38 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



prematurely old, and the aim of life is often 

 defeated. 



A man dependent upon his labor of to-day 

 for his bread of the morrow, must necessarily 

 be more economical of his time than he who 

 has a comfortable property ahead, and labors 

 to add thereto ; but often, here, we find that 

 the man with the least of this world's goods 

 takes moi'e recreation and enjoyment than his 

 more worldly and better-to-do neighbor. By 

 his recreation he loses nothing, for he is better 

 able to accomplish a certain amount of labor 

 in five days, than he whose system is strained 

 to the utmost by constant labor is in six days. 

 His recreation relaxes the strain and gives him 

 rest, so that he is better prepared to perform a 

 given task than in the other case. In summer, 

 when crops and fields require a more constant 

 attention, little time can be afibrded, although 

 a relaxation of a day occasionally would be re- 

 freshing. The winter is also a busy time with 

 the thriving farmer, but there are times when a 

 day spent in recreation is less felt than during 

 the other seasons. The long evenings and 

 short days give the farmer more time to recruit 

 the system ibr the next season's work ; and to 

 the proper improvement of these evenings he 

 must look mainly for recreation and amusement 

 with his I'amily. 



But what shall this recreation and amuse- 

 ment consist in ? The large class of farmers 

 live at a distance from villages and thickly set- 

 tled towns where concerts, lectures, etc., are to 

 be enjoyed, and consequently cannot be ex- 

 pected often to go the distance for an evening's 

 entertainment. In the first place then, under 

 such circumstances, let him provide a choice 

 selection of books, periodicals etc., — and what 

 better periodicals can he provide than a good 

 agricultural and family paper ? — to give food to 

 the mind of himself ancl family ; these read and 

 discussed will furnish food for refiection at odd 

 hours as well as entertainment. 



If lighter recreation be desirable, get up a 

 miniature concert, — a family generally have the 

 elements necessary, — if the parents and older 

 ones will relax a little and join with the young- 

 ci" in some innocent amusement. This may 

 I ombine instruction to the young, as well, and 

 will be enjoyed by all. . A social family call at 

 ■■X neighbors, of an evening, to be spent in so- 

 ial converse, singing, innocent games of 

 .cuiusement, etc. 



Form farmei's' clubs, and meet at one anoth- 

 er's houses weekly, not forgetting to take tlie 

 .vile and older daughters as well as sons along : 

 ompare notes, discuss questions of interest m 

 I. familiar way. An essay on some subject of 

 ;cneral interest, prepared and read by one of 

 ■.he members, gives variety, while; at the same 

 iime it improves the parti!i])ators in composi- 

 ion, etc. To give tlie leuude portion time to 

 jiarticipate in such cDtertaimiients, without in- 

 . onvenlence, provide suital)le conveniences ihr 

 iliem to perform tlicir daily tasks; a sewing 

 jiiachlne to do u]) tlie sewing wiUiout tliat 



"everlasting stitch, stitch." Other provisions 

 there are which will suggest themselves readily 

 to the thoughtful, which should be made to give 

 the women an opportunity of better enjoying 

 any recreation. Provide them, and lighten 

 their toils and cares. 



The farmer can at other leisure times make 

 a plan of his farm ; a record of his operations 

 on each field during the past season, to be 

 studied over and improved upon the next. A 

 complete farm record and account kept and well 

 studied, will give a farmer a better insight into, 

 and a better understanding of his business, than 

 can be obtained in any other way ; and relax- 

 ation will be found in making it up and in its 

 study. 



The farmer has the means of making his lot 

 the most agreeable and delightful of all pur- 

 suits, if he but so wills it ; while on the other 

 hand he can make it quite the reverse. Let us 

 then make a proper use of the faculties that 

 nature hjs endowed us with, and make our- 

 selves and our families comlbrtable and happy ; 

 and at the same time make fiimiing a pleasing 

 occupation desirable to be followed by our 

 children. By so doing we shall hold out strong 

 inducements to the young to remain on the farm 

 away from the temptations of city life, where 

 health and morals are liable to be corrupted. 

 W. H. White. 



So. Windsor, Conn., 1866. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 MURIATE O'F LIME. 



Your journal being open as one of the great 

 highways to the empire of agriculture, let us 

 mingle with the industrious crowd and if j^ossi- 

 h\c, contribute some facts to the great granary 

 of truth. 



In 1858, I planted a little swell of land, nat- 

 urally poor, in Lake Village, N. II., near 

 "Little Bay." There was no spring of water 

 in the swell. I mention this because in time of 

 drought it would be unnatural to expect a fair 

 crop. The garden had been under the culti- 

 vation of Thos. Plummer, Esq., for eight years 

 previous, and treated to lime and salt, no ma- 

 nures being used. The venerable man had 

 good crops and the land improved. Could I 

 raise corn on that crown of gravel H was the 

 question. From his instruction, I compounded 

 a muriate of lime composted with loam, and 

 planted 1.50 hills, using the compost as common 

 dressing in the hills, and as I planted, spread 

 about a common tablespoonful over the surface. 

 The result was a crop at the rate of 70 bushels 

 to the acre. The season was late and dry. 

 Many well-mamu'cd fields in the intervale did 

 not produce average crops. On a I'lose exam- 

 ination, I found a thin suli-soil of lime had 

 formed, by the use of the same material for 

 several years in succession. This undoubtedly 

 was the cause of its keeping up so well during 

 the long, dry season. 



