576 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



produces violent effects, and is dangerous in con- 

 siderulile <iuaiitities. It is chiefly used in the 

 country as au external application in cutaneous 

 ati'ecti«Jns. From its great attinity in haliit to the 

 Yeratru!ii,all>uni, an European .-pceies, which has 

 lately ae<iuired consideralili' eeli lirity as a remedy 

 in gout; the American plant is particularly entitled 

 to tiie attention of physicians. 



SOIL FOR, AND SETTIXO STRAWBERRIES. 



Will you inform me through the Ni:w England 

 Farmer what kind of ground is best for straw- 

 berries, and when is the best time to set tlieni out ? 

 B. xj. K. McLavghlin. 



Middleboro, Mass., Aug. 14, 1871. 



Remarks. — A moist, rich loam suits the straw- 

 berry bet-t. 1 he soil should be deep, — that is eight 

 or ten inches, — fine, and kept clear of weeds. 



As early as the soil is suitable for sowing oats, in 

 April, is a good time to set the plants. Make an 

 opening for the roots, spread them a little and 

 press the eartli close about them. Keep the plants 

 moist, and they will soon tj^ke vigorous hold of the 

 ground. They will do well if set in August, if the 

 plants are kept moist. 



FRANKLIN CO., MAINE. 



The cry of lamentation which has been going up 

 from this section for some time is still ascending. 

 The grasshoppers have made fearful havoc with 

 both early and late crops, and are now, no doul)t, 

 eating dally more than all the stock. After taking 

 their first choice of vegetation, a scarcity compels 

 them to glean again on what only a few days 

 before was refused. The farmers deprive them of 

 much of their second and third choice, by harvest- 

 ing any crop that is worth it, as soon as it is fairly 

 determined that it is to be appropriated by them. 



This course destroys many, drives others to feed 

 upon the leaves of the trees, and adds to the 

 amount of feed saved for the stock ; because if a 

 field of wheat, oats, or corn, whether of one acre 

 or ten acres, is attacked, leaf and stalk are gone in 

 a few days, unless cut at once. Brood after brood 

 of tlie hoppers come once in about two weeks. 

 When it was very dry they camo, and after copious 

 rains they came just the same. One brood feeds 

 on what preceding ones would scarcely touch. 

 Currant iiushos are now a favorite. First the 

 leaves, then the bark are taken nearly clean. 

 Young ajiple trees were ttiken at an early day, and 

 now the medium sized ones are selected. Corn is 

 stripped, beginning with the tassels, going to silks, 

 leaves, would-be ears, and then the stalks are cut 

 down, if it is not speedily harvested. Localities 

 that were visited by them last year are generally 

 quite free, as far as heard from. Early potatoes 

 were first attacked. The root crop, sowed for 

 feed, has fared hard. 



The hay crop, in some sections, is rated at one- 

 fourth ; ill another at one-third ; in another at one- 

 half the average for ten years; and so on, up to a 

 full crop of hay, and in "some northern ])arts of the 

 County it is better than an average, with few 

 hoppers. Hardly any farmers agree with me that 

 we have, as a wliole,'more than a half crop of hay 

 in this County. I think we have about sixty per 

 cent. Large lots of Western corn are purchased to 

 make up the deficit to some extent. 



Wherever farmers meet, this gloomy prospect is 

 the topic of conversation. Politics are forgotten. 

 Short crops and low prices are everywhere dis- 

 cussed, and men seem to look only and constantly 

 on the dark side. But as yet neither man nor 

 beast has starved. The expectations of many have 

 been sadly disappointed, but reverses as well as 



successes have their lessons. And our calamity 

 may prove less disastrous than is now generally 

 apprehended. 



In consequence of favorable weather early in 

 the season, there was more time than usual for 

 "spring's work." The area of general farm crops 

 was extended. A little more wheat was sciwn, and 

 a few more potatoes were planted, and so it was 

 with all the cr(jps. When it was found thaf the 

 early drought was likely to diminish the hay crop, 

 nearly all the farmers planted or sowed an extra 

 patch of corn, or roots, and here and there a little 

 ^traw or coarse hay was saved, ^\•hich too often is 

 thrown into the yard just before haying time, to 

 make room for the new haj'. And now luany are 

 trimming up nearer to the fences, cutting a load 

 or two in the pastures, beside the brooks, on the 

 hills and elsewhere. With such economy and 

 foresight the severity of our calamity may l)e miti- 

 gated to a greater degree than our fears at present 

 allow us to hope. 0. W. Trie. 



Farmington, Me., Aug. 14, 1871. 



COLLECTING MUCK. 



The swamps and low grounds where muck 

 abounds, are usually as dry soon after the 

 haying season is over, as they ever are. This 

 is the favorable time to collect it. The days 

 are long, the surface h favorable for hauling 

 over, and other farm work not so pressing 

 that a few days cannot be spared for this very 

 important work. A good way is to throw out 

 the muck and allow it to remain a few days 

 in rather small winrows or heaps. In this 

 form much of the water is readily drained off, 

 and with it one-half at least of the weight of 

 the whole. This greatly reduces the cost of 

 carting. If the muck is to be hauled far, it 

 will be cheeper to let it lie w^here thrown out, 

 or if such place is liable to be inaccessible at 

 a later period, to cart it to some higher land 

 near by, and leave it for late fall or winter 

 transportation. 



]\Iany of our farmers do not yet appreciate 

 the value of this material as a manurial agent. 

 INIore thorough experiments, and a more gen- 

 eral use of it, would convince hundreds of its 

 great value. 



In his fxt-ellent ^^ Lectures on Agrirvltural 



Topics,^'' Mr. Alexander Hyde, of Lee, 



Mass., says : — 



"As an absorbent, dry muck is very nearly equal 

 to pulverized charcoal, which it much resembles 

 in its chemical constitution. As abasisofeom- 

 ])ost, we know of nothing superior to it, unless it 

 is leaf-mould from the forest, which is richer in 

 potash and other soluble saline matters. We cannot 

 too strongly insist upon the importance of compost- 

 ing all manures. Not only is the quantity greatly 

 increased, but the quality is also. Much of the 

 barn-yard manure that is carted directly from the 

 yard and ploughed under, is unevenly disti-ibuted, 

 is full of seeds, and lies in large lumps, so that the 

 croi)S do not receive the full lienctif of it. By 

 composting, we not only get a much finer manure, 



