The Southern field and fireside. (Augusta, Ga.) 1859-1864, October 08, 1859, Page 159, Image 7

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FALL PLOWING. Editors Genesee Farmer: —In the northern sections of our country, in consequence of the short spriny time, for preparing the land for our grain crops, corn, potatoes, Ac., it is a matter of much consequence that everything should be done in the fall that can serve to lessen spring work, such as plowing green-sward, com, and other stubble-grounds, intended to be sown with grain and grass seeds the succeeding spring.— These matters are all ably treated upon-in your quotation from the New England Farmer, written by Mr. F. Holbrook, some years since. He says: “From the last of October to the middle or latter of November is a good time for plowing land, preparatory to sowing or planting in the following spring." Upon some accounts this late plowing may possess some advantages over that of August or September plowing; the weather is cooler, and usually the farmer is less hurried with other labors of the farm. But it is the opinion of some of our best farmers, that in verted sod-land, turned over early in September, will produce better crops of com, oats, Ac., than the same land would if plowed as late as the middle ofNovember. Direct experiments have proven the correctness of the opinion in favor of early plowing. The reasons for this seem quite obvious. The vegetable matters of the green sward, turned over in the warmer weather of August and September, will soon after begin to heat and decompose; gases of various kinds will bo evolved and absorbed by the soil, if of a loamy and clayey nature, and they will mostly be retained for the use of the succeeding spring crops. Portions of the potash, lime, and other mineral ingredients of the soil be liberated by the action of the carbonic acid, ammonia, Ac., formed during the decomposition of the vegeta ble matters plowed in; but no such fermentation will be likely to occur in the soil of the Novem ber plowed land, and the rains and snows of winter will so compress the inverted soil that the decomposition of buried vegetable matters will be much less perfect the following season.— Your remarks, that “ the great error in fall plow ing is in not plowing early enough,” in my view, is to the point, and correct. Heat, air, and mois ture, are all requisite for the decomposition of vegetable and animal matters. The early plow ed lands have all these requisites, while the late plowed are mostly deprived of these necessary conditions. However, all farmers can not do as they would like in those matters. Some must necessarily delay plowing till late; others may have doubts in reference to the correctness of our views.— To such, we would simply suggest an experi ment in early and late plowing of a field of green sward. Farmers differ widely in their views in regard to plowing, beside those of early and late plowing, viz: as to the proper depth to which the plow should be gauged, as also in the width of the furrow-slice, and whether it should be completely inverted or left at an angle of 45°— that is, lap-furrowed. All these matters, in a measure, depend upon certain contingencies, and admit of considerable variation; therefore, farm ers should experiment and investigate for them selves, and not trust too much upon what this or that man may say or write. Some of the farmers, whoso farms border the Merrimack river, in this State, I think, practice a very judicious course of cultivating their alluvial and other deep loamy soils. Ido not see how they can well improve upon their system of cul ture. The system pursued by the farmers re ferred to, is, with a strong team, to plow their sod-land in the fall, (some of them early in Sep tember,) to the depth of ten or twelve inches, some making use of the double or Michigan plow; for reasons, others prefer the common plow. The land remains as left by tfie plow un til spring; then a wide harrow is run over the field, after which the manure is carted on, spread and plowed in to tho depth offourorfive inches, and again harrowed. This preparation makes the after culture, Ac., very easy; tho result is, a crop of sound corn, ranging for sixty to eighty bushels per acre. The plowing of corn and grain stubble in au tumn, for a succeeding crop of oats or other grain the following spring, has been recently practiced here to some extent. It saves time in the hurry of spring work, as tho ground is read ily prepared by the cultivator and harrow for the reception of the seed. The crops are thought to bo equally good, if not better, than if the ground had been spring-plowed, and generally tho seed can be sown earlier. For oats and barley, early sowing generally proves the most profitable. Levi Bartlett. Warner, N. H, September 14, 1850. FISH—THEIR CULTIVATION, AC. “ Law sakes alive,” says some Mrs. Parting ton ; “ here’s a man that's going to tell us how to plant and raise fish in our gardens jest like other truck." No, good woman, I shall not tell you all this, yet I will tell hundreds and thou sands of you how to raise your own fish. Cul tivation means something more than plowing, harrowing and hoeing, ar.d may well bo applied to the raising of fish, and, perhaps, I cannot bet ter instruct you in this art, than by describing what I lately saw right here in South Carolina. During my late visit to Sumpter. I was shown all over tho plantation of my friend Freeman Hoyt, Esq., and here I met with a perfect mod el of a domestic fish pond. Mr. lloyt told me that the little stream of water running through this place was the main thing that sold him tiie land. The branch ran through a low place of such a form, as to enable him, by a dam of some fifty yards long, to construct a pond of 700 feet in length, by 150 in width, with a depth vary ing from the shores, to 12 or 15 feet in the cen tre. This gives him a pond of over acres where he could raise nothing else. One year ago, in tho spring, he deposited in this pond eight good sized trout, and near three hundred thousand eggs, with a large amount of smaller sized fish, for the trout to feed upoD, and he now has the water literally swarming with the finny tribe. Ilis trout are now one year old, and I caught one while there that was over seven inches. Mr. Hoyt will not catch his trout until next year, and then I think he will almost be able to supply the town of Sumpterville with fish. The w’ater running from his dam passes through a sieve so that the fish cannot escape from the pond. A little below the dam is built a small two-story house, tho lower story for bathing, whilo in the upper one is kept all the apparatus necessary for cultivating, feeding and taking the fish. All this convenience has been gotten up with a trifling expense, and will be, in tho future, a large source of pleasure and profit to Mr. Hoyt and his family, and a perfect blessing to his neighborhood. We all eat too much flesh in this country, and should endeavor to substitute, for some of it, more fish and fowl. There are hundreds of places in this State where just as good a pond as the one I have told of, could be built, and tho owners not only well supplied with good fish right from the wa ter, but they could derive a good revenue from their neighbors by selling them the proceeds of their pond. A learned doctor of England said “ that a long life in this world merely learned a man how to live.” I wonder how many lives it xkx sotrwKEas bxklb m vxaxsxax. would take in South Carolina, to learn the peo ple to live up to tho privileges that nature has bestowed upon them. Everything must suc cumb to cotton, if we eat nothing but hog and hominy. Will no other money pass but what is made by cotton, and must the country be thus sacrificed ? Those that have the means and fa cilities must answer. H***. [Laurensville (S. C. ) Herald. Price of Slaves. —ln response to the many inquiries made from persons at a distance, as to the prices that slaves are commanding in this market, we publish the annexed statement fur nished by reliable authority: No. 1 men 20 to 26 years old, from $1,450 to $1,500. Best grown girls, 17 to 20 years old, from $1,275 to $1,325. Girls, from 15 to 17 years old, $1,150 to $1,250. Girls, from 12 to 15 years old, SI,OOO to sl,- 100. Best plough boys, 17 to 20 years old, $1,350 to $1,425. Boys, from 15 to 17 years old, $1,250 to $1,375. Boys, from 12 to 15 years old, SI,OOO to $1,200.' Likely families, and also boys and girls com manded high prices, as there are several gentle men in market who are purchasing for their own plantations in the South.— [Richmond Dispatch. Sale of Negroes — High Prices.—Twenty eight negroes were sold on Tuesday last, at Mc- Donough, in Henry county. The aggregate amount of sales, was twenty-two thousand three hundred and nine dollars, being an average of seven hundred and ninety-two dollars. We se lect the following from the list, as an evidence of the high prices: One boy, field hand, 18 years old, $1,640; three boys, 14 years old—one $1,340; one $1,282, another, $1,207 ; two boys, 10 years old—one $902; the other, $805; one 7 years old, $726; one women, 22 years old, with three boys—one 5 years, one 3 years, and one 8 months, $1995; one woman 23 years old, with two children—a boy 3 years, a girl 18 months old, $2,305; seven girls sold at the fol lowing prices: One 19 years old, $1,200*; one 15 years old, $1,023; one 16 years old, $1,100; one 12 years old, $400; one 7 years old, $605; ono 7 years old, $778; one 7 years old, $7lB. [Atlanta National American. -——— High Prices of Slaves. —Two negro men were sold publicly in this city on Monday last, at the following prices: One, between forty and fifty years of age, at $1,640; and one, about thirty years of age, at $1,375. The man who brought the highest price is a sort of “ workman, and of strong constitution.” [Raleigh (AT. C.) Standard. ORIGINAL DOMESTIC RECEIPTS. Baked Quince. —Bake until perfectly tender. Pare, core, butter, and sugar while hot, thor oughly mix. Excellent. With care in picking and storing, quinces may be saved for baking until mid-winter. Sweet Potato Pie. —Boil the potatoes very soft, then peel and mash them. To every quar ter of a pound, put one quart of milk, three ta ble-spoonfuls of buiter, four beaten eggs, togeth er with sugar and" nutmeg to the taste. It is improved by a glass of wine. Muffins. —Mix a quart of wheat flour smooth ly with a pint and a half oflukewarm milk, half a tea-cup of yeast (family), a couple of beaten eggs, a heaping tea-spoonful of salt, and two ta ble-spoonfuls of lukewarm melted butter. Set the batter in a warm place to rise. When light, butter your muffin cups, turn in the mixture, and bake the muffins light brown. Shrew sbury Cake. —Stir together three quar ters of a pound of sugar, and half a pound of butter. When white, add five beaten eggs, a tea-spoonful of rose-water, and a pound offiour. Drop it with a large spoon upon flat tins that have been buttered. Sift sugar over them. Tunbridge Cake. —Six ounces of butter, six of sugar, three quarters of a pound of flour, two eggs, and a tea-spoonful of rose-water. Stir to a cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, flour, and spice. Roll it out thin, and cut it in to small cakes. Measure Cake. —Stir to a cream a tea-cup of butter, two of sugar, then stir in four eggs beat en to a froth, a grated nutmeg, and a pint of flour. Stir it until just before it is baked. It is good baked either in cups or pans. Muffins. —One quart of milk, three eggs, one cup of melted butter, five table-spoons of yeast, one tea-spoon of saleratus, stir in flour until it is a thick batter. To be baked on a gridle. Essence of Celery. —Steep an ounce of cele ry seed in half a pint of brandy or vinegar. A few drops of this will give a fine flavor to soups and sauce for fowls. Fruit Cake. —One pound and a half of flour, one pound of sugar, one-fourth of a pound of but ter, one pint of sweet milk, six eggs, fruit and spice as much as you please. Jelly Cake. —One pound of butter, one of sugar, one of flour, twelve of eggs, nutmeg and rose-water. Butter a dinner plate and bake thin; trim the edges with a pen-knife. French Loaf. —One pound of flour, one of butter, one of sugar, gill of milk, gill of brandy, gill of wine, seven eggs, as much fruit as you please. Cookies. —Five cups of flour, two of sugar, one of butter, one tea-spoon saleratus, three eggs, and caraway. Baked thin. A Rich Corn Bread.— Take two quarts com meal, one quart wheat flour, a little salt, and four eggs; add sour buttermilk enough to form a stiff batter; mix well; then add two tea-spoonfuls of soda dissolved In a little warm water. Stir it well and pour it into greased pans, so that it will be about two inches thick when baked. Bake in a hot oven till done— say about half an hour. To Make Good Bread. —First, get good flour. Second, tako one quart of flour, scald it by pour ing over it some boiling water. Then for each loaf of bread you wont to make, add one pint of cold water; stir in flour till it is as thick as can conveniently be stirred. Then put in one half pint of good hot yeast for every four loaves.— Set it to rise over night. In the morning make up by adding flour till it is stiff dough. Knead well, mould into loaves, and, when light, bake it well, and you will have good bread. Mince Pie, Salt Beef. —Boil the beef till very tender, tako from the bone, and chop fine; then to every pound of meat, add one pound and a half of apples, pared and cored. Chop both to gether until the apples are fine, then to every five pounds of the mixture, add two tea-spoon fuls of black pepper, two table-spoonfuls of all spice, half a pound of raisins, one cup of vinegar, one of molasses, one of dried blackberries, stew ed, and one pint of sweet cream.—[ Genesee Far mer. DO SHEEP DETERIORATE IN THE QUALITY OF THEIR WOOL IN WARM CLIMATES 1 Editors Genii see Farmer: —President Fan ning, of Franklin College, Tenn., remarks, in the Southern Homestead: “ The effects of a warm climate is t» thin out and shorten the fibre, lighten the fleece, and take the wool from the limbs and under portions of the body, and substitute rough, hairy locks, particularly about the hips, neck, Ac. In higher latitudes, sheep are more compact and uniform in the fleece over the whole body, and the yield is perhaps double that of southern flocks.” Now is all this true? Hardly, I think, to the extent the Professor would lead us to believe.— Where do the finest and best wools come from? Is it not the hot and dry climate of Aiutralia, of Cape Colony, and of the plains of Kstramadura and Saxony ? Is it not generally the ease that the fine-wooled sheep, if removed to a colder and damper climate, such as Great Briminortbe northern States of America, are apt to have their wool deteriorate and become coarser, from the united effects of external moisture, th* want of green and succulent food, and the confinement during our long and severe winters? Would not the same amount of care and attention ex pended on a fine-wooled sheep in the ever green pastures of Australia result in the production of of a larger and finer fleece than is obtained from the same animal in Vermont? What would be the quality and quantity of wool obtained from a sheep in Vermont, ifit were to have to shift for itself all the year round, exposed to the wet and cold, and subsisting On thedriest of hay or a cold bite of frozen grass? Da the fine-wooled sheep in Australia, Spain, or (saxony, yield a less average weight of fleece thin those of Ver mont or Ohio, of an equality if fineness? Is there not a great difference in tiie profit of keep ing 1000 sheep in the former :t the same ex pense as 100 in the latter ?Is lot want of green food in winter, such as turnips one of the causes why sheep, when removed to < ur cold northern climate, have a tendency to jield wool of a coarser fibre and longer staple Will some of our correspond nts give us their views on this subject ? M. — BEST KINDS OF TURNIPS. The different varieties of Rita Baga unques tionably stand first in point c f nutriment, and generally give much the larges yield per acre; this kind is consequently the n ost profitable for cultivation in every respect, ] rovided the soil be suitable for them, is in good condition, and they can be got in sufficiently early. If the weather prove favorable and the autumn mild, it may answer to sow Ruta Baga as late as the 20th of September, in this climate, though from the 20th of June to the sth of July is better. The finest varieties of Ruta Baga, according to our experience, are the Purple Top, Skirving’s Improved, and Laing’s Improved. The next largest kind of Turnip, and greatest yielder after Ruta Baga, is the English White Globe. The objections to it are, that it does not keep well during winter, and it is very apt to grow pithy, and forms a coarse fibre. It an swers much better in Great Britain than in our climate. The. Yellow Aberdeen grows nearly as large as the White Globe, and is every way superior to it. The Yellotv Stone is about half the size of the Aberdeen. We esteem this variety very highly. It is sweet, solid, and a good keeper. Wo are not sure that one bushel of it is not worth any two of the White Globe. The Flat English White is well liked by some, but we have invariably found it quite inferior to the two following American varieties: The Red Top Flat originated in the United States; and we say unhesitatingly, so far as our experience goes, that it is the very best va riety for late field cultivation, now grown among us. It yields well, is hardy, firm-fleshed, sweet and highly nutritious. Wo have had this vari ety, sweet and sound as late as June, which is as late as the Ruta Baga can be safely kept. The Ijong White originated in Connecticut, and is carrot-shaped. Wc have, as yet, had lit tle experience with this variety, but several of our friends who have cultivated it speak highly of its merits. The soil in which this variety is grown should be deep, friable and rich; it is then a great yielder.— [Exchange. —— Repair the Roads. —Everybody’s business is quite apt to become nobody’s business. Travel ers through almost every section of the country find this, often to their cost, in the state of the roads. Jaded horses, broken vehicles, mud bespattered clothing, and limbs weary and sore from incessant jolts, are tho almost certain at tendants of any extended journey by private conveyance. But the inconvenience of bad roads to the occasional traveler is trifling, com pared with the loss and annoyance suffered by residents of the neighborhood. The discouraged traveler may take the rail car or the steamboat, but there is no escape for those living in the lo cality. Every visit to a neighbor, every trip to mill or to meeting, involves a loss of time, com fort, and patience, together with much useless wear and tear of running gear. Very soon the Autumn rains, and alternate freezings and thaw ings will render roads already out of repair, al most impassable. Do not neglect bad spots ad joining your premises, because your road tax is already worked out, or the road-master is remiss. A day’s work on the road will often save a costly job at the wagon-maker’s. Exam ine all bridges and sluices. See that ti.ere are no obstructions to water-courses that will cause dangerous icy slides the coming Winter. Take advantage, also, of every opportunity to turn the rich wash of the road upon your own pre mises, and so arrange channels that it may be distributed widely, and not form an unsightly embankment near the fence where it empties into the field. Let everybody see that his busi ness in this respect is attended to, and then no body’s will be neglected.— [American Agricultu rist. Get Ready for the “Census Man.”— Next year will occur the great docennial Census of the United States, made by tho General Gov ernment. Persons will be appointed for every locality in the States and Territories to gather statistics of the inhabitants, and of all the agri cultural productions, manufactures, etc. Every cultivator will be asked for a concise, accurate statement of land occupied by him, the number of acres and the amount of each crop raised du ring the year ending next June, etc. Those who were called upon in 1850 doubtless remember the difficulty experienced in making up an ac curate report of the various crops. As these re ports will be called for in June, it will be neces sary to give in tho crops gathered this year, and the suggestion we would now make is, that cul tivators write down, while fresh in mind, the number of acres under cultivation, including the wheat, etc., already gathered. The number of acres of each kind, the amount per acre, and the gross amount, will be required. The milk pro ducts also, and the amount of pork, beef, etc., will also be asked for.—[ American Agriculturist. HORTICULTURAL. WHI. N. WHITE, Editor. SATURDAY, OCT. 8, 1859. HORTICULTURAL. Communications for this department are re spectfully solicited. Address them to the editor, at Athens, Ga. , Horticultural exchanges will please direct to the same address. HORTICULTURAL OPERATIONS FOR OCTOBER Kitchen Garden. —Not much can be done this month for the current year’s crops, except gath ering and storing them. Gather tender products before frost. Tie up Endirc, and earth up Celery during dry weather. Cabbage plants may be set in place, for early spring heading. Hoe young crops of Turnips. Transplant September sown Lettuce; hoe any advancing crops. Cab bage for spring use may still be sown, but the bed should have plank sides and bo covered with the same during severe weather. If they freeze, keep them from the sun until the frost comes out. Turnips sown at this time sometimes make good roots. Lettuce, Radishes, Mustard, and Corn Salad, may still be sown. Gather all fall en leaves and rubbish of all kinds for bedding stock, and take measures to obtain all the ma ure possible for spring use. It is the best month for sowing black seed Onions. Shallots and Garliek may be planted out. Tho main crop of Spinach should bo planted. Give Asparagus and Artichokes their winter dressing the last of this, or the first of next month. Fruit Garden. —Strawberry beds may be set. Peaches, Ac., still budded if the bark will slip.— The extremities of fig bushes where still grow ing, should be broken off early in the month, if neglected last month, to ripen tho fruit and wood before winter. If you intend enlarging your orchard or fruit garden, begin to prepare the ground now. If inclined to wash, throw up banks high enough to retain all the water, using a level for the purpose. In our climate we gen erally need all the rain that falls during the sum mer, and if permitted to wash, no soil can long retain its fertility. On these terraces the fruit trees may bo set in the deep soil near the lower side, which, if made sufficiently high to retain the water, will generally be deep enough for the tree. In this position, the roots will have suffi cient drainage, and yet have the advantage of all the rain that falls. The upper side of the terrace can be trenched at leisure. If set on level ground, a strip of the soil beneath the trees, some six or eight feet wide, should be thorough ly prepared, by sub-soiling or trenching. The most fertile and friable earth should be left at the surface in contact with the roots of the tree.— Tho rest of the soil can be prepared another sea son. Fruit trees do best on terraced hill-sides. Set out your trees the last of the coming month, or the first of the following one, thus they will get well established by spring. Give out now your orders for the nurseryman, and you will have them ready, and secure better trees. Look over your buds, and remove . the shoots that threaten to impoverish them, by exhausting their share of tho sap. Flotoer Garden. —Put in hardy bulbs, and tu bers of all kinds this month, such os Crocuses, Hyacinths, Tulips,Crown Imperials, Lilies, Snow drops, Jonquils, Polyanthus, Pmonias, Ac. All these ought to be planted before the middle of November, and certainly will bloom better than if delayed later. They already give signs of life. The earlier they are planted, the earlier and stronger they will flower the coming spring, and the more nourishment they will store up in the bulb for the succeding year’s blooms. Biennials should now be planted out where they are to flower, and hardy perrennials, where not in blossom, may bo divided and transplant ed. If in vigorous growth, it is better to delay until hard frosts occur. Californian Annuals, such as Clarkias, Collin sios, Gilias, Neraophilas, Leptisophons, Lasthe nias, Coreopsis, Eryssimums, may still be sown. Also, Larkspurs, Pansies, Ac. All these, if sown now, bloom oarlier and finer than if delayed un til spring. Indeed, if spring-sown, many of them are quite indifferent, in comparison. As soon as Dahlias have their foliage destroyed by frost, cut them off near the ground, and draw up the earth over the crown of the plant, to protect the roots from frost. Lemon Verbenas, Night blooming Jasmines, and some of the hardier Fuch sias, can, thus protected, be wintered safely in the open ground. All tender bedding plants should be re-potted before the frosts come on.— Verbenas will frequently survive the winter, but a stock of each variety should be potted to pro tect from accidents. A pit must be provided for this purpose, unless there is a greenhouse on the place. Mow the lawn, rake and clear the walks, sweep up the dropping leaves, remove them, and keep the borders free from weeds. “WHAT’S THE USE.” “ What’s the use of raising flowers ? I have no taste for them,” say some. If you are sure you have no taste for the beautiful, if you never admire a beautiful land scape, a glowing sunset, a handsome face, a tasteful residence ; if you are blind and deaf « ali the loveliness of nature, take my advice, and don’t have anything to do with flowers. “ What’s the use of flowers? We c.unot eat them, drink them, or wear them ?” If to eat, drink, and be clothed is all that we live for; if our only business here is to p)*i and hoard, and keep our thoughts ever bound down to the petty cares and distractions of our occupation, thon we do well to cast belaud us and refuse all the gentle and pleasant recreations which are at our command; we do well to shut our eyes to the beauties of citation, to neglect the re fined pleasures and endless gratifications arising from the cultivation of flowers. “ What’s the use of flowers?” We answer by asking “ what is the use of any recreation? The care of a garden is refining and elevating to a high degree. To the person who has passed the day in toil, it is a positive relaxation to de vote a few minutes of the evening to the light employment of the flower garden. His senses and his soul will be refreshed by its beauties and its perfumes. Its cultivation will be pleas ant to old and young, to parent and child. By all means, if you will not have a garden your self, let your children have one. No cheaper enjoyment can be found than the cultivation of flowers. A few shillings each year expended in the purchase of seeds and plants, a little hard work in the spring, a little easy work through the summer, and a little watchfulness and care all the time, comprehend all that is necessary for procuring an enjoyment as pleasing as any, and which is within the reach of all who have a square rod of ground to cultivate.— [Country Gentleman. — WINTERING PLANTS. Many of our floricultural readers, who love the companionship of a few plants to break the dull monotony of the winter season, have not the means or desire to burthen themselves with the care attendant on a green-house, yet they feel grieved to part on the first frosty morning, with all that was gay and beautiful in their Ge raniums, Heliotropes, Salvias, Verbenas, Lanta nas, and many additional favorites. It is a ques tion with some of them whether it may not be better to let them die, as it will only cost a few dollars to renew them in the Spring—than to fret and worry over them during the winter without any suitable place to keep them, lumber ing up rooms, and closets, and cellars. While there are good reasons for this course, there are a number who prefer the trouble, and who will spend a large amount of care to preserve them. To these we would say, prepare timely for the taking up and potting of any of those bedding plants which you may desire to keep over win ter. If allowed to remain until partially injured by frosts, general decay may' ensue, and your object be defeated. Prepare a portion of potting material, com posed of equal parts rich loam and sand. This will be quite rich enough to winter plants in, as tlie object is to keep them in a state of compar ative rest. The plants may be removed at any time alter the middle of September, a dry day being chosen to take them up, when the foliage is dry and in as little of a growing state as pos sible. This removal may be more easily accom plished by watering the soil thoroughly around the plant, to secure the rootlets from being much broken, as well as to secure the adhesion of a small portion of soil. Many plants, such as Geraniums and Salvias, may be planted in boxes if pots are less easily obtained; boxes one foot or a foot and a half deep, of convenient length and breadth, will supply ample space for the roots. When removed from the border, prune off a good proportion of the superfluous shoots, which would demand more nutriment and mois ture than the disturbed rootlets could immedi ately supply. Place the pots or boxes contain ing the plants in an airy though shaded place, for a few days, till the roots become settled, giv ing a due supply of water after potting, suffi cient to wet the soil thoroughly. The superflu ous portion will of courso pass off by the drain age, which should be carefully attended to; indeed we never think of a plant being potted without first placing into the pot a properly ad justed supply of potsherds, always taking pains to cover the hole in the pot by one broad piece. This prevents the water from carrying the soil into and filling up eventually, this necessary pas sago. After keeping plants in the air until frost be gins to indicate its proclivity, remove them to their winter quarters, which must depend on the conveniences and means of our several plant nurses. Some will give them quarters in a dry boarded cellar where a little light may reach them, and occasionally a supply of air, and from which the deposition of culinary valuables se cure the exclusion of the frost-thief. Give them very little water after being removed to this retreat once a week for a few weeks, and finally withdrawing it gradually during the se verity of the winter. The temperature or the place must not fall below 32 degrees, or at least very little below that point. This treatment will not suit a great variety of plants, only such as have robust, succulent stems or fleshy roots. Scarlet Geraniums, Sal vias, Fuchsias, will winter successfully. But Verbenas, Lantanas and Heliotropes require a different treatment. Next to the green-house in economy, and far superior to this cellar or dwelling-house practice, is a Green-house Pit, or sunk pit, for the re ception of choice tender plants during the win ter. We have not in our present article space enough to describe the most convenient form of the pit and its economy, but shall do so at an early opportunity.— Country Gentleman. —— TnE Farmer. —What a word for the Ameri can mind to dwell upon, and, we may add, with anxiety too, do we look at the farmer in his av ocation. We behold the homes of the red man passing away, where he roamed through the forests—first east of the Alleghanies, then west to the eatorn slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and, we may still add, west of those mountains, do we behold the onward progress of the farm er, felling the forests and tossing the soil up and over for the purpose of sowing the various seeds or grain to be consumed by man and beast, and then, after this comes the harvest—the Ameri can farmer’s harvest—what a harvest it will be if we faint not, but work wisely and judiciously. Brother farmers, we may then sing with the poet: • How blest the farmer’s simple life, How pure the joys it yields, Free from the world’s tempestn" 8 ® strife— Free ’mid the scented field*’ Then, farmers, are we the foundation, the prop, the stay of all oth*f pursuits. The mer chant, the mechanic ‘he lawyer, Ac., must all depend upon the f.rmer’s efforts for life. Fel low farmers, th«»gh anxious cares may some times overtake us, let us not be discouraged, but persevere, and with the early spring which is just at hand, he early in bringing out of their winter's resting place the plow, harrow and IkwS, and with a strong arm and a willing mind s o forth with the determination that we will each raise more corn, wheat and oats, Ac., for the year 1859 than any previous year.— [Ex. Preserving Dahlia Roots. —Take up the roots on a dry day, after the tops have been killed by frost. Let them remain exposed to the sun and air till quite dry. All the soil should be shaken off them. When quite dry, put them on a shelf in the cellar, or in a box or barrel of dry sand. The name of the variety should be writ ten on a wooden label, and attached to the root with wire. ii«. -*■»-*■ Venison in the United States, means deer meat; in England it is applied also to the meat of hare birds. 159