178 



NEW ENGLAND FARIklER. 



Arnii. 



of alarm in roforoiuo to tho i'uture valuo and 

 prolUs of labor. It will bo soon that tho ox- 

 oossivo inii>ortations of tho past yoar aro onor- 

 mons, and amount to moro than !?'H\OlH).000 

 moro than in 18()4. Tho folhnvino; aro tho fig- 

 uros rotorroil to, showing tho imports at Now 

 York for olovon months during tho yoars 18l>-K 

 18ti«"> and 18tU> rospootivoly : — Ohio Fiirnwr. 



IStU. 18(10. isoo. 



Mamif "turos of wool |n4,-J72,lH>5 $T.40'.>.0;il J;lS,lVJ8,'.H>7 



Miu\"f'turos ofi'otton •J.iHiS.-JJO -J.oTl.S'.H) ;'>,S;>0,;;")S 



Mamirtinos of silk . ft.lU>>,l;il a.SJT.-jeS 7.010,;VJ3 



Mamirtinos oftlux . 4.Kli,404 S,;UC.4'J;> (i.SlO.iVJO 



Mis(.-oll\nis ilry jioods :,1U,7V2 SlVJ.l.M 1,500,;>4-J 

 Total oiitoivd for waro- 



lunisiTis; •27,7;U,47S 17,lH>6,7i> 40,717,110 



AiUl I'utovoil for con- 



sumptiou .... 42,20!'>,70" t>3,725l,4i'2 70,516,014 

 Total I'liiorod at the 



port 70,031,185 81,380.147 120,233,l--'4 



Ykkmont SiiKKV. — Tho oorrospondont of 

 tho Springtiold, (^Mass.) Union, has boon vis- 

 iting tho shoo]> t'arms of Cornwall. Vt.. and 

 roports particulars, llonry F. Doai\ has a oOO 

 aoro fai;m, and 1 40 Spanish morino shoop, val- 

 nod at 'SlO.lHH* Hon. Kollin ,). Jonos has a 

 farm of liOO aoros. His tlook numbors I'J,'), 

 valuod at 840.000. F. II. 1 Van. ooO aoros ; 

 1;">0 brooding owos valuoil at !?,")00 oaoh — !B7o,- 

 (XH). Don't doubt it, for ho has boon otloroil 

 SlOOO oaoh ibr tivo of thom, ami STlKH) last 

 voar foi" a ibnr-yoar old Inu'k. which has sinoo 

 oarnod him $4000. California gold minos can't 

 compare with that. Morrill Brigham. 400 

 aoros ; tlock. oOO thorongh-brod. valuod at 

 ^.il.OOO. Simon S. KockwoU has a llook ol 

 ;>00 valuoil at SoO.OOO. Ono of his bucks has 

 netted him over S-'\000 in tho last four yoars. 

 Hon. Jool Kaiulall, AOO aoros, and 'JoO "of 

 the be>t blooded sheep,'' value not stated. 

 He sold a two-vear old buck i-eeentlv for $oOOO. 



TANNING WOODCHUCK SKINS. 



Seeing so many dilloront ways for tanning 

 furs, woodchuck .-kins. t.tc., 1 thought 1 would 

 send you mine. 1 have tried various ways, and 

 1 thiuk my way the least labor, and tho furs 

 tanned as well, if not better, than any I ever 

 saw. 1 take the tirst jnvmium on taiuiing at 

 our (^ounly Fairs when I take any of them. 



AVoodihut'ks aiv best caught in winter or 

 spring. In an open winter 1 have caught them 

 every month but December. They oome out 

 very early in the spring, and it is very easy 

 catching them — at least, I never had any 

 H-ouble. Fiiul where they oome out, set the 

 trap in the month of the hole, cover with 

 leaves, ami I am snrt> of a woodchuck the lirst 

 time one comes out. 



For tamiing. salt tho skins, mil up, and let 

 them lie for four days in the salt ; then take 

 them and stivtch, and let them ilrv straight 

 and smooth. Thcit take an old shave or some- 

 thing ^imilar, and a smooth board six inches 

 with' to work i>n, and tlesh the .skin clean ; 

 thei\ for each skin take of salt and ])ul\erized 

 alum one table spoonful, etjnal parts for each 



skin — dissolve the salt and alum in warm 

 water just enough to wet the mixture — put it 

 on the skins warm — roll up the skins, and let 

 them lie from two to four weeks ; then par- 

 tially dry them ; then take sand paper and 

 rub them till dry, and they will be reaily for 

 use. There is oil enough in them to make 

 thi'in sotV and pliable. 



Woodchuck fur is nice plushed. It makes 

 good trinnning for children's caps and nice 

 mittens, and iloes not cost one-fourth as much 

 as yarn, and outwears them by half for mittens. 

 1 make the inside of the hands ot the best fidled 

 doth 1 can tiiul. It will outwear the best deei^ 

 skin 1 ever saw, and is much warmer, and 

 wetting and drying iloes not make them hard 

 like deerskin. 1 have tried them both, and I 

 want no more deerskin ibr me vndess for chop- 

 ping. — A. ir. jr., in Countri/ Gcnfhman. 



A Hint FOit the Roys. — T rejoice to say I 

 am a farmer. Although yoimg yet, I lind I 

 can ket>p up with my neighbors. 1 have always 

 lived upon a farm : my father is a good farmer, 

 and he has a nice little workshop, in which I 

 lirst learned the use of tools. I can mend a 

 plow, wagon, sleigh, or an ox-chain, sharpen 

 and temper a crowbai', make a gate and hang it, 

 mend harnesses, boots, shoes and tin ]>ans. re- 

 pair and clean a clock ami watch, and on a 

 pinch can wash, iron, and darn stockings. j\Iy 

 apprenticeship was served in my father's f:\rm- 

 shop on rainy days where 1 spent my leisure 

 time, instead of resorting to the village. This 

 training has given me a love for home, with 

 skill and ingenuity to keep thingsneat and in 

 repair, and to make home attractive to myself 

 and family. — Hitfhlander, j?j liitrol American. 



Agkicultitrk in FiUNCE. — The Jounjal 

 (.If r ^4 (//•/(■«///?//•(• says : — "The agricultural sta- 

 tistics of France for lStU)are not very brilliant. 

 The corn crop is below the average. Wine 

 will be abimdant. but of very ordinary quality. 

 Potatoes are rotting in the storehouses ; in 

 many Instances fears are entertained of not be- 

 ing able to preserve snllicient ibr the next 

 planting. Olives will furnish a better crop 

 than was expected. Tobacco is affected with 

 the rot. Walnuts and chestnuts have produced 

 the ordinary ipiantity. The disasters of the 

 silkworm culture atld tlarker shailows to the 

 picture. The ciiler fruits oiVer a valuable re- 

 source, and several sjHHial crops, such as hemp 

 and colza, have been good. There is. there- 

 ibre, some compensation for the evil, and 

 above all, hopes ibr the futuitJ." 



TnE FiRE-Fi-Y. — This is one of the most 



conunon and peculiar insects we have, and some 

 of its spocies are well known and widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the United States. Hero 

 it is popularly known as the "lightning-bug," 

 on account of their sudden and brilliant Hashes 



