1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



505 



each side of the ditch, and then others laid on to 

 them and across the water-course, it is necessary 

 thai the side stones be of pretty uniform size, and 

 the ■ top stones must he of good length, and of 

 tolerably even width. But in the plan I recommend, 

 stones of almost any shape can be used. When I 

 first began to make ditches in this way, I thought 

 it necessary to cover the stones with brush, but 

 with a little practice I was able to clink up the 

 arch so tight that I dispensed with the brush alto- 

 giither. In filling up, I throw on at first some of 

 the coarsest stutf I can get, and tramp it well when 

 the ditch is partly filhd. With well shaped and 

 tolerably flat stones, a larger outlet can be made 

 in this way than in any other. R. Davis. 



Troy, Vt., Avg. 25, i870. 



FOWL MEADOW GRASS FOR -WET LAND. 



I have a piece of flat swamp land that is made 

 quite wet in the spring and fail by water from the 

 surrounding hills. It is not well adapted to til- 

 lage, and I would like to increase the grass crop. 

 Will some one who knows about fowl meadow 

 grass inform me whether it would be likely to do 

 well on suuh land, and of the best time to sow the 

 seed ; also whether it would be better to mix some 

 redcop with the fowl meadow. John Smith. 



Netobury, Vt., Aug. 15, 1870. 



Remarks. — The land you describe is we think 

 well suited to fowl meadow grass. It flourishes 

 on the borders of streams and meadows that are 

 only occasionally overflowed, and where tte water 

 stands but a short time. Fowl meadow grass 

 grows tall and thick and makes a soft and pliable 

 hay, which is highly relished by most stock. It is 

 a good plan to allow the grass on some portion of 

 the meadow to go to seed, as it will perpetuate the 

 crop indefinitely. We have never sown the seed, 

 but think it would be properly done in September 

 or in the spring. It thrives best when mixed with 

 other grasses. 



cranberries. 



I have a piece of land so near a river that it can 

 not be flowed, in which the muck is from one to 

 four feet deep. Can cranberries be raised on such 

 land ? It so, how ^hall I proceed to fit the land, 

 and to introduce the cranberries ? Shall I sow tht; 

 seed or transplant the vines ; and in either case 

 how near together must they be put, and at what 

 time of year should the work be done? Though 

 this is the first time I ever attempted to write tveu 

 a question for a paper, perhaps you will be able to 

 understand what I wif-h to know. J. x. r. 



West Paris, Me., Sept., 1870. 



R.EMAkKs. — The regular cranberry growers re- 

 gard wiater flowage as essential to the most suc- 

 cessful cranberry patch. Siiil many cranberries 

 grow on the margins of streams which cannot be 

 flawed at pleasure. la your case, and with your 

 inexperience, we should advise you to try a small 

 patch, say two or three square rods, by way of ex- 

 periment. O. Judd & Co. have recently published 

 a book on the Cranberry, at ^1 25, which gives in 

 detail all the processes of cultivation and manage- 

 ment, with the experience of individual cultivators. 

 The essential directions seem to be the follow- 

 ing:— 



1. The soil, subsoil or bottom, must be peat or 

 peaty matter. This you have. 



2. There should be no cold springs, but a head 

 of water, so that the bog may be quickly flowed at 

 all times. This you have not, but perhaps it is 

 flowed in the winter. 



3. The turf or top soil of roots, gras"!, &c., must 

 be removed down to the peat. This will make a 

 good material for compost on high land. 



4. Ditches must be made so that the water can 

 be drained at least twelve inches below the sur- 

 face during the growing season ; especially the 

 cold water from the borders must be drawn off. 



5. Cover the surface of the peat, after the soil is 

 removed, from three to twelve inches deep, as to 

 depth of muck, with sand that contains no loam, 

 nor grass or weed seeds, — such as will not adhere 

 when pressed in the hand. 



Set vines in hills or rows two feet apart. Spring 

 is the best time for setting vines. 



AGRICIJLTtJRE, MANUFACTURES, &C., IN GEORGIA. 



Last week I sent you some papers and docu- 

 ments, and now send you a few more, by v;hich 

 you will see that there are few if auy States in the 

 Union taking more interest in the cultivation and 

 imoT-ovement of the soil, than Georgia. 



You will see our County Fair comes off the 4th, 

 5th and 6th of October, at Cartersville. 



There will be a grand State Fair at Atlanta, on 

 the 19th to 26th of October. Immense preparacions 

 are being made. 



The National Agricultural Congress will assem- 

 ble at Augusta, Ga., on the 27th of October. 



Besides these, there will be a number of others 

 in various parts of the State, which fact exhibits a 

 spirit of life and activity hitherto unknown. 



You will al»o see by Gov. Bullock's message 

 to the State Legislature, by the constitution 

 adopted, and the resolutions pa^^sed by the Atlanta 

 Convention, that the State is wide awake to the 

 subject. 



1 here are at least. four periodicals in the State 

 devoted almost exclusively to agriculture, and 

 quite a number of the country weekly papers that 

 keep a standing department in their columns on the 

 same subject. So you see we have more than a 

 •upply in number, but they will s(.>on be pruned 

 up and thinned out to a proper staud, and then we 

 may txoect the best results. 



Geor^'ia will, I believe, become self-sustaining 

 in the way of her provision supplies, to the saving 

 of many millions annually. She will before long 

 save and make her own fertiliztrs, to the saving of 

 many millions more. She has lana; been manufac- 

 turing a portion of her cotton. This ipdnstry will 

 continue to increase more and more until she will 

 be able to supply her own demands, as she has 

 immense water-power idle. 



The new railroad running South from here is 

 bringing its rails I am told from New Jersey. 

 The time is coming when this county will he able 

 to supply the whole State wiih railroad iron, al- 

 though there are only two or three works now m 

 operation. Before and during the war, there were 

 nine in a diameter of eight miles. She will also 

 before long make a large proportion of her agricul- 

 tural implements. 



You may well believe that Georgia possesses 

 the enterprize, energy, and skill, as well as the re- 

 sources, to enable her to become one of the lead- 

 ing States in all that constitutes true greatness ia 

 a State. J- h. r. 



Cartersville, Georgia, Aug, 31, 1870. 



Remarks.— We alluded last week to the Agri- 

 cultural Congress mentioned by our respected 



