1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



515 



condition, if you have failed to keep them so 

 from any cause. See that your walls and 

 fences are in good order ; bar posts and bars 

 up ; gates cared for ; everything snug around 

 the barn and in it ; the cattle clean ; and the 

 house in order every way. I have been greatly 

 annoyed and often embarassed on going into 

 a house to look it over to have the women 

 apologizing about this and that untidiness, the 

 worst of it being that there was really great 

 occasion for those apologies by reason of the 

 manifest daily neglect to keep the house tidy 

 and decent for people to see. 



These simple suggestions duly heeded will 

 not cost much, but will aid essentially in sell- 

 ing any place at even a higher figure than can 

 possibly be depended on if neglected. Pur- 

 chasers prefer buying where no outlays for re- 

 pairs are called for, and are wise in doing so. 



July 22, 1871. k. o. 



For the Kew England Farmer, 

 CUTTING AND CUEING HAY. 



An article under this head has called forth 

 some exceptions from the pen of C. H. Cran- 

 dall, which recpiire a passing notice. Perhaps 

 Mr. Crandall may have taken the "extremes" 

 that are si)oken of, in his inferences. The 

 term aftermath is used in speaking of the value 

 for feed for milking purposes, and the argu- 

 ment still holds good, as the practice of any 

 farmer will soon convince him. It was also 

 used in showing the choice of animals between 

 that and late-cut, hard hay. The illustration 

 of the child is by no means a parallel case, 

 since in one case the food spoken of as being 

 selected by the child is not its iiatural food, 

 and in the case of cattle, the nearer to green, | 

 succulent grass the food can be used, the | 

 nearer we are to nature ; hence the use of 

 steam in preparing the food. 



Now about the question of going thirty or 

 forty miles on the road with the load spoken 

 of, we should not probably feed either j)f the 

 articles named. In all labor of animals, as 

 well as of man, there is a great loss of muscu- 

 lar tissue, so to speak, that must be restored, 

 and that in the easiest manner ; hence the food 

 required is that containing the greatest quan- 

 tity of tlesh formers. This is not found iu 

 woody fibre. 



The testimony of all is that after the period 

 of inflorescence the stalk of grass passes rap- 

 idly into the woody state, and that .the gum, 

 sugar, starch and those ingredients that make 

 up in a great measure the value of the food, 

 rapidly diminish. Again, Liebig says that all 

 plants, if left to mature their seeds, lose con- 

 siderable of their value, which passes olf as 

 excrementitious matter. Another writer has 

 said that he had rather have good bright straw 

 for fodder than late cut timothy hay. 



The reason why ]\Ir. Crandall would prefer 

 his timothy hay for a long drive, can be easily- 

 guessed at. It is well known that a man 



will work much longer on a full stomach than 

 upon an empty one. Now it does not require 

 demonstrating that aftermath, orrowen, is in a 

 state to be exceedingly easily digested ; while 

 on the contrary, the timothy hay with perhaps 

 not as much (comparatively) material for the 

 rebuilding of muscle, but furnishing a large 

 bulk of woody fibre, which is indigestible, con- 

 tinues in the stomach of the animal much 

 longer, and hence with a full stomach the ani- 

 mal does not appear to be so soon exhausted. 



We would not, however, wish to be under- 

 stood as recommending rowen hay for horses 

 on long journeys, much less green grass, for 

 the reason that the stomach would soon be filled 

 with this bulky material, and in reality still 

 have a small amount of material for supplying 

 bodily waste. 



We do not offer these suggestions for the 

 purpose of influencing any person to change 

 any course that he may at present be pursuing 

 with satisfactory results, but simply for the 

 purpose of directing attention to a subject that 

 should interest all engaged in agricultural pur- 

 suits, w. H. Y, 



Connecticut, July, 1871. 



EXTRACTS AND BEPLIES. 



THE TWO PAGES OE AGRICULTURAL MATTER. 



I shall vote for two pages of hints on farming, , 

 for I am a .young farmer and %yish to know moi-e 

 about it than I do now, and am tryhig to improve 

 from the many hints thrown out in your paper. 



BARREN NORTHERN SPY APPLE TREE. 



One of my neighbors wishes to inquire about an 

 apple tree called the Northern Spy which does not 

 bear fruit. It has a beautiful top, perhaps more 

 than ought to be allowed to grow. 



Weston, Vt., June 24, ISll. E. A. Moore. 



Remarks. — As to the subject of increasiag the 

 space devoted to agriculture in the Farmer, we 

 can only repeat our promise to find or make room 

 for every practical hint or suggestion which may 

 be furnished by the readers and friends of the pa- 

 per, or of the cause. We should like to show you 

 the pile of manuscript that now goes into the hop- 

 per every week. 



The Northern Sj ' " " ^•^rf^y bearer. You do 

 not state the age of jor's tree. "Writers 



on the subject of i g, have sometimes, 



with the laudable pui^ acouraging its culti- 



vation, made statements o% Ciises of exceptionally 

 early fruiting which we have sometimes thought 

 were calculated to raise: expectations which are 

 seldom realized by the saijiguine planter. We have 

 seen it stated that the Ncfa-thern Spy is from ten to 

 fifteen years in coming into bearing. To produce 

 fine fruit this tree needs i\ good soil and good cul- 

 tivation. With such treaitment the tree is a vigor- 

 ous grower, and makeaf. a thick top. Judicious 

 thinning may be advisab le, but we should caution 



against anything like a 

 neighbor is very anxious 

 the Spy apple, he might 



severe i^runing. If your 

 to see a few specimens of 

 try the process kno^ivn as 



