484 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



result : squashes could not be sold for $10 a 

 ton, while pickles were short and prices higher. 

 This year in spite of skill, the squash crop is 

 very small ; last year the potato crop paid a 

 good profit ; this year disease attacked them 

 before they were grown enough to dig for 

 market, and the disease spread so rapidly that 

 this crop was nearly a failure ; many patches 

 did not pay for digging ; all the labor put upon 

 the crop is lost : the difference of $8 a barrel 

 last year to $1 or $1.50 this, is a great item 

 to the raiser. 



The cost of raising early potatoes and other 

 vegetables has been greatly increased of late 

 by the necessity of sprouting them in manure 

 or hot beds, and then transplanting, as in case 

 of cabbages. The following case is cited. 



Last spring a worthy farmer purchased 100 

 bushels of Chenery potatoes, cost $300 ; about 

 the same amount for the Sebecs ; the land and 

 seed were the best, and all necessary labor 

 was bestowed on the field of about 16 acres. 

 A few days ago a large gang of men were set 

 to digging the potatoes ; result of one day's 

 work, one barrel of potatoes, that might rot 

 in 12 hours afterwards. The owner has di- 

 rected (so reported) to plough in all the crop 

 and sow grass seed. Last year the crop on 

 the same land sold for $1700. In another 

 case, last year, from about the same number of 

 acres, the crop sold for over $2000 ; this year 

 at the present time it promises as good results. 



Fodder Corn. — A large proportion of the 

 farmers of Massachusetts, and many in other 

 parts of New England, cultivate a patch of 

 com to be fed green to their cows after the 

 pastures begin to fail, as they usually do late 

 in the season. Animals eat it greedily, both 

 when green and when partially dried. What 

 has been the experience of the readers of the 

 Farmer, as to the state in which it should be 

 fed ? Many, we know, feed it immediately af- 

 ter cutting ; others allow it to become more or 

 less wilted before it is given to them. The 

 editor of the Utica Herald advises cutting in 

 the morning after the dew is off, and allowing 

 it to remain till evening, by which time a por- 

 tion of the large amount of water it contains 

 will have evaporated. When thus fed, he says 

 a better quality of milk is obtained than when 

 fed green. 



The Oxides of the Metals. — Observing 

 recently in a meadow the wide diffusion of the 

 oxide of the metal, iron, resulting probably 

 from tiu! decomposition of iron pyrites, and 

 that the water of the brooks was freely used 

 by a larfije herd of cattle, the thought came up. 



that of all the metallic oxides that of iron is 

 almost the only harmless one. If the oxides 

 of copper or lead were as widely ditiused the 

 result would be most disastrous. The daily 

 absorption into the system of even minute 

 quantities of most of the metals is I'ollowed by 

 consequences of a fearful kind. So, too, of 

 the carbonates, and other salts. If carbonate 

 of baryta were as abundant as carbonate of 

 lime, animated life would probably fail before 

 its deadly influence. The wise adjustment of 

 substances with regard to their sanitary indu- 

 ence upon men and animals is a matter which 

 can hardly be overlooked by an observing 

 mind. — Journal of Chemistry and Pharmacy . 



AMERICAN" GRAIN" AT THE EXPO- 

 SITION. 



After the gratifying accounts of honor which 

 American mowers and harvesters reaped at the 

 great World's Fair at Paris, we are somewhat 

 taken down by the result of our show of cereals. 

 We are in the habit of thinking of the west- 

 ern part of the United States as the granary 

 of the world, and of young Chicago as stand- 

 ing high among the grain marts of the world. 

 We also understood from our Western papers 

 that measures had been taken for a creditable 

 display of the productions of the fertile soil in 

 our grain growing States of the Mississippi 

 valley. AVe are, therefore, a little disappointed 

 by the award of premiums in the grain depart- 

 ment of the Paris Exposition, and by the fol- 

 lowing remarks of the intelligent correspon- 

 dent of the Prairie Farmer upon this part of 

 the exhibition. 



In the amount of specimens in this depart- 

 ment, which embraces "cereals and other eata- 

 bles, farinaceous products, with their deriva- 

 tives," we were as well represented as other 

 nations, though our arrangement for showing 

 them was inferior. Yet this writer says, "were 

 Indian corn and a ievf samples of wheat out of 

 a great number, especially those from Califor- 

 nia, excluded, we should have but little left to 

 show the fertility of our soil, or the adapta- 

 bility of our climate to the production of ani- 

 mal food, or the skill of our fanners as evinced 

 in the tilling of the soil. 



Lest some may consider me as doing injus- 

 tice to our country, continues this writer, let 

 them look at the award of premiiuns upon col- 

 lections of cereals, just made. They will find 

 the gold medals distril)uted as follows ; Russia, 

 three ; Prussia, five ; France, four ; Portugal, 

 two; Spain, one ; English Colonies, (Austra- 

 lia) one ; Duchy of Mecklenburg, one : — none 

 going to the United States. Of the silver 



