630 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



own neighborhood In Vermont, there are in<;tances 

 of very pood pasturing on lands that tend to wet- 

 ness. All through the season the grass is pushing 

 up green, tender and abundant. It is quite tbe 

 custom to devote the rough, steep, waste places to 

 pasture, because they cannot b • tilled, and what 

 teed is secured is clear gain, yet, in such pastures, 

 those lower portions, over which the melting sno»vs 

 and heavy rains find their way, yield the most 

 abundantly. Land nearly level, with plenty of 

 moisture, is preferable to all others for pasture, as 

 grass is abundant and cattle obtain it easily. In 

 all countries the cattle kept in such situ'itions de- 

 velop into a larger breed, more protitai)le for beef 

 or dairying than those kept in the highlands. 

 Lasburg, Vt., Sept., 1870. z. e. j. 



SELLING STOCK AND HAY TO PAY DEBTS. 



Will some one inform me through the columns 

 of the New England Fakmek, what they sfi'vuld 

 do in case they were in debt considerably. I have 

 eight cows, ten yuuns cattle, and about 35 tons of 

 mostly good hay. Will it be advi^anle for me to 

 sell say seven co a-s, and a part of the hay, reserv- 

 ing eoough to winter the young cattle ? If it is a 

 good idea, what is the most successful way to dis- 

 pose of them? A New Cokkesponuent. 



Warren, Mass., Sept., 1870. 



Remarks. — Perhaps some of our correspondents 

 have been "through a mill" of this kind, and can 

 make some practicable suggestiops to our "new 

 correspondent." If so, we shall be glad to find 

 space lor them. Circumstances alter cases so ma- 

 terially that advice which would be judicious in 

 one case might not be so in another. The rate cf 

 interest paid, the amount your cows and your 

 hay, if not sold, would enable you to apply yearly 

 to the reduction of > our debt, are among the facts 

 which should be taken into account la forming an 

 (opinion as to the proper course to be pursued. In 

 Eiirope farmers generally rent instead of buying 

 land, and then use what funds they possess, often 

 of cunsiderable amount, in managing their farms. 

 How will it do for you to treat the interest you 

 pay as rent, and keep your cows and hay for profit 

 and the improvement of your land? Selling hay 

 is generally considered as an impoverishing opera- 

 tion. 



■WINTKR protection OF GRAPE VIN'ES. 



Will you inlorm me as to the best way of pro- 

 tecting grape vines laid down for winter, from the 

 mice or <jther depredators ? I have covered them 

 with ieaves, but ibey do not answer the purpose. 



Milford, N. H., Sept. 30, 1870. w. P. E. 



Remarks — Lhe above inquiry was submitted 

 to W. H. White, E,-q., of South Windsor, Conn., 

 the author of our monthly articles on gardening, 

 who replies as follows : — 



I have found that for grape vines l.iid down on 

 the surface of the ground, a covering of an inch or 

 two of light loam soil is as good a protection both 

 irom mice and winter exposure as any otuer. I 

 have never had any troubled from mice, when 

 vines were thus protected, and have had them thus 

 covered for several winters last past. The vines 

 come out fresh and strong in spring. Care must 

 be used that there is no liability of trouble from 

 surface water during winter. Either a light sandy 



loam or what is commonly denominated sand — 

 plastering sand — is the best. One inch covering is 

 sufficient with me to protect the Diana, thetender- 

 est I have. 



BASK LICE. 



I noticed in the Farmer of Sept. 3d, a remedy 

 from E. Wynian to keep off bark lice from trees: 

 a strong lye made of wood ashes put on in May or 

 June. I want to know if that will not kill the 

 foliage ? Would not early in thft spring or late ia 

 the fall he better ? What quantifies must be put 

 together? What some would call strong others 

 might not, or they might get the wash too s rong. 



Woodstock, Vt., Sept. 20, 1870. c. F. L. 



Pi.EMARKs. — Mr. Lyman does not recommend to 

 touch the f jliage with the lye, but only the trunks 

 and branches, as far as you can reach. We have 

 no doubt that such an application would be useful. 

 The insects he is attempting to destroy are "bark 

 lice," not insects which attack the foliage. Some 

 perstms wa' h apple trees with potash water, but it 

 should not be used unless in a very weak form. 

 Two or three quarts of ashes standing in a bucket 

 of water over night would not injure apple trees, 

 and we think would be useful. We have never 

 iried it, but intend to do so. These little scales, 

 gentrally called bark lice, are said to be thebodids 

 of the DJOther insect. They cover from ten to fif- 

 teen minute white eggs, visible with an ordinary 

 magnifying glass. These eggs hatch a little worm 

 in May or June, and hence a wash applied at that 

 time destroys the worm much more easily thaa 

 can be done after it has taken on the hard, water- 

 proof shell which we see on the bark of the tree. 



FALL PEAS. 



I should like to ask through the Farmer the 

 time and manner of planting fail peas, and what 

 kind of soil is the best tor them. Subscriber. 



I-ilisfield, N. H, Oct., 1870. 



Remarks — We have never sown peas in the 

 autumn, and do not know anything about it. In 

 warmer climates, they are sown in the late sum- 

 mer or early autumn, so as to attain a growth of 

 three to six inches, and are then covered with 

 straw and evergreen branches to protect them 

 thri)ugh a mild winter. They then take a start in 

 spring and give an early cn^p. If sowed in this ' 

 climate, we suppose it must be so late that they 

 will not stait until the following Spring. 



KILLING FLIES. 



Buriiing pumpkins leaves to kill flies is a fiiilure 

 up here in Vermont. They collect on the floor of 

 the room, and seem to take no notice of the dense 

 cloud of smoke tilling the rooui, and are as lively 

 as ever when the room is emptied of the smoke. 

 It leaves a most disagreable scent in the room and 

 a')out every article of clothing exposed to it, that 

 will take sometime to get rid of. It ei'her is a 

 hoiix, or our flies are smarter than others. Will 

 others report ttieir success or failure iu getting rid 

 of these pests by this method. 



about subsoiling. 



Will you or somtfof your subscribers give their 

 experience in sub^oiling. It seems to us that by 

 loosening and breaking the lower strata, or at 



