892 



'SEW ENGLAND FARjNIER. 



Aug. 



cows and 273 sheep on the whole tract, while 2815 

 hogs were reported. There were 52,618 rods of 

 fence. 



— A correspondent of the Maine Farmer says 

 that in sowing grain, we commence at one corner 

 of the piece of land that is to be sown, step off 

 three paces, stick up a stake, sow across the piece, 

 step uff three paces, set down the pail or basket, 

 step off three more and stick another stake, shift 

 Lands and sow back and forward in this manner. 

 If the ground is mellow we can keep our distance 

 by the tracks. Always throw the grain with the 

 wind and down hill if we can. 



— A correspondent of the English Journal of 

 Horticulture says that he has never found any cov- 

 ering for small seeds equal to short grass mown 

 from the lawn. This is strewn over the seeds to 

 about half an inch in depth, and then the usual 

 watering is given. It soon shrivels and becomes 

 light, so that the plants come through it freely. 

 The birds never attack them, and the crops never 

 fail. 



— At a late discussion on making hay, by the 

 Herkimer County, N. Y., Farmers' Club, Mr. 

 Burdick asked if a poorer quality of hay had not 

 been made since the introduction of the mowing 

 machine, up to the time of the introduction of the 

 tedder. The mem!>ers were decided in their opin- 

 ion that such was the case. They all believed that 

 the hay, as it lay after being cut by the machine, 

 did not cure as well as when cut by the hand 

 scythe and spread with a fork. Hence they all 

 considered the tedder indispensable where the 

 mowing machine is used. 



EXTKACTS AND REPLIES. 



CROPS IN PENOBSCOT COUNTY, ME. — NEW YORK 

 FRUIT TREES. 



The crops in this section are looking finely. 

 Grain and grass are about ten days ahead of their 

 usual time. Wheat did well with us the past year, 

 and this spring there was an unusual breadth 

 sown. Our fruit in bloom promised greatly, but 

 the heat of the first few days of this month has 

 caused a bad blight. 



There have been some agents here from Roches- 

 ter, New York, with fruit trees, or rather soliciting 

 orders for them. I wish to ask if such trees will 

 be hardy here ? There is a great difference in cli- 

 mate between western New York and Eastern 

 Maine. These agents are obtaining many orders 

 ior trees, but I am afraid that we shall be the losers. 



Upringfield, Me., June 15, 1870. East Maine. 



Remarks. — The success or failure of Western 

 Ne.v york trees will depend largely on the man- 

 ner in which the trees have been grown, dug, 

 packed and transported, and on the care with 

 with which they are planted and tended. There 

 have been many compl^aints of trees from this 

 section failing to grov/ and failing to prove true to 

 name. We should prefer trees raised nearer home, 

 and by those more directly responsible to the 

 buyer. And it would seem that the success of 



tree peddlers in disposing of stock produced at so 

 great a distance ought to induce people in places 

 where they are sold to supply the home market. 

 Inferior stock is often disposed of by irresponsible 

 peddlers. 



grasshoppers, where do they come from ? 



Noticing, recently, the small white clusters upon 

 the grass, looking much like spittle, and often 

 called here, and by some supposed to be, "snake 

 spittle," a friend called my attention to the fact, as 

 he maintains, that each one of these clusters con- 

 tain an embryo grasshopper. To verify his state- 

 ment, he took several of them in his hand, and 

 opened them, and disclosed the insect to view, 

 which was apparently a young grasshopper. This 

 may be new to some of your readers, as it was to 

 me, and if true, grasshoppers will be plenty in 

 Vermont soon. These clusters have been thought 

 to be poisonous to cattle. If this view of the 

 origin of this insect is correct, I would like to 

 leain more about it. Prof. Agassiz,I saw it stated, 

 once leotured for an hour on this subject. I wish 

 he or some one would tell the readers of the Far- 

 mer all about the matter. b. 



Essex, VL, June 21, 1870. 



Remarks. — Though all troubles may no*-, spring 

 from the ground, most of our varieties of g rass- 

 hoppers do, being hatched from eggs deposited 

 there by the mother insef t. A few, however, lay 

 their eggs, like the canker-worm grub and caterpil- 

 lar, on the tv/igs and branches of trees. But these 

 foaming fellows are not grasshoppers in the ordin- 

 ary sense of that word. Here is a picture of one 

 of these chaps. There are at least three 

 varieties in Massachusetts. Some of 

 the books call them Aphrophora, which 

 being translated means spume-bearers. 

 Within a few years past this class of 

 insects have multiplied alarmingly in some parts 

 of New England, and seriously injured the hay 

 crop. We know of no subject better worthy of an 

 hour's lecture than that of these snake-spittle, frog- 

 spittle, frothy, spumiferous pests. 



orchard, witch, R. I. bent, and KENTUCKY 

 BLUE GRASSES. 



Will you please to inform me what Orchard grass 

 is ? Is it called by some Witch grass, or Quack 

 grass ? And bow will it compare with Herdsgrass as 

 to value for feed ? W^ould it be a good kind of grass 

 to seed land to that you intended to use for pasture ? 

 What is Rhode Island Bent grass and Kentucky 

 Blue grass ? How do they look when growing, 

 and what kind of a head do they have as to shape ? 

 How do they compare with Herdsgrass and Red- 

 top for pasture feed ? Geo. C. Bidwell. 



Rockingham, Vt., 1870. 



I wish to know if Orchard grass makes good hay 

 for sheep. I have some that has come up in 

 bunches about ray farm. It grows quite rank and 

 coarse, being about a foot taller than the other 

 grasses ; it is early, being full in the blow the fif- 

 teenth of June. Is it good to sow wiih clover ? 

 What kind of a sward docs it form ? Is it bad to 

 plough and cultivate when we want to plough it 

 up ? I should think by the way it works in, it 

 would not run out very easilv. C. F. Lincoln. 



Woodstock, Vt., June 20, 1870. 



1 have noticed Rhode Island Bent grass seed 

 quoted in your price list. Please inform me as to 



