46 



NEW ENGLAND FARMED. 



tSept. 2, 



TVITW T^-^jV'B ANTl FA RMERJ P'«ce ideas, within the reach of everj horiicul- most caies, of poiitive injury. 

 INJliW ti,iil4jrll^ AIMJ E A^i*-"-*^!*!! ;...:„. n,. ;. ,„ Still as we are not nil giirileu- 'i'"'"? present sulferin; from lou? diou-ht 



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1825. 



The Prize Essoy of Samuel \V. Pomeroy, Esq 

 •F which we gave a brief notice in the N. E. 

 Farmer, vol. iii. page 390, has been published. 

 U is a learned, elaborate, and well written per- 

 formance, containing many facts not generally 

 linowi), but of great practical importance to the 

 agriculturist ami economist. We shall republish 

 this Essay as socn as we have completed (he pub- 

 lication of Col. Pickering's very valuable com- 

 municalions " On improving the native breed of 

 IJew-England Cattle." 



T. G. Fessf.nden, Esq. 



Editor of tlu .Vtic England Farmfr. 



Framingham, August 23, 1825. 



Deep to the loot 

 Of vegetation parclied, the cleaving fields 

 And slippery lawn an arid hue disclose. 

 All conquering heat, Oh intermit thy wralh ! 



7'kontson, 



SiR,--Permit me to request of you some in- 

 formation respecting artificial irrigntiun. Such 

 baa been the intensity of the heat in tlii? part of 

 the coimtry (the thermometer having for many 

 weeks past ranged between CO and I02-') anil 

 with but little rain, necessity has driven us to 

 sprinkling, to preserve our plants. 



So severe has been the drought, immediately 

 in our neighbourhood, that the most vigorous 

 and flourishing lawns have cast aside llieir green 

 appearance, and assumed (he hue of autumn. 



Our fruit trees, particularly apples, b:ive suf- 

 fered severely. The fruit, (rom want of mois- 

 ture, has prematurely dropped from the Iree, 

 and been literally b;ikeil by the sun. Potatoes 

 will not probably yield one third of the usual 

 • crop. 



In this slate of things, the 'ji-atcring pot and 



turist. Be it so 



ers, these remarks may not be wholly useless. 



,~ The extension of knowledge, if properly im- 

 proved, is the extension of virtue and happi- 

 ness. — We expect of you, Sir. the same favour 

 in the agricullnral world, that Addison afforded 

 the literary. You must introduce philosophy 

 both into the kitchen and the stable. 



With much respect, yours, W. B. 



Remarks hy Ihc Editor.— The following rules for wa- 

 tering plants are from Darwin's Pliytohgiu, vr the Phi- 

 losophy of .igTicuUurr. and Gardening : '■'Thetc are two 

 circumstances to be attended to in giving water to 

 plants ; which are, not to water them during the hot 

 part of the day in summer, nor in the evenings of spring, 

 when a frost may be expected ; in both these circum- 

 stances we may be said to copy nature, at rain is gen- 

 erally preceded by a cloudy sky, and is never accom- 

 panied by frost ; though that sometimes follows it, and 

 is then very injurious to vegetation. 



" When plants have been long stimulated by a hot 

 sunshine into violent action, if this stimulus of heat be 



A country often cn- 

 but, even if 

 all the gardens and all the fields could, u: such a case, , 

 be watered with a watering pot, 1 much qr.estion, wheth- 

 er it would be beneficial even to the crops of the dry 

 season itself. It is not, observe, ram water that you 

 can, one time out ofa thousand, water with. And, to 

 nnurish plants, the water must be prepared in clouds 

 and mists and dews. Observe this. Besides, when 

 rain comes, the earth is prepared for it by (hat state of 

 the air, which precedes rain, and which makes all things 

 damp, and slaclrens and lon't-nsthe earth, and disposes 

 the roots and leaves tor the reception of the rain. To 

 pour water, therefore upon plants, or upon the ground 

 where they are growing, or where seeds are sown, is 

 never of much use, and is generally mischievous ; for 

 the air is dry ; the sun comes immeiliat ly and bakes 

 the ground, and vegetation is checked, rather than ad- 

 vanced by the operation. '1 he best proti dor against 

 frequent drought is fiequrnt digging, or in the fields, 

 plough irig, zud always (/'•fp. Hence will arise a /fr- 

 mentation and dews, 'J'he ground will have moisture 

 in it, in spite of ail drought, which the hard, unmoved 

 ground will not. But always dig or (ilough in rfry 

 weather, and, the drier the weather, the deeper you 

 ou»ht to go, and the finer you ought to break the earth. 

 \\ hen plants are covered by lights, or are in a house, or 

 are covered with cloths in the niicht time, they may 

 need wiiiering, ami, in such cases, must have it given 

 them by the hand." 



T 



ni/ have been of essential service. But these 



have supported, in our gai dens, but a sickly veg- 

 etation. 



iMy present object, Sir, is (o obtain a knowl- 

 edge of the lime, quantity, anil manner of ap- 



too greatly and too suddenly diminished by the affusion 

 of cold water, or by its sudden evaporation their ves- We cannot vouch for the correctness of Ivlr. Cobbet's 

 sels cease to act, and death ensues ; exactly as has too theory, to the extreme which he carries if. Watering 

 frequently happened to those who have bathed in a j garden plants in very dry weather, in our climate, is 

 cold spring of water after having been heated by vio- not only expedient, but often indispensable to their ex- 



tent and continued exercise in a hot day. When se- 

 vere frost follows the watering of plants, they ate ren- 



istence. Cut we believe it a frequently performed 

 when it might as well be omitted. Dr. Deane observes. 



dered torpiil, and die by the too great and sudden di- vegetables that are newly transplanted, as they hare 



minution of the stimulus of heat, which is equally n e- '»»•'' '»"" ™""-e or less diminished, or otherwise injur- 



cessary to the activity of vegetable as to animal fibres ; ''^^ "rten need watering till they have taken new roots. 



J . .1 ■ „ i„.; „f fl„;Ho m..,/ v,„ But this should be done with caution. If a dry season 



and in some cases the circulation ot tliiias may De ] ij ^>rn=i.u 



stopp.d bv the congelation ol them ; and in other th. ir | '''^"ow '^'«^ transplanting, let them be watered if they 

 vessels may be burst by the expansion attending the ' appear to droop, only on evenings, and in cloudy weath- 

 the conversion of water into ice; or lastly by the sep- j «Ti »"<' ""h water (hat has been exposed one day at 

 arationoftheirditTerent fluids by congelation. | Ifa^' '» 'he shining of the sun; not with water di- 



" When an addition of manure can be procure s ! ^^''T f™"> » ^^«=" "'• ^ '^"'d 'P""?. ^' 't "ill give tx 

 whore the black carbonic juice from a dunghill mixed ' chill to the plants. Only a small quantity should be 

 with water, or soap-suds, which have been used in appbed at enc(j, that it may have an effect similar to 

 washing, can he employed instead of water alone ; it arefreching rain. For water applied too plentifully, 

 must undoubtedly add to the nutriment, andconseqent- sometimes washes away (he finest of the mould from 

 ly enlarge the size of the fruit liy that means also, as | rout ; or makes little cavities about them, vrhich ad- 

 well as by the additional water. 



" Where too much moisture is given without at the 

 same time an addition of warmth some inconveniences 



mil too much air. 



" In a dry season, whole gardens sometimes need wa- 

 tering; and in doing it the above piecaiili'-ns are to be 



plying water. 



1. The Time. In Ihe morning evaporation | are liable to occur, us a less aromatic and saccharine ' '"S"'"^'"''- They are happy who have a piece of stand- 

 hegins, ami a small portion of water -prinkled j fi^.vour of the fruit. When therefore fruits become '"S water m their garden or a rivulet near at hand, 

 on an arid surface, combining with the caloric, | nearly lipe, less water should be given Ihc-m, unless it .^™'" "bencethe garden maybe watered without much 



then deeply ;ind widely drfTisod, ^iiceiuls in the 

 form of gas, or ste;im, into the almospliere, car- 

 rving with it the remains ol former moisture. — 

 T!ii« must therefore be injtirioiH. ll' this theory 

 be Correct, the objection rests with additional 

 weiglit at any subsequent period o( ibo dav, till 

 the ilew begms to fnll, or, in chemical langii.ige, 

 till an atmospheric precipitation commences. 



2. Thr ijiianiity shoiilil be great. "■ A little wa- 

 ter is a dangerous tiling." This should be pour- 

 ed in such plenty iis will penetrate the parch- 

 ed furCnce. 



3. The Jihinncr. The water sliould be tepid, 

 and Hpplied caiilioiisly, in proportion to the del- 

 icacy of the jjl.uil. In all casfs an oxCHvatiou, 

 in the I'orin ol' ,i luiwl. shoulil be made round the 

 plant, lor the retention of the water, otherwise 

 Wfi injure instead of bcneliliing ; by wasbiug 

 nwuy the soil and manure indispensible for its 

 sutlenaiire. 



The foregoing, you may say. are comrnon- 



, ■ . . .1 ,. . • ,1 u 1 ■ i labour." 



be convenient at the same time to increase ttie heat in I 



whi. h they are imm. r.^ed, as may be done in som- hot j !''=»"'' ""^'"^ ^'"<' S<^^'"'»S, wbde in their infancy may 



houses; and there the flavour ofthe fruit may be height- I '^""^ "''•"' ^""^^ deeper in consequence of not finding 



ened, as well as its si« increased. ^"'^ "''''' "'^- '"'•'■='" °' "^"^ •""''' according to Dr. Dar- 



" It is observed by gardeners, that in dry season!, if! "'"'' ""'°''y- ^"- "'<"'^'' '^^'•'^^ ^""^ "'arly or quite 



you begin to water anykind of plants you must contlu- 1 '"="'"'' ""'^ *■"" S^"'"'^^ =""' ="'^ ''^P"''''' <" ''^"•"b, 



ue{to repeat it ; otherwise that they are sooner injured j *" '""'■ "'"' u'"' '' '''"''" """ "'"^ ""'^ '"" '''^'" 



their fruit or their seeds, n quire watering. It is then 



_ , . , ,,..,,, , , J too late for tlie plants to alter the direction of their roots. 



This fact also I think I have observed, and j , r .i^ ^, „■ . ' 



: or send forth new filires or radicles, and a timely and 



by the dry weather, than those which have not been ' 

 watered. 



it may depend upon the circumstance of the roots of ao- 

 nn.'il Tegi tables shooting themselves lower down in dry 

 seasons in quest of moisture ; but if this be given them 

 in the commencement of Iheir growth, they (hen shoot 

 their roots more horizontally, and are afterwards in con- 

 sequence sooner destroyed by the subsequent dry weath- 

 er. 



Mr Cobbetl has carried the theory of Dr Darwiu last 

 above quoted still farther. lie says : 



" Watering plants, thouch so strongly recommended 

 n Tnglish (!ardi iiing Hooks ; and 3C> murh in practice 

 h a thin;5 of very doubtful utility in any case, and, in 



judicious supply of water may prevent the intentions of 

 nature with regard to their niatnrity from being frusta- 

 ttd by drought. 



In applying water to plants it is expedient that every 

 part of the plant, leaves, branches, &c. as well as the 

 root should receive its proportion of the fluid. The 

 nozzle of the watering pot, garden engine, or other im- 

 plement used for the purpose should I'e perforated with 

 small boles, so that the water may liill in an artificial 

 shower, (the smaller the dro)'3 the better), insliail of 

 being pvecipitatcd in niaMcs like a citMact or wHtr 



