850 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



into the barn, — and when all hands are en- 

 gaged in gL'ttingitin. In many instances, hay 

 thus wet, must lie over night as it was tumbled 

 up to be pitched upon the cart, or as it was 

 shaken out from the cock. In either case, the 

 hay would be essentially improved by remain- 

 ing so. 



If the showers are of short duration, and 

 the sun appear again, an hour's use of the 

 tedder, in lifting the hay into the air and drop- 

 ping it lightly again upon the sward, would 

 shake out the rain and enable it to dry so as 

 to be got in the same afternoon. Where fifty 

 tons of hay are made, the saving in this par- 

 ticular alone would soon ecjual the cost of the 

 machine. 



The Horse Rake would follow in order af- 

 ter the tedder. Some farmers ascribe to it as 

 much gain as to the mowing machine. Almost 

 any person can rake, however, even children, 

 while it is difficult to find mowers who are 

 sufiiciently strong to continue day after day to 

 swinging the scythe, and who can mow rapidly 

 and well. 



In the delightful grass fields in Addison 

 county, Vt., the horse rake was kept in mo- 

 tion, after the grass was dry, to the complete 

 exclusion of the hand-rake ; indeed, we did 

 not see the latter at all, in the hundreds of 

 acres over which we went. All the hay was 

 got into windrows, and all the scatterings in 

 loading were got together by the horse-rake. 

 . Another improvement is in the style of the 

 forks used. They were once made at the 

 common smithy, and were too heavy and rough 

 and imperfect in form. The handles were too 

 large in some places and too small in others. 

 The fork, of a proper form, may be lighter 

 and yet stronger than an ill-shaped one. The 

 forks then had but two tines. Now, many of 

 them have three, and the third tine is a very 

 great improvement on the old form. 



The HoKSE Foiuv, for uidoading the wagon, 

 and conveying hay to the bays, or scaffolds, 

 proves of considerable senice where barns 

 admit of their use. 



Hay Caps are of great assistance in curing 

 the crop. If the gi'ass can be wilted immedi- 

 ately after it is cut, the hay cocked and cov- 

 ered with caps, it will remain safe, even in a 

 storm, and there is very little to be done for 

 it afterwards in the way of turning and drying. 



Many years ago, securing the hay harvest 

 ■was considered the most laborious and critical 



work of the year. With the help of the ma- 

 chines mentioned above, it is not considered 

 so now. Many farmers say that they consider 

 the hoeigg more laborious than the haying. 



In a meadow directly before us as we write, 

 covered with a growth of at least a ton to the 

 acre, we have known the whole crop cut, 

 cured and housed in three day's time, by the 

 aid of machinery in the whole process. 



CULTURE OP THE CABBAGE. 



Few of the vegetables are of more conse- 

 quence to the farmer than the cabbage. It is 

 cheaply and easily raised, very productive, 

 and can be preserved in its natural condition 

 for eight or nine months in the year. It forms 

 a highly nutritious and palatable article of 

 food upon the table when boiled, and a re- 

 freshing salad when chopped and served with 

 condiments, such as vinegar, pepper, mustard, 

 &c., and used in a raw state. 



It is important to the farmer in another 

 respect. It is profitable as an article for 

 market. The farmer who is at a considerable 

 distance from cities, or manufacturing centres, 

 may cultivate and send cabbage to market to 

 as much advantage, perhaps, as those can 

 who improve more costly lands and pay higher 

 taxes, in the vicinity of a city. Tliis is al- 

 ready done by some who reside fifty to seventy 

 miles from a large market. In the autumn, 

 what cabbages remains unsold are set in fur- 

 rows in grass ground, and covered with forest 

 leaves or straw to the depth of three or four 

 inches, and light brush thrown over it to keep 

 it in place. In this way they keep well, and 

 in the latter part of March and in April and 

 May, they are lifted, placed in barrels and 

 sent to market. At these times, a cabbage 

 which would bring but five or six cents in the 

 autumn, would bring from ten to twenty cents 

 in Boston, according to the supply that might 

 be on hand. 



The farmer, therefore, may find the cab- 

 bage a good market article upon which he 

 can realize a profit in money, as well as fur- 

 nish a wholesome article for his table. 



But this is not all. There is no stock upon 

 the farm but would be benefited by an occa- 

 sional feed of cabbage. Swine like it, and 

 thrive better when its fresh and succulent 

 leaves form a part of their food. Poultry 

 will leave grain of any kind in the winter 

 season to peck at a head of cabbage. They 



