180 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



their minds every thing that took place about 

 them. These were facts laid down as a basis, to 

 be buildod upon in all after life by reading, reflec- 

 tion, and an unceasing and acute observation. No 

 wonder that they entered upon the farm with skill 

 to manage their capital in the soil, and to set us 

 excellent examples. Our correspondent, we trust, 

 is one of this class. 



"USE AND MISUSE OF BUCKS. 



I read with much interest an article in your val- 

 uable paper from the pen of Dr. H. Boj-nton, of 

 this State, upon the "Use and Misuse of Bucks." 



With your permission I will give your readers 

 my experience the past season. I kept forty-four 

 ewe sheep, natives, with a slight sprinkling of 

 South down and Leicester. I used with them a 

 buck laml) which was a cross of the Hampshire 

 Down and Leicester. I "tended the buck" by let- 

 ting him among the sheep with a rope about his 

 neck, with which to regulate him. I never allowed 

 him to serve but two each day, and those but 

 twice each. The back was kept in the stable and 

 fed with the best of ha.y, grain and roots, with 

 plenty of water, which kept him strong and vigo- 

 rous.' About three weeks sufficed to serve the flock, 

 when the buck was allowed to run with the sheep. 

 Now for the result : 



Two of the ewes had no lamb. The forty-two 

 dropped lifty-live strong, healthy laml)S, which re- 

 quired no extra attention, except a little feeding of 

 some of the twins for a few days. The lambs l^ie- 

 gan to come the first of April. I lost l)ut one of 

 said lamljs, and that one was killed by a dog or 

 fox in the pasture. I sold the fifty-four lambs in 

 Septcml)er, for two hundred and thirty-five dol- 

 lars, wliich was licttcr than flocks sold for in tnis 

 town with no t« ins among them. The same i-hccp 

 last year had but three .sets of twins, while this 

 year thirteen of them raised twenty-six lambs. I 

 have managed my flocks the same this fall and 

 shall note the rctult in the spring. 



Jonathan Lawrence. 



Si. Johnsbunj , Ft., Jan. 22, 1867. 



P. S. I might have given my manner of feed- 

 ing and caring for my sheep and lainl)s, but my 

 article is already sufficiently lengthy for a new 

 beginner. j. s. 



Remarks. — Just about the right length. How 

 much valuable matter can be put into a small 

 space. Your direct and clear manner of exi)ress- 

 Ing yourself will be urged by thousands of the 

 readers of the Farmer as one of the reasons why 

 you should give them your very successful "man- 

 ner of feeding and caring for your sheep and 

 lambs." 



A NEST OF EGGS. 



Messrs. Editors : — Enclosed I send you a sam- 

 ple of eggs, with the nest, as I found them on my 

 apple trees, while jiraning in Novcuiljcr. Some- 

 times I found the remains of an insect in the nest 

 witli the eggs, sometimes the eggs ah)nc, anil 

 sometimes the remains of the insect witliout the 

 eggs. To what species do they belong ? And are 

 they injurious to the trees or fruit ? 



I also noticed many little (-ases aljout a quar- 

 ter of an inch long, fastened to the under side of 

 the limbs, ^nne two or tliree inches apart, right in 

 a line anil always lengthwise of the l)r;inch, con- 

 taining a very small worm. What are the habits 

 of the creature in its other stages of development ? 



I have alxnit one and one-half acres of (n-chard- 

 ing, the greater part of which was set out some 



thirty-five years ago, and for the last twenty j'ears 

 has had about all done for it that I have seen rec- 

 ommended in the agricultural papers. Have graft- 

 ed, pruned, plowed, scraped and washed the trees, 

 but as yet have not received as much from the land 

 as I should have done had it been laid to grass or 

 planted with hoed crops. 



The soil is loamy, i-esting on a subsoil of loose 

 gravel ; a portion of it sometimes suffers from 

 drought, but never from moisture. There are about 

 twenty varieties of apples in the orchard, embrac- 

 ing the earliest, latest, and medium fruits. The 

 Sapsons and Greenings have made the best growth ; 

 the foiTner being very prolific, the latter always 

 bear many blossoms but little fruit, while the 

 Pearmain's and Peck's Pleasant seem to be ordained 

 for the woodpile, and were it not for the fact that 

 I love apples dearly, a great portion of my orchard 

 would be in that vicinity very soon. 



Hebro7ivUle, Mass., Dec. 28, 1866. S. L. Read. 



Reaiarks. — We have examined the parcel sent 

 us, but no living thing in it could be found, al- 

 though the eggs were broken and placed under a 

 microscope of very high power. The eggs and 

 cocoons are common, but we cannot make out their 

 names from an examination of Harris' book. 



We cannot account for the failure of j'our orch- 

 ard ; perhaps might upon seeing it. A neigh- 

 bor of ours set 150 trees 18 years ago, on good san- 

 dy loam land, and has tended them well. They 

 arc thrifty, handsome trees — but he has not ob- 

 tained fruit enough from them to supply a family 

 of ten persons. We set as many trees at the same 

 time, on a granite soil, have tended them well, and 

 cropt the land heavily every year, and have gath- 

 ered 200 barrels in a season. Why the diftcrcncc ? 

 Who can tell ? One is a granite soil, tXid other a 

 rich, sandy loam. Ours is on high land, the neigh- 

 bor's is on a level between hills and low land. 



"YOUNG OLIVE PLANTS. 



When the "Farmer" arrives, each one, as he 

 takes the paper in hand, turns first to that part 

 in which he or she is most interested. The fanner 

 glances over the first page, turns to the prices cur- 

 rent, &c., while the housekeeper will turn to the 

 last page to read the receipts for cooking, &c., and 

 the sentimental miss will goto the poet's corner. 



Now I am not much interested in the hints about 

 rearing and training colts or calves, Init I have a 

 small flock of bipeds as fall of life and spirits and 

 sound as young colts, and stand in need of as 

 much traiiiing. Tliey are real downright, noisy, 

 boyish l)oys, direct descendants of old father 

 Adam, and have the inherent craving which dis- 

 tinguished that particular ancestor, for more ap- 

 j)les ; consciiuently they arc ready at all times lor 

 a raid upon the commissary department for juip- 

 plics. As 1 have practiced cooking for some years, 

 I find it much easier (when 1 have the materials,) 

 to make their douglmuts and gingcr!)read than to 

 make them docile anil gentle, and m.ich less trou- 

 ble to make cakes and custards than to Iciun them 

 carefulness and cleanliness. Their greatest ambi- 

 tiim seems to be to slide down hill, skate, play 

 ball, and have a good time generally, without re- 

 gard to raiment, or the toil and care necessary to 

 keep it whole and clean. As 1 said, they arc trou- 

 bled with no ambitious desire to become I'resident 

 or anything of that sort, l)ut son)etinies when their 

 very partirnlar wishes are crossed, ihcy niiinifcst 

 a strong tendency to, walk in I he l'oi)tstei)s of that 

 personage, by taking high steps, "swinging round 



