18G7. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



261 



be far better to distribute the butts into drills, — 

 say ten to twelve inches apart ? 



The number of eyes contained in each butt 

 I do not know ; probably not as many as were 

 contained in the seed end which I cut olF. 

 The first bushel, — 60 pounds, — of potatoes 

 from which I cut the seed ends last year 

 (which was a fair specimen of the whole) con- 

 tained 392 potatoes ; the butts weighed 49 

 pounds 6 ounces, seed ends 10 pounds 10 

 ounces; the butts, therefore, were a little less 

 than five-sixths of the whole. Had you seen 

 my potato field last August you would have 

 admitted that they did "expand and grow." 

 The vines completely covered the ground. 

 In my first experiment, the product was nearly 

 at the rate of 300 bushels to the acre. In my 

 second experiment, on a pile of old mud with- 

 out manure, the product was at the rate of over 

 280 bushels to the acre. I never had any ex- 

 perience in planting in drills. If all parts of 

 the soil are within the reach of the roots, 

 which I suppose to be the case when the hills 

 are but three feet apart, I can see no advan- 

 tage in drills. If your Long Island farmers 

 would plant a whole butt, instead of a cjuarter, 

 and thus plant four bushels where they now plant 

 but one, I am confident they would raise larger 

 crops, over and above the extra amount of 

 seed. I can see no harm in their trying the 

 experiment and communicating the result to 

 the Farmer. 



Whether the disadvantage of a larger num- 

 ber of small potatoes would more than coun- 

 terbalance this increased product, I cannot 

 say. For myself, I do not consider small jJO- 

 tatoes an entire loss, as I have animals quite 

 willing to eat them. You say the formers on 

 Long Island in digging their potatoes turn them 

 out with a four or five-tined flat fork which takes 

 them about all out at one pitch. From this, I 

 suppose, the implement is made similar to a 

 manure fork. Would it not be better if so 

 constructed as to operate as a hoe ? If the 

 tines were round instead of flat, I should 

 think they could be used with gi-eater ease, as 

 they would not meet with so much obstruction 

 from the soil. 



Raising Wheat. 



But few farmers in this locality have at- 

 tempted to raise wheat, and those who have, 

 consider it an uncertain crop. There is often 

 a large growth of straw, but the wheat is apt 

 to blight. 



Pasturing Mowing Lands, 



I wish that some one who holds the pen of a 

 ready and powerful writer, would write a pre- 

 mium article upon the injurious effects of feed- 

 ing mowing lands in the fall and spring. 

 Spring as well as fall feeding is, to some ex- 

 tent, still practiced. If the attention of farm- 

 ers could be fairly turned to the subject, I 

 think we should soon see a difference in their 

 practice. Fall feeding is not practiced as the 

 result of any well matured plan ; it is not sup- 



ported by any sound argument ; but is excused 

 on the plea of an imaginary necessity, and is 

 practiced by thoughtlessly following an an- 

 cient custom. E. B. 

 Deny, N. H., March 6, 1867. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 METEOROLOGICAL RECORD. 

 February, 1867. 



These observations are taken for and under 

 the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The average temperature of February was 

 29° ; average midday temperature 36°. " The 

 corresponding averages for February, 1866, 

 were 2-1° and 29°. Warmest day, the 9'th, 

 averaging 44° ; coldest day, the 10th, averag- 

 ing 16°; coldest morning, the 11th, thermom- 

 eter 0°. Range of temperature from 0° to 52°. 

 Average height of mercury in the barometer 

 29.30 ms. ; average do. for February, 1866, 

 29.34 ins. Highest daily average 29.93 ins. ; 

 lowest do., 28.65 ins. Range of mercury 

 from 28.63 ins. to 29.99 ins. 



Fourteen stormy days. Rain fell upon five 

 days. Amount of snow 12.50 ins. Amount 

 of rain and melted snow 4.04 ins. Twelve 

 stormy days, six of rain, in Februarj', 1866, 

 with 14.50 ins. snow, and 5.45 ins. of rain and 

 melted snow. There were two cloudless days ; 

 on three days the sky was entirely overcast. 

 No cloudless days and seven of total cloudi- 

 ness in February, 1866. 



This has been a very warm month as the com- 

 parison with record for last year will show. It 

 is also remarkable in passing by without the 

 "cold snap" which usually occurs in February. 

 The warmth of the weather, with some rain, 

 effectually disposed of the sleighing, making 

 us about as short a season for sledding this 

 winter as last. This absence of extreme cold 

 is, however, an inestimable blessing to thou- 

 sands of poor families in these times of high 

 prices. A. C. 



Clarcmont, N. H., 1867. 



HOW TO LAY SAWED SHINGLES. 



Messrs. Editors : — Mr. Mansur, in his ar- 

 ticle in the Farmer of Feb. 21st, informs your 

 readers how to "double the value of sawed shin- 

 gles ;" and I think well of his advice, though 

 1 have never tried the experiment. I am sur- 

 prised to see how little attention farmers pay 

 to the subject of roofing. 



This subject is rather out of their line of 

 business ; but is it not as well to have a good 

 roof, as to have good hay spoiled under a poor 

 one ? Farmers are not aware how soon their 

 roofs need repairs where they have been con- 

 structed Avith cheap materials, such as sawed 

 shingles with the sap on them. To lay shin- 

 gles well, requires some practice ; and to lay 

 sawed shingles and make the best work that 

 can be made with them, requires still more ex- 



