1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



303 



Grosberries, currants and cherries were kept in 

 good order for a longer period, giving evidence 

 that, with proper care, they may be kept the year 

 round. Peaches, in ten weeks, showed evidence 

 of decay i the skin sloughing without material 

 discoloration. Of pears, about two hundred and 

 fifty bushels were housed, and are now in a fine 

 state of preservation. Among these are the Sugar 

 pear, the Bartlett, Seckel, Flemish Beauty, and 

 several other varieties of summer and fall ])ears. 

 Present appearances indicate that they will be 

 sound next summer. Grapes that were in good 

 condition when housed, have not in the slightest de- 

 gree changed either their appearance or flavor. 

 A lot from the Cincinnati vine-yards, that were 

 much bruised in transportation, suffered loss for 

 the first ten days after being deposited, but have 

 undergone no sensible change since. The slock 

 on hand is about one hundred and fifty bushels. 

 I predict that the company will market grapes 

 next June in good condition. Oranges, lemons, 



Eine-apples, bananas and other tropical fruits, may 

 e ke])t for mouths at any season of the year. 

 Of the last crop of apples, two thousand five hun- 

 dred bushels are on hand, in a most perfect state 

 of preservation — the Fall Pearmain, Maiden's 

 Blush, and Rambo, keeping as well as the New- 

 town Pippin, or Romanite. A small lot of sample 

 apples, of the fruitage of 1860, are on hand, look- 

 ing well, and retaining their flavor in a remarkable 

 degree. 



The results thus far obtained, warrant us in 

 concluding that in all climates where ice can be 

 obtained, the standard fruits may be furnislicd at 

 all seasons of the year, at prices which will bring 

 this luxury within the reach of every family, thus 

 largely increasing fruit consumption, and propor- 

 tionately stimulating fruit culture. 



COTTON-GROWING IN EGYPT. 

 Not her of the Nile and of the Pyramids, but 

 in the section so called in the southern part of Il- 

 linois. From a communication in the Prairie 

 Farmer we copy the following statement in re- 

 spect to the condition and prospects of the cotton 

 crop now growing in the "torrid zone" of Illinois : 



Cotton looks well. During the dry month of 

 May, it did not grow at all, and that which was 

 not planted till late did not come up till June. 

 It is now growing at a rapid rate. At one time I 

 thought of ploughing mine up and planting in 

 late potatoes, but now I would not thank a man 

 should he ofl'er me SlOO for what I expect to raise 

 from each acre. I am thinning out the plants so 

 that they should not be nearer than six inches 

 from each other ; I would not care if they were a 

 foot apart. The common plan here is to have the 

 plants seem as thick as "hair on a dog," but I take 

 old planters from the South as my guide, and the 

 distance they decide upon is a foot. My young 

 man who went out speculating in cotton last year, 

 (and by the way, he did well) says when he came 

 to a farm where the plants were set this distance 

 apart, he was sure to get cotton, but when it was 

 thick he got little or none. 



We have had most too much rain lately for this 



J)lant, in fact it has rained every twenty-four hours | 

 or ten days, but it has been warm, and cotton 1 

 must have heat. Cotton also, requires dry, hot I 



weather ; there is no doubt but what we shall 

 have enough of it. The plant sends down its 

 roots, keeps doing so till they reach the hard 

 ground, then and not before it begins to shoot. 

 On ground plougiied sliallow it will shoui and ma- 

 ture sooner tlian where the ploughing lias been 

 done deep. We go for deep ploughing for this 

 or any other croj), and when the siiooting com- 

 mences, like Grant's army, something will he done. 

 For the purpose of making money, we have no 

 business to be raising grain ; an acre of cotton is 

 worth two acres of wheat, whatever the price of 

 each is likely to be. 



COST OF HARVESTING HAY. 

 A correspondent of tlie Ameriam Ayriiidturist 

 remarks : I had occasion to hire a meadow of 

 nine acres the ])resent season, and the notes from 

 my field-book show the cost of the hay and of the 

 harvesting, and also throw some light upon the 

 profits of farming : 



The rent of tlie land was $20.00 



CuUi:ig prass with horse-mower 6.60 



Ilaking four hours with horse-rake 1.00 



Curing and stacking seven tons 7.60 



Total $35.00 



This shows the cost of the bay in stack to be 

 five dollars a ton. As it is worth fifteen, there is 

 a profit of seventy dollars on tlie nine acres. But 

 it is poor farming where grass yields under a ton 

 to the acre, as in this case. Had the land yielded 

 two tons to the acre, it would have cost no more 

 to mow it and rake it. The only additional ex- 

 pense would have been in gathering, which would 

 not have exceeded a dollar a ton. From accounts 

 kept several years, I have never been able to gath- 

 er hay with the scythe and hand rake for less than 

 three dollars a ton. The expense in this is but a 

 trifle over two dollars a ton. The farmer who 

 owns his horse-mower and rake, I have no doubt 

 can gather his hay for a dollar and a half a ton. 

 What an infinite relief the horse-mowers and reap- 

 ers are to human muscles. It is cheering to see 

 them appearing in new fields every year. 



The above figuring shows that there were only 

 seven tons of hay from the nine acres. Had there 

 been two tons of hay per acre, the cost woidd of 

 course been much less per ton. The above estimate 

 we think much too high in some particulars. It has 

 been customary in Western New York of late 

 years, or since mowing machines have been so 

 well perfected, to furnish team, man and machine, 

 at 50 cents per acre, which would be $-1 or .^o per 

 day. The present year the writer had his mead- 

 ows cut at 31 cents per acre, the owner turnish- 

 ing only the team whicli would otherwise have 

 been idle. The farmer, who buys an e>;;)cnsive 

 machine to cut a few acres only, will find it to cost 

 more than this, if he confines tlie use of his ma- 

 chine to his own small field. A neighboring farm- 

 er, who usually cuts nearly 200 acres of hay year- 

 ly, finds that a good mowing machine will cut at 

 least 1,000 acres before wearing out, and that 

 the expense of the machine, including repairs, 

 will not be more than 12 cents per acre. Esti- 

 mating the value of the team at $2 per day, and 

 at 10 acres each day, or 20 cents per acre, the 

 whole cost of cutting will be only 32 cents per 

 acre. A yield of two tons could therefore be cut 

 for IG cents a ton. On smaller farms the interest 

 on the cost of the machine would make the ex- 



