72 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



i"obs. If (liero is not onoufih woj-k to keep 

 lim busy all of the time, he may /lud in visit- 

 ing, tra\ellin<;;, soeial intereourse wifli other 

 men of leisure, and above all in pkinty of 

 boolcM and jJajxTs, am))Ie means to make the 

 time pass pleasantly and prolltal)ly. 



Now it seems to me that this gives some 

 idea of another " side of the story," whieh in 

 reality a\oids both e.xti'emes. For, in the 

 first plaee, it does not kee}) a man tied down 

 to hard work, or burdeni'd with th(^ eonslant 

 care and troubles of the farm and deprived of 

 all the advantages of town life ; nor, in the 

 I second plaee, does it become necessaiy for him 

 r to be shut up in a city and dei)rived of all of tlu^ 

 freedom, comfbi't and convenience of farm life. 

 lie may lia\'e the use of his own horse and 

 cow, aud make his ])ork and raise his eggs and 

 chickens. His land will supply all that is 

 visually obtained on the farm, buti wheat, and 

 fruit, wliich in most places, lor a small family, 

 need not be wry expensive. WhlU- in select- 

 ing and locating on sufh a ])lace, care will be 

 taken to so arrange Ihiancial matters as to have 

 a sullicicnt iufome IVom money at interest, or 

 some other sourci', to amply provide for all 

 calls in the money line. 



Now, in concluding, allow me to ask why 

 many i'armers that are getting old, may not 

 Lave and enjoy such a home ? Not those who 

 are able to do all kinds of work on the farm, 

 and that have <'hildren Avho should be brought 

 up to work and trained to make good farmers ; 

 but those who, having devoted their best years 

 to industry and economy, now have plenty (or 

 their own comfort, and have made reasonable 

 provision lor their children. 1 can see no good 

 reason why such a farmer may not so retire. 

 Is (here any one that can ? F. 



Wederu'Ncto York, Nov., 18G6. 



For the Kcio England Farmer. 

 SOILING MILCH COWS. 



I an> decidedly of tlui opinion that it pa^s to 

 soil milch cows through the sununt-r, for J have 

 succeeded in suunnering twi-nty cows Avell, the 

 past season, on a place where seAcnteen were 

 the most e\('i' k<'j)t before, and have made a 

 larger amonntof manuri' than some would have 

 madi' through the winter from the same stock. 

 I doubled the amount of solid maniu'c by fill- 

 ing the gut lei- in rear of the t'ows' stalls, every 

 time the stable is cK'aucd, with dry nuick. 

 This furnishes an abiuidance of material to 

 grow my green (odder ni'xt year. 



1 would like to know if any one has ever 

 tried milkweed lor soiling cows P 1 am of 

 the o])iuion that they are nnu'h ahead of any 

 other fodder (or making milk. Cows eat them 

 eagerly, it is .something I have never thought 

 of before this summer. I have gathered a few 

 seeds aud shall try the ex])eriment next year. 



A great amount of excellent lop-dressing is 

 lost by fiirmers who have no barn cellars, and 

 who take no jjains to provide dry material to 



absorb tlu^ in-iiu> from their stock. This might 

 be saved in still another M'ay, if those already 

 mentioned are not convenient. INlany cannot 

 have cellars without nnich expense, and would 

 have to haul dry material too far to make it pay. 

 Make hoh's in the floor in rear of the stock, — or 

 use lattice work, — and put conductors imder- 

 neath, — half a hollow log would answer, — and 

 conduct it into a cistern, from which it may be 

 pumped to irrigate grass land with small cost 

 and great profit. t. c. n. 



Willidon, Vt., 1866. 



THE WOOLEN TARIFF IN DANGl^R. 

 From an article in the liural Ncio Yorker, 

 by Dr. Randall, with the above caption, we 

 coj^y the following earnest words of caution 

 and advice : — 



TJic woolen tariff of last winter is in very 

 great ilcnu/er ; and the chances are that it will 

 be lost unless the most strenuous exertions ai'e 

 inunediately made by its supjiorters. 



What kind of exertions an; called for? At 

 the period of the meeting of the National Wool 

 (irowers' Association at ("leveland, in Novem- 

 ber, (he impression prevailed that all was safe 

 if we remanu'd united, and that the resolutions 

 passed by that body, and by tlu> State vVssoci- 

 ations, would be sufliclcnt. Ihit if is now ap- 

 parent tliaf then "'"''^ ""' ^"^ sufficient. We must 

 ])elition Congress. This was our great weapon 

 last winter. Its effect on the House was most 

 striking. We were present some weeks of the 

 session and know. No easily available Ibnti 

 of ])0]iular expression comes home so directly 

 and eifectively to the representative. 



There is not a moment io lose. Mr. Wells' 

 report Avill soon be befbri- Congress, and INIr. 

 Fcssenden's will undoubtedly be commenced, 

 even before a jxipular expression on the wool 

 tariff can make itself audil)le. Mr. Fessenden 

 is an experienced and able statesman. If he 

 errs in the premises it is lor the Avant of full 

 information. Jt is the business of the wool 

 growers and manufacturers of the Ibiitcd States 

 to fiu'nish him that information. The mann-y 

 facturcrs are doing so. It is time for the ])ro-! 

 (luc(M\s to act. Every friend of the wool and 

 wooh'U interest, in or out of (^ongress, in ^Vash- 

 ington, concurs in the imminencj' of (he dan- 



To those unused to MTiting their Congress- 

 men on public matters, we will take the liberty 

 of saying : h't your letters be short and naked- 

 ly to the i>oiut. A distinct expression of in- 

 dividual opinion (hat as high a rate of duties 

 ()u wool and woolens as that contained in (he 

 bill which passed (he House last winter is ne- 

 cessary to ensure a fair and reasonable degree 

 of ])rosp(>rity to the wool grower — and (hat 

 such is (lur opinion and testimony of all expe- 

 rienced growers — is the main thing. 



As regards petitions, the mere /();•?« matters 

 little. Nor is it of (he least consetiueuce that 



