1870. 



NEW ENGLAOT) FARMER. 



607 



son you will be rewarded for your labor with a 

 good crop of beets. 



In harvesting, which should be done before the 

 ground (rcczes, pile the tops in small heaps, and 

 whi'u the frost hns killed other soiling crops, they 

 will be found excellent food for milch cows or for 

 fattening cattle. 



I hope the bubject of raising roots for both sum- 

 mer and winter feeding of stock will be discussed 

 in agricultural papers and by farmers' clubs and 

 agricultural societies, and that farmers will be en- 

 couratced to extend their cultivation. 



Brookjield, Vt., Aug. 25, 1870. C. B. FiSK. 



SEASON IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, VT. — BEAKS. 



We have experienced the hottest and dryest 

 season within my recollection, which runneth 

 back more than forty years. Saturday night, 

 Sept. 3, we enjoyed the first rainstorm that has 

 fallen since our crops were put in the ground. 

 Still I buppose we have not suffered so much from 

 drought here among the mountains as some other 

 places have, for wo have had occasional showers, 

 so that all our crops have matured, some of them 

 being a little short. Just here, the hay crop was 

 fair, and secured in excellent condition. Oats 

 good, unless on the dryest land. I harvested my 

 surprise oats in 77 days from the sowing, and my 

 corn in 90 days from planting; but both corn 

 and oats were on land that suffered from the 

 d<-ought, but not so much but the crops were fair. 

 Some pieces of potatoes are good, but the general 

 crop will be a little short. 1 see that you speak of 

 Early Rose weighing 1 pound 10 ounces. We have 

 grown them weighing 2 pounds 10 ounces here. 

 The grasshoppers have eaten most of the fall feed 

 as fast as it grew, but their teeth are getting poor 

 now, and the refreshing rain of Saturday night 

 will probably give us some feed yet and may help 

 late potatoes, as there has not been frost enough to 

 kill the lops yet. Bears have been killing sbeep 

 on our mountains recently, and yesterday Mr. 

 Albert S. Pike shot one that girthed six feet and 

 measured seven feet in length, but they had no 

 conveniences for weighing it. This morning a 

 neighbor caught a smaller one in a trap. 



lioxbury, Vt., Sept. 7, 1870. W. I. Simonds. 



CORN HARVEST. 



Many farmers In this vicinity husk most of their 

 corn in the field, and regard it as the easiest and 

 cheapest way of harvesting the crop. 



A bench, sixteen or tighteen inches in height, is 

 made of a plank or slab six or eight feet long, by 

 boriug holes, and putting in four long legs. This 

 is easily mov^d about the field. Lay the corn 

 across this bench, place the basket at the bottom 

 of the bundle, and sit astride the bench. This ar- 

 rangement brings everything hanciy, and a smart 

 man will husk and put in a cart from 25 tJ 40 

 bushels in a day, by aavlight. It can be unloaded 

 in the evening, which is safer than husking by 

 lantern-light. When the bundles are husked set 

 up the fouder as you would shock grain, putting 

 in ten to twenty bundles, and throw the scatter- 

 ings, and three or four bundles on top for a "cap" 

 tj keep out the rain. Fodaer put up in this way 

 will keep out till snow comes, if you wish it, with- 

 out iujury. It will dry off nicely and not heat and 

 moula in the mow. 



You can husk and crib up your corn early, when 

 the weather is warm, leaving the fodder to cure in 

 the field, and when you cart it put it where you 

 wish it to remain. This saves onte handling. 

 Pitcaing heavy stooks of corn on and off a cart is 

 very hard work, the bundles are liable to be torn 

 to pieces in the process, and the fodder, if packed 

 in any considerable quantity, is liable lO heat, and 

 be very badly damaged. 



Nearly all the corn in this vicinity was cut in 

 the month of August, and many are already en- 

 gaged in husking it. J. R. w. 



Springfield, Vt., Sept. 5, 1870. 



IMPORTATION OF ENGLISH STOCK. 



Mr. M. H. Cochran, of Compton, Canada, has 

 been in England this season buying stock at prices 

 which have surprised even Johnny Bull himself. 

 A few hundred guineas, more or less, seem to 

 have been a small consideration with him when 

 balanced with the merit of an animal. The English 

 papers give the details of his purchases. They 

 state that the aggregate cost of his purchases 

 amount to about $75,000 in gold. At Wetherby 

 Grange he purchased Duchess 101 for 1500 guineas, 

 and Duchess 103 for 1125 guineas. At Warlaby 

 he bought Lady Grateful for 1500 guineas; and 

 Mabel and bull calf for 900 guineas, &c. It is said 

 that these cows for which he paid 1500 guineas 

 must cost him over €'8000 at his farm in Canada. 



On the sixteenth of August a portion of this 

 stock arrived in Canada, consisting of 34 Short- 

 horns ; 4 Jerseys ; a large lot of Cotswolds ; 30 

 Berkshire swine, some of which were from Her 

 Majesty's Shaw farm ; Yorkshire and Suffolk pigs, 

 and a very fine hunter mare. A correspondent of 

 the Country Gentleman says : — 



We saw the new comers the day of their arrival, 

 many of them fearfully bruised and stiff-jued by 

 the severe storm encountered on the passage. The 

 hunter and a few pigs and sheep were killed out- 

 right, and some of the heifers are in a bad way, 

 but may recover. Mr. C. left behind four < f his 

 choice ones, including Lady Grateful and Royal 

 Commander from the Warlaby herd, not caring to 

 risk all his gems in one boat. A few came over in 

 good shape. 



Booth's Marksman, a roan, 11 months, seems 

 lively and is a promising young bull, very stylish, 

 with good head, straight top, and of as good points 

 as the average of calves of his age. He is of the 

 same family as the beautiful cow. Star of Braith- 

 wait, imported in 1868. Col. King, of Minnesota, 

 b uisht Booth's Marksman the morning after his 

 arrival. 



Old Sam is a red, two years, somewhat plain in 

 his horns, but stylish, with level top and bottom 

 lines, very round ribs ; few judges of short-horns 

 will find any fault with this animal that time and 

 care will not mend. 



Scotsman (27,435) is a roan, calved February 27, 

 1868; bred by the Duke of Buccleuch, Dalkeith 

 Park, Edinburgh; got by Ro>al Errant, 22780. 

 He wjn first prizes as a yearling, at the R^yal 

 Northern Society and at the Mumyshire Club 

 Shows, also at the Highland Society's Meeting at 

 Edinburg, 1869 ; and as a two year old he won the 

 first prizes at the Meeting of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society of England at Oxford, and at the 

 Highland Society's Show at Dumfries, 1870. Capt. 

 Balco, the sire of Scotsman's grandam, was im- 

 ported some years ago by the Shakers of Union 

 Village, O., and Balco, his sire, was imported by 

 Col. Morris of Mt. Fordham. This bull also goes 

 to Col. King's farm, near Minneapolis, Min. 



Among the females that got over with but slight 

 bruises, is the now 2-yrs Countess of Yarborough, 

 winner of second prize as a yearling at Oxford last 

 month. 



Booth's Lancaster, a roan 2-years, is in blood a 

 fall sist«r of Mr. Fickrell's prize bull Baron Booth. 



