THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



107 



the thinner the crust will be. Besides, where we 

 draw up the diiltomake a hill to our corn, it takes 

 it from the ends of the roots, and leaves them near- 

 er the surface and more exposed than they would 

 be it the ground was kept clear of weeds, and the 

 surface level as when planted. Nature will fix 

 the roots and fibres in tlie right place to feed and 

 to support the stalk. Nature does the work ; but 

 we must assist nature if we want our cows and 

 oxen to tlirive well. We must keep the siieep and 

 swine out of our pastures, that the cows and oxt'n 

 may have zU the feed. So if we would have our 

 corn and grain, we must keep out the weeds and 

 let tlie crop liave all tlie strent^th of the ground. 



I would sav something on the improvement of 

 our stock and the raising of calves, but it being a 

 busy time of year, I will leave it for another time 

 or fo-r some one else moie capable ; but I can't for- 

 bear to say calves intended for veal — I don't mean 

 intended for the butchers — should have the milk 

 of one teat the first week, two the second, three 

 the third, and four the rest of the time till he is 

 killed ; and all good veal is better at five than four 

 weeks oldone cent in the pound at least for tlie 

 consumer. Yours very respectfully, 



JAMES WALKER. 



worms, I have much reaaon for believing that this 

 process simply will clear an orchard from these 



trouhlrsonie enemies. 



At the same time in addition to the above men- 

 tioned precaution, I prepared a wash made of lime 

 and cow-dung, mixed with weak lye to the consis- 

 tency of thick whitewash, which is put upon the 

 tree the latter part of April, from the ground as 

 high up tlie body of the tree and its limbs, as could 

 conveniently bo reached — I mix the wash with lye 

 because alkali has a strong afiinity for all animal 

 substances, and of course is avoided by all animals. 



For the same reason, and from tlie fact that the 

 fly almost uniformly deposits her eggs within three 

 inches of the ground, I was induced to put from 

 one to six pecks of leached aslies, according to the 

 size of the tree, in tlie form of a cone around the 

 bottom of it. 



I need not say to you that this treatment is well 

 adapted to promote the growth of the tree, increase 

 the quantity, and improve the qiiallty of its fruit, 

 so that I think I have motive enough for continu- 

 ing this process as often as once in two years, even 

 though I have for many }'ears, had no worms to 

 contend with. 



Yours truly, 



WILLIAM JACKSON. 



From the BtisKm (,'(illivauir. 

 The Borer. 



J^'etctotiy June 14, 1840. 



To THE Editor of the Cultivator : — Dear 

 sir, — You are mistaken in supj)osing, (as by yours 

 of the 6th inst. you appear to do,) that I am pos- 

 Bessed of any scientific acquaintance with the na- 

 ture of the worm called the " Borer," which is such 

 an annoyance to our apple trees. I have little or 

 no knowledge of the science of entomology in any 

 of its details. If my experience in contending 

 with this enemy of " hard cider" can be to any ex- 

 tent useful, I will give it you with much pleasure. 



Eighteen years since, I found my apple trees, 

 almost without exception, attacked by this worm. 

 Many of the small trees were literally cut off near 

 the ground, by the multitude of holes wliich had 

 been bored into them. Tlie quince bushes of which 

 I had many, were all destroyed in this manner. 

 My first operation was to follow the worm with a 

 small gouge, and cut away until I could reach him. 

 This is effectual, so fiir as killing the worm is con- 

 cerned ; but it is evident that the injury done to 

 the tree in this way, is as great, or greater than that 

 by the worm, especially if done in the spring, af- 

 ter he has had eight or nine months to bore his 

 zigzag rourse into the body of the tree ; and if his 

 change occurs annually, no good is secured by cut- 

 ting at this season. 



Suspecting this to be of that tribe or class of 

 worms which periodically change to flies, I in the 

 latter part of Aprii, according to tlie best of my re- 

 collection, cut from a quince bush, a part of one of 

 its stocks, which had in it two worms — put it un- 

 der a glass and kept it in that situation, until the 

 worms came out and clianged to flies, wliich were 

 about tiie size of a wasp, slate colored, with two 

 dark longitudinal marks up their backs. From 

 tliis I conrlnded that it must be from the eggs de- 

 posited by iliis kind of fly, that the borer was pro- 

 duced, and accordingly, by keeping up a close ex- 

 amination, found during the month of July, nuil- 

 litudes of these eggs — generally deposited under 

 the- loose baik, wllliin an inch or two of the ground, 

 always in this form, o g g g g o and I believe uni- 

 formly of thi.=; number, 10; white and about the 

 size of the head of a large pin. I found these 

 eggs began to batch in the latter part of Auii:ust 

 and beginning of September. I write fri»m memo- 

 ry, having made no record of the time, and may 

 not be exactly correct in datep. As soon as the 

 worm is formed, he commences boring into the 

 tree. If promptly attended to at this season, he 

 may be destroyed by following him with a wire. 

 Whether he remains in the form of a worm for 

 one, two, or three years before his change comes, 

 I am unable to say. My impression nt tiiat time 

 was, that the change occurred nnnually. A more 

 prevalent opinion seems now to be that it is trien- 

 nially. But I have paid no attention to the sub- 

 ject since '.hat time, nor have J seen one of this 

 kind nf worms upon any of my trees for the last | 

 ten or fifteen years. ] 



In the fall *f 1823, 1 followed and destroyed as 

 many as 1 could find and reach with a wire. In the 

 Bprjxig of 1824, I cleared av/ay alt the suckers and 

 grass from the roots of the trees, and scraped ofl' 

 all the loose bark, uiider an expectation that tlie 

 fly would pas^ by my trees, and deposite its eggs! 

 where they and its j'oung could have betteraceom- 

 modaliuns, and a more perfect protection. And al- 

 though 1 am aware that the smooth barked tree of 

 tlie nursery' is sonie times puncturijd by these 



The grand employment. 



Fr iheCheshire Fynricr. 



[Comvtunivated for the Visitor.'] 



Husbandry was a primeval employment, and was 

 engaged in immediately after the creation of the 

 world. It has been pursued, with various success, 

 by all nations down to the present time. 



It is a high gratification to realize that on a sub- 

 ject of so much importrince as the cultivation of 

 the soil, we can all unite for its advancement. 



Agriculture is a subject that never has been, nor 

 ever can be, exhausted by discussion. Probably 

 there is no branch of business so imperfectly un- 

 derstood in this section of the country as husban- 

 dry 



It would seem that there is no branch of busi- 

 ness, of so much importance and so necessary that 

 it should be well known, that it may be successful- 

 ly practiced, as tlie cultivation of the soil ; as on 

 its productions the ffreat family of man depend for 

 subsistence. 



In agriculture, as in all other employments, if 

 we would pursue it successfully, we should under- 

 stand it, or in other words", have a thorough knowl- 

 edge of its theory. That we may obtain that in- 

 forinatiim, we should furnish ourselves with books 

 from the best authors on that subject, and, at least, 

 with one periodical, devoted to agriculture ; and 

 studying them attentively, we shall be prepared to 

 perfect our knowledge by experience. 



I am aware there has been, and is at the present 

 time much prejudice against book-farming as it is 

 termed ; but may not the same objection be urged 

 against almost every other eniployinent, with quite 

 as much reason ? and yet, does not the architect 

 L'.tudy the different orders of work with plans and 

 drawings before him ? The young man who would 

 prepare himself for the practice of medicine not 

 only studies for ypars, but, if he intends to become 

 eminent, avails himself of all the new works on 

 that subject, and studies them with diligence and 

 attention. The traveller furn;.'<hes himself with a 

 gnzetteer — the mariner witii a compass, chart, «&c. 

 and is it not equally important that the farmer 

 should avail himself of all the Information within 

 his reach? We would not be understood to place 

 too much stres-; on theory alone, as perhaps no man 

 ever attained a thorough knowledge of husbandry 

 merely by books, or oral infiirmation. E.xpcrience 

 is indi.^pensable to fix a knowledge of the multifa- 

 rious branches of it in our minds. It is needful to 

 teach us the easiest method of performing a thou- 

 sand things which depend on circumstance's so mi- 

 nute, that they were never committed to paper, and 

 scarcely thought to be worth mentioning. But 

 experience, however neceessary, is not all that is 

 wanting to make an accomplished farmer; obser- 

 vation is important, that v/e may profit by the ex- 

 perience and exijeriments of ntliers. This enables 

 us to adopt the best method to effect our object in 

 all the various branches of husbandry. Therefore 

 no person ouiriit to conclude from having had the 

 longest expcrier.ee, that he has the greatest degree 

 of knowledge ; as some persons will learn more by 

 experience and close observation in one year than 

 others will iri forty. 



Il' we v.v!-ild acquire the appellation of a good 

 fanner. and--?o pursue the occupation as to make it 

 pleasant and profitable, we must study its theory 

 until we attain a thorough knowledge of it in all 

 its branches. We must learn the nature and prO' 

 pertiee of soils, know their want« and how to ap- 



ply the remedy. We must be industrious and per- 

 severing, giving a close personal attention to all 

 buainess, taking care of ajl the littles, or for want 

 of care "many an estate is spent in getting" — Poor 

 Richard has told us. 



The study of agriculture as a science, and its 

 pursuit as an employment, we deem admirably cal- 

 culated to produce individual liappiness ; inasmuch 

 as it leads the mind away from the turmoil and bus- 

 tle of many other pursuits, and places a reliance 

 on individual exertion and the blessings of Heav- 

 en. 



There is a mistake and a fatal mistake too in tha 

 minds of many of our young men, in respect to 

 farming. They are anxious to engage in any occu- 

 pation but that of a cultivator of the soil. They 

 look upon labor, especially agricultural labor, as 

 less profitable if not less honorable than any other 

 employment. It is thjs error we believe that has 

 filled our country to overflowing with professional 

 men and reckless speculators. A small portion only 

 of the younger class, can obtain sufficient employ- 

 ment to render their situation independent; while 

 the larger portion are nearly destitute of business. 

 As for the latter class, they are a worthless set of 

 of beings, a nuisance to the country ; as they eat 

 up the corn they in no way contribute to raise. 



The grand mistake, that farming is disreputable, 

 is an error of the present day. Farming wag held 

 by the ancients in high repute, as it is by many of 

 the great and learned men of the present time. 

 The Emperor of China annually, we are told, takes 

 his team, ploughs his field and sows his grain ; af- 

 ter which he invokes the blessing of Heaven, thus 

 setting a noble and praiseworthy example to his 

 subjects. Cincinnatus was taken from the plough 

 and made dictator of Rome ; and in America 

 Washington left his farm, Putnam his plough, and 

 Stark our own granite hills, to head the victorious 

 armies of the Revolution ; and of still later time 

 Jackson, Clay, Webster, and a Iiost of others, are 

 far more happy when directing their farms, than 

 when engaged in the councils of the nation. 



h is imagined by some, that a farmer is coarse 

 and illiterate : such is not necessarily the fact. 

 No pursuit offers more opportunities for the culti- 

 vation of the mind ; and chat man who does not 

 read cannot expect to excel in th"* cultivation of 

 the soil. 



Farming is one of the most peaceful, as it is also 

 one of the most patriotic occupations ; and were I 

 young and again to commence business and at 

 liberty to choose my occupation, I would select 

 that of the farmer. Il is true the gains of the hus- 

 bandman are small ; but they are sure. There is a 

 great satisfaction in looking over our farms, reali- 

 zing they are ours ; that they are not like the 

 property of the speculator, thrown at mere hap- 

 hazard. 



In the labor of the field under the blue arch of 

 heaven, when the breeze is pure and refreshing, 

 there is that freedom from care aud perplexity sel,-. 

 dom enjoyed in any other pursuit, 



What situation, Of occupation, can confer on us 

 more happiness than that of a farmer.^ He sees 

 his crops arise and flourish around him, the fields 

 of waving corn and j'ellow grain ; trees of his own 

 planting loaded with fruit ; flocks and herds graz- 

 ing upon the hills whicli are his. And when win- 

 ter comes the farmer has ample leisure and oppor- 

 tunity to improve liis mind. Who can, with suit- 

 able language describe the happiness of the win- 

 ter evenings of the industrious and intelligent far- 

 mer, with his family clustered around his hearth, 

 listening to an interesting volume, read by one of 

 their number; while the mother and daughters ply 

 the needle in almost breathless silence .'' 



Such is the situation of the farmer, who embra- 

 cing the opportunities his occupati>)n aftords for 

 the improvement of his mind, pursues his moral 

 labors with industry and virtue. 



JOHN CONANT. 



JafTrey, 1840. 



Consumption, 



Half a pint of new milk, mixed with a wine- 

 glass full of the expressed juice of green hore- 

 hound, taken every morning, is said to be an effec- 

 tual remedy for consumption if resorted to in time. 

 One who tried it says, ''Four weeks use of the 

 horehound and milk relieved the pains of my breast, 

 enabled me to breathe deep, long, and free, strength- 

 ened and harmonized my voice, and restored me 

 to a better state of health than I had been in for 

 years." Our own experience enables us to state 

 that horehound is an excellent specific for a cougli 

 or coXA.-^ American Farmer. 



Destroy weeds ichile youngs or tJiey will get th» 

 upper hand, and be apt to keep it during the sum- 

 mer. 



