers, DcerSeld, Jlass., received the fir^rt premium of- 

 ' fered by the Franklin County Agricultural Socie'y, for beef cat- 

 ; tie. ami weighed 4Xh) lbs. at home. These oxen were not only 

 well fatted, but uni»mmonly well built up. Altogether, they 

 ' were a be-autifid. finely- shaped \>sxr. Another puir. fill by A. & 

 ' E. .\m2rews, of Sheibame, weighed 4SC0 tt>?. at liome, and were 

 fit OjmpanioDS ct the premium s.eer^.althcagh soujcwhat older. 

 Saunders & Hartwell ti>fk these bullocks at ICc ^ fc. Mr. Jones 

 soM 5 other erand eood o:cen,laid at 12-jO fiis. each, at fi^ic, and 

 Sl.i!dllOOfcs.,Oo.' 



JIann, Thaver & I.^athers soil to O. Lynde 2 oxen fed by C, 

 W. Bragg, Warren, Vt., laid at 22C0 Bs.. for $200. 

 Hosea Gray sold just 1 pair of oxen to X. s. S. Jackson at 9c 

 I ^ ill. His other stock fit fir beef was sold by dollars at rates 



varving from that price down to 7c ■{? ft. 



1 E. W. Baker sold 2 oxen to Mr. Jewett, 2443 fts., f )r "Kc, 37 



sk. ; 2 weidiing 3000 lbs., for 7i,c, 36 sk. ; 4 weiehing 2700 &s. 



' ^ pair, f3r''8c, Y^ sk. : 2 weighing 2650 tbs., for S.'ic,^; sk. ; 2 



to .*. G. Carter, weighing SOuOfts., for 8c, >^ sk. ; 1 cow, laid at 



I 500 Bs., for $30. 



D. A. Philbrick bad two pairs of oxen this week laid at 1100 

 I Bs. ea'.h, which he said were such as farmers in his section be- 

 : liere to be K<o<l enough for any market, and equal to those re- 

 ported in Brighton at the highest figures. ..Vft- r waiting all the 

 I forenoon f jr the butchers to come forward with their "10c, 23 

 I sk.," ilr. Philbrick was glad to receive from J. F. Taylor, a 

 I proposition to kill and weigh the oxen, allowing 9c ^ B<. for 

 ' three, and 8c for one ; and giving the owner the privilege of try- 

 ' ing as hard as he could f r half a day longer to Ijettc r the bid. 

 ! ,A.nd he did try. bat widiout finding auy one who would make as 

 liberal an off^r as that of Mr. Taylor, who consequently took the 

 I oxen. He also soil to E. O Soles a pair of oxen, laid at 1650 

 I tbs., for $131. and a pair laid at 1900 lbs., to Mr. Dearborn for 

 $164. 



Sabin 4 Clark sold their flock of 2C3 clipped sheep, averaging 

 90 lbs. r-ach, for 4J^c ^ lb. ; saw another lot of siieared slicep 

 sold at the same price, and a lot of undipped at 7^40; H. 

 Thiyer sold a good lot of 44 River-fed sheep, averaging lOO fcs. 

 I each, for 8-: ^ t>. ; O. L. Miner sold 30 of his drove, weighing 

 I 100 lbs. each, for 8;^c ; E. W. Baker sold to J. W. Hollis 10 se- 

 lected cossets, weighing at Cambridge 1370 fcs., or 137 each, 

 1 for 9>ic ^ lb. 



