200 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JUNB 



CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. 



June Page 169 



New Books 170 



Profits of Fruit Culture 170 



Extracts and Replies 171,180,186,198 



Potatoes — Orcharding 171 



What is most Profitable Crop — Culture of Sweet Potatoes. ..172 



Hints for the Season 173 



Bone Dust — Shade a CaHse of Potato Disease 174 



Curing Cows of Kicking • 174 



Among the Green Mountains — How Penn esare Saved 175 



English Women— The Tomato 176 



Put in the Wheat — Farmers' Fairs 177 



Lessons away from Books — To Make an Aqueduct 178 



About Apples 179, 182 



Culture of the Currant — Xovel Attachment 180 



Purple Egg Plant — Martynia — Raising Tomato Plants 1*' 



Corn Beans — Icelandic Skier — Notes from my Diary 183 



Cotswold Ewe Lambs— God's Plan — Decay of Apple trees... 184 



Among the Machinery 185 



Grafting — Retrospective Notes - 186 



How shall I Build my Barn 187 



The Raspberry — Jerusalem Artichoke 188 



Sore Mouth in Sheep 188 



Obituary Notices — Schools in Last Century 189 



Farm Hints — Corn Barn 190 



Wash for Barns — May — Feeding Pigs 191 



Disproportion of Sexes 191 



Buckeye Mower and Reaper 192 



Use of the Barometer 193 



Meteorological Record for March— Spring 194 



New Tree Protector — Mining under the Sea 194 



Visiting Schools— Leached Ashes 195 



Poll Evil in Horses — Linseed and its Oil 195 



Culture of Indian Corn 196 



An Hour with the Lithographers 197 



Retrospective Notes 198 



Lice on Calves — Ladies' Department 199 



Review ©f the Market 200 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Initial Letter "B" 169 



Tomato Culture, 2 Engravings 176, 177 



Egg Plant 181 



Martynia , 181 



Cotswold Ewe Lambs.... 184 



Buckeye Mower and Reaper 192 



CATTLE MARKETS FOB MAY. 



The fallowing is a summary of tlic reports for tlie five weeks 

 ending May 21, 1863: 



NUMBER AT MARKET. 



Cattle. Slieep. Sliotes. Fat Hngi. Feah. 



April 23 913 1947 550 500 800 



April 29 1503 2900 1000 700 900 



May 7 1035 3015 600 160O 1200 



" 14 831 1678 1500 18C0 900 



" 21 979 1880 1300 500 950 



ToUL 



.5261 11,420 



4950 



5100 4750 



The following table exhibits the number of cattle and sheep 

 from each State for the last five weeks, and for the correspond- 

 ing five weeks last year ; also the total number for the first twen- 

 ty-one weeks of each year: 



THIS 



Cattle. 



Maine 182 



New Hampshire 591 



Vermont 779 



Massachusetts 771 



Northern New York 33 



Canada 229 



Western States 2676 



Total, last five weeks 5,261 11,420 6,441 11,885 



Total, since Jan. 1,(21 w'k3,) 29,023 55,935 26,040 55,537 



Beef, 1st, 2d, 3d qual. 8 (g9g 7gg9g 



■ " a few extra.. .10 @10J @10 



Sheep, ^ lb 5 (§9^ 4 ©9 



Swine,stores,w'sale..5 (58 5 (§7 



" " retail. 5 !g8| 6 (§8 



Hides, ^ ft 7ig8i 7438^ 



Pelts, each $3 ig3| $3 aSJ 



Tallow,^flb 8 (g8J 8 @8| 



* Sheared sheep only. 



PRICES. 

 ^;>r.23. Apr. 29. May 7. MayU. May 21. 



7S@10 

 4 (39 

 bknSh 

 7 (g9 

 7 (g8i 



7J@10 

 *4 @6 



nun 



@10 

 *4ig6i 

 6@7 

 6|g8 



n<sH 



' is 



$2Sg3J $2333^ 24@3J 

 igS g8 8 



Remarks. — The market for cattle has been steadier the past 

 five weeks than it was during the previous months. Prices for 

 beef, however, were nearly )^c V fc. higher on the first week of 

 the five than it has been since. On that week, (April 23,) the 

 best of the Western steers at Brighton were sold at lOhi la 10>^c 

 #" lb., with an allowance of from 27 to 30 ■^ cent, on the live 

 weight, for off il. Since then scarcely any have been sold high- 

 er than lOo, 30 sk.,and only the choicest bullocks at that. Most 

 of the cattle at market have been sold at from 8 to 9>^c ^ lb., on 

 the dressed weight. 



With sheep (he month has been a sort of transition period, in 

 which most of them have passed from the fleeced to the unfleeced 

 state. The prices quoted for the past three weeks are for both 

 clipped and undipped sheep, while the prices for the last two are 

 for sheared ones ones only. Although there has been no great 

 change in prices, (he market is by no means settled. For the 

 last two weeks, well fatted sheep have been in demand, as there 

 have been but few good ones at market, and none at all from the 

 West, for the last four weeks. At the last market, prices for 

 sheared sheep ranged from 4 to OV c -tf lb. on the live weight of 

 sheared sheep. There was but a small number on sale, and the 

 market closed with an upward tendency, as prices are higher in 

 Albany than in Brighton. 



For working oxen and milch cows the market has been good, 

 for those of good quality. The demand for workers has been 

 slacking, as farmers have secured tlieir teams for spring work. 

 Cows, particularly good ones, are none too plenty. 



With veal calves the market is over-stocked. There have been 

 nearly 5000 live calves at the five last markets ; besides, proba- 

 bly, at least one-half as many more dressed veals, by boats and 

 railroads. The result is, prices are low ; and butchers, drovers 

 and farmers suffer. From $3,50 to $6 each, are common prices ; 

 a very few good ones at $6. Dressed veal, by the carcass, from 

 3c to G ijC ^ lb. ; and those of pretty fair quality were sold at the 

 last two markets for 4,'^c if lb. 



Sales of Cattle and Sheep. 



From our report of sales. May 21: 



J. D. Billings sold to S. S. Learnard 11 good oxen, at fromS}^ 

 to lOo if lb., among which were four uncommonly fine ones. A 

 pair fed at the Insane Hospital, Northampton, said to weigh 

 4500 ibs., we understood were sold for $350. But at any rate, 

 they were extra among the extras. Some one of the look- 

 ers-on said, "I guess the folks are not all crazy where these oxen 

 came from;" to which somebody else reraarted, "I dont know 

 about that ; none but a crazy man would feed out meal enough 

 to make such oxen." Another pair, fed by Mr. Billings him- 

 self, weighing at home, with a light yoke on their necks, 4820 

 lbs., were fat enough, straight, well-formed bullocks. 



Geo. W. Morrison sold one pair of extra oxen, laid at 2250 fta., 

 for $220, These oxen were ftd by Geo. W. Hunkins, of San- 

 bornton, N. H., and were a smooth, well-fatted pair. Four oth- 

 ers for $298, to dress 3500 its., and four others, perhaps one 

 hundred lbs. lighter, for $2S>6 ; 4 steers, live weight 4400 fts., 

 for S^'aC, 33 sk. ; one cow, laid to dress 1100 lbs., at 8i;4C, and 

 two very much smaller cows, say 4o0 lbs. eRch, for $65. 



John Sawyer sold 30 very fair New Hampshire oxen, at from 

 8>^ to 9)4,0. At 9,^ic ^ lb. he sold one pair, laid to dress about 

 1700 lbs., which, though not large, were a very nice pair of ox- 

 en, smooth and plump. They were fed by Lowell Sanborn, of 

 Guilford, N. H. 



A. M. Wright sold 256 sheep at an average of 5'4C#' lb. ; J. 

 Lamson sold 150 sheep about 70 lbs. each, for Jc ; De Wolf & 

 Prouty sold to J. W. HoUis 159 sheep fed by Wm. Ramsay, of 

 Walpole, N. H., for 6'4C 4f lb. This is the highest price paid 

 this week, and the butchers admitted that they are the best lot 

 at market. Their live weight at Cambridge was 14,885 fcs., or 

 about 94 lbs., each. E. Riford sold a fine lot to Mr. Bates, on 

 drift, costing something over 6c. 



