1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



175 



If this be a correct hypothesis, it appears to me 

 that planting the rows of potatoes at a considera- 

 ble distance apart, would be beneficial, as it would 

 allow more light and air to rcfich the roots of the 

 plants. At any rate, I think all will concede that 

 clean cultivation is, and the few experiments which 

 I have made, indicate that shady situations are 

 not suitable for the production of potatoes. 



Will some other people relate their experience ? 



L. Varney. 



Bloomfidd, C. W., 4th mo., 1863. 



Remarks. — We planted an orchard with corn 

 and potatoes last spring, where the trees were 

 thirteen years old, and had made a good growth. 

 Under each tree a square of land was occupied by 

 eight hills of potatoes at the usual distances. Of 

 course, these hills were mostly in the shade at all 

 limes of the day. Very few of the potatoes, how- 

 ever, were rotten — not any more than were found 

 in another portion of the field where there were 

 no trees. 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 AMONG THE GBEEW MOUNTAINS. 



Mr. Editor : — Merry spring, the queen of sun- 

 shine and of flowers has really begun her reign, in 

 spite of the occasional frosty insinuations of the 

 winter king that he "still lives." The throne he 

 was obliged to abdicate, and his fair and gentle 

 successor now sways her mild sceptre over her 

 willing subjects in new light and gladness, 



Boreas' cold and piercing winds, it is hoped, are 

 among the things that were, for the spring of '63, 

 that we may enjoy sunnier skies and wanner days 

 than those of the last few weeks. Cold, cold, 

 cold, has been the remark of every observer till 

 now ; and the farmer, in particular, has been made 

 to experience its unhappy results. Hay to the 

 farmer just now, is like gold to the broker — at a 

 high premium ; and grain, oats in particular, is 

 not by any means dull. Hay sells at $15 to S2() 

 per ton; oats 60 cts. to 75 cts. per bushel, and 

 other grains in proportion, excepting perhajjs corn 

 (Southern,) which is selling at ^l,!^ per bushel, 

 and is by far the cheapest grain in the market for 

 stock. Farmers and others short of hay, would 

 do well to feed more corn, ground and mixed with 

 cut hay or straw, than to feed all hay. Cattle and 

 horses will do quite as well on feed prepared in 

 this way, as they will on hay alone ; and at pres- 

 ent prices, it will make a saving in expense. To 

 sheep, the corn may be fed in the kernel ; if a few 

 refuse beans are added, the value of the feed will 

 not be diniinislied. Care should be taken not to 

 overfeed, as too high feeding either with oats or 

 corn, at this season of the year, tends to weaken 

 and debilitate, rather than strengthen, both the 

 sheep and lamb. A single handful of corn, or 

 corn and beans together, or a half pint of oats, to 

 a sheep a day, if fed regularly, as it should be, 

 will show itself not unfavoral)ly in the end. Iteg- 

 tUar feed is what tells to advantage. 



Sugaring. — We have had none with us as yet 

 to speak of. Some, perhaps the majority of farm- 

 ers, have tapped their trees, and put things in 

 readiness for the "first run," but I think it has not 

 yet fully appeared. The weather seems changed ; 

 it is now warm and spring-like, and we will dare 



to hope it may favor the sugar-makers. The Ver- 

 monters should be sorry to be obliged to rely al- 

 together upon the suj^ar-canes f.f Louisiana," (for 

 a time at least.) or the West Indies, for our cofl'ee 

 fixings. 'Tis quite enough to have to pay double 

 or treble the former prices for the coflee. We can 

 economize, and we do do it, in this particular. 

 Peas prepared at home, and added to a little of 

 "Old Java", are just as good and palatal)le as a 

 like preparation from a foreign manufactory. 

 Give me the "pure" home-made — equal jiarts of 

 good peas and the real Java in the kernel, prop- 

 erly roasted and prepared — witli a suflkiency of our 

 best maple sugar and rich cream, and any one else 

 may have llie "pure ground" or "hard liines" cof- 

 fee, tliat will ]3ay for it, and welcome. What say 

 you, Mr. Editor ? 



1 had other thoughts to pen down in this letter, 

 but I am already trespassing upon si)ace and ])a- 

 tience, and I will pass them by till another occa- 

 sion. L W. Sa.nborn. 



Lyndon, April 6, 1863. 



For the Netr England Farmer. 

 HOW PENNIES ARE SAVED. 



I do not wish to set myse'f up as a teacher of 

 the art of agriculture, but I will say that some of 

 us tillers of the soil, might, instead of taking time 

 so easily after harvest, j)atch up our horse and cow 

 stables, and protect our stock from the cold blast 

 of winter. Besides the morality of the thing, 

 there is a saving of dollars. I have in my mind's 

 eye, a case of each kind. Two gentlemen of 

 wealth each keep a cow ; one has a ligiit, warm 

 stable : he has his cow carded, kept bedded, clear 

 of manure, fed with grain and roots, and in cold 

 nights blanketed. The other turns out his cow 

 every day to breast the cold storms, and her ap- 

 pearance indicates that she never feels the card 

 nor brush. The former says his yields a j)rofit, 

 the latter that his does not pay the expense. I 

 have no doubt of the correctness of these reports, 

 for the expense of the latter exceeds that of the 

 former by one-fourth. 



Some of us dilatory ones never take thought of 

 our trace corn, until the time of its use, and at 

 that time find that the mice and rats have looked 

 to it. Recently 1 saw a different mode ; wire 

 strung across the corn chamber, and on those 

 hooks of wire, some feet in length attached, on 

 which was suspended the corn untouched by the 

 race. Such taking care of little things is the pen- 

 ny laid away by the prosperous farmers, and those 

 are the ones that have the easy days, always up 

 with their work, and read the Fanner. 



Cape Elizabeth, 1863. s. i'. M. 



A Truthfvl axd Ciii-ap Baromhtkr.— 

 Take a clean glass bottle, and put in a small quan- 

 tity of finely pulverized alnm. Then till the bot- 

 tle with spirits of wine. The alum will be per- 



' fectly dissolved by the alcohol, and in clear weath- 

 er tlie liquid will be as trans])arent as the jjurest 

 water. On the approach of rain or cloudy weath- 

 er, the alum will be visible in a flaky, spiral cloud 

 in the centre of the fluid, reaching from the l)ot- 



' tom to the surface. This is a cheap, sim])le and 

 beautiful barometer, and is placed within liic reach 



: of all who wish to possess one. For simi)liciiy 

 of construction, this is altogether superior to the 



' frog barometer in general use in Germany. 



