168 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
anil each successive stage of its progress will 
afford new delight. The variety of subjects for 
investigation is almost endless. Probably the 
greatest interest would be taken in endeavoring to 
ascertain for yourself the truth in regard to some 
point as to which you have doubts. For example, 
it is stated that there is a considerable difference 
in the time of maturity of potatoes raised from 
eyes taken from different parts of the same tuber. 
Can you tell about this 1 With a few potatoes, a 
rod of ground, and a few memoranda of the time 
of planting, blossoming and ripening, you can in 
one or two seasons gain much useful information. 
The value of different manures may be tested, 
new varieties of seed tried, new fruits originated 
by hybridizing—in short, the taste and circum¬ 
stances of each individual will suggest topics for 
experiments sufficient to employ his leisure pleas¬ 
antly and profitably. Try it. 
The “Better Times” Close at Hand- 
At no time during two years past, has there been 
so encouraging prospects, as now, for the farm- 
eis of the Northern and Middle States and Terri¬ 
tories. The Southern States, or those cultivating 
cotton, have enjoyed a large degree of prosperi¬ 
ty for a year or more, but just now the scale ap¬ 
pears to be slightly turned against them, though 
not so much so, we think, as is predicted by some 
join nals. Should England, by far the largest con¬ 
sumer of American cotton, become deeply in¬ 
volved in the European contest, the price of cot¬ 
ton must fall off somewhat, at least. It will he 
wise, then, for cotton growers to give more at¬ 
tention to corn and other cereals. 
The two principal direct causes of distress, 
among northern farmers, have been : first, poor 
crops ; and second, the low market value, of the 
diminished products, resulting from the depressed 
financial condition of this country, and of foreign 
countries as well. 
In regard to the first cause of distress named, 
there are many reasons for predicting good if not 
very abundant harvests this year, one of which 
is the present flourishing state of the growing 
crops throughout the entire country. Every day 
brings us glowing accounts of the excellent con¬ 
dition of the Winter and early Spring grains; 
and no better weather than we have had during a 
month past could have been asked for, had it 
been “ got up to order.” The warm, dry weath¬ 
er of the last of April and the first of May, great¬ 
ly facilitated planting and sowing, and at the same 
time pushed ahead the growing crops very rapid¬ 
ly. Then, when tlieground had just begun to get 
too dry, a bountiful rain fell. Now (May 16) the 
weather is fine and warm again, and we can al¬ 
most ‘ see things grow.’ (Of some fifty varieties 
of field and garden seeds we hurried into the 
ground the first week in May, nearly everything 
is already up and growing splendidly.) 
There is also one noteworthy fact standing out 
in all the history of the past, which is very en¬ 
couraging now ; there has seldom, if ever, been 
a succession of poor crops for three consecutive 
years. We have not often had very poor crops 
even two years together. Therefore, as we have 
just, had one poor year, following another not 
quite so bad, but still bad enough—taking the 
whole country together—it is safe to conclude 
that the present year will be at least a good one. 
As respects the second cause of distress, the 
low prices, the country is rapidly recovering its 
wonted activity in all departments of business, 
and the demand for farm products for home con¬ 
sumption is much greater than for sometime past. 
The large emigration to the gold fields has di¬ 
minished the number of persons engaged in ag¬ 
riculture, since of the vast multitude who have 
gone to “Pike’s Peak,” and elsewhere in search 
of gold, by far the largest proportion was drafted 
from the Western farming regions. This will 
alone render more remunerative the labors of 
those who have been wise enough to dig for gold 
on their own farms. k 
The most prominent feature in the prospective 
prices of farm produce is, however, the probable 
foreign demand, which for a year past has been 
very trifling. To-day we have news from Europe 
indicating that war between at least two of the 
leading powers, France and Austria, has actually 
commenced, and other continental countries are 
and will be involved. More than a million of 
able-bodied men are already in arms. These reg¬ 
ular armies are not gathered there as here, by 
voluntary enlistment from among an unsuccess¬ 
ful, or shiftless class who “join the army” be¬ 
cause they can not, or will not, support them¬ 
selves by active labor; but in most of Europe, 
they are drafted from the able bodied peasantry. 
This of course must diminish the number of pro¬ 
ducers, to say nothing of the cessation of agri¬ 
culture in the country ravaged by the march of 
the contending armies—countries that in time 
of peace produce as much as several of our 
States taken together. The inevitable result must 
be a considerable increase in the demand for 
breadstuff's and salted meats from this country. 
This is a sad thought—one offering poor consola¬ 
tion—that we are to gain by the sufferings of our 
brethren in Europe, but we are now only record¬ 
ing financial facts. 
In connection with this subject of foreign de¬ 
mand for breadstuff's, we may refer to one topic 
in what is termed “ Political Economy ” (we 
might say “ financial economy ”), which may not 
be fully understood or appreciated by all of our 
readers. Suppose, for illustration, that in a certain 
isolated neighborhood the annual product of hay 
is one thousand tuns, and that the usual price is, 
say, $10 per tun. Suppose now, that the product 
in any year should fall to nine hundred and seven¬ 
ty-five tuns. There would then be a deficiency 
of twenty-five tuns which could not well be obtain¬ 
ed elsewhere. The result would be a brisk de¬ 
mand for hay, until the deficiency should be made 
up. Purchasers would bid, one over the other, 
in their eagerness to get their needed supply, 
and quite likely prices would go up to $15 per 
tun, or more. But suppose there should be an 
excess of twenty-five tuns. There would then 
be an activity among the sellers, each trying to 
get rid of his surplus, with few buyers. Prices 
would then sink as much below the standard 
price, perhaps, as they would go above, in the 
other case. 
To apply the illustration. During the past year 
we have in this country produced a little more of 
breadstuff’s, for example, than has been needed 
for home use. The sellers have exceeded the 
buyers, and prices have fallen very low. Had a 
foreign demand taken off this small surplus, and 
a trifle more, the buyers would have exceeded 
the sellers, and the competition would have in¬ 
creased the marketable value of all the saleable 
breadstuff's. Such will probably be the result the 
coming year. Europe will take all our surplus, 
and some more, and prices will go upward. No 
matter though our aggregate yield of wheat and 
corn be a billion and-a-half bushels, if the excess 
over actual home demand be but a hundred thou¬ 
sand bushels, and Europe calls upon us for one- 
hundred and fifty-thousand bushels, the competi¬ 
tion to get the small deficit of fifty-thousand 
bushels will have the tendency to raise the mark¬ 
etable value of the whole billion and-a-half bush¬ 
els. But enough on this point.—We say again, 
as we said last month, the signs of the times are 
abundantly encouraging. Let farmers take 
heart, and let there be increased thought, and care, 
and attention, given to secure the best possible 
cultivation of the land. Every jdditional bushel 
of grain grown, or saved, will find a market at bet¬ 
ter prices than for some time past. It is not yet 
too late to plant corn for a ripened crop. Corn 
may also be planted thickly, and millet, oats, su¬ 
gar cane, etc., sown, for soiling. Buckwheat may 
be sown to furnish a home substitute for the more 
saleable grains which can thus be spared for the 
market. Turnips will save grass in feeding stock 
next Winter, and this crop will be in ample sea¬ 
son a month yet, | 
The present state of the market, and a refer¬ 
ence to the transactions for a month past, will be 
found in the Review of the Market. 
“ Soiling.” 
This term is used to denote the practice of con-‘ 
fining animals to stalls or yards, during SummerJ 
and feeding them with green food, cut daily, such 
as corn, millet, oats, sugar cane, clover, lucerne,! 
turnips, etc. This mode of feeding is extensively 
practiced in England, but though frequently re¬ 
commended, has not met with much favor here. 1 
The advantages claimed are : that food is thus 
consumed with less waste ; that there is a great 
increase in the amount of good manure saved 
that the animals are less exposed to the heat of 
the sun, and to flies and other insects ; that a 
larger proportion of the food goes to the produc¬ 
tion of fat, muscles, and milk, when tho animals 
are kept quiet; that much less fencing is requir¬ 
ed ; and, as the greatest consideration, the same 
quantity of land will furnish food for two or three 
times as many animals, when the quicker grow¬ 
ing and larger plants, like corn, etc., are raised, 
instead of the common pasture grasses. These 
considerations are sufficient to recommend a 
more general adoption of the practice in some 
parts of the country—as near the larger cities, 
where land is very valuable. But under ordinary 
circumstances the additional cost of gathering the 
food daily, would exceed the rental of additional 
pasture land enough to keep the animals. The 
manure saved by soiling is not clear gain, for this 
is distributed over the land in grazing. The ad¬ 
vantages of keeping animals quiet, are probably 
lost in vigor, for the exercise taken in grazing is 
hardly enough to waste much flesh, while it must 
promote good health. 
But every farmer should practice “ soiling ” to 
a limited degree at one season of the year, viz., 
in mid-summer, when the usual grasses are 
parched and dried. Under the best circumstances 
there are always a few weeks of comparatively 
poor pasturage in July or August, and just then 
every enterprising, thoughtful farmer will have a 
bountiful supply of some succulent crop ready to 
cut and feed out in daily rations, in the stable or 
fields. Not only will the better yield of milk, and 
the greater vigor of working animals amply re¬ 
pay the cost at once, but all kinds of stock thus 
provided for at the most trying season, will go 
into fall pasturage in good condition, and be ready 
to lay in fat and flesh against the winter. 
In “ fly-time ” it will be found advantageous to 
shut up cattle and horses in dark stalls, during 
that part of the day when insects are most 
troublesome, and let cut green food take the 
place of pasturage. 
Corn or Chinese sugar cane planted in drills, 
and millet, oats, etc., sown broadcast, are among 
the best crops for soiling. If planted or sown in 
small plots at intervals of four to eight days, 
a longer succession of green food will be secured. 
