FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE 119 



Agriculture. The remark was: "The principal objec- 

 tion to the use of oxen is the difficulty of shoeing 

 them." Upon this the writer of the communication 

 says: "The facile mode of shoeing oxen in New Eng- 

 land would remove that objection, and I take the 

 liberty of suggesting the propriety of the trustees of 

 our State society of agriculture, communicating to 

 Sir John a drawing and description of our simple 

 frame and apparatus for shoeing oxen, for the infor- 

 mation of British agriculturists, to whom we are so 

 much indebted for instruction and examples in the 

 most approved practices in husbandry." 



The final volume of 1832 contained an article by 

 John Lov/ell, v/ho had been a trustee of the society 

 from 1806, and its president from 1823 to 1828, the 

 subject being the cultivation of live hedges. In it the 

 statement is incidentally made that the Virginia thorn, 

 which had been used by Mr. Quincy for setting his 

 long hedge in 1808, had proved unsatisfactory in 

 general, because of the ravages of a worm or borer at 

 its root. Mr. Lowell says: "We are indebted wholly 

 and entirely to the experiments of Ezekiel Hersey 

 Derby, Esq., for the possession of a plant, the buck- 

 thorn (rhamnus atharticus) which, from ten years 

 trial, seems to afford every desirable quality for a 

 healthy, beautiful and effectual hedge. I can only say, 

 and I feel it a duty to say, that I have tried this plant 

 for six years. It is hardy, rapid in its growth, of im- 

 penetrable thickness, and, so far as the extent of the 

 experiment enables me to judge, not subject to any 

 disease or visitation of any insect whatever." It may 

 be added as more closely identifying with the society 

 the introduction of the buckthorn hedge that Mr. 

 Derby, whose estate was in Salem, was a member of 



