266 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept 



indispensable work to do. The omission of the 

 influences of one, might be fatal to the work of 

 all. If the perfecting and ripening suns of August 

 are withheld from the grape, for instance, all the 

 genial suns and refreshing rains of September will 

 fail to perfect that fruit. No ! There can be no 

 transfer in Nature of this kind. Each week and 

 month must stamp its own impression upon all 

 vegetable life, or it is imperfect and unprofitable 

 to man. 



We know not whether any change has taken 

 place in the autumnal season, but certain it is that, 

 for many years, we have had hot, and even sultry 

 weather in September, so that the heat has been 

 oppressive as in July or August. A few cool 

 nights, and usually a frost, slight or severe, in the 

 opening of the month, have been felt, and then 

 succeeded by glaring days and even sultry nights, 

 through most of this month. These are succeeded 

 by the glorious October days of the Indian Sum- 

 mer before winter sets in. 



Business of the Month. 



Now that so much of the work of the farm is 

 done by machinery, we trust that September will 

 not pass away without one field, at least, being 

 prepared for the mowing machine and horse-rake. 

 There are many rough pieces that may be fitted 

 for these machines with much less cost than is 

 supposed. Let the large rocks that rise a foot or 

 two above the surface remain as they are, while 

 those of a moderate size should be dug about and 

 sunk eight or ten inches below the surface, if the 

 digging is not too difficult. At any rate, get them 

 so that the mower will slide over them. 



It is sometimes paid that the farmer cannot af- 

 ford to do this. On the other hand, does it not 

 delay his work materially, to turn out from his 

 straight line fifty times a day in ploughing, and 

 leave about each stone an ugly balk to be dug up 

 with the bog hoe, or grow up to grass and weeds, 

 to vex him all summer? Is there a season passes 

 without breaking the small plough, or the cultiva- 

 tor, while tending the crops, or of throwing the 

 horse and implement, too, out of the row and 

 breaking down many plants thereby ? We have 

 known a farmer to break a valuable machine three 

 summers in succession, on the same fields, in going 

 over the stones. Now, however, that field pre- 

 sents no obstacles. The less turning out of the 

 true course there is, in doing our work, the less 

 delay and breaking of tools or straining of team, 

 the cheaper and better the work will be done. 

 And this is true economy. There are stones in 

 many a field now, over which teams have been 

 thrashed and ploughs, and harrows, and cultiva- 

 tors have been broken for more than fifty years — 

 to say nothing of the bruised shins of the owner, 

 and the curses, perhaps, which accompanied the 



gouging out a junk of skin, or the blow w^hich 

 made all "look blue again." 



Count the cost of all these, brother, and before 

 September is gone decide whether it will not be 

 profitable to get some of the obstructions out of 

 the way. When the smaller rocks are removed 

 a suggestion or two on drilling, and blasting, and 

 removing the larger ones, may be of service. 

 Other important work demands attention this 

 month, but if this item is attended to it will be a 

 comfort to you next "Haying Time." 



Cotton in Utah. — In the extreme Southern 

 part of this Territory — some three hundred and 

 sixty miles south of Salt Lake City, — small patch- 

 es of cotton were cultivated the past season, — 

 perhaps two hundred acres in all, producing an 

 average of three hundred and seventy-five pounds 

 to the acre. It is expected that much more will 

 be grown this year, as four gins, and other appli- 

 ances for saving and preparing the cotton, arrived 

 there from the East last fall. 



BRIEF HISTOKY OP THE PATENT 

 OFFICE. 

 The first Patent law was approved April 10, 

 1790. Applications were to be made to the Sec- 

 retary of State, Secretary of War, and Attorney 

 General. All persons without reference to na- 

 tionality could make the application, the fees be- 

 ing $3.70 with the addition of ten cents per folio 

 for the specification. On the 21st of February, 

 1793, this law was repealed, by the passage of 

 another much more full, by which the fee was rais- 

 ed to $30, and the benefit of it was confined ex- 

 clusively to citizens of the United States. The 

 application was to be to the Secretary of State ; 

 the patent to be examined or revised by the At- 

 torney Generixl, and bear test by the President. 

 By the act of April 17, 1800, the privilege was 

 extended to aliens of two years' residence in the 

 United States, and the act of July 13, 1832, only 

 required the alien to be a resident at the time of 

 his application. On the 4th of July, 1836, an act 

 was passed providing for the appointment of a 

 Commissioner, Chief Clerk, one examining clerk, 

 and three other clerks, one of whom was to be a 

 competent draughtsman, and a messenger. That 

 was the origin of the present Patent Office Bu- 

 reau. At that time it occupied a portion of the 

 General Post Office building, and when that was 

 destroyed by fire December 15, 1836, all the mod- 

 els, records, &c., of the Patent Office, were also 

 consumed. By act of March 3, 1837, Congress 

 provided for recording anew such of the patents 

 destroyed, and assignments thereof, as could be 

 obtained, and the officers were directed to obtain 

 duplicates of the most important models burned, 

 provided the amount thus expended did net ex- 

 ceed $100,000. Several amendments have been 

 made to the Patent laws from time to time since, 

 enlarging the powers of the Commissioner, and 

 increasing the force employed, to meet the wants 

 of the growing business of the office until now 

 over twenty persons are employed, even in these 

 war times, as examiners alone. A large number 



