512 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



Nov. 



to grow wheat on his farm, the more he dimin- 

 ishes his chances for a good crop ; or, in other 

 ■words, wheat straw is the best fertilizer for 

 wheat, — containing as it does a large portion 

 of silex in a proper condition to produce 

 another crop. Wheat straw and chatf in no 

 case should leave the farm. The notion that 

 wheat cannot be grown is an idle one, with no 

 foundation of fact. Our hills are, by proper cul- 

 tivation, as capable of producing this crop as 

 they were one hundred years ago. The 

 wheat fields of Rome, from which wheat har- 

 vests were gathered in the days of the Repub- 

 lic are capable of producing wheat to this day. 

 The wheat crop in our vicinity is being good 

 this season, considering the extremely wet 

 weather. Though comparatively but little 

 was sown, there will be something over one 

 hundred bushels grown in my immediate neigh- 

 borhood ; and less comparatively in most other 

 portions of the town. I shall endeavor to ob- 

 tain the number of bushels raised in the whole 

 town. 



The Onion Maggots destroyed by Swallows. 



I have grown onions for the two past years. 

 Last year, being my first acquaintance with the 

 crop, I had to grope my way along, but I had 

 a very good crop. Tbis year I sowed a larger 

 breadth, and was all right till about the 20th of 

 June, when the maggots commenced eating, and 

 I would have sold out the crop ibr five dollars. 

 On the last of June the barn swallows com- 

 menced a raid upon the onion patch and fol- 

 lowed it several days, and when the swallows 

 left, the maggots did also, and the result is a 

 fine crop of onions. Now did the swallow 

 destroy the onion fly ? 1 have read of many 

 remedies and tried several to no effect against 

 this pest, but in this case the swallows were 

 effectual. There were at least fifty during the 

 two da3s that I observed them on the patch, 

 and before a week they entirely left. This 

 seems to be a strong plea for the birds. 



The hay crop is good, but much damaged ; 

 meadows nearly ruined, many not cut yet; 

 grain good ; apples short ; corn on high land 

 fair, on low lauds poor ; potatoes rotting bad- 

 ly, one half of the crop will be lost ; second 

 crop of grass will be good if we have weather 

 to save It. H. 



Epping, N. E., Aug. 31, 1867. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 POULTRY, DOGS, &c. 



The fact is well established in this section 

 of country, that tlie raising of turkeys has got 

 to be a very precarious business. And why ? 

 Turkt'ys, unlike most other domestic fowls, 

 cannot be raised by every one, for want of 

 territory for them range upon. I'ossessiiig a 

 roving disposition, they ramble about over 

 many acres in pursuit of food ; consequently 

 the farm, and a tolerably large one, with neigh- 

 Jjors at a respectable distance, must be their 



home. But upon such farms are found most 

 abundantly the enemies of the turkey, such 

 as foxes, skunks, &c. Notwithstanding the 

 utmost care, more and more of them are yearly 

 caught. 



But a few years ago my mother thought it 

 "no knack at all" to raise thirty or forty good 

 nice turkeys. A little care and attention un- 

 til a week or two old, and then they went 

 where they pleased until time to begin to feed 

 them in the fall, — rarely one ever being caught. 

 Now, if you trust them out of sight, there is 

 danger of losing one or more. Recently a 

 neighbor lost his "old gobbler" by a sly fox 

 taking it within ten rods of him, while haying. 

 A grand display of hallooing did no good as 

 reynard bore off his prize in triumph. Last 

 summer he lost some thirty or forty from the 

 same cause. Others who have attempted to 

 raise them lose from one-third to one-half of 

 their flock by means of foxes, skunks, &c. 

 Of late, too, woodchucks have become so 

 plenty that we cannot raise beans in the field, 

 and last season they attacked our squashes 

 and pumpkins. 



Now what is the remedy ? The dogs that 

 formerly took care of these animals have mostly 

 succumbed to the two dollar yearly tax. Some 

 large fat, lazy, ones, that have rich owners, 

 yet remain, but those sprightly ones, the ter- 

 ror of woodchucks and otiier small vermin, 

 have left for the interests of the sheep-raiser, 

 but to the detriment of our crops, poultry, 

 &c. While 1 am ready to admit that dogs 

 sometimes kill sheep, I have good reason for 

 saying that they are sometimes falsely accused, 

 and that the remains of many a sheep that died 

 of disease or old age, have been pointed to as 

 justification of the most unfounded charges 

 against dogs. Still I am willing that the ma- 

 jority should rule. J. B. 



Ashjield, Mass., 1867. 



INDIAN COKN. 



BY CHARLES G. LELAND. 



For many a mile on every side 



I see the golden corn, 

 And hear the cricket's notes around 



Bound like u fairy born 

 In concert with the wild bee's drone, 



In ellin murmurs borne. 



Long, long ago, as legends tell, 



The Indian fairy queen 

 Unto the ancient IJehiwares 



Came down upon the green. 

 An azure glory round her head, 



Her robes a vapory sheen ; 



And where she sat tobacco soon 



Its bitter fragrance Hung, 

 And where her left hand touched, the bean 



Rose llowering fresh and young; 

 And where her right liand swept, the maize 



In golden glory sprung. 



And whetlier you do »'at it roast 



Or take it baked in pone, 

 Or like it best as Johnny cake. 



Still let the truth be known ; 

 That corn first came from fairy land, 



And was by fairies grown. 



