44 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



JERSEY BIiUE FO"WLS. 



The truth of the old adage that "every dog 

 must have his day," is acknowledged by bi'eeds 

 of hens as well as by other subjects of capri- 

 cious fashion. The "Blues," which originated 

 in New Jersey, from a cross of some of the 

 large foreign races with some of our native 

 breeds, were once quite popular with the "fan- 

 ciers," as well as with the more business-like 

 breeders of fowls. But since the great and 

 notable hen-fever, which introduced the Shang- 

 haes and Cochin Chinas, the Jersey Blues seem 

 to have been much neglected, and but little 

 has been heard of them for many years. 



Dr. Kerr, in his "Ornamental and Domestic 

 Poultry," says : — "The color of this variety is 

 hght-blue, sometimes approaching to dun ; the 

 tail and wings rather shorter than those of the 

 common fowl ; its legs are of various colors, 

 generally dark, sometimes Hghtly feathered. 

 Of superior specimens, the cocks weigh from 

 seven to nine pounds, and the hens from six 

 to eight pounds." 



Down E.'VST. — A correspondent of the Maine 

 Farmer at Sarsfield, Aroostook County, says 

 that Plantation was lotted out only six years 

 ago, and now it is nearly all settled. The soil 

 is of a I'cddish color, varying I'rom one to two 



feet deep. The price of farms varies accord- 

 ing to location and quality, from $300 to $600. 

 Wild land belonging to proprietors, is worth 

 from $1.50 to $2.00 per acre; State land 50 

 cents per acre, to be paid in building roads in 

 the township, where the land is situated. Wa- 

 ges twenty-five dollars per month for farm la- 

 bor, and from twenty to twenty-five dollars to 

 work in the woods in the winter season. Me- 

 chanics' wages vaiy from $2.00 to $2.50 per 

 day. The principal crops are oats, buckwheat 

 and iJotatoes. Oats from 40 to 50 cents per 

 bushel ; buckwheat 45 to 50 cents ; potatoes 

 30 to 50c. Average yield of oats and buck- 

 wheat forty bushels per acre. 



Doing Spiung's Work in the Fall. — 

 Work always crowds in the spring, and farmers 

 intend to do all that is possible to be done in 

 the fall to lighten and facilitate the labor of the 

 more busy seasons. A late number of the 

 Eastern Mail speaks of a method of jirepar- 

 ing corn fields in the fall which is practiced in 

 that part of Maine, and called the Daniel Bun- 

 ker system. The land is ploughed and fur- 

 rowed in the fall and the manure api)]ied in the 

 hill and covered ; leaving nothing to be done 

 in the sprmg but to drop the seed and cover it. 



