84 



THE FARMEIIS MONTHLY VISITOR. 



the perseculion ce;is?d ; nnd tUej found that in 

 proportion as this race of an. mala was restored, the 

 Bcourap which their destruction liad occasioned 

 ceased likewise." 



To this authority may be added that of Sclhy, 

 wh-^, in his " Illustrations of Britisli Ornithology," 

 p. 73, affirms, that " wlierevor the banishing or ex- 

 tirpating of rooks his been carried into effect, the 

 most serious injury to the corn and other crops has 

 invariably followed, from the unchecked de^-asla- 

 tionsofthe grub and the caterpillar. In Northum- 

 berland I have witnessed their usefulness in feed- 

 ing on the larvte of the insect.conimoniy known by 

 the name of Harri/-lon§.rlegs(Tipit:a oleiaceajwh'ich 

 is very destructive to tiie rsots of grain and young 

 clover." 



This is a very instructive history. It should be 

 made universally known; and at the same time it 

 should induce men to examine v.-ell whether ma- 

 ny of the creatures against wiiich thc-y wage an 

 exterminating war, may not be among tiioir be- 

 nefactors. iJotwit!i3tanding, crows still contin- 

 ue to be the objects of remorseless persecution. 

 Will it bo believed that in the month of June, 

 in the year of our Lord, 163-*, "William Ev- 

 ans, of Trefargced, in company with anoth- 

 er farmer, on Monday se'ennigiit, killed l'J15 crows 

 in Pantyderiwood, Pembrokeshire, from three to 

 six o'clock in the evening-" Of the motive to tiiis 

 massacre we are not informed, but it was probably 

 from the mistaken idea that these birds were ene- 

 mies to agriculture ; an idea of which some minds 

 seem incapable of being dispossessed. Tiie Amer- 

 ican farmers of New England once oftered a re- 

 ward of threepence per head fjr the heads of the 

 purple grackle, because it took a little of the grain 

 to whicli it had an equitable claim, for its services 

 in preventing the depredation of insects; when, 

 in consequence of this cruel and impolitic act, the 

 birds were " nearlv extirpated, insects increased to 

 such a degree as to cause a total loss of the herbage, 

 and tlie inhabitants were obliged to obtain hay tor 

 their cattle, not only from Pennsylvania, but even 

 from Great Britain." — ICirbv,vo1. i.p. So",). — Linn. 

 Trans, v. ICo, note. 



Many birds besides rooks .Tre destroyed, under 

 the mistaken idea that they are injurious to the gar- 

 de 1 or orch ird, at the very time they are most use- 

 ful t > botn in feeding the miL-Ives and their nest- 

 lings on grubs and caterpillars. 



'* The common sparrow, tliough proscribed as a 

 most mischievous bird, destroys a vast number of 

 insects. Bradley has calculated that a single pair, 

 hav ng young to maintain, will destroy o3G0 cater- 

 pillars in a week." "The blue th-mouse (J'lims 

 earuhus: LiNX.) often falls a victim to ignorance in 

 this country (Ireland,) as it docs in England, in 

 consequence of the injury it is supposed to do to 

 fruit trees. Mr. Selby most justly pleads in favor 

 of its being a friend rather than an enemy to the 

 horticulturist." 



Quadrupeds, ds well as birds, suffer much under 

 slanderous imputations, as can be attested bv tiie 

 badger and the hedgehog. The former, a harmless 

 inotiensive animal, is baited and worried by dogs, 

 because he destroys lambs and rabbits ! This eh ira'e 

 however, has not been substantiated; and it is 

 known that he feeds on roots, fruits, inse.ots, frogs, 

 and such small gaiiie. But he is strong and pow- 

 erful, and can repel his assailants, when fairly mat- 

 ched, with great dexterity. Me is therefore capa- 

 ble of affording an " inhuman diversion," as Be- 

 wick states, " to the idle and ciie vicious, who take 

 a cruel pleasure in seeing this harmless animal sur- 

 rounded by its enemies, and defending itself from 

 their attacks, wiiich it does with astonTshing agility 

 and success." The hedgehog also is assailed Ijy 

 dogs, torn in pieces, drowned, or burned, because 

 he sucks cows ! whereas he might as well be accu- 

 sed of sucking the great northern bear. He also 

 climbs apple trees, and carries oif the fruit sticking 

 to the spines on his back ! Such a dexterous feat 

 would merit the apples ; and should he eat toe 

 fruits that fill in his way, they v^ould be but a small 

 compensation for his services to tlie horticulturist 

 in gnawing tlie roots of the plantain, a troublesome 

 weed, and in destroying worms, beetles, and vari- 

 ous species of insects. If taken to the kitchen, he 

 will soon clear it of cockroaches, and ably dis- 

 charge the duties of a turnspit dog. 



Th It God has created notliing in vain, should be 

 considered as an axiom both in plulosopiiy and reli- 

 gion ; though there may be some things' of which 

 we cannot see the immediate use, and others, in 

 certain localities, positively injurious. Animals 

 the mist feeble, and appaienlly insignificant, even 

 those which escape unassisted visinn,as the infiisio- 

 ria and other animalcules, serve the most beneficial 

 purposes. They supply nutriment to creatures 

 larger and stronger; and these in their turn become 

 the prey of a still stronger race ; and these a<>-ain 



cf birds, fs- ^hes, quadrupeds, and man. But}' .n says ' 

 "Insects do more harm than good;" a strange as- 

 sertion from so distinguished a naturalist ! The 

 entire genus of swallows, the woodpeckers, and the 

 youngof almost tl\e whole feathered creation, and 

 the tribes of fishes, v.'nuld contradict his a.^scrtion. 

 Tl:e ant-cater, the chameleon, the mole, the bat, 

 tiie hedgehog, and the badger, will testily against 

 him, as will also tiie bee-master, the silk-manufac- 

 turer, and the physician. 



Insects are teazing, sometimes destructive ; but 

 they lab'-ir industriously to provide us with food and 

 r.-;iment, with dye-stuiis and medicine. Innumera- 

 ble myriads of gnats, (Culer. jiijiiens,) in the north- 

 ern regions, supply food for shoals of fisiies and 

 millions cf game, and may be considered as the 

 proximate cause of the annual migrations of the 

 finny and the feathered tribes, wh'cli afi'ord such an 

 abundant supply of nutriment, not only to the Lap- 

 lander and Esquimaa'.x, but to the inhabitants of 

 every shore which they visit. Vv'ere insects anni- 

 hilated, how many species of other animals would 

 languish and die I and man himself would be a- 

 mong the arcatest sufferers. For it is with the an- 

 imal kingdom, as with the body politic, or tlie mi- 

 crocosm of the human frame, if" one member suf- 

 fer, all the :nenibers snfTer with it," and t!ie loss of 

 one class or order would involve that of another, 

 till all would perish. If some species are injurious 

 to the garden and tlie orchard, the wardrobe and 

 the museum, they are beneficial in some other de- 

 partment, and the m'sehief of wiiich wf incessant- 

 ly coiViplain is amply compensated by the gp.^ater 

 good of which they are the ministers. "The Der- 

 7k«.v;c«, the Ccrambiix, and the Cardhtris }un-alis, 

 prey upon viood. They injure the v.'aterpipe, re- 

 duce the fallen trees of the forest to powder, and 

 bore throurr-h the war-ship's ribs; but while busied 

 in these operations, they are fnrnishingemplayment 

 to the pump-borer, the sawyer, and the carpenter. 

 St Pierre has beautifully observed, that "the we- 

 vil and the moth oblige the wealthy monopoliser to 

 bring his goods to market, and by destroying the 

 wardrobes of the opulent, they give bread to the 

 industrious. 'Were grain as incorruptible as gold, 

 it would be soon as scarce ; and we ought to bless 

 the hand that created the insect that obliges man 

 to sift, turn, and ultimately to bring the grain to 

 public s:i\a."—Eurupcun PtiulicaLivn. 



Fur tue l^nrmi-r's MumUi:> \ isilur. 

 Thorn iledges. 



Gov. Hii.i. : — If the following remarks on the 

 subject of IIedgks should be dee.ned of any val- 

 ue to farmers in this section of the country, you 

 arc at liberty to use thein in any v/ay calculated to 

 promote their interest. In some sections of the 

 country where stone is scarce, cr the soil is clayey 

 and operated upon by the frost, so as to throw down 

 the stone wall, or whore lumber is scarce and high, 

 fencing is an important item in the expenditures 

 of every farmer. 



It is said that with proper care and cultivation 

 the common thorn plant usjd in the formation of 

 Hedges will continue to grow and flourish live hun- 

 dred years. Dr. Sliuvtlelf, in his observations on 

 post and rail fences, stone wall and live fence, 9th 

 volume of ilie New England Farmer, page 223, — 

 calculates the cost of the latter including plants 

 and all otlier necessary expenditures till they be- 

 come competent for a fence, at forty cents a rod, 

 and adds that he would engage to find plants, set 

 and train them at fifty cents a rod, " and make a 

 handsome profit in the bargain." — The Doctor has 

 some experience in this Imsincss. Many people 

 have seen and admired the beautiful Hedges on 

 his farm at Clielsea, M.-;. and I would refer all your 

 readers who wish l^or inl'ijrmation in the cultivation 

 of live fence to his written directions in the same 

 volume — pages 20i), 210. Plants for the beautiful 

 Hedges on the farm of the Hon. Josiah Quinc}-, at 

 Quincy, I believe, were imported. 



Many of the farms in tlie vicinity of Boston, as 

 well as in Connecticut, New York, Nev/ Jersey, 

 Delaware, Maryland and other States, are beauti- 

 fully ornamented with Hedges of different kinds 

 of thorns. Red cedar and the common red 

 beech may be cultivated so as to form an excellent 

 fence. The cedar is beautiful. Some of your 

 readers will perhajis recollect to have seen a l)eau- 

 iful ever green Hedge, which is of cedar round 

 tone of the Hospitals or public buildings in the city 

 of New York. In the West indies and in Europe 

 generally thorn Hedges are cultivated to a great 

 e.vteut. They form almost the entire fence "^f the 

 countr}^ ; and nothing can be more beautiful or or- 

 namental. They are a fence against fowls, cats, 

 and dogs, as well as larger animals. The Hedges 

 on the farm of E. II. Derby, Esquire, of Salem, 

 are of Buck-thorn, and are said to be decidedly the 

 best in the country. 



In the moist climate of England, and Ireland 

 the Haw-thorn dees well; but1n this country it 

 will not do. The climate is not sufliciently moist, 

 and the summer sun is loo h.Tt : besides, it is al- 

 most universally attacked by the borer and destroy- 

 ed in the Hedge. Tlie materials commonly used 

 in this country for Hedges are the English v;hite 

 thorn, the Buck thorn, the Nevvf Castle, Delaware or 

 cockspnrthorn, and tile maple leaf Virginia Wasli- 

 ington thorn. These can all be obtained from the 

 seed, or they can be had of almost every growth 

 from nur.3eries in Masgach.i:;etts. The buck thorn 

 was introduced by Mr. Derby of Salem. His hedg- 

 es are of this plant. He Ins a nursery and sells 

 many every year. His price this year has been 

 $2,50 per liundred. The plants are three feet high, 

 and have once been headed down in the nursery. 

 It requires twenty -two plants for a rod. This is the 

 usual number: The cost of these plants for a rod 

 of hedge, would be fifty-live cents a rod. They are 

 of hardy character and rapid growth. 



The csckspuror New Castle t'aorn plants can bo 

 obtained of ■VVilliam Kenrick, of Newton, Ms. for 

 §10 per thousand. Tliis is an excellent material 

 for a hedge— less than ha'f the jirice of tlie Buck- 

 thorn. The hedges on the farm of Mr. John Prince, 

 of R^x!)ur3'. are mostly of tliis jdant. 



The 'Washington or maple haf thorn can be ob- 

 tained of Joshua Pierce, Esq. Linna'iin Hill, Wash 

 ington city, at ,*5 a lliousand. The hedges of Dr. 

 Shurtleff, at Chelsea, are of this plant, and of the 

 strenoth and beauty of his hedges none that ha» 

 seen them will doubt. There are other nurseries 

 in the vicinity of Boston where plants can be ob- 

 tained. I have set 177 rods, or 4,000 plants for a 

 hcdae this spring, and cho.se to make trial of the 

 buck thorn on account of its iiardy character and 

 the rapidity of its growth. The difference in ox- 

 pence has however been very ccns'dorable- 



The host mode of planting and cultivating a 

 hedge, I have made the subject o? inquiry for 

 some time past, and I take the liberty to send you 

 extracts from various letters 1 have received on the 

 subject. The wnter.s of tliese will excuse the lib- 

 erty I take. The information is valuable, and if 

 published in your valuable ptv-per will be read with 

 interest and perused by many of tlie farmers of 

 New Entvland. The extracts follow : 



BARNABAS PALiMER. 



Kcnnebunk, Me. May 12, !S3y. 



.VcHi'en, near Boston. J:in.'2ii, 1539. 



The English Haw Th^rn are not 



deemed suitable to our climate. The Cockspur or 

 New Castle Thorn are scarce — none near but mine. 

 I have but 10,000. They are tv.o years old. I be- 

 lieved I was doing a good work to introduce them. 

 Tliey have bten tried. The leaf is very beautiful 

 — the thorn very strong. Mr. John Prince has cul- 

 tivated it twenty years, and thinks it the best plant 

 he has tried. No borer that ho has ever seen or 

 heard of has ever meddled with ii. The price la 

 ^10 a tiiousand. Buck-thorns are hardy as oaks — 

 will grov/ in an}' soil. 1 offer mine low; they have 

 generally sold from §20 to $30 of same age — mine 

 are four years old. 



To frrm a hedge dig the ground deep, throw out 

 the poor subsoil to the deplli of eighteen inche.'*, 

 two feet wide, and fill it with rich loam, and drive 

 on your hedge as suddenly as poisible. Set in a 

 single line eight inches ;ipart. Never p-rune a 

 plant the first year — never pri;ne at all afterwards 

 e.\cept in early Sjiriug, and nev^T use shears; al- 

 wavs use a keen iiook with a haadi", and strike up- 

 wards. 



After your hedge has been planted a year, cut 

 down every plant to four or five inches, and you 

 will have s^^veral strong plants from each. In A- 

 pril a year after cut v.'itli a knife all over bearing 

 shoots, to within live inciies, and lower your hedge 

 to eighteen inches, if it has grown well. Make 

 the top sharp, in the form of a steep cross or the 

 letter A. This is tiir' v. ;ty, the only way to have a 

 hedge perfectly compact to tlie ground. Keep it 

 forever in tliis form ; keep it down, but let it ad- 

 vance upwards only as it advances at its sides. Then 

 the side limb.s will have air, and dew, aird rain. — 

 Prune it once a year, and tiien in e.ulv spring- 



Thnse hedges pruned vertically are good for noth- 

 ing ; tlie lower limbs, deprived of sun, and dew, 

 and rain, die off. ^Vhereits in this form you may 

 have a hedge so perfect as to exclude a cat or rab- 

 bit. I have studied the suljject, and observed, and 

 written and published. 1 know the opinion of the 

 very best judges. I^ord Kaime and my friend Rus- 

 sel here, we are agreed. I have chosen the Cock- 

 spur above all others, but intend as soon as I get 

 leisure to have a specimen hedge of ten kinds. I 

 predict the Cockspur will be preferred of all. 1 

 would not use the English Haw-thorn as :i gift: I 



