1871. 



XEW ENGLAIH) FARMER. 



313 



and another old sheep nearly dead, upon a piece of 

 ground where potatoes were planted last year, but 

 which were so completely destroyed by "the bugs 

 as not to be worth digging. The sheep so nearly 

 dead was brought to the house and examined, 

 when several potato bugs were found upon it. 

 These wei-e picked off, a nnld cathartic adminis- 

 tered, when it sc>on recovered, and is now api)ar- 

 ently well. The rest of the flock were immediately 

 driven to another tield, since which no deaths 

 have occurred, notwithstanding several lambs have 

 been dropped. No other cause can be assigned, as 

 the sheep were all apparently healthy, and in good 

 condition. 



My theory is, that as the sheep were troubled 

 somewhat with ticks, they would, while biting 

 them, become poisoned by the bugs which swarmed 

 upon them. 



At all events, if potato bugs will not kill sheep, 

 they are l)ound, from present indicatir)ns, to kill 

 all the potatoes planted this year, as they have 

 already made their appearance in great numliers 

 upon them. Would it not be well for those who 

 have planted many potatoes, to plant corn between 

 the hills, as, in tliis way, one crop at least may be 

 saved, and the corn will not materially interfere 

 with the potatoes, should the bugs spare them ? 



CANNING FRESH MEAT. 



It may be a convenience to some fomilies to 

 know that meat as well as fruit can be kept per- 

 fectly sweet by canning. When the hot days of 

 March came, we had something like one hundred 

 pounds of meat that we were wishing to keep till 

 eaten fresh, by our own family of eight persons. 

 It was pork, beef and mutton, in all common 

 shapes, i. e., steak, roasts, spare-ribs, boilers, frys, 

 &c. Having several empty fruit cans, my wife cut 

 up the steak in slices and partially cooked it, and 

 sealed it up as siie would fruit. The other pieces 

 were treated in a similar manner, after taking out 

 the bones and cutting small enough to get into the 

 cans. After two months we are now ixsing the 

 meat as we have occasion^ and it is as perfectly 

 sweet as it ever was ! We find it a very great con- 

 venience, especially when we want to get a meat 

 meal at sliort iiotice. Mrs. N. carried a bit of 

 steak to a convalescent sick neighbor, a few d.ays 

 since, who pronounced it the very best she ever 

 ate. 



It is so warm during the summer that meat can 

 not be kept sweet but a few hours, except in an ice 

 house, (which few farmers have.) Theh cellars 

 are often too warm to admit of "corning" meat ; 

 and to buy fresh of the peddlers cverj' other day 

 at a great protit for small pieces, is too expensive. 

 If meat can always be "canned" so easily as our 

 experiment indicates, farmers can buy in larger 

 quantities, and at cheaper rates, or kill a pig, calf, 

 or lamb, and "can" it all so as to have fresh meat 

 much more, and salt ham and pork and beef much 

 less of the time, at no less pleasure to the palate, if 

 not greater benefit to their health. r. n. 



Randolph, Vt., May 25, 1S71. 



PEARS ON STIFF SOIL. — ROME BEAUTY APPLE. — 

 CORN IN VIRGINIA. 



How is it all Pomological writers say the pear 

 requires a stitf soil ? I imagine the best pear or- 

 chard this side of the Rocky Mountains, is within 

 three miles of the city of Norfolk. I furnished 

 two years since, to a gentleman near Yorktown, 

 Va., 1000 trees. They were put in pure sandy 

 ground, in foil- order. Their growth is astonishing. 

 Apples and peaches bid fair to be abundant. Fig 

 bushes killed to the ground last winter, for the 

 first time for many years. 



I distributed some years since, quite extensively 



through New England, grafts of the Rome Beauty 

 : apple, grown extensively in 0. and S. W. Would 

 ; like to hear from some how they answer. 

 j I came across a couple of apple trees in the val- 

 j ley of Virginia, a few years since, which I liked 

 I much. They bear every j'ear, are quite large, 

 I mild, sub-acid, and quite "good in the fall. I have 

 ! eaten them in May when very fine. Would dis- 

 ' triljute a few grafts next spring to the right sort of 



people. I planted some of Moore's sweet com this 

 i spring ; have some now in silk. Can you beat 



that ? S. Clark. 



HicFs Wharf, Va., May 27, 1871. 



Remarks.— No, sir, can't beat that; but could 

 have beaten you out and out in cold weather, hot 

 weather or a sharp drought, a few days ago. 



Downing recommends as the best soil for the 

 pear tree "a strong loam of moderate depth, on a 

 dry subsoil." Baker says "those lands which part 

 with their moisture readily are not suitable, neither 

 is one which contains an excess of water." Cole 

 remarks that "the pear requires a deep, friable 

 loam, rather moist, but neither wet nor dry, with 

 a rather dry subsoil, as its roots run deep ; yet a 

 porous subsoil is not good ; a hard pan is prefer- 

 able. A deep yellow loam is excellent. The 

 largest natural trees are on strong, moist soil." 



Pear trees will often grow rapidly on light sandy 

 soil in New England, but do not bear as ■well nor 

 live as long as when on strong loam or stifter soil. 



jFor the New England Farmer, 

 THE GARDEN IN JULY. 

 Go with me, kind reader, and let us make a 

 slight examination of a friend's vegetable and 

 fruit garden. It is not a professional or ama- 

 teur's, but only a plain farmer's garden. 

 Look at those early i)otatoes ! The owner 

 has taken several messes from them already 

 for his dinner table. How did he manage to 

 obtain potatoes so early ? He merely took"some 

 extra pains to sprout, plant and care for them. 

 Then here are peas, which be has been enjoy- 

 ing for several weeks ; and there are string 

 beans, too, with corn that looks as if he migiit 

 have succotash soon ; cucumbers to substitute 

 for lettuce, radishes, etc., of which he has had 

 an abundance ; pole beans in the blossom, with 

 some set ; a bed of asparagus, which looks as 

 if it had given the family a good supply; 

 sweet potatoes that look as if in the early fall 

 they might rival the productions of a more 

 southern and warmer climate ; peas that have 

 gone by and later ones coming on ; e'ggjdants, 

 producing a fruit which is a substitute foi* 

 eggs during the annual vacation of the bid- 

 dies ; with a large variety of other vegetables, 

 which we must not stop to mention, all thrifty 

 and promising. All these have been tho- 

 roughly cultivated, notwithstanding the de- 

 mands of the other farm work, and yet this 

 man can hardly see where he has been obliged 

 to employ any time that ought to have been 

 given to other farm crops. But he has not 

 yet got through with planting succession crops, 

 for be is about to put in more sweet corn, cu- 



