J 62 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



and quality of meat, and more particularly their 

 hams, which are larjrp in proportion to the carcase, 

 lean, juicy and tundnr. 



1 have just hcon in my piggery and measured 

 three and the following is (he result : 



"Jim Crow," a Berkshire boar 18 months old, in 

 good condition, measures from his nose to the root 

 of his tail, 5 feet — uroand his body, back of hisfore 

 legs, 4 feet and 4 inches. 



**Sam Slick," an imported Berkshire boar, 15 

 months old, in good store condition, measures from 

 nose to root of tail, 5 feet 4 inches — girths back of 

 fore legs, 4 feet 1 inch. 



"Straitly," one of my breeding sows, aged, in 

 low condition, having nursed a litter of nine pigs, 

 measures from nose to root of tail, 5 feet one inch 

 — ffirths 4 feet 2 inches. 



That they attain great size, we have " proof a- 

 bundant." I could cite several accounts, published 

 in the Cultivator, where Ihey have grown up to 

 five, six and even to over nine hundred lbs. when 

 dressed. 



In a letter from a gentleman in Kentucky, it is 

 -stated that a boar three years old, was estimated to 

 Veigh eight hundred lbs. He took several silver 

 cups as prizes for tlie " bist bora-^" at several Fuirs 

 in that State. He was purchased here when apiij. 



The Shakers at Watervleit lately sold a Berk- 

 shire sow, a daughter of one of my sows, (the one 

 whose portrait you have copied from tiic "Genesee 

 Farmer,") with nine pigs for $150, and one of lier 

 sow pigs, two years old, for ^100. The old sow is 

 computed to weigh between five and six hundred 

 pounds. 



The demand for pigs has been so great, tliat I 

 have not been enabled to give them a fair trial. 



I have still in my possession three of the "origin- 

 al imported hogs," and several breeding sows of 

 their produce. "Sam SlicU" is an imported bo^»r, 

 from a different family of tiie old importation, and 

 bids fair to make one of the largest of the breed. 

 His hoad and ears are smaller in proportion to his 

 body, and he is much lighter colored. 1 have re- 

 fused for him, in August last, $120. If we can 

 only breed tliem white, they will be the nc plus 

 ultra of the hog tribe. 



I am, sir, v/ith much respect. 



Your obedient servant, 



CALKB N. BEMENT. 



For tlie Fannet's Mnalhly Visiior. 

 Gofi'stoM'n. N. H. 



GoFFSTowN is a large townsliip, situated at the 

 north-eastern extremity of Hillsborough county, 

 on the western banks of Merrimack river, in the 

 42d degree of north latitude, and contains about 

 25,000 acres; bounded north by Dunbnrton, west 

 by Weare and New Boston, south by Bedford, and 

 ^ast by Merrimack river, which separates it from 

 Manchester, in the early settlement of the State, 

 this township of land was granted to the Rev. 

 Thomas Parker of Dracu', Mass. and forty-five 

 others, among whom was Col. John Goff of Bed- 

 ford, from whom it derived its name : it was incor- 

 porated in 1761. 



This town comprises almost all the varieties of soils 

 from the hard clay to the light sand. Its trees and 

 shrubs are nearly as variegated. Here can be seen 

 the verdant intervale stretching along the borders 

 of the Merrimack. Above this, at the centre of the 

 town, are extended plains, whic!i, once considered 

 unfit i'or cultivation and but a waste, are now made, 

 by the skill and persevering industry of its liardy 

 inhabitants, to yield abundant crops ; and liere too 

 are to be found large swells of elevated ground : 

 these are mostly on the borders of the town, with 

 much fine land for cultivation. The wood and tim- 

 ber here is principally chestnut, oak, pine, birch; 

 rock-maple and hemlock occupyinii the valleys be- 

 tween. These valleys are watered by small wind- 

 ing rivulets teeming onward to the larger streams 

 below. The soil is peculiarly suited to fruit trees, 

 and the apple grows spontaneously ; yet for some 

 years past the farmers have too much neglected 

 this branch of husbandry in grafting, trimming, &c. 

 not that I would say the town is destitute of fruit, 

 for it would be but just to state it would not suffer 

 in comparison with any town in the State. Some 

 have taken great pains and procured the finest fruit, 

 and are now reaping a rich reward for their labors. 

 Gardening will soon be an object worth attending to. 

 The growing up of the village at the east part of 

 the town, called Amoskeag, which promises ere 

 long to be one of the largest inland towns in the 

 United States, furniaives strong inducements to at- 

 tend to this branch of farming. 



This town is watered by Piscataquog river and 

 its many tributaries, on which river there arc many 

 ine mills. This river supplies water for a woolen 

 IMory at the Wett village, where is manufactnred 



**woolen satinelte" to considerable extent. Here 

 are also other mills and useful machinery. "Black 

 Bronk," so called, from the dark color of its waters, 

 has its rise in Dunbarton, and parses through the 

 nortii-easterly part of this town, on which there are 

 many useful mills. This brook was once the re- 

 sort of the Indians. Oams thrown across the brook 

 to form basins for catching fish, — figures cut in the 

 rocks — stone arrows and gouges, *Itc., leave traces 

 of their skill and industry. Near the Jones Pond 

 is a singular stone called the " Diamond Rock." 

 This rock is completely poised on two rocks about 

 twelve feet from the ground, and would shelter ten 

 or fifteen men : it is covered with a species of dia- 

 monds, and would weigh twenty tons. Near the 

 north line of this town, about equi-distaut from 

 east to west, is a large ledge of rocks, called "Rat- 

 tlesnake ledge," from the large number of rattle- 

 snakes that lived around it. These, however, were 

 entirely exterminated by the inhabitants building 

 fires more than fifty yeara ago. This ledge forms 

 a front of most imposing appearance on tlie south 

 of more than a hundred feet perpendiculaTly. 

 The north side rises by a regular ascent, from an an- 

 gle of about 45 degrees. The top is covered with 

 trees and shrubbery. 



This town abounds with singular ledges, rocks 

 and stones, and difi'erent colored earths, among 

 which may be found many curiosities, which might 

 prove a fruitful as well as delightful field to the 

 scliolar and geologist. 



I must here notice a tract of land lying at the 

 north part of the town, called "Tebbetts Hill," so 

 named for Col. Tebbetts, who made a survey and 

 excursion some eighty years since. This is eleva- 

 ted ground, being as it were a village of hills, af- 

 fording two or three fiirms to the swell. The soil 

 is rich, producing the finest wheat and other 

 grains. It has ever proved fine land for corn : its 

 elevation places it beyond the reacJi of early frosts. 

 Its soil is congenial to all kinds of fruit trees. This 

 place commands a fine prospect, and for tlie salu- 

 brity of its air and healthy breezes, would vie with 

 any other portion of New England. One swell 

 seems to rise partly by another, with Intervening 

 vales, with here and there alovely brook, the whole 

 mantled in ^'living green," presenting a romantic 

 and beautiful landscape. Here too are in this town 

 two mountains, called the Uncoonocks, (woman's 

 breasts.) Tliese lie in the south-west ptTt, and are 

 principally covered with wood and tiniher. They 

 are seen at a great distance in difi'erent directions, 

 being always designated by their peculiar relative 

 position and shape. On the top of one is a small 

 pond of clear water, which fiows continually. 



This town lias lontj been noted fur furnishing 

 masts for vessels, and while under the colonial gov- 

 ernment, some of the finest masts i'or the British 

 navy were taken from itand transported to the sea- 

 board. Aged people have stated that they have 

 known trees for masts so large, that it required 

 from sixty to ninety yoke of oxen to draw them. 

 These trees were marked in the woods by the King's 

 oflicer, witli what was then termed the " King's 

 broad R." (a character resembling the letter A) 

 and a heavy fine was imposed upon any one who 

 should cut them for an}' other purpose. Tliese 

 trees were selected v.-henever the King's ofiicers 

 chose, and without making the owners of tjie land 

 any remuneration for them. This town is J4 miles 

 from Concord, about 18 from Amherst, and y.bout 

 G5 from Boston, Mass. THOMAST. 



North Gofl'stown, N. H. July, lt?3;». 



Apple and Fr;iit Orchards. 



We have nowhere seen finer apples, pears and 

 plums than were exhibited before the Agricultural 

 Society of Cheshire, at their late exhibition. Mr. 

 Isaiah Wilder of ^Ceene, presented the finest speci- 

 mens of plums of the kinds called Cowe's Golden 

 Drop and Duane's Purple. The same gentleman 

 also exhibited magnificent api)les, among which 

 was a kind called the Monstrous Pippin. Mr. Sam- 

 uel Woodward, jr. of Gilsum, exhibited several 

 specimens of splendid apples, among which were 

 the Golden and Pomwater Sweetings, and the Lou- 

 don and Baldwin apple. This last kind, which de- 

 rived its name from the lateLoammi Baldwin, sen. 

 of Woburn, Ms. is more generally admired by the 

 lovers of good apples than any other kind put up 

 tor winter use. But the most elegant, most invit- 

 ing specimen of fruit at the exhibition, was pre- 

 sented by Mr. Samuel White of Marlborough. — 

 This town, it will be recollected, embraces a part 

 of old Monadnock itself; and is situated on the 

 highest, coldest point of the back-bone ridge of 

 New Hampshire: yet no climate of thu "sweet 

 South" ever produced fruit of a finer flavor, great- 

 er size, or more attractive to the eye or grateful to 

 the palate, than the Fears of Mr. White, which 



sold at auction on the spot at prices from six to 

 twelve and a half cents each. 



The orchtirds in the interior of New England 

 have been sadly treated for the last half a dozen 

 years. In the commendable zeal to make our pop- 

 ulation more temperate, war has been waged a- 

 gainst the apple-trees, and some of the finest orch- 

 ards have been razed to the g-ound : in other cases 

 the trees have been neglected and left a prey to 

 cattcrpillars, canker worms and the browsing of 

 cattle, or else from neglect of the friendly pruning 

 knife to divest them of suckers and diseased limbs, 

 have gradually deteriorated both in quantity and 

 quality of the fruit. Now if the consumption of 

 cider had grown into entire disuse, all the apple- 

 trees that ever stood on the ground at anyone time 

 would not be too many for the profitable use of the 

 inhabitants of New England. 



If apples, unfit to be eaten or used in various 

 ways for the use of man, were produced in quanti- 

 ties, it is ascertained that they may be advantage- 

 ously converted into food for brute animals — -for 

 swine, cattle and horses. But there is not a tree 

 producing bad apples that may not by grafting, in 

 the course of live or six years, be made to produce 

 plentifully the best of fruit. This fruit does now, 

 and will for years to come, bear a high price. In the 

 vicinity of Boston, the venders go about among 

 the farmers and pay readily, taking the apples from 

 the fields, three dollars a barrel, containing little 

 more than two bushels, for Baldwins. As far in 

 the country as this place, good winter apples sell 

 for two dollars the barrel. In the yard, we believe, 

 of Mr. Gould at Henniker, in the month of Octo- 

 ber, we saw two trees at a distance, on which were 

 apples a])pearing to be the blue pearmain, which 

 would measure eight to ten barrels each. Now 

 what growth can be more profitable than the apple- 

 tree which in a single season shall yield twenty 

 dollars .-* 



The true method of making an apple or any oth- 

 er fruit orchard productive, is to cultivate and ma- 

 nure the ground as for any other crop. An orch- 

 ard should he kept in almost constant tilth. 

 Taken when young, the tree may be so constructed 

 with the use of the pruning knife as to interfere 

 very little with the use of the plough, and so that 

 almost any vegetable crop may grow under and a- 

 mong the trees. On ground well cultii'ated, fruit 

 trees will invariably grow larger and fairer. 



If the prospect of raising an orchard to those in 

 advanced life look discouraging, we say unto all 

 surh that the man who has strength to labor does 

 not live who is too old to plant and rear a fruit or- 

 chard. With careful cultivation on rich ground 

 in favorable positions, an apple orchard will grow 

 up to bearing in less than half the time that it would 

 if left to itself and exposed to the clippings cf cat- 

 lie and the inroads of destroying insects. We may 

 plant a nursery, and in two years the young tree 

 will be fit for budding by inoculation ■ in two years 

 more it will be ready to transplant, and in two more 

 the tree will begin to bear. An aged relative liv- 

 ing on the p'remiscs where the editor was born, 

 which premises long since our recollection had not 

 more tlian two or three apple-trees of any kind fit 

 for eating, lately showed us over the flourishing or- 

 chard, planted by his own hands on a few acres a- 

 bout the ohl mansion, which orchard has ibr the 

 last fitteen or twenty yars produced from one to 

 five hundred barrels of grafted Baldwin and russet 

 apples, paying the interest on this crop alone of 

 from tlirte to five hundred dollars an acre. The 

 old gentleman plucked from a favorite tree apples 

 which it had borne several years, the grafts of which 

 were by liim there placed when bis witi', now de- 

 ceased, told him it was probably too late for them 

 ever to witness their bearing : yet, he informed us, 

 she did live long enough to eat of the apples in suc- 

 cessive seasons, and he had lived after her for sev- 

 eral more years to eat of the same tree ; and now, 

 at the age of seventy-seven years, being able not 

 only to mount the ladder and pick his apples from 

 the trees, but to take up his barrel of apples and 

 place it in the cart by main strength, he is still like- 

 ly to witness the annual production of fruit from 

 the same tree ten, fifteen and by possibility twenty 

 years longer. 



Rohn u Potatoes. 



To mij friends of the Journal of Commtrce. 

 As you have shown a laudable zeal in exposin-T 

 all humbvgs^ and classed Thorhurn's Tree Corn and 

 Rohans* as such, I will leave it for more success- 

 ful growers than myself to speak of the former, but 

 of the latter, I offer you the result of my first plant- 

 ing. Last spring I bought of G. C. Thorburn /m// 

 a pecli ofRohan potatoes, cut them into single eyes, 

 made holes in mv garden about four feet apart each 

 way, put in manure, planted two eyes in each hill, 



