276 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Junk 



Perhaps a more general and common discussion 

 of the siihject by tlie ablest pens, will secure the 

 end. There are prol)al)ly hundreds of farmers who 

 have experimented witli eonuuereial manures the 

 past season, who have not yet made iiul)lic their ex- 

 periments — either being afraid others will learn for 

 nothing what has cost them money, labor, time and 

 patience, or not having been successful, are afraid 

 of being laughed at ; or they "can not Mritc for the 

 papers," or some other equally unjnstitiable rea- 

 son. Are siich men doing their duty to them- 

 selves or the public ? Are we farmers at lil)erty to 

 live for ourselves ? Are we not continually receiv- 

 ing bcnctits from our neighbors, great good from a 

 powerful government, made moj-e and more pow- 

 erful l)y internal improvements, and the increased 

 knowledge and succe.'^s of its ])eoplc ? And if any 

 one can tell of anything that will tend more to 

 these ends than judicious exjieriments, not only 

 made but reported to the public, let him not hold 

 his peace. Lectum. 



Vermont, April, 1867. 



Remarks. — The publishers of the Neav Eng- 

 land Farmer may be counted in for two shares 

 in that premium, on the sole condition that the re- 

 sults be faithfully reported for the benefit of the 

 farming community in general, by thcii" publica- 

 tion in our columns. 



special manuees. 



I would like to know what manure is best or the 

 most profitable to spread on gi-ass land ? Will su- 

 perphosphate of lime pay ? Stalile manure, deliv- 

 ered, will cost about fourteen dollars per cord, and 

 I do not think it pays at that jirice. 



Etiielrert "VVinsor. 



Smithfield, Greenville, R. I., April 5, 1867. 



Remarks. — Fourteen dollars per cord is a large 

 price for manure. But it costs some of our mar- 

 ket gardeners nearly or quite as much, and j^et 

 they apply from ten to twelve cords per acre, and 

 find that it is poor policy to scrimp in manure. 

 They use but little superphosphate, and that for 

 special purposes. We must make and save all the 

 manure we can from our barn and house — from 

 our stock, muck-beds, slops and waste — no, there 

 must be no such thing or word as waste — every 

 thing must be saved and used. For top-dressing, 

 composts are usually employed. Mr. Davis, of 

 Framingham, Mass., whose farming operations 

 were recently alluded to in the Farmer, finds that 

 loam, of itself, as a top-di-cssing, increases the 

 growth of grass, but he thinks the additional value 

 of composting pays for the extra labor of putting a 

 large quantity through the cattle yards and hog 

 pens. 



■WILL PLASTER PAY ? 



I wish to inquire if it will pay to cart plaster, at 

 nine dollars a ton, five miles to put on potatoes and 

 corn, or sow on grass land ? Aauon liiiiGiiAM. 



IJulliston, Mass., March 30, 1867. 



Remarks. — Sometimes it will, and sometimes it 

 will not ; somewhere it will, and somewhere it will 

 not. The operation of plaster is a mystery and a 

 puzzle. We have witnessed most wonderful results 

 from its use in Michigan ; while, from its ajiijlica- 

 tion in Massachusetts, we have looked in vain for 

 proof that it "pays." Some think it operates bet- 



ter in dry seasons than in wet. Suppose you try a 

 little — by which it is sometimes said we find out 

 what a good deal means. 



VERMONT ■WHEAT. 



I did not reply to the inquiry of Mr. Pannenter, 

 for the reason that others, and one in this county, 

 Mr. Nutting, better qualified to do so than I am, 

 have done it. 



I enclose a specimen of wheat grown by me last 

 season. I do not know any name for it. It is an 

 Iowa variety and will stand up under heavy rains 

 better than any variety I have ever sown. 



My crop was 26^ bushels per aci-e, of 60 pounds 

 by actual weight. It makes over 40 pounds of fine 

 flour per bushel. I Avrite that others may be en- 

 couraged to raise wheat in this section where it has 

 been so long abandoned. Royal Burnham. 



South Strafford, Vt., April 9, 1867. 



Remarks. — The berries of the specimen received 

 were so large, plump and handsome, that we 

 showed it to some of our seed-sellers, who were 

 verv much pleased with it, and wish to know if 

 j'ou have any to sell. 



frozen teats — cows FOR THE DAIRY — MANURE 

 FOR CLAY LAND. 



Will you or some of the readers of the Farmer, 

 tell me what can be done with a cow that has 

 frozen her teats so that the milk leaks out all the 

 time ; is there any help for it, or not } 



Which is the best breed of cattle for the dauy, 

 the Ayrshire or Alderncy ? 



Which is the best for clay land, — to put the ma- 

 nure on top of the ground and harrow it in, or 

 plow it in, — for grass ? Curtis Wheeler. 



Fairfax, Vt., March 29, 1867. 



Remarks. — Make beef of the cow as fast as pos- 

 sible. 



Your question as to what breed of cows is best 

 for the dairy would require a somewhat extended, 

 reply to answer it fully. But, briellj', the Ayrshire 

 would be better for a cheese dairy, and the Alder- 

 ncy, or a gi'ade of Alderney, for butter. The cow 

 for a good cheese dairy is not the best cow for a 

 butter dairy. There avp different qualities of milk. 

 If Ayrshire cows are used for butter, one good Al- 

 derney to every six Ayrshires, would give tlie but- 

 ter a decided improvement. 



POTATO-RAISING ON LONG ISLAND, N. Y. 



Your correspondent, "G. B.," Essex, Vt., asks 

 for infonuation as to the "best method of raising 

 potatoes, preparing the seed," &c. Perhaps, the 

 following statement of the process adopted by the 

 farmers in this section, though somewhat dill'erent 

 from that usually practiced in New England, may 

 attbrd him some practical hints. 



The land is deeply plowed, and horse manure 

 used, which forces the crop to early nuiturity, and 

 hence it is less liable to rot. The largest potatoes 

 are selected for seeil, and if oblong, arc cut in quai'- 

 tcrs, rejecting the small eyes of the seed end, so 

 called, which prcducc small potatoes l)ut do not 

 add to the weight of the product, as was demon- 

 strated to me on a potato field. The pieces arc 

 dropped 1.5 to 18 inchs apart, growing no more 

 than three or four stalks together, so that it is 

 )-ather drills than hills. As to cultivating, it is very 

 little more work, and the chances of growth nmch 

 greater than oversceding in the hill. From the 



