1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



563 



ing nutriment to the crops. They would have 

 a deeper soil for the roots to work in, which, 

 in a season like the past; is a matter of vital 

 importance. We need not only to plough 

 deeper, but to plant deeper as a safeguard 

 against our frequent droughts. To be able to 

 do this, we must have a deeper soil. 



An observing Irishman on digging our pota- 

 toes in a dry soil, remarked, "they are so 

 deep in the ground that they do not appear to 

 have suffered from the drought," The soil 

 was in good condition, and had been ploughed 

 deeply for some years, when the potatoes were 

 planted ; furrows were made with the same 

 plough with which the ground had been 

 ploughed. The seed was put at the bottom of 

 the furrow, and a handful of ashes and bone 

 meal was thrown upon each piece. At the 

 first hoeing the furrows were filled level ; at 

 the second, the potatoes were slightly hilled. 

 They did not appear to have suffered from the 

 drought, but were well grown and smooth. 



Every one who has observed the superiority 

 of the wheat crop put in two or three inches, 

 by the drill, over broadcast sowing, and of 

 corn and potatoes put in a furrow, and well 

 covered, over the same crops where the seed 

 was dropped on the surface, and slightly cov- 

 ered, would expect just such a result. In a 

 wet soil this cannot easily be done ; but then a 

 wet soil should never be used for wheat or 

 corn, but should be used for grass or oats, or 

 for crops that may be planted later in the sea- 

 son, after it Iftis become dry. In a well drained 

 soil the ground may be worked as deep as we 

 need, and the seed put in early, as deep as 

 necessary. 



Even in a drained soil, fall ploughing is of 

 great value. In such a soil, the harrow or 

 cultivator may often take the place of the 

 plough in the spring ; and thus much labor be 

 saved, especially in sowing the small grains 

 and grass seeds. 



In ploughing stubble land in the fall, green 

 or uncomposted manure may be spread on the 

 surface and ploughed in. In this case the 

 land should be ploughed in the spring, to 

 bring up near the surface and mix the manure 

 more thoroughly with the soil. It will be 

 crumbled by the frost ; will have lost its ad- 

 hesiveness and mix readily witli the soil ; or it 

 may be spread upon the surface immediately 

 after the fall ploughing, and covered with the 

 harrow. The weather will then act upon it, I 



and what is leached out of it will be absorbed 

 by the soil. Very little if any fei mentation 

 occurs in manure in cold weather, especially 

 when spread in thin layers, and on level ground 

 there is little or no loss. Manure in heaps 

 will heat and give off its gases, and there is 

 often more loss when it is deposited in heaps 

 than when it is spread and slightly covered. 



By thus spreading green manure in the fall, 

 the labor of composting is saved, and the 

 spring work greatly facilitated ; and the land 

 will be found mellow in the spring and ready 

 for the seed some days earlier than when this 

 course is not pursued. We have heard some 

 good farmers object to fall ploughing. When 

 the soil is a thin sandy loam, there may be 

 less advantage from it ; but in a good stiff 

 soil, which it is desirable to deepen and pre- 

 pare to seed down or to plant with corn, we 

 cannot too strongly recommend this treatment. 



Fix tip for Winter — A spare day can 

 be profitably spent in repairing the stables 

 and barns. Much feed is wasted every win- 

 ter, by having barns and stables so open that 

 every chilling blast of wind reaches the ani- 

 mals sheltered. Young stock, especially, are 

 very sensitive to cold, and they must be shel- 

 tered, or their growth will be retarded. 

 Aside from this, a farm with snug, neat out- 

 buildings, looks better and adds to the value 

 of the farm. 



Make your poultry houses as warm aS you 

 possibly can, with proper ventilation ; and 

 when eggs get up to ibrty or fifty cents a 

 dozen, they will repay you for all your care 

 and expense. If possible, place their house 

 on the south side of the barn or sheds, so that 

 it will be protected as much as possible from 

 the cold, bleak north and northwest wind. A 

 good plan is to plank up the outiide with 

 plank, and upon the inside nail up with any 

 odds and ends of boards, and fill the space 

 with sawdust, shavings, mortar, or in fact any- 

 thing that will keep out the wind. Keep 

 everything thoroughly clean about poultry. — 

 Kansas Farmer. 



Blind Staggers in Pigs. — The question 

 is asked "What will cure hogs that are taken 

 with blindness and that go around in circles 

 for a time and then die?" The disease is 

 doubtless the blind staggers. Having had 

 much to do in the raising of swine and the 

 fattening of pork, I have ascertained, to my 

 satisfaction, that too high feeding is the cause 

 of the disease. As a preventive, withhold 

 their food for a day or two and feed them 

 with sulphur and charcoal. Also bleed them 

 a little in the tax.— Joel Draper, in liural 

 New Yorker. 



