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NEW ENGLAND FARI^IER. 



Oct. 



CUBING SOWED CORN. 



It is a laborious task to cut by hand several 

 acres of heavy sweet corn. My neighbors 

 find it almost impossible to gather the shocks 

 into stacks, or mow, and prevent spoiling. 

 Besides, standing in the shock in the field 

 through very much wet weather, as we often 

 have in the fall, greatly lessens its value. 

 My plan is to prepare the ground well, sow 

 early, and roll after sowing ; let it stand until 

 it begins to ripen. Here is the main point of 

 success. When the lower leaves begin to 

 turn yellow, the saccharine matter begins to 

 turn to sugar, and then there is less water to 

 dry out, and the corn is of much more value. 

 The ground being rolled smooth, you can cut 

 with a machine close to the ground ; let it lay 

 four or five days in the sun, then rake with a 

 horse rake and cock up, allowing it to remain 

 in cock two days, when it can be hauled with 

 as much dispatch as the same amount of timo- 

 thy hay. With the aid of one man and boy 

 we hauled off, last fall, three acres in one day, 

 putting into small stacks and mow, and it kept 

 as bright as needs be. We have practiced 

 this plan for several seasons, and have never 

 lost any. — Bural New Yorker. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE GARDEN IN OCTOBER. 



The season's labor in the garden is now 

 nearly closed ; what remains, is to finish 

 gathering and storing late crops, which should 

 not be put off a single day after fully mature 

 and ripe. In this section we had a very wet 

 winter and spring ; the winter was mild ; spring 

 cool, which delayed planting and vegetation 

 till late, when all at once vegetation seemed 

 to burst forth with a bound, and with rapid, 

 unabated strides came to an early maturity. 

 Early fruits and vegetables are found very 

 good, and much richer than in a more moist 

 and variable season. Bwt the continued 

 drought cut them short, and was quite un- 

 favorable to later planted crops, and consider- 

 ably abridging the succession of fresh, crisp 

 vegetables fcom the garden. Should this 

 abridgement teach us to prize a good garden 

 more highly, and incite in us to improve on 

 former practices, the lessons of the season 

 wi'ti not be without avail. 



Slight frosts injure the keeping qualities of 

 many fruits and vegetables. All such should 

 be gathered and securely stored before frosts 

 occur. Cabbage and some like crops are not 

 injured by light frosts, but hard freezing 

 affects even the cabbage ; but usually we do 

 not have such freezes till into November. 

 Aside from gathering and storing the crops, 

 there is much that may be done in the garden 

 to enhance next vear's profit, such as ann-ihi- 

 lating weeds, turning up new subsoil — espe- 

 cially on all heavy or clayey soils — to be amend- 

 ed by the actipn of frosts, &c., of winter. 



Asparagus. — New beds planted out this 

 fall of roots or seed, will be so much done to- 

 wards spring work. The deeper and richer 

 the beds are made, the greater will be the 

 growth of top. For garden culture I believe 

 the roots should not be set nearer than eight- 

 een inches, and for field culture two feet — 

 four feet is near enough for the best growth. 

 Cover the crowns not less than four inches 

 deep, and then mulch with manure after the 

 ground freezes. "Connover's Colossal" is 

 said to be the best, and a real giant in growth. 



Beans. — Gather any that ripened before 

 freezing, if such remain, shell and dry, and 

 then store in a dry, cool place ; haul up the 

 poles, and store under cover for another season. 



Beets. — These are injured by the least 

 freezing, and should be gathered and stored 

 before any freezing weather. Any remaining 

 should have their tops pulled off; afttr being 

 pulled, be dried a little, packed down in sand 

 and stored in the vegetable cellar. 



Cabbage. — Keep them growing as long as 

 safe from hard freezing. The cabbage hardens 

 up and matures the head considerably after 

 cool fall weather, unless already mature, when 

 they should be gatheied, as they will crack 

 and commence a new growth unless pulled. 

 Keep the cabbage and cauliflower plants, 

 sowed for wintering, cultivated and protect, 

 or remove into cold frames upon the advance 

 of freezing weather. 



Celery — Remove decaying leaves, and 

 finish up the earthing and blanching processes, 

 preparatory to removing the winter's supply 

 into the cellar before frozen in. 



Cold Frames. — Have these in readiness for 

 immediate use, as wanted. Recollect these 

 are frames similar to hot-bed frames, only the 

 glass is laid on more nearly level, and the bed 

 constructed without manure, and are used for 

 protection, not for forcing. 



Grapes. — Where grapes are designed for 

 wine-making they should be thoroughly ripen- 

 ed on the vines. On my vines I have this 

 season found the Procris Americana quite 

 plenty, and as early as the last of June the 

 larvjE were full grown. These I caused to be 

 destroyed as soon as discovered, so that they 

 damaged my vines but little, and I think there 

 were none left for another season ; so, if my 

 neighbors have done their part, another sea- 

 son will see them "beautifully less." The 

 Satellite Sphinx also made its appearance, but 

 for all I had a very nice crop of Delawares, 

 Concords and Hartfords. 



Insects. — Aside from those on grapes, we 

 have had a worm on strawberry vines which 

 has damaged them considerably. I have failed 

 to discover them in any previous seat^on. This 

 worm is the larvaj of the strawberry Saw fly — 

 Emplytus maculatns. In Hearth and Borne 

 for September 3, Prof. A. S. Packard, Jr., 

 has an article describing this insect, in which 

 he says they are readily distinguished from 



