1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



Ill 



it is a good time to make needed preparations. 

 Spring weather will be upon us soon, and our 

 farm duties will require a large share of atten- 

 tion. We can now decide what we will cultivate 

 the coming season, and make our plans ac- 

 cordingly. jNlankind are creatures of habit in 

 respect to the vegetables they eat, as well as 

 in other things. The French are noted Salad 

 eaters, depending upon Salads for a relish 

 to every meal. The English use them but 

 little, while we are largely meat and vege- 

 table eaters, using comparatively few Salads. 

 Some nations find in Artichokes, Cardoons, 

 &c., their favorites, and grow them to the ex- 

 clusion of other varieties. 



Believing that a diet composed largely of 

 vegetables is the healthiest and most economi- 

 cal, we commend it to all, and especially to 

 the poor, and advise to the growing of good 

 vegetables in greater variety. 



The potato is the main vegetable, and 

 among a considerable class almost the only 

 one used. This vegetable is of inestimable 

 value to all classes and its culture demands 

 our first and greatest attention, in order to re- 

 tain its health and purity. Notwithstanding 

 the time it has been cultivated among us there 

 are many characteristics and requirements of 

 it with which we are comparatively ignorant ; 

 and many more in which we disagree as to 

 which is best. No subject has been more 

 freely discussed by cultivators than the prop- 

 er method of planting, whether whole, or cut, 

 small, large, or medium sized, yet without 

 coming to any j)Ositive conclusion. Undoubt- 

 edly there is a right and a wrong course with 

 this vegetable, as well as with any other plant. 

 But with all our theorizing and experimenting, 

 we cannot grow good potatoes with the same 

 culture on our farms to-day as we could forty 

 years ago. 



Cold Frames. — These beds will need ex- 

 amining to see that the plants wintered in them 

 are in good condition. As long as the weather 

 remains cold, the plants should be kept dor- 

 mant, or as nearly so as possible. Protection 

 must be given cold nights, and airing on mild, 

 sunshiny days. It is necessary to harden oil 

 the plants as fast as is safe, so as to plant out 

 early. 



Hot Beds. — Near the close of the month, 

 if the ground is free of snow, and there are 

 indications of the near approach of spring 

 weather, it will answer to start the hot-bed ; 

 in the meantime the manm-e for heating should 

 be accumulating and be got in readiness by 

 piling the horse stable manures with a small 

 proportion of cow stable, in a pile, and turn- 

 ing to reduce fermentation. See that the 

 frames and sash are in perfect order. 



Horse Radish. — Dig, grate, and prepare 

 for table use. This is an excellent appetizer 

 if prepared in the following manner : gTate it 

 as fine as practicable, press it in wide mouthed 

 bottles, and add a pinch of salt with water 

 sufficient to moisten the whole ; when used, if 



you prefer vinegar, take out a little in a cup 

 and add the vinegar ; but do not put it up in 

 vinegar, as it deadens the life, and the peculiar 

 tang is lost. 



Seeds. — Have you looked over the list we 

 gave last month and decided what you will 

 grow this season ? Have you obtained any 

 that you lacked ? If not, no time should be 

 lost. Compare notes with j'our most enter- 

 prising neighbor ; perhaps he has seeds saved 

 from choice vegetables which you did not grow, 

 and would be willing to exchange, or sell, or 

 give. Get good seed, true to name, and be 

 sure that they have the vital principle in full. 

 A seed that will only just grow, is about as 

 good as none ; indeed I should prefer not to 

 have any, for then I should know what to do. 

 W. H, White. 



South Windsor, Conn., 1871. 



For the^ew England Fm-mer, 

 EECENT FARM EXPEBIMENTS. 



In looking over the Report of the Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture for the year 18G9, 1 

 find about thirty pages devoted to recent farm 

 experiments. It contains some very valuable 

 facts concerning the value of various fertilizers 

 applied to different crops, and ditferent soils. 



At the jVlichigan Agricultural College in 

 1808 one acre of very light sandy soil was se- 

 lected from a clover field. Upon dillerent 

 j)arts of this piece there were applied muck 

 and leached ashes ; muck and lime ; muck and 

 ashes ; ashes and gypsum ; ashes, muck and 

 some other manures. The muck and leached 

 ashes produced the most clover ; the gain over 

 the adjoining unmanured plat being at the rate 

 of 1856 pounds per acre, nuick and ashes (not 

 leached) made a gain of 1 ,152 pounds. Where 

 muck alone was used, only 786 pounds per acre 

 was realized above the amount cut on the un- 

 manured ground. The gypsum caused a gain 

 of 1,408, and muck with slacked lime 752. 



As there is much dispute in regard to the 

 worth of muck and ashes used upon land, all 

 such experiments are of great value to every 

 farmer ; and ought to be carefully noticed. 

 Of course the same results may not be reached 

 upon different soils and at different times, so 

 one cannot at once decide what manures are 

 the most profitable in his own case. 



I have used muck, ashes, lime and plaster 

 to a considerable extent with various success. 

 Two years ago Ave dug a lot of muck at the 

 foot of a hard-wood forest where it was about 

 two feet deep. A portion of this we drew on 

 to a piece of meadow in close proximity, which 

 we had prepared for corn. All of this we ma- 

 nured in the hill ; — using horse and hog manure 

 upon a portion of it, and muck upon the re- 

 mainder, placing them side by side, a shovel 

 full of each in a hill. On a part of the muck 

 a handful of lime was put in each hill. Dur- 

 ing the summer but very little difference could 

 be seen in the corn, and when it was harvested 



