1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



109 



summer and of winter feed, the practice of 

 the soiling of cattle comes in, to a greater or 

 less degree. Many of us can winter more 

 stock than we can pasture. It is not neces- 

 sary to soil wholly to correct this evil, or to 

 hire pasturing in order to use up our winter 

 feed at home ; but our cows can be fed in the 

 stall, and their manure saved during a part of 

 each day, in summer. The summer manure is 

 of more value than that made during 

 other season of the year. There are many 

 farmers in this region who have good soils 

 near their buildings, neglected and profitless, 

 who drive their cattle to and from distant 

 pastures daily, where the feed is poor both in 

 quantity and quality. 



No wonder the boys leave the farm, and that 

 it is finally sold at less than the buildings are 

 worth. No wonder that such a system of far- 

 ming has made many an honest, hard working, 

 temperate, frugal family, to live in poverty 

 all their days. 



O, that we could honor our father and 

 mother that our days might be long in the 

 land which the Lord our God giveth us, and 

 at trhe same time not feel that we were dese- 

 crating their memory by improving our sys- 

 tem of agriculture, as mechanics have im- 

 proved the various arts. 



Why is it that the farmer is so conservative ? 

 Let us take the stone out of the bag. 



From one who has had sad experience, and 

 is trying to improve, without leaving the farm. 



Franklin, Mass., 1870. r. a. 



SOME OTHER BUSINESS OR PLACE. 



Of all the men who till the soil, the man who 

 don't expect to farm it long, is by far the 

 poorest specimen. His fences are down, his 

 freaky cattle run at large ; while the seeds of 

 his foul weeds are blowing over all his neigh- 

 bors' fields. He is always ready to borrow 

 farming tools, but never ready to return them. 

 His place is an eyesore in the neighborhood, 

 and his example is to be dreaded by every 

 thrifty farmer who has sons. A sailor who 

 engages in a mutiny at sea is not more to be 

 feared by his associates, than is such a man 

 Half a dozen such men in a neighborhood will 

 do much to demoralize a whole community of 

 farmers. 



Next to the man who don't expect to farm 

 it long, the man who expects soon to change 

 his location is the poorest farmer that we know. 

 He is likely to let everything go to rack and 

 ruin. He has got his mind lixed on a location 

 where crops grow with little or no labor being 

 bestowed on them, and thinks to till fields on 

 which an enemy has sowed no tares. He can't 

 be expected to trim fruit trees, or to fuss 

 with grape vines, when some one else is to 

 eat the fruit that is to grow thereon. He 

 expects to be a farmer all his days, perhaps, 

 but he is tired of his present location, and 

 counts all the labor spent in making labting 



improvements on his farm as so much laboi 

 spent in vain. He is not ashamed of farming, 

 but his faith in it points to fairer skies, richer 

 soils, and broader fields than those he has 

 been accustomed to. — Prairie Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 THE SNOW FLAKE. 



BY ISAAC W. SANBOHN. 



O'er the meadow and the hill-side. 

 On the mountiln aid ihe plain, 



Lightly falls ihe fleecy tnow-fluke, 

 Falls to riee from Earth again, 



Happy In its stainless virtue, 

 Crystal wanderer, clad with grace; 



Having for its steed the North-wind, 

 Searching evury idle place, — 



Every place in the dominion 

 Of the Froet-king and his reign, 



Where the mighty lakes and rivera 

 Grope beneath his icy chnin. 



There in numbers vast and countless, 

 Thousands, millions, by the way; 



Clothing Earth in spotless beauty, 

 Garhered hosts of snow-fljkes lay,— 



Lay a blessing to the Earth-world, 

 Shielding it from Winter's sting. 



Till the march of 1 ime advancing, 

 Ufihers in the reign of Spring. 



FATTENING CATTLE. 

 Mr. Bela S. Hastings, whose name is fa- 

 miliar to the readers of our Cattle Market 

 Reports, as one of the leading drovers from 

 Vermont, gave his experience and observation 

 in relation to fattening stock at a late meeting 

 of the Caledonia County Farmers' Club : — 



He said the main object of the farmer was 

 to get the most out of his fodder. It does 

 not pay to feed grain to a poor creature, one 

 that does not take on flesh rapidly. Farmers 

 will do better to dispose of sui h stock for 

 what it will bring, and procure animals of good 

 style. He believed that onc-htif of the grain 

 fed was wasted by not being fed to good cattle. 

 Another important point is, farmers do not 

 feed heavy enough. He would commence 

 with as much feetl as they could bear at first, 

 and then increase. In feeding twelve quarts 

 of meal, the last four quarts are worth twice 

 as much as the first four for fattening pur- 

 poses. Some farmers complain that they do 

 not get pay for tht; grain they feed out, but he 

 had noticed that it was only those who fed 

 light that thus complained. Whether the ani- 

 mil was to be fed a short or a long time, he 

 would recommend heavy feeding. 



Mr. Hastings said he knew of nothing bet- 

 ter than corn meal. The cob is worth but lit- 

 tle, if anything. Those persons of whom he 



