1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKINIER. 



71 



and a porker bites the dust up in the pen. 

 The knife is applied, and a horse draws the 

 bleeding victim to the scalding tubs. Many 

 hands make quick work, and the boy in the 

 fence corner with his rifle, the man with his 

 knife and the boy with the horse, are kept 

 prttty busy. How the bristles fly ! What a 

 ghastly array fifty porkers present suspended 

 on the poles ! Must I tell it ? Just beyond 

 the butchers, muffled in hoods and shawls, 

 •with their feet on the reeking paunches to keep 

 them from freezing, with bared arms stand a 

 bevy of fair damsels collecting the fat from 

 the intestines. 



The last hog being hung up for the wintry 

 blast to cool, all hands clean up and "go in" 

 to the Thanksgiving-like dinner, which Mrs. 

 Brown and her aids have prepared. While 

 the viands are being discussed, it is also set- 

 tled whose teams shall have the honor of help- 

 ing convey the pork to market next day. 

 Isn't it jolly ? 



Western farmer's boys seem to love their 

 fathers' business, and only leave the old home- 

 stead to set up for themselves, on that quarter 

 section which the old gentleman has been 

 "holding on to" for them ; or they move a lit- 

 tle further on towards the setting sun, where 

 their Uncle Samuel olFdrs them a free home. 

 Wouldn't a little of this neighborly way of 

 doing things render Eastern farming more 

 pleasant? G. n. a. 



Braintree, Wis., Nov., 1869. 



Remarks. — In the days of the early settle- 

 ment of New England these "bees" were 

 much more common among farmers than they 

 have been of late years. We suppose that 

 one cause of their going out of fashion was 

 the unsatisfactory manner in which the work 

 was sometimes done. When the farmer and 

 his family dig through all their work alone, 

 their pork may be dressed, their corn husked, 

 and their apples dried a little nicer and some- 

 what more economically than when done at a 

 bee. But they depi-Ive themselves of the so- 

 cial element which made these neighborhood 

 gatherings so enjoyable, particularly to the 

 young, and which turned work into play. 

 Which plan involves the greater loss ? Soli- 

 tude and want of company and diversion is 

 an objection often made to the work of the 

 farm. How far this objection may be obvi- 

 ated by bees, by exchanging work, and other 

 plans of co-operative farming, is a question 

 that may well be considered by farmers who 

 wish to make their children love their homes 

 and their business. We shall be pleased to 

 have our correspondent continue his sketches 

 of Western life. 



EXTRACTS AND KEPLIES. 



THE HORSES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



I am sorry that your correspondent in Pomfret, 

 Conn., in his communication upon the "Horses of 

 New England," should have entirely overlooked 

 the efforts that are now hein? made to improve the 

 horse stock of his own Stale. Our farmers have 

 bred from the little degenerated descendants of 

 the Black Hawk and Morgan stock, so thickly 

 scattered over our State, until it is alleged, and I 

 fear justly, that Connecticut breeds the poorest 

 horses of any State in the Union. 



Latterly, however, several well bred horses have 

 been introduced among us. Your correspondent 

 mentions Geo. M. Patchen, Jr, as a fine stallion. 

 Mr. Wm. B. Smith of Hartford, and Mr. Geo. C. 

 Hitchcock of New Preston, each own fine stallions 

 by Geo. M. Patchen, which are consequently half- 

 brothers to Geo. M. Patchen, Jr., both of which 

 might be profitably used by our farmers. Both 

 are of fine color — bright bay— of good size, and are 

 good steppers. 



Mr. Smith's Thomas Jefferson, by Toronto 

 Chief, is also a fine colt, well bred and fast. 



Then there is Mr. Hitchcock's Ashland that has 

 twice taken a first premium at the Fairs of the 

 New England Agricultural Society. As a stock 

 horse this animal is by no means to be overlooked, 

 especially as it was only last year that he received 

 the first premium of $200 for the best stalUon with 

 progeny. For raising road horses, there are no 

 better bred stallions in the country than Ashland. 

 There are few that have a better reputation as 

 sto«k getters, — none in New England. 



Mr. Battell of Norfolk, had, and has now, if he 

 has not disposed of him, a very fine young stallion 

 by Hambletonian, that ought to produce a marked 

 Changs in the stock in his vicinity. 



The horses of our State fte<;d a great deal of im- 

 proving, and I believe that the true way to do this is 

 to encourage, in every way, those who are at the 

 trouble and expense of bringing such horses as I 

 have mentioned into the State. 



A gentleman living in New Haven owns a fine 

 stallion by Marabrino Chief, half brother to Lady 

 Thorn and to Ashland, &c., that he keeps in Ver- 

 mont, because the farmers of that State are more 

 willing to pay for the services of a good horse than 

 those of Connecticut ! This simple fact tells the 

 whole story as regards the reason for the inferi- 

 ority of horses raised generally by the farmers of 

 Connecticut. 



It is undoubtedly bad policy to raise poor stock, 

 and the sooner our farmers make a thorough 

 change in this matter the better it will be for them. 



Crusoe. 



Neio Haven Co., Conn., Nov. 24, 1869. 



CURING BEEF. 



For some years past our beef has been too salt 

 by spring. If you or any of your correspondents 

 will inform me what quantity of salt will answer 

 for a barrel of beef, you will very much oblige 



Auburn, Mass., Dec, 1869. A Subscriber. 



Remarks.— For a brine or pickle for beef we 

 have generally used that made by adding a pound 

 and a half of salt to a gallon of water. This is the 

 proportion that was given, many years ago, in 

 what was called the Knickerbocker Pickle. The 

 editor of the Germantowii Ttlegraph publishes 

 every year the following, as the best receipt 

 known :— To each gallon of water needed to cover 

 the meat, add l.J lbs. salt ; h lb. sugar ; ^ oz. salt- 

 petre ; ^ oz. potash. Boil, skim and cool before 



