134 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



March 



and much has recently been given to the pro- 

 duction of early varieties, while those for win- 

 ter use have not been overlooked. 



Let us compare the ^rape wiJh the apple as 

 to the amoinit which may be obtained from a 

 given area of land. The most productive 

 apples, such for instance as the Baldwin and 

 Rhode Island Greening, have yielded in good 

 seasons at the rate of some 400 bushels to the 

 acre, while 100 or 200 are a more common 

 crop. Taking 15 or 20 of the more popular 

 sorts, we shall probably not be able to rely on 

 much more than IGO bushels to the acre, 

 through the vicissitudes of different seasons, 

 or not over three or four tons. Now, in ordin- 

 ary vineyard management, four tons do not 

 constitute an extraordinary crop even for such 

 excellent sorts as the Isabella, Concord and 

 Delaware. Some of these have yielded over 

 six tons per acre. It may be questioned, 

 therefore, whether, on the whole, the apple or- 

 chard will yield more than the vineyard ; the 

 latter, it is admitted, requires far more 

 care in cultivation and pruning, and more at- 

 tention also in pi-eserving the fruit. But we 

 are all learning that fruit should have as much 

 care as corn, turnips, and potatoes, and are 

 becoming willing to give it. While, therefore, 

 we would not diminish the amount given to 

 strawberries,, currants, raspberries, goose- 

 berries, blackberries, cherries, apples, peaches, 

 apricots, plums, pears, &c., we especially 

 recommend at the present time a larger atten- 

 tion to the best hardy grapes. 



Otis Tinkiiam. 



Lakeville, Mass. Jan., 1867. 



I On another piece I planted potatoes, on 

 part of which I put a single handful of a com- 

 post of sheep manure and leached ashes in 

 the hill, and on the other part of the piece I 

 I put about a tablespoonful of flour of bone in 

 I the hill. Otherwise there was no manure used 

 I on the piece, — which was plouglied the fall be- 

 j fore. At digging time, where the sheep ma- 

 nure and ashes were put the potatoes were the 

 best. 



On another piece I planted beans. This was 

 well manured with barn-yard manure . skipping 

 certain rows, and noting the product at har- 

 vesting time, between the rows to which bone 

 flour was applied and the rows without the 

 flour, and for the life of me I could not tell the 

 difference. 



I ploughed up one and three-fourths acres 

 in my pasture last May and planted it with 

 potatoes. I used bone flour on most of it, 

 but left certain rows with nothing in the hill ; 

 and certain other rows had about twice as much 

 unlcached ashes in the hill, as I apulied of bone 

 flour. The result stands thus : nothing in hill. 

 No. 3 ; flour of bone in hill. No. 2, and un- 

 leached ashes in the hill. No. 1. This piece 

 had no other manure than bone and ashes. I 

 am satisfied I am out of pocket for a part of 

 the $11.92 up to this date, but what I may get 

 of it in the future I can't tell. If we could 

 have the whole substance of the bone as it 

 comes from the animal, and not lose a great 

 share of the glue and oil by the process of 

 manufacture, undoubtedly .our crops would be 

 more satisfactorv than they now are. 



Bradford, N. H., Jan. 8, 1867. j. f. d. 



For the New England Farmer. 



EXPERIMENTS "WITH FLOUR OP 

 BONE. 



The past season I bought one barrel of flour 

 of bone, made by the Boston INIilling and Man- 

 ufacturing Company ; it cost me §11.92. Be- 

 ing partial in its flivor, I thought I would give 

 it a fliir trial. My farm is mostly of a dark 

 yellow loam, having been formerly covered 

 with a growth of beach, birch, maple, oak, 

 pine, &c. 



I planted a piece of corn which had a heavy 

 coat of horse and sheep manure ploughed in. 

 Of this field certain rows were served with a 

 limited amount of compost, made of leached 

 ashes and hen manure ; other rows with a com- 

 post of night soil and gravel ; certain other 

 rows with about a tablespoonful of (lour of 

 bone, all being applied in the hill ; and other 

 rows were planted without anything in the hill. 

 The result was that where the hen manure and 

 night soil were put the corn got the l)est start 

 and kept it tbrongh the season. At harvesting 

 time I kept two rows served with flour of bone 

 separate^ and two rows without anything in the 

 hill. I husked and measured them by them- 

 selves, and the diderence in the amount of corn 

 from the two lots was ahuost imperceptible. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FLOUR OF BONE. 



Messrs. Editors of Neio England Farmer : — 

 Your correspondent, Mr. Rufus Nutting, of 

 Randolph, Vt., gives some statements in the 

 last issue of your valuable journal, in reference 

 to Flour of Bone ; being, as he states, results 

 of his own personal use of it the last season ; 

 and it not being up to his expectations, Mr. 

 Nutting proposes to write solely in the interest 

 of the farming community, jjro bono ])ublico, 

 and disclaims all intention to injure persons or 

 corporations. We take him at his word, and 

 shall answer him as a man really and honorably 

 anxious only to get at the truth. Mr. Nutting, 

 we presume, will not deny the importance of 

 bone as a mamn-e. That point is too well es- 

 tablished to admit of discussion. All scientific 

 authorities, particularly Liebig and Johnston, 

 place it at the head of" the list of special ma- 

 nures, and devote great space to the exposition 

 of its merits. All practical, intelligent far- 

 mers equally acknowledge it. In England and 

 the Continent of Europe, where bone lias been 

 used very extensively for more tlian lialf a cen- 

 tury, its value is considered beyond a doubt. 

 In Germany it is rated so high that by law its 

 exportation is forbidden. 



