96 



NEW ENGLAM) FARMER. 



Feb. 



allowed 10s. in the pound upon the losses they have 

 sufifered from the cattle plague. 



— A Scotch writer, in the English Agricultural 

 Gazette, says that supei-phosphate seems to have 

 lost its power with him, and does not do well on 

 his land, though a few years ago it produced mar- 

 vellous results. Another says guano does no good 

 now, whilst fourteen years ago the smallest dust- 

 ing showed a marked effect. 



— Hon. Levi Bartlett, of Warner, N. H., writes 

 to the Country Gentleman that on a farm adjoining 

 his there were raised this year fifty bushels of ears 

 of pop corn on three-fourths of an acre, fur which 

 the farmer received .g:l..50 per bushel — $lo for what 

 grew on three-fourths of an acre, besides the fod- 

 der. 



— It is stated by an English horticultural paper 

 that Prof. Schuitzenstein asserts that pui'e i)ump, 

 spring, or river water contains an inexhaustible 

 supply of nutriment that is the real staple food for 

 plants ; and that the knowledge of this is calculat- 

 ed to throw light on many puzzling plicnomena in 

 vegetable pliysiology and culture. The art of mak- 

 ing water nutritious should be the true aim of hor- 

 ticulture and agriculture. 



— It is stated by the authors, that earth-worms 

 feed upon earthy matter, from which they digest 

 the fine vegetable mould contained therein, and 

 eject the remainder at the mouths of their burrows. 

 By crawling about in the ground as they do, they 

 are most imp-ortant and serviceable agents in loos- 

 ening the soil, and opening it for the air and water 

 to penetrate it. And by throwing out their cast- 

 ings at the mouths of their holes they add to the 

 depth of the soil, and cover tracts that are compar- 

 atively barren, with a superficial layer of fine fer- 

 tile soil. 



— ^Who should have a good garden if not the far- 

 mer ? He has plentj'^ of land, team, and as nmoh 

 manure as lie can spare. There is no class of peo- 

 ple to whose fund lies n garden is a greater consreti- 

 ience or nun'e v>irissing ne.;esL"ity, than the farming 

 class. Reiiioved far frooi that access to a daily 

 market wliivli maives up for the want of a garden 

 to town and city residents, the fanner's houseJiold 

 must do without fresh vcgetaliles and fruits unless 

 they are home-produced. Without a garden, the 

 winter diet is mainly bread, meat, and potatoes. 



— Hon. Levi Bartlett, Warner, N. H., writes to 

 the Country Gentleman that almost the only kind 

 of potato grown tliere at the present time is a vari- 

 ety known as the "Orono," said to have been ob- 

 tained froii; Orono, Me. It is a large, white, ratlier 

 kidney-shai);',d tal)er — he thinks, in quality, 0(i',ial 

 to the famed Carter, and superior to the Chenango 

 as a table potato, yielding on his farm at least 

 three-fold over the Carter, Chenango or Pritice 

 Albert. C. Clark, a neighbor of his, raised 250 

 bushels on three-quarters of an acre, on inverted 

 sod land — S. C. Pattce over 200 bushels on half an 

 acre inverted sod, and others in like ratio. 



OLD -WINTBR IS COMING. 



BY HUGH MORE. 



Old Winter is coming again — alack ! 



ilow icy and did is ho ! 

 He caros not a, pin ibr a shivering hack ; 

 Ho's a ^aacv- old chap to white and black ; 

 He whistlefc hia chills with a wonderful knack, 

 For he comeH from a cold country. 



A witty old fellow this Winter is — 



A mighty old fellow for glee ! 

 He cracks his jokes on the pretty, sweet miss, 

 The wiinklcd old maiden, unfit to kiss, 

 And freezes the dew of their lips ; for this 



In the way with fellows like he ! 



Old Winter's a frolicsome blade, I wot — 



He is wild in his humor and free ! 

 He'll whistle alon>; for "the want of thought;" 

 An 1 set all the varmth of our furs at naught; 

 Aiid rultl? the laces hy pretty girLs bought — 



A frolicsome fellow is he I 



Old Winter is blowing his gusts along. 



And merrily shaking the tree I 

 From morning till night he will sing his song — 

 Now moaning, and short — now howling, and long 

 His voice is loud, for his lungs are strong — 



A merry old fellow is he I 



Old Winter's a tough old fellow for blows, 



As tough as ever you see I 

 He will trip up your trotters and rend your clothea, 

 And stiffen your lunbs from your fingers to toes; 

 He minds not the cries of his friends or his foes — 



A tough old fellow is he 1 



A cunning old fi'llow is Winter, thoy say, 



A cunning old fellow is he ! 

 He peeps in the crevices day by day. 

 To see liow we're passing our time away. 

 And mark all our doings from grave to gay, — 



I'm afraid he's peeping at me I 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 MORE ABOUT BETyTTING FARMS. 



I was very g-lad to see the article on renting 

 farms, in your issue of Dec. 22, 18()G ; and, 

 with your permission, will furnish some further 

 facts and considerations in regard to the same 

 subject. 



There are many farmers who would be glad 

 to let or rent their larras, if they could have 

 them well worked and taken care of, Ibr these, 

 among other reasons : — That on account of 

 age, or poor health, they wish to be relieved 

 from the labor, care and trouble of the farm. 

 Help is very high, and any that is reliable hard 

 to get. While they do not wish to work the 

 farm themselves, they do not like to sell it. 

 Having spent their best days, and done a large 

 amount of hard work on the fixmi, they have 

 become attached to it; so they dread the idea 

 of selling and giving it up entirely to strangers. 

 And not having much experience in investing 

 money in other ways, they wish to keep it in 

 the farm, wliere they know it is safe. And 

 then, while relievetl fi'oin the care and trouble 

 of fanning, they woidd like to go back to the 

 farm for fuel, fruit, aiul other things needed. 



We want more tenant-farming to keep young 

 men from leaving thi^ fiirin. The fart that so 

 many young men rpiit the f;irm for other busi- 

 ness, or lor distant new sections, thus making 

 lielp scarce and high, is one oi tlie most seri- 

 ous drawbacks to Eastern farming. Now, one 



