1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



47 



etable growth. 



How often we hear persons speaking of mead- 

 ows : One has a meadow, situated on a gentle 

 rivulet, with a fine, decomposed vegetable soil, 

 producing abundantly whatever crop is on it, 

 while the other complains that his is not worth a 

 cent. He says his is but a parcel of old sticks, 

 leaves, and grass ! My friend of the sticky mead- 

 ow, what is the difference ? Have you ever let 

 nature into your bog hole, with her all-absorbing 

 atmospheric team ? No ? Go, then, and admit 

 her. All you have to do to have her commence 

 her operations, is to clear out your old ditches, 

 and dig new ones, until you have taken off all the 

 surplus water, and she is there, without money 

 and without price, entering every crevice as fast 

 as the water leaves it, and will continue her work 

 until it is accomplished. She sows no seed as 

 man scatters it, but millions are borne by the gen- 

 tle zephyrs and terrific whirlwind, and whatever* 

 is there, she causes it to spring up, and in time to 

 flourish like a green bay tree. There can be but 

 little difference in the elements of the meadows. 

 The one is finely decomposed, fit food for vegeta- 

 ble mouths, while the other is too coarse for veg- 

 etable jaws to masticate. 



As climate is a state of the atmosphere, I shall 

 not attempt any discrimination, but will try in an 

 indirect way to show its effect on some of the an- 

 imal and vegetable creation. I have it from good 

 authority, that if sheep, raised in a cold climate, 

 are taken too near the equator, in Africa, the wool 

 of the progeny, if suffered to go much past shear- 

 ing-time, soon begins to fall off, and hair grows in 

 its place, and will ever remain so. Another ex- 

 ample of the effect of climate can be seen in the 

 fleet Arabian horse. When brought to England 

 its offspring soon begins to grow stouter, and gets 

 to be, in a few generations, stout, heavy horses, 

 and vice versa, when taken back to Arabia. The 

 effect of the atmosphere does not end with do- 

 mestic animals. Compare the fur of the polar 

 bear, or other quadrupeds of the Arctic, with 

 those whose home is near the equator. You see 

 in the effects of climate the wisdom of Him who 

 adapts means to ends. 



I cannot close my remarks on the animal crea- 

 tion without saying one word about the bird or 

 insect. Who has not noticed the class of birds 

 that take their food on the wing ? At times you 

 behold them high in the air, twittering their mer- 

 ry notes. Again you see them in a more silent 

 state, just skimming the surface of the earth. And 

 what of all this? It but shows the state of the 

 atmosphere equally well with the barome'er. In- 

 sects cannot easily rise in a cold, damp atmophere, 

 and it is certain that if the swallow wants his food 

 he must go where he can find it. Hence his moody- 

 state, because the insects are under the leaves of 

 grass to protect them from the cold air, and he 

 cannot get them. 



My knowledge is too limited to explain the 

 chemical effect the atmosphere has on animal or 

 vegetable creation, but of the truth of the above 

 statement I have no doubt. In regard to vegeta- 

 tion, I will state one fact that came under my own 

 observation. • 



A few years ago I noted down the weather for 

 a few months, and in that time my peach trees 

 were in full bloom. The wind being in the north- 

 east for fourteen consecutive days, I noticed that 



the blossoms remained on the trees longer than 

 usual. This drew my attention to the subject, 

 and I watched the result, which was nearly a to- 

 tal failure of the crop ; the peaches never formed. 

 The germ of the young peach turned yellow, and 

 soon fell off. The cause of this, in my opinion, 

 (and that opinion is corroborated by good author- 

 ity) is, that the cups that contain the pollen never 

 open in cold, wet weather, particularly when the 

 wind is in the north-east. Therefore, there is no 

 impregnation, and thus the truth of the old ad- 

 age, "A north-east wind blasts the fruit when in 

 blossom." 



The above remarks I hold to be correct in re- 

 gard to all fruits, but as they do not all blossom 

 at the same time, and as many varieties have a 

 succession of blossoms, we do not notice the effect 

 of the atmosphere on them. 



Strange as it seems, nevertheless I believe it to 

 be strictly true, that a cold atmosphere is as es- 

 sential (some part of the year) to produce a good 

 crop of what we term English hay, as manure. 

 Some may ridicule the idea, but you know that 

 when you get far enough south for the ground not 

 to freeze in winter, you are beyond the cultiva- 

 tion of the best of grasses, as they will not grow 

 except in a feeble and stunted way. 



Different plants and animals require different 

 food, and a change of atmosphere demands differ- 

 ent food for their support. There is wisdom in 

 nature's laws. 



The growth in a cold atmosphere is conducive 

 to fat-making principles, while a warm atmosphere 

 possesses more gluten and muscle-making proper- 

 ties; each needed most where nature causes them 

 to exist. Oil for the Esquimaux, and vegetables 

 for the Equatorial regions. 



Dividing Sheep Flocks for. Winter. — In 

 latitudes where sheep are fed dry feed, and are 

 kept confined to stables and small yards in winter, 

 even Merinos will not bear herding together in 

 large numbers. They should be divided into sep- 

 arate lots before, and preparatory to, going into 

 winter quarters. It is better that these lots be 

 made as small as convenience permits, and not ex- 

 ceed 100 each. The sheep in each should be as 

 nearly uniform in size and strength as practicable, 

 or otherwise the stronger will rob the weaker, 

 both at the rack and trough, and drive them about 

 whenever they come in contact. Breeding ewes, 

 wethers and weaned lambs, should always be kept 

 in separate parcels from each other, in well regu- 

 lated flocks. 



Sheep which are old and feeble, late born lambs, 

 etc., had better be sold at any price or given to a 

 poor neighbor who has time to nurse and take 

 care of them. But if kept by the flock-master, 

 they should be put by themselves in a particular- 

 ly sheltered and comfortable place where they can 

 receive extra feed and attention. This is usually 

 called "the hospital." 



English sheep should be divided into still small- 

 er parcels, and with the same regard to age, con- 

 dition and sex. — Randall. 



A Bean came up last spring in the door-yard of 

 James M. Garland, of Hookset, N. H., and giving 

 evidence of unusual thrift, it was protected and 

 allowed to spread itself at will ; 205 pods matured 

 upon it, containing 1218 beans. 



