FARMERS' REGISTER— SHEPARDIA— AGRICULTURE. 



739 



From tlie Ohio Farmer. 

 SHEPARDIA, OR BUFFAI^O BKRRY. 



This interesting tree was discovered b)' Mr. 

 Nuttal, in the vicinity of the Roci<y Mountains, 

 in the year 1810, and introduced by iiini into some 

 of the gardens in the Atlantic States. It is per- 

 fectly hardy. In Winship's Nursery at Roxbury, 

 in Massachusetts, it flourishes as well as in its na- 

 tive soil and climate, and during the last autumn 

 his trees were literally loaded with fruit, wliich 

 hangs in racemes of the size and appearance of 

 red currants. Tlie fruit ripens late in the iidl. It 

 is sub-acid and palatable in its natural state, and 

 also makes an excellent preserve. 



The tree belongs to the Linna?an class "Dioe- 

 cia," and it is said that it is necessary to place both 

 barren and fertile plants in contiguity, in order, 

 successfully, to raise the fruit — of this however, I 

 have some doubts. 



Gentlemen of taste could not expend a few dol- 

 lars to better advantage in ornamenting their gar- 

 dens, than by procuring several of those trees. 



MISSOURI. 



REMARKS OX THE AGRICULTURE OF RHODE 

 ISLAND. 



To tlie Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



The following remarks upon the agriculture of 

 Rhode Island, were made during a short visit of 

 pleasure to the delightful summer retreat, New- 

 port. They were made solely tor individual grat- 

 ification, and may be found scarcely worthy of a 

 place in your Register. Observations upon the 



I habits and customs of a community differing es- 

 sentially li'om our own, if they lead directly to no- 

 thing valuable, have at least a tendency to im- 

 I provement. They beget a sj)irit of comparison: 

 we are enabled to see how others execute the 

 same, or nearly the same work, which we have 

 been used to do in a ditiercnt manner. Improve- 

 ments are thus earned from one region of country 

 to another with raj)idity, which would have been 

 years in finding their way in the gradual advance- 

 ment ot science. Peter "the Great of Russia act- 

 ed under these opinions, when he labored in the 

 ship yards of England. 



Our eastern brethren are a great way ahead of 

 us in industry and skill in the labors of the farm. 

 This is caused partly by the climate, which is 

 cool and invigorating during the heats oi'sunnner, 

 having by no means the same tendency to relax 

 and enervate the animal system, that is experienc- 

 ed under the warmer sun of a more southern lati- 

 tude, and partly by early habits ol' industry. 



On the 20th of July, the crop of hay was not 

 entirely secured, and it was said to have been 

 much injured by fogs and wet weather, which 

 had prevailed for some weeks. It accounted to 

 me for the labors of harvest being continued on 

 Sundaj'. I could not ILul to remark the liicility 

 with which the grass was collected in wind-rows, 

 by means of a horse rake. I am induced to be- 

 lieve that this rake could be beneficially used in 

 gleaning our wheat fields, where the land is free 

 from stumps and rocks, and where the grain is 

 sowed broad-cast and le\el. With this itTipres- 

 sion, I will give a brief description of the imple- 

 ment, and subjoin a drawing of it. 



It consists of a beam of sufficient size, say four 

 inches square, and iirom nine to ten feet in length, 

 into this beam, teeth twenty inches long are mor- 

 ticed, about three inches apart. These teeth are 

 two and a half inches wide where they enter the 

 beam, and curve on the lower side, being at the 

 shoulders flush with the lower side of the beam. 

 In (he upper part of the beam, handles are fixed 

 somewhat like those of a plough, except that 

 they bend much more, so as to be conveniently 

 held, as the rake is drawn with the teeth flat upon 

 the ground, and going points foremost. On each 

 side of these handles, which are in the centre, slen- 

 der upright pieces are fixed in the beam about two 

 feet high to retain the hay in the rake. 



It is drawn by a horse', with long rope traces, 

 fastened at each end of the rake, by means of an 

 auger hole through which the rope is passed and 

 knotted. When the rake is filled, it is elevated 

 by the handles and the grass deposited at given 

 spacess, in wind-rows. A boy rides the horse 



to guide him properly, and another boy sometimes 

 Ibllows with a hand rake to collect small portions 

 of the hay, which may accidentally be leit; but 

 where the implement is skilfully used, it gets tlie 

 grass up perfectly clean. 



I should think that one man and a small boy to 

 direct the horse with this rake, would perform the 

 work of ten men with the common hand rake. It 

 is probable that this implement may have been in 

 use in Virginia, but I do not remember to have 

 seen it. I am convinced of its utility in collecting 

 hav, and I should think it useful in gleaning fields 

 of small grain where so much is left on the ground 

 in our slovenly mode of harvesting. Palemon 

 would here liave no occasion to direct his laborers 

 to leave something for the "lovely young Lavinia." 



I doubt if any portion of Europe can be found 

 more highly cultivated than this island, if we ex- 

 cept the immediate vicmity of London, and some 

 part of Tuscany. Every where the earth is made 

 useful. The fields are small, containing from five 



