642 



NEW EXGLAXD FARMER. 



Sept. 



an example to the young of our day, — fur- 

 ther this writer .<<aith not. 



With all that may be said and sung of new 

 varities and noveltii-.s, suited to the ganlen, 

 none, or all eonibitied, should lead us to ne- 

 glect the old and tried, and such as are essen- 

 tial to our comfort and health ; neither should 

 we neglect to plan for future campaigns 

 in the garden, nor to save what we already 

 have, in the garden, then, we shall find room 

 this month for the exercise of no small 

 amount of judgment, as well as energy in 

 gathering, nuu-keting or storing, the products. 

 Ignorance or carelessness in these respects 

 may result in disheartening loss. Premature 

 gathering, or gathering under other improper 

 conditions ; storing wliere liable to injury by 

 frost, wet, or other accidents ; storing sound 

 and unsound fruits or vegetables without as- 

 sorting ; ])aekiug in leaky or improper pack- 

 ages ; gathering seeds prematurely, or not at 

 the right stage ; storing or jiacking them Ije- 

 fore properly cured and dried, or placing 

 them where tlu'y will gather dampness or be 

 too hot ; leaving i)roducts exposed to unruly 

 or trespassing cattle, pigs, &c. ; bruising and 

 improper handling, and shiftlessness in mar- : 

 keting or in preparing produce for market, are i 

 some of the many ways by which we may fail j 

 to realize maximum profits, after producing I 

 good crops. 



During this month it is often the case that j 

 contemplated imjjrovenients may be "pushed" 

 to greater advantage than at any other time of 

 the year. Improve every leisure ojiportunity 

 in commencing or forwarding all well consid- 

 ered ])lans of permantnit improvement. 



Beans. — Gather and put in a dry place as 

 fast as they rij)en ; save the finest specimens 

 by themselves for seed. Thresh, shell and 

 clean, 6r assort before marketing. Unripe 

 Limas, gathered before freezing, laid away 

 and drieii, are excellent for winter use. 



Blackhkkkiks. — Remove the old canes anc! 

 weak sho(jts, leaving two or three of the 

 strongest and best for next season's fruiting. 



CAHUAnK AND Caiilii'lowkrs. — Keep late 

 plants well heed and growing; sow seed for 

 plants for wintering in cold frames. 



Celeuy.— Kai'th up as it grows, with dry 

 soil, taking care that no dirt is left between 

 the stems or on the crowns ; earth up only 

 when dry. 



Corn. — Save the earliest ears on the health- 

 iest and best stalks for next year's seed. 

 Gather before freezing, boil, shave off' the 

 grain from the cobs and dry as you do a))ples, 

 in the sun or by fire, or can, if you think you 

 can do it successfully. Cut and feed the 

 stalks to the cows. 



CucuMr.Kus. — Save seed from the ripe 

 ones ; cut them in two length-ways, and scrape 

 out the seed part into a pail ; in a week or so 

 this will ferment, so that the seed will settle 

 and the rest will pour olF, when the seed may 

 be washed out clean, in water, and dried in 



the sun — stir the seed in the pail or tub daily 

 after removing till washed out, and once or 

 twice a day while drying. Sweet pickle may 

 be made from those partly ripe ; the small 

 ones should be gathered as fast as they attain 

 a proper size for gieen pi<-kles, (either in vine- 

 gar or laid down in salt. For pickling in vine- 

 gar, gather carefully, cutting frt.m the vine 

 with scissors or knife, leaving half an inch of 

 stem on each ; brush them clean of dirt and 

 dust, being careful not to rub off the little 

 spines ; pack in the pickle tub, or pot, with a 

 few peppers, and pour boiling hot spiced vine- 

 gar over, and cover them close ; when cold 

 ])ut a nuislin cloth on the pickles, seeing that 

 the vinegar covers the whole. To salt, clean 

 of dirt as before, or wash them, throw them 

 into a cask, a laying of two to four inches, and 

 give a good coat of salt, as you would in salt- 

 ing beef or pork — don't be afraid of giving 

 too unu'h salt — they will make their own brine, 

 when it should be seen to tliat the pickles are 

 kept entirely under it. In this way they will 

 keep for years. 



Eni>ive. — Give liquid manure, hoe and 

 treat like lettuce ; gather up and tie the leaves 

 for blanchu/g. 



I\Ianx'ke. — Save everything that may be 

 converted into plant food, and add to the 

 compost heap ; dig and haul muck ; gather dry 

 earth, or dry, sift, and store, to use in the 

 privy, hen house, &c. 



IMelons. — Gather, use, or market, as fast 

 as they ripen. Seeds may be treated similar 

 to cucumber, as above, where in quantity ; when 

 only few, wash out and dry immediately. 

 Ripeness of* melons is determined by sound, 

 when snapped with the fingers, or by gently 

 pressing, when a snapping sound is heard. 



Si'inac:h. — Hoe an(l thin the growing crop. 

 Sow a full crop of the prickly- seeded variety, 

 for winter and s])ring use, early in the month. 



Squash. — Gather and pack away fall and 

 winter varieties, secure from freezing, in some 

 dry ]ilace. A light frost often injures squashes 

 materially, and often defeats their keeping 

 sound. Harvest as soon as ri|)e. 



Tomatoes. — Make ketchup, or can and 

 preserve the ripe ones ; the green ones make 

 excellent pickles, with peppers or spices to 

 season them. W. H. White. 



Suuth Windsor, Conn., IS 71. 



For the Neio England Farmer, 

 LETTER FROM MAINE. 

 Season and Crops. — Drought. — Pastures. — Ravages of 

 Grasshoppers. — Call from an Agent. — Blindfolding 

 the Bugs. — Sweet Flag Roots. — Productive Sheep. 



Perhaps you may find a space in your ever 

 welcome ])aper for a few lines from an old 

 correspondent, living aAvay among the hills of 

 Oxford County, in the Pine; Tree State. 



The season has been thus far very dry. 

 The grass crop on dry land is probably as 

 light, if not the lightest ever cut in this State, 



