618 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Not. 



PBESERVINQ PEACH STONES. 



The first care is to see that they do not get 

 dry while collecting them. In order to do 

 this, set any old box that will hold a peck, in 

 the shade of the house or a tree, and as fast 

 as the stones are collected throw them into 

 the box and add a handful of moist soil. Be- 

 fore the ground freezes, sink the box three or 

 four inches into the ground and cover it over 

 with earth to the depth of six inches, and let 

 it remain till spring. 



As soon as the ground is sufficiently dry in 

 April to fall to pieces readily when stirred, 

 take up the stones and plant them. Many of 

 the stones will be found with sprouts sticking 

 out, and need no cracking, but those that are 

 not sprouted should be carefully cracked be- 

 fore they are planted. Place the stones in 

 shallow furrows and cover them with one inch 

 of soil. Place the stones about two feet apart 

 60 as to allow ample room for budding them 

 when they are ready for it. 



If the spot where they are planted is a dry 

 one, or if the season proves dry, it will be well 

 to cover the rows with boards, set up an inch 

 from the ground, so as to keep it moist until 

 the young plants appear. 



■WEEVILS IN GRANARIES. 



Some years since, accident discovered to a 

 French farmer a very simple and efficient 

 method of preventing, or rather destroying, 

 this insidious pest in corn and grain houses. 



Happening to deposit, in one corner of a 

 building in which there was stored a quan- 

 tity of grain, a few sheep skins from which 

 the wool had not been pulled, he found, upon 

 examining them a few days after, that they 

 were literally covered with dead weevils. 

 The experiment was repeated, and always 

 with the same result. 



On stirring the corn, (wheat, probably,) he 

 was surprised to find that although previously 

 infested to a degree that forbid all hope of 

 saving it from nnmediate destruction by this 

 pertinacious foe, not a single insect was to be 

 found among it. The experiment is certainly 

 worth trying. Instead of the sheep skins, 

 which are quite valuable, we might substitute 

 those of the woodchuck, who is increasing to 

 an inconvenient and expensive extent. What 

 killed the weevils, whether the fatty matter on 

 the skin, or something else, we have not been 



able to learn. At any rate, let us try the 

 woodchuck skins. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 NOTES FROM CHESHIRE COUNTY, N. H. 



Agreeably to former practice, I send you 

 some notes from the immediate vicinity of 

 Grand Monadnoc, that the readers of the Far- 

 mer, in other sections, may compare notes with 

 us in relation to weather, crops, &c. The 

 season thus far has been peculiarly a wet one. 

 So dissimilar to the last two seasons, as to give 

 us a wide range of observation upon the ex- 

 tremes of weather, and its varied effects upon 

 the several kinds of vegetable production. 



The summers of 1865 and 18(36, were ex- 

 tremely dry, with very little snow the follow- 

 ing winters, which enabled the frost to enter 

 deep into the ground, holding the entire 

 amount of the circulating fluids of vegetation 

 in its icy grasp, which is always attended with 

 serious injury. This can only be avoided by 

 heavy mulching. If there is but one thing that 

 demands to be hard pressed upon the atten- 

 tion of fruit growers in this section of country, 

 it is that of mulching. By the lessons of the 

 past, I have been led to believe that there is 

 nothing connected with the science of pomol- 

 ogy, so essential to success as this. It pro- 

 vides or furnishes all the requisites of a good 

 crop of manure, by maintaining an equilibrium 

 of temperature in the soil, guarding against 

 the injurious effects of drought in summer, and 

 frost in winter; it prevents the premature 

 dropping of fruit, and of the leaves which are 

 necessary for the preservation and maturity of 

 the fruit buds for another season's crop. 



The apple crop of this season is quite small, 

 the Baldwin being the only variety which is 

 bearing to any extent. Pear trees are gener- 

 ally bearing well. The Bartlett, Beurre Su- 

 perfin, and Louise Bonne de Jersey seem to be 

 at home in our soil, and bear to a fault. Should 

 the Superfin continue as it has began, it must 

 stand at the head of field pears. It has but 

 one fault — a tendency to overload. Of five 

 varieties of grapes all have mildewed badly 

 but the Monadnoc, (a seedling — fragrant,) 

 and Delaware. The Clinton seems the worst. 

 The Delaware is the grape for this section ; it , 

 is hardy, grows steady, bears early and abun- 

 dantly, and ripens its fruit. It is now, (Sept. 

 23,) nearly ripe. All kinds of wild berries in 

 abundance. The blackberry crop was remark- 

 ably fine, and in view of the scarcity of the 

 apple crop, large quantities have been pre- 

 served. 



The hay crop is very heavy — the largest for 

 many years. A fine second crop is now being 

 gathered. Notwithstanding this bountiful crop, 

 it i)ecoines farmers to se(!ure every pound of 

 fodder possible, for our barns for many years 

 have not been so clean of bay as at the com- 

 mencement of the present hay season. The 

 corn crop is looking well, and out of the reach 



