1852 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
103 
who should treat his horse, a hardier animal in the same 
way? Some of the most successful stock raisers, for the 
first fortnight, feed their calves at least four times a day, 
and in moderate quantities, with the best results. In 
short, the whole treatment may be summed up briefly in 
a very few words, namely, by a careful and strict atten¬ 
tion to all the wants of nature, without forcing, over 
straining, or stinting any, to keep the young and growing 
animal at all times in a comfortable condition. These 
things may not perhaps seem to possess the importance 
we attach to them ; but one thing is certain,—the finest 
and most profitable full-grown cattle can be raised by 
those only who lay the foundation of their success in 
fine, healthy, well fed, and well treated young calves, 
and see that they advance without check to maturity. 
Farmer’s Gardens. 
Asa general thing farmers do not provide themselves 
with good gardens; at least so far as the writer has 
travelled he has seldom seen what he would call a good 
garden on farms. The excuse for this neglect is general¬ 
ly the same with all of them—they “ have no time to 
attend to such small matters.” And yet it may safely 
be asserted that an acre of ground appropriated to a 
good garden, will be more profitable to the farmer than 
any other ten acres of the farm. The interests of the 
farmer, the comforts of his family, the good condition 
and health of his whole household, require such a garden 
on every farm in the country. And it should be a gar¬ 
den, not a mere excuse for one, a mere weedy patch. It 
should be one, so managed and arranged, that every 
vegetable of a wholesome quality for human food should 
be raised in it, in perfection, and at the earliest season. 
After a winter’s diet on solid and generally salt animal 
food, the human constitution requires the deterging opera¬ 
tions of free vegetable and fruit diet; and as a general 
rule no one can dispense with it safely. Besides this, the 
natural appetite calls for it, and there are few pleasures 
that may be so safely and even beneficially indulged in. 
In the latter part of winter and early spring, measures 
should be taken to secure early vegetables of all kinds 
capable of very early cultivation. Details will not be ex¬ 
pected here; there are other books and papers appropria¬ 
ted to such information; but I cannot help saying that 
when I am at a farm house, at a season when early peas, 
beans, cabbages, cucumbers, potatoes, green corn, let¬ 
tuce, &c., are properly in season, and find none of these 
luxuries on the table, nothing but the blue beef, salt 
pork, and beans or potatoes of winter, I am free to say 
I do not envy that farmer’s life nor his family their en¬ 
joyments. These very people are fond enough of such 
things when they go to the city, and it is not therefore 
want of taste. It is simply the fault of negligence. Why 
may not every farmer in the state have every kind of 
early vegetables on his tables as early as any gardener 
near the cities can raise them? There is not a single 
reason why he should not, while there are a great many 
why he should. The gardeners have to incur a very con¬ 
siderable expense in procuring hot manure for their hot 
beds, while the farmer has it in his barn-yard. The 
gardener has everything to purchase,and draw a consider¬ 
able distance, while the farmer has nothing to buy. The 
small quantity of lumber required is probably rotting 
on his premises. It would only be a source of amuse¬ 
ment during winter, for him to construct the frame of a 
hot bed, and prepare the manure and bed for use. Having 
done this, and got his plants in a thrifty state, he can in 
a short time, when the season arrives, get his garden 
ground in order and make his plantations. And then he 
will have all these vegetable luxuries as early as any of 
his town friends can purchase them. It only requires 
a little industry and attention to accomplish this, and as 
said before, his enjoyment, his health and even his inter¬ 
est, as well as the comforts of his family will be bencfitted 
by it. _ ^ 
Smoking Meat. 
Messrs. Editors —Not a little has been written on the 
subject of preparing meat, in the best possible manner 
for domestic purposes, previous to placing it in the smoke 
house; but little or nothing.has been said of the manner 
of smoking it. To appearance, it has been taken for 
granted, that this process, (so important in itself, and 
that it be done with care) could be performed by any 
one, who knows enough to build a fire. Those, who 
have eaten bacon smoked as it should be, and afterwards 
partaken of that which has been scorched, heat, burned 
to a crust on the outside, as is too frequently the case 
with the meat of many people, will readily detect a re¬ 
markable difference; and often denounce the latter kind, 
as fit for nothing but soap grease. The process of smok¬ 
ing meat, should never be left with those who have not 
a faculty of exercising proper care and judgment in this 
business. It is not necessary that the smoke be driven 
in, by heating the smoke-house like Nebuchadnezzar’s 
furnace, seven times hotter than it ought to be heated; 
a smoke, sufficient to fill the space occupied by the meat, 
is the great desideratum. Log heaps, back-logs and fore¬ 
sticks should be dispensed with, because, after they get 
once on fire, there will be too great a degree of heat. 
And besides this, in wooden smoke-houses, there is great 
danger of setting everything on fire. Such instances I 
have known to occur; and loss of the meat was the con¬ 
sequence. 
The best, most effectual, cheapest and neatest manner 
of smoking meat, that has ever come under my observa¬ 
tion, is, to place a shovel of live coals in an old pan, or 
some low dish, and lay on them a few sugar maple chips. 
Dry ones are the best, for it requires too much fire to use 
green ones. No other wood will produce so sweet smoke 
as sugar maple; and the coals of it will keep alive as 
long, or longer, than the coals of other wood. In the 
absence of chips, we use corn cobs, which are nearly as 
good as chips. Three or four laid on a few coals will 
produce smoke sufficient, to fill any ordinary smoke house. 
As a substitute for a smoke house, we have been ac¬ 
customed to use a molasses hogshead, covered with 
boards on the top, and a hole sawed in the side near the 
bottom, large enough to admit a small pan of coals, with 
a cob or two, or a few small chips. Thus we avoid all 
danger of setting fire to the smoke house, and consum¬ 
ing meat and all; and our meat is not “ half baked;’* 
but presents a clean, copper colored appearance. 
Let those, who have been accustomed to smoke their 
meat over a log heap, adopt the mode of smoking it 
gently; and then say which way is the best. Truly yours, 
S. Edwards Todd. Lake Ridge, Tompkins co., N. Y. 
