284 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



Maple of England, the common maple of the 

 continent of Europe, is a smaller tree and 

 probably less hardy, as it is not a native of the 

 northern part of Great Britain. G. B. E. 



Boston, April, 1867. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 IMPROVEMENT OP STOCK. 

 Although for the last twenty years the im- 

 provement in all the departments of Agricul- 

 ture has been rapid and persistent, yet no one 

 thing to my mind has kept pace with the im- 

 provement which is especially observable here 

 in New England,- in all kinds of farm stock. 

 Twenty years ago, the Alderney breed of cows 

 which is adding so much to the wealth of the 

 dairy Interests of the country was, In this sec- 

 tion, at least, unknown, and our Durhams and 

 Devons were anything but generally dissemi- 

 nated. At that time, too, I can well remem- 

 ber that the report of a ten or eleven pound 

 fleece of wool from a mature Merino buck was 

 received with very grave doubts as to Its truth, 

 and we are sometimes disposed to smile at our 

 early unbelief when we now see fleeces of 

 from twenty to twenty-five pounds in weight 

 quite common among a similar class of sheep. 

 Although a large per cent, of this extra weight 

 is produced by the greater length and thick- 

 ness of the fleece and by the more complete 

 covering of every part of the body, yet some- 

 thing must be attributed to the extra care and 

 shelter fi'om storms, now given. A recent ex- 

 amination of the flock of Eben Bridge, Esq., 

 of Bomfret, Vt., who has been for many years 

 one of the leading breeders of Merino sheep 

 in WIndson County, has abundantly satisfied 

 me of the rapid improvement which the past 

 few years has witnessed in this invaluable 

 breed of sheep. Mr. Bridge has_ In his pos- 

 session two of the best sire animals In the 

 country, as their stock amply proves ; and. I 

 should judge, about one hundred and fifty 

 ewes, which for compactness of fleece upon 

 every part of the body, for robust constitutions 

 and symmetry of form are very seldom equalled. 

 At this day, the great point to be keptsteadfly 

 in view by Merino sheej) breeders Is to Increase 

 the amount of pure wool in their flocks, and the 

 time is not far distant when the flock which wfll 

 cleanse the most wool per head, other things 

 being equal, will take the front rank among the 

 Merino sheep of the country. E. R. s. 



Cornish, N. H., Feb. 18, 1867. 



GRAPES IN MIDDLESEX CO., MASS, 

 From various reports and statements pub 

 lished In the lately Issued "Transactions of 

 the Middlesex, Mass., Agricultural Society," 

 we glean a few facts in relation to the cultiva- 

 tion of Grapes. 



In this county which Is entitled to the credit 

 of originating the Concord grape, it is esti- 



mated that more than fifty acres are devoted 

 to grape culture. 



Soil. — The Committee on Vineyards say, 

 cheap lands, not worth more than twenty dol- 

 lars an acre, will answer every purpose of a 

 vineyard. Redding, a great authority on 

 wines, says that good, rich soil never produces 

 even tolerable wines. It will be seen from 

 one of the Concord statements, that one-half 

 acre of waste pasture land, after being turned 

 into a vineyard, was made to yield, from 356 

 vines, 3592 pounds of grapes, sufficient to 

 bring the sum of $1,243.20. Two thousand 

 cuttings are also raised at twelve cents apiece, 

 making .$240 additional. Total, $1,483.20, 

 from half an acre of land. 



In the statement of Thomas S. Hunt, the 

 ground was cleared of brush, wood, and stone, 

 and plowed ten inches deep ; stable manure 

 composted with swamp muck, at the rate of 

 thirty cart loads to the acre, spread and cov- 

 ered with the harrow, and potatoes planted. 

 The following spring manure as before.^ The 

 ground Is now ready for the vines, which are 

 set in rows running east and west, eight feet 

 apart and seven feet In the rows. The variety 

 planted Is the Concord. 



Manures. — After the vines are set, the 

 committee say that ashes of wood, leached or 

 unleached, are a powerful manure for the vine, 

 and prol)ably contain all that it requires. Mr. 

 Derby of Lincoln used green manure from the 

 hog pen. His berries, were large and juicy, 

 and looked better for the market when freshly 

 gathered than the others submitted for inspec- 

 tion. But In one week after they were re- 

 ceived by the chairman of your committee, 

 they began to shrink up and to taste Insipid, 

 and to-day, (Dec. 20) they have all faUen from 

 the stem and shrunk up, nothing but their skins 

 remaining. A box of the same kind of grapes 

 (Concord), which were received at the same 

 time from Mr. John B. Moore, of Concord, 

 who used unleached ashes to fertilize his vines, 

 still remain on their stems, and are plump. 

 Their flavor Is still good, although it has lost 

 some of its sprightliness. In the opinion of 

 the chairman of your committee, the diifcrence 

 in flivor of the last mentioned grapes Is attrib- 

 uted to the use of wood ashes for manure, in- 

 stead of a gross, rich compost. 



Planting and Pruning. — Mr. Hunt, of 

 Concord, says, throw out the soil as deep as 

 planted, and in circumference from three to 

 six feet, according to size of plant, and with 

 pick or bar loosen the subsoil ten Inches deep ; 

 1 now throw back a part of the soil, crowning 

 It a little In the centre ; upon this spread the 

 roots evenly, covering them with the best sou. 

 Some vineyardists of reputed experience rec- 

 onunend deep trenching and high manuring. 

 They should also add a long purse well Idled. 

 For open culture in our vineyards, whether of 

 large or small extent, it will not pay. 



My method of training in the vineyard is 



