NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



itM'. 



work well, and if so, where can it be obtained, and at 

 •what price per rod ? Backwoods. 



Vennont, Jan., 1864. 



Remauks.— Charles Stoddard, 75 Kilby Street, Bos- 

 ton, sells the pipe you inquire for. "We do not know 

 at what price. 



THE MUSK MELON. 

 For the accompanj ing descriptions and engrav- 

 ings of two of the best of the family of melons, 

 we are indebted to Burr's "Field and Garden Veg- 

 etables of America :" 



Green Citron Melon. 



Fruit nearly round, but flattened slightly at the 

 ends, — deeply and very regularly ribbed ; size 

 medium, or rather small, — average specimens 

 measuring about six inches in diameter, and five 

 inches and a half in depth ; skin green, and thick- 

 ly netted, — when fully mature, the green becomes 

 more soft and yellow, or of a yellowish shade ; 

 flesh green, quite thick, very juicy, and of the 

 richest and most sugary flavor. It is an abun- 

 dant bearer, quite hardy, and remarkably uniform 

 in its quality. It is deservedly the most popular 

 as a market sort ; and for cultivation for family 

 use, every thing considered, has few superiors. 

 Large-ribbed Netted. — Common Musk-Melon. 



Fruit very large, oval, strongly ribbed ; skin 

 yellow, very thickly netted, sometimes so closely 

 as to cover nearly the entire surface ; flesh sal- 

 mon-yellow, remarkably thick and sweet, but not 

 fiuely-grained or melting, when compared with 

 the more recent and improved varieties. 



Hardy and productive. In good soil and favor- 

 able seasons, the fruit sometimes attains a length 

 of fifteen inches, and weighs upwards of twenty 

 pounds. 



^ To Correspondents.— Many excellent arti- 

 ticles have been lately received from our corres- 

 pondents which will be given in due time. We 

 hope to hear from many more of them before the 

 pressing work of spring comes on. 



EARLY POTATOES. 



There is a large class of persons who value good, 

 well-ripened early potatoes, more than any other 

 vegetable. The potato is a universal favorite. 

 We have never met more than half a dozen peo- 

 ple who did not like it. It is easily raised, cheap, 

 and has just about the proper proportions of bidk 

 a.nd ymtritious -properties to make it one of the most 

 wholesome articles of diet that comes upon the 

 table. In cases of sickness, where the patient is 

 convalescent, a roasted potato that is mealy, and 

 eaten as soon as cooked, is highly relished, and 

 is as harmless, perhaps, as any food that can be 

 taken. 



As the common, every-day food of the table, 

 the potato stands next to bread. When well- 

 cooked, most children will take half their entire 

 food of the potato, especially if they can have a 

 little milk or cream with the mash, and will be- 

 come vigorous and free from humors after a year's 

 use of them, cooked in various forms. 



Every family,— in the country at least, — should 

 have them plentifully by the first of August, and 

 I by taking some pains may begin to use them by 

 the fourth of July. The first thing to be consid- 

 ered is the soil. It should be a comparatively 

 dry and sandy soil, rather than a wet, black loam. 

 Afresh, or new soil is greatly preferable — one re- 

 cently covered with grass, or what is still better, 

 scrub oaks, sweet fern, blackberry and huckle- 

 berry bushes. Such a soil, when well plpwed and 

 harrowed, will be light and will abound with the 

 alkalies and alkaline earths that the potato re- 

 quires. The situation selected should be an open, 

 but a warm, one — along the side of an old fence 

 or wall, where bushes have been growing for half 

 a century, or less, and exposed to the morning 

 sun. On such a soil, and in such a situation, the 

 plants will start early and come to maturity rap- 

 idly ; and if the variety planted be a good one, 

 the tubers grown will have a sweet and agreeable 

 flavor. Some of the varieties used for early plant- 

 ing are the Jackson White, Wliite Chenango, which 

 come quite early, the Early Blue, and others. 

 Burr says the Ash-Leaved Kidney is one of the 

 earliest varieties, and that the Early Blue is one 

 of the earliest of the garden potatoes, of fine qual- 

 ity, and one of the best for forcing for early crops. 

 If the ground was not prepared last fall, it should 

 be made ready as soon as the frost is out, so that 

 it can be plowed six inches deep, and the potatoes 

 planted. 



In order to facilitate the crop, some persons set 

 a barrel of seed by the kitchen stove about the 

 middle of March, where they remain until sprouts 

 have started half an inch in length. In this case 

 the top of the potatoes must be covered with loam 

 or a cioth lo keep out the light. Others lay a 



