218 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JXJLY 



do anything with it, but make adobe or mortar. 

 When you get your foot into it, a question arises, 

 yes, several of them, as to -whether you can get it 

 out again or not, or whether you will leave your 

 boot behind, or if both come out, whether it is 

 possible to accomplish the same feat the next step 

 you take. From all the information I could ob- 

 tain, I should think extremes of wet and dry 

 weather were more frequent than in this vicinity. 

 Of course, greater uncertainity in obtaining crops 

 often resulting in a total failure. Tliis uncertain- 

 ty of good crops is a serious matter with the new 

 settler who has invested his all in getting to his 

 farm, pajung for it if able, stocking, Szc. His very 

 life, almost, depends upon a crop ; if that fails, 

 starvation stares him and his in the face. Many 

 have been put to their wits' end to avoid it. Men 

 of extensive landed possessions are often in a bad 

 fix from this cause. Cattle, at such times, have to 

 be driven long distances for food and water. I 

 have known of instances of families getting their 

 daily supply of water several miles from home. 



The first week in November last I went out to 

 Cincinnati, and returned by the same route I did 

 in the spring, and found that all the way from 

 Dunkirk, N. Y., through the portion of Pennsyl- 

 vania touched by the road, and all the lake and 

 central parts of Ohio, had greatly suffered by this 

 want of timely rains. With the exception of corn, 

 potatoes, apples and a few pumpkins, all the crops 

 were harvested. Apples were abundant. In some 

 orchards I judged several hundred ban-els were 

 put up, ready for market. In many others they 

 were not gathered, and in some localities must 

 have been frozen. The corn was shocked, and but 

 a very liule husked. I never saw, on the poorest 

 fi.elds_ of Massachusetts, such miserable, poor com, 

 as it appeared to be. The cause given was want 

 of rain. This I think must have been the true 

 cause, as the soil appeared to be good in most 

 places. The meteorological observer of the Smith- 

 sonian Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, tells us that 

 since the 19th of July, the total rain-fall up to the 

 17th of November, a period of 121 days, was 3.77 

 inches. This was distributed as follows : Last 

 twelve days of July, 0.02 in.; August, 1.36 in.; 

 September, 1.20 in.; October, 0.78 in.; November 

 Ist to 17th, 0.41 in. There can be no marvel at 

 the failure of crops under such circumstances. 



The heat is often very oppressive in the sum- 

 mer, and much more enervating than with us. 

 This is the testimony of several I saw. A tem- 

 pest on the prairies is often awfully teiTifle. Those 

 who have never witnessed it, cannot have much 

 conception of its terrors. Occasionally a tornado 

 passes over a considerable tract of country, sweep- 

 ing everything before it. Not a vestige of long 

 years of improvements remains to comfort the 

 hapless one who happens to be in its wake. 

 House, building, trees, all share a common fate. 

 These are to be accounted for upon natural causes 

 that will probably always exist. I do not wish to 

 be considered as trpng to make out a case by 

 enumerating all the objectional features of the 

 "out West" I am alluding to, but stating what I 

 consider facts, well vouched for, and substantiated 

 by credible witnesses and my own observation. 

 In a subsequent article, I propose not only to al- 

 lude to the drawbacks of "out West," but some 

 of its advantages, so far as I am able. 



May, 1863. o. K. 



THE ANQOKA, OK CASHMERE GOAT. 

 A correspondent of the Boston Cultivator, in 

 giving an account of a visit to the farm of W. W. 

 Chenery, of Belmont, near Boston, makes the 

 following statement : 



In 1861, Mr. Chenery took in to keep for a gen- 

 tleman in Boston, two importations of the Angora 

 goat called also the Cashmere, imported from 

 Constantinople, the former lot of 39, arriving in 

 March of that year, and the latter of 41, in Octo- 

 ber, making a flock of 80 in all, about one-sixth 

 of which were bucks. In the spring of 1862, the 

 flock produced 16 kids. Over 20 have died, evi- 

 dently of the consumption, owing, it is thought, 

 to the change of the climate, though they have 

 been well housed and cared for. Six were sold 

 to go to Western New York during the past sea- 

 son, so that the flock was reduced in number, not- 

 withstanding the addition noted. The remaining 

 flock was lately sold to a man in New York, who 

 has removed them thither with the exception of a 

 few, which ^Ir. C. retains in order to test more 

 satisfactorily their capacity to withstand the se- 

 verity of the climate, also for crossing with other 

 varieties of the goat family. The Angora variety 

 produces but one kid at a birth, and the females 

 are not good nurses. The Angoras which have 

 just been removed, are of a superior quality as 

 regards their fleeces. Several of them have a bad 

 cough seemingly fixed upon them, indicating that 

 their lungs are affected. 



Pure Sqtjashes. — A correspondent of the Bii- 

 ral Keic-Torker, after alluding to the desirable- 

 ness of keeping the Hubbard squash pure, and of 

 the great difficulty of doing so, from the readiness 

 with which bees and other insects effect the amal- 

 gamation of different kinds of this vegetable, rec- 

 ommends that the seeds from a number of appar- 

 rently pure squashes be preserved in separate 

 packages, and each package numbered. In the 

 spring plant a row of hills from each package, sav- 

 ing the larger part of each package of seeds for 

 the next year. Place a stake to every row of hills 

 plainly numbered to correspond Mith the package 

 of seeds from which the row was planted. Now, 

 if you have a crop of pure-blood squashes on eith- 

 er of these rows, you will know from which pack- 

 age of seeds to plant the ensuing year. In this 

 way, tried seeds may be on hand from year to year. 



Shall F.'Lrmees wash their Sheep ? Geo. 

 Snyder says, emphatically, no, in the Rural New- 

 Yorker. It is unhealthy for both man and sheep ; 

 frequently proving fatal to the latter. The trou- 

 ble and expense is great, and the wool but little 

 benefited. 



Chapped Hands. — The following is said to be 

 a sure recipe for the cure of chapped hands : 

 Dissolve three cents worth of clarified beeswax in 

 three cents worth of pure sweet oil, by heating 

 over a tolerable fire. Apply at night before retir- 

 ing. If desirable, it can be scented. 



