1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



466 



scenes, sayings, and doings, and the sacred 

 memories of home. Thanks to the Cincin- 

 nati Gazette for the pleasure we have found 

 in reading him, and which we mean tens of 

 thousands of others shall enjoy through these 

 columns. Come and rusticate with us, friend, 

 in the "Woods of Walden," on the banks of 

 the "classic" Concord river, amid whispering 

 hemlocks and gorgeous autumnal scenery. 



OCTOBER ■WORK. 



No month In the year affords more pleasant 

 opportunities for out-door work than October. 

 It is usually dry and cool, so that men and 

 teams feel lusty and strong. The days are not 

 so long as to exhaust either, and with all 

 things in order, a great deal may be done to- 

 wards permanent improvements on the farm, 

 besides attending to the stock and the crops. 



In the early part of the month it is an ex- 

 cellent time for draining, which is a work 

 greatly needed on many farms. Needed, be- 

 cause there are acres of low, moist ground on 

 them which produce but one ton of ordinary 

 hay each year, worth, perhaps, ten dollars a 

 ton, while, with proper drainage, ploughing, 

 manuring a little and seeding, they would 

 produce a ton and a half, and sometimes two 

 tons per acre for ten years in succession, and 

 worth from $10 to $16 per ton. Every second 

 year such land ought to receive a top dressing 

 of well rotted manure, in order to keep up the 

 fertility which we have assumed. In most 

 cases no money need be expended to reclaim 

 such lands, excepting for grass seed, if the 

 proprietor does not raise it himself. The re- 

 clamation of such lands will pay the farmer 

 twice as much interest as the investment of his 

 money will in railroad, bank, or most other 

 stocks. The investment of their money in 

 various kinds of stocks where the income is 

 small, at most, and where dividends are with- 

 held, and ruinous losses frequently ensue, in- 

 stead of investing in the soil about their doors, 

 is an error which a great many New England 

 farmers fall into. If they would make an ex- 

 periment upon one acre, keeping an accurate 

 account of the cost of reclamation, and the 

 value of its products for five years, they would 

 find that the products of the land would give 

 an income three or four times as large as that 

 derived from most stocks. This income would 

 be liable to few lluctuations, and would be ab- 

 Bolutely secure from any great loss. 



Next to the middle of June, October Is the 

 best time for pruning apple and other trees. 

 They are then in a comparatively quiet state, 

 and will not bleed when they are cut. 



If the month proves a particularly dry one, 

 every available moment should be occupied to; 

 accumulate materials to increase the manure 

 heap throughout the winter. One of the best 

 of all materials for this purpose is peat. In- 

 deed, old, highly decomposed peat is an excel- 

 lent manure in itself. In addition to this. It 

 Is one of the best absorbents In nature, and If 

 added to the droppings of the stock once a 

 week, will store up and preserve every pound 

 of them for future use. 



Cattle who are fattening for beef, and 

 swine intended for slaughtering in December, 

 will require especial attention while mild 

 weather lasts. They will grow much faster 

 on the same food, than when the weather Is 

 cold. 



Much cost of fuel, vexation and discomfort 

 may be avoided by careful attention to the 

 buildings before blustering weather sets in. 

 From the saddle boards to the underpinning, 

 every part ought to be examined, and a shingle 

 put in place, a clapboard nailed down, a pane of 

 glasss set, or a door righted up wherever 

 either are needed. If the house needs bank- 

 ing up, it may be done easier and better with 

 hemlock or pine brush laid closely together 

 against the bottom of the house. The first 

 snow that falls will be likely to fill all the 

 openings in the brush, and the frost will not 

 penetrate half as quick as it would a mass of 

 earth. When the brush is removed In the 

 spring It may be burnt in the garden, where 

 the ashes will afford a most valuable dressing. 



October affords a good time to clear up 

 under the walls — cut the bushes and tear up 

 the roots, and if the loam has accumulated 

 there, as it often does in the course of years, 

 cart It out and spread on the grass lands. It 

 will be as valuable as a light dressing of 

 manure. 



Many other things will call for the attention 

 of the farmer during the month, which, if ne- 

 glected, cannot be so well done at any other 

 time. He must remember that thrift comes 

 more frequently from systematic industry than 

 from what Is called "good luck." 



— Proper care of our horses would obviate many 

 painful diseases. 



