308 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



July 



bnshes, dig up tbe mosses, and uneven places, 

 throw the whole together, and mix salt with the 

 mass as the pile is made up. 



It would i-equire two or three years to bring it 

 into a fine condition, and would require overhaul- 

 ing once or twice a year, and perhaps fresh addi- 

 tions of salt as the work went on. When com- 

 pleted, this would form a capital dressing for the 

 pasture. 



The cattle would browse the tender shoots that 

 would spring up from the roots that were left in 

 the ground, so that many j'ears might elapse be- 

 fore the bushes Avould gain any considei'able gi'owth. 



Try an acre in a manner something like this and 

 report to the Farmer. 



INCREASE OF BIRDS AND INSECTS. 



The pretty severe laws for the protection of 

 birds are based upon their presumed value for 

 destroying insects injurious to vegetation. But 

 what IS the result as a matter of fact ? The birds 

 have increased in this town during the past ten 

 years very largely, — it would be safe to say ten- 

 fold. Cultivators of fruit have given the most 

 efficient aid to the law, and the orchards and gar- 

 dens are vocal with the songs of the numerous 

 small birds, especially protected by the laws. But 

 have not the insects increased in the same or 

 greater ratio ? Every year, I in common with my 

 neighbors, make a clean sweep of the caterpillars, 

 going over the trees several times so as to make 

 the destruction certain ; and yet every succeeding 

 year brings an increase of these nuisances. I have 

 been an ardent defender of birds and of the bird 

 laws, upon the supposition that an increase of 

 birds would within some reasonable time give 

 relief. I have submitted quietly to the annual 

 loss of a portion of my strawberries and sweeter 

 pears and a larger portion of my finest cherries 

 and blackberries, with the fullest faith that while 

 the birds were devouring a fair share of these 

 delicacies, they would rid me of some proportion 

 of tlie insect pests of the orchard and garden. 

 They have not done so. The insects are more 

 numerous than ever, in spite of hand enishing, 

 brushing, scraping, and a dehige of soft and 

 whale-oil soaps. My experience is verified by 

 that of my neighbors. To what shall we look 

 for relief? The more trees we have, the more 

 birds and the more insects. The ravages of 

 the canker worm, caterpillars and borers are 

 growing worse from year to year, and fruit- 

 growers are debating whether they can afford 

 to support and feed the birds as well as the 

 insects. Already one orchard of four hundred 

 noble apple trees has been denuded of its ti"ces and 

 the land laid down to grass, because the owner 

 found it impossible to prevent the ravages of the in- 

 sects, and others are debating whether they had 

 not better follow in the same track. If you can 

 give us any comforting advice pray do so. 



Dorchester, Mass., Axtril, 1867. J. A. ii. 



Remarks. — We are fellow-sufferers with our 

 correspondent, and gannot administer much com- 

 fort. Is New England peculiar in this respect ? 

 What have other people done in England, France, 

 and Germany ? Have not destroyed the birds, 

 we trust. That insects have increased, there is no 

 doubt. But does not supply usually increase de- 

 mand, as well as the reverse ? If we supply a large 

 variety of food upon which insects of all sorts de- 

 light to feed, is it strange that their number in- 



creases ? You destroy the caterpillars on your 

 premises, but your neighbors, perhaps, permit 

 thousand of wild cherry trees and other plants to 

 grow luxuriantly all about them, which supply 

 food abundantly for legions of these insects. A 

 universal onslaught will only exterminate them, 

 and so of other nuisances. 



TOP DRESSING GRASS LAND — RAISING ROOTS. 



I see a great deal in the Farmer about top dress- 

 ing, and perhaps a little of my experience on the 

 subject may be acceptable. About thirteen years 

 ago, I bought two acres of land, one acre of which 

 was plowed, the I'cst in grass, except one-half acre 

 on which the buildings and some apple trees stood. 

 The first year the hay hardly paid for mowing. In 

 the fall I cleared out the woodshed and spread its 

 contents on the grass land. As soon as I could, I 

 seeded down the ren\ainder to grass, and have 

 mowed it yearly, orchard and all. I have contin- 

 ued top dressing ever since, though for the few 

 first j'ears I had but little to apply. After putting 

 what I want on my potato patch, I now spread the 

 rest on my grass. In the fall I put on my summer 

 manure. But having come to the conclusion that 

 there is a loss in applying it in the spring, I shall 

 let my manure lie this year in the shed till fall. 



I usually mow twice ; about the first of July and 

 September, i have about one acre in another place 

 among the rocks, which I mow but once, allowing 

 my cows to take the second crop. This some of 

 my townsmen think the best way, believing that 

 it does not hurt the land so mucii for the cows to 

 gnaw it down to the roots, as it does to cut it off 

 with a scythe ; but I don't think so. I do it sim- 

 ply because my cows want something more than 

 they can get in the pasture during the latter part 

 of the season. On the hay which grew on these 

 three acres, I wintered, in 1865-6, two cows, a 

 horse, and four sheep, and kept two cows six 

 weeks. The past winter, 1866-7, 1 have kept a calf 

 in addition to the above stock, but I am a little 

 short for hay, as my second crop last year was not 

 more than half the ordinary yield. These three 

 acres usually produce fodder enough for two cows, 

 a horse, and four sheep. In this northern country 

 we find that it takes two and a half or three tons 

 of hay, or its equivalent, to mnter a cow. About 

 three-fourths of the apple trees have died out, and 

 the half acre of land near the buildings, produces 

 at least three tons of hay, as good as any grown 

 in this county. I have been in the habit of rais- 

 ing from thirty to fifty bushels of carrots every 

 year which my animals eat, except a few which I 

 sell for coloring butter. The past year, however,! 

 raised al)out sixty-three bushels of carrots and 

 mangel wurzels, and feed all liut ciglit or ten bush- 

 els. These were raised in my garden on thirteen 

 and one-half square rods ; the mixed seed l)eing 

 sown broad cast. When harvested I had fortj'- 

 three bushels of carrots and twenty of mangel 

 wurzels. True, this is not quite as big a storj' as 

 that in the Fakmeh, April 20, where one man is 

 said to have raised sixteen hundred, another twelve 

 hundred bushels per acre, as mine comes a little 

 short of eight hundred. But I do not manure so 

 high as some j^rcmium farmers. I weiglicd one 

 mangel wiirzcl that weighed five poinuls, and an- 

 other three pounds. Some of them will measure 

 near two feet in length. A Subsckiher. 



Wcstficld, VL, April 25, 1867. 



POTATOES AND CORN. 



There are various and conflicting opinions as lo 

 the best mode of cultivating potatoes. While some 

 advocate seeding with small potatoes, a majority 



