188 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Jan. 6, 



ORXGIHAI. COS^munXOATlONS. 



TO THE EDITOn, OF TliK NEW E.NULAND FARMER. 



MONGREL GEESE. 



Brighton, Jan. 



1C26. 



\i io mi\\.e w X'jild gander viM\ ?y tame goost, but commoil.ited ivilh any f>arlicu!ar breed. We 

 he ivill attach himself but to one, nor will she have our market for (at callle, fheep and .swiiie 

 breed by hini until he is three or four years o!.L at Brinhlon and other places, in tvhich tine ai'i- 

 As wild" ganders are scarce, the system adopted mals may be purchised, but jt is not possible lo 

 by my informant is, lo induce him to attach him- ascertain, except by their forms, (which may, 

 self to a number of tame geeso ; for which pur-! perhaps, give some clue to espi-rienccd dealers 

 Dear Sir— There are few persons who fre- pose he first mates him with a zaild goose; and in such stock) what race Ihcv belong to. We 

 quent the Boslcn market between the early partl^vhen she is ready to set, takes away all her have likewise some imported animals and their 

 of autumn and sprinij, but must have noticed the 1 eggs and puts under her as m.iny as she can : progeny,— some ot the '^hort Horn bree.l, owned 

 exhibitionof the fine fowl called Mo.NGREi. Geese, cover of (hose laid by a larai- gocse mated with by Si-ephen Williams, Esq. ot Norlhboro', and 

 that are sold rert,/% for double (he price of com-! a '''me gander. When hatched, the young will by Col. Sa.mukl Jaques of Charlestown, Mass. ; 



' have all the attention paid them by their fo^ter,The Holderness by Gorha.m Parso.ns, Esq. of 

 parents as if they had been tegitiinatc—bni there ; Brighlon, AIs. Joh.n Pri.\ck, Esq. of Roxbury 



ninn geese. And those who have partaken of 

 them at the hospitable tables of the Bostonians., 

 or on their own, must be salislied that, compar 

 atively, they are not overrated, — even from the 

 extra quanity of meat on the carcass, besides its 

 superior delicacy and flavour. The expense of 

 keeping them, especially if they have an exten- 

 sive range and access to ponds or running water, 

 is less than for the common kind, ns they grow 

 faster with less feeding: and it is said they are 

 more hardy and fatten easier. But being the 

 offspring of wild and tame geese, their multipli- 

 cation is much more difficult. 



The Wild Goose of our country is a species 

 peculiar to North America, — none having been 

 seen in Europe, until they were introduced as 

 a natural curiosity, from Canada, at an early pe- 

 riod of the settlement of that country ; and hence 

 obtained the name of Anas Canadensis, by which 

 they have since been known and described by 

 naturalists. A few of the numerous flocks that 

 pass over us are knu-^n to breed in high north- 

 ern latitudes ; but by far the greater portion pass 

 HuJson''s bay, pursuing their course still further 

 towards the pole, and enjoy the summer in re- 

 gions hitherto une.xplored by man,— doubtless as 

 delightful to ihe}n as those in the same quarter 

 are in the imagination of the ingenious Gentle- 

 man at the west, vvhose theory seems to attract 

 attention. 



The Supreme Author of nature, who invaria- 

 bly proportions means to ends, has formeil this 

 species with habits suited to their condition ; — 

 for they have no propensily to breed until three 

 or lour years old : otherwise, being enfeebled 

 during the process of incubation and by guarding 

 and searching aflcr food for their young, they 

 would not have sulScient strength at an earlier 

 age to endure (he fatigue of an indisjiensahle 

 flight of two or three thousand miles. Being of 

 a distinct species from the domestic goose, their 

 viongrcl progeny are hybrids or mules, and do not 

 breed. Although, when two or three years old, 

 Ihcy will make nests and lay eggs ; but there has 

 heen no instance of one ever being hatched. — 

 'I'hfV are of course killed the first year, and 

 iiavo the v.iliiablo properly of retaining their 

 excellence for tlie tabic in the 

 common domestic kind arc worthless. 



Having lately had occasion to investigate the 

 habits of this race, for the purpose of illustrating 

 facts connected with another subject of natural 

 history, my inquiries were directed to several 

 intelligent persons who had been accuslomed lo 

 Tearing them, and particularly a respectable 

 tanner, of undoubted veracity, in n neiglibouring 

 state, who has been extensively engaged in the 

 business for a number of years ; and whose sys- 

 tem of management, as far as 1 can learn, is nol 

 practised in this part of the country; by pursu- 

 ing which, these valuable fowl can be so multi- 

 plied that it may be deemed worthy of being 

 rnadc known.— The method generally practised 



must be no mixture of eggs; lor should one of has some tine animals of imported origin. But 

 the luiW species be hatched, the deception will, whether these gentlemen could be induced to 

 be discoTered and the tame goslings instantly part with any of their slock is a question w hich 

 dispatched or abandoned. When they are so far! we cannot decide. , The county of Worcester 

 grown that the young ganders can be easily dis- contains, we believe, the bes( specimens of na- 

 linguished, they should be separated ; and the five callle, which can be found in (his Slate ;— 

 wild ^oose also. The wild gander still feeling and Governor Lincoln owns some fine Short 

 assured of the legitimacy of ihe remainder, will Horn cattle. E. H. Derby, Esq. of Salem has 

 guard them most scrupulously, become attached, several fine calves for sale from Admiral, an im- 

 and mate with each the next year; when all Ihe ; ported bull. Col. Powel of Powellon, Penn. has 

 geese of Ihe brood will produce mongrels by imporled Ihe most highly valued breeds of cat- 

 him, and for many years after. I apprehend the ' tie and sheep from Great Britain, and probably 

 same result may be effected, when a wild gan-} might be best able of any person in the Union 

 iler is mated with a tame goose, by removing the to meet the wishes of Ihe New Brunswick Soci- 

 moi^grel eggs and pursuing a similar course.— | efy. But we hope that some of our friends and 

 By one or both of these methods 1 think it may 

 be fairly assumed that the number of mongrels 

 by each wild gander will be at least quadrupled. 

 And as plenly, especially of good things, always 

 increases consumption, there will be no danger of 

 spoiling Ihe market. 



The subject may appear too diminutive to be 

 introduced into the important field of Rural 

 Economy, in which you are labouring with such 

 laudable zeal and perseverance, but 1 trust you 

 are fully aware, that it is the small rills ■Si;fiick 

 produce the stream that, properly directed, makes 

 the mill go. I remaiir; 



Most cordially yonrs, 



S. \V. POMEROY. 



I correspondents will be so kind as to orive 

 more definite information on this subject. 



To the Trustees of the .Agricultural Society for ; 

 County of Plymoulli. 



[Extract of a letter from R Simonds, Esq. Secre- 

 tary of the JVcii) Bruns-jsick Agricultural Society, 

 to the Editor of the New England Fanner.^ 



Spring, when th 



BREEDS OF CATTLE. 



" I am directed to make enquiry 

 places from whence Ihe best descriplion of stork 

 can he imported upon the most favorable tonus. 

 I therefore beg leave lo request Ihat you will 

 have the goodness to describe the qualities of 

 the Sheep and Horned Cattle that are in the 

 highest repute in your state, with the prices at 

 which they can be purchased."' 



" The Society -.•.•ould fetl much obliged by 

 your favouring ns with the information on this 

 subject, which you have in your power lo im- 

 part." — 



Remarks by the Editor. — We insert Ihe above 

 with a hope and expeclation of lieing able here- 

 after lo give a more salisl'aclory answer Ihan we 

 can at present. Wilh regard to the " he 

 criplion of slock,'' &.c. we can only say ih.it our 

 • igriculturisls are divided in opinion on this sub- 

 ject. Anil if they were agreed, we are not able 

 to say where any particular breed could be pur- 

 chased. We have no " Cattle Fairs''' similar to 

 those established in Great Britain, deviled, ex- 

 clusively to the sale of horned callle, sheep, 

 swine, kc. in which a purchaser might be ac- 



CULTURE OF INDIAN CORN. 

 GcNTLEtiEN — The following will show the re 

 suit of an experiment !u ascertain Ihe most pro- 

 ductive method for raising Indian corn, wheth- 

 er in hills or rows. This is the fourth year in 

 succession that I have made the trial, each ter- 

 minating in a similar result. I am fully confi- 

 dent, from my tVequent experiments, that the 

 greatest crops will be produced by planting in 

 rows. Others, 1 suppose, who have made only 

 one single trial, will not agree wilh me in this ; 

 hut there is no doubt in my mind of the correct- 

 ness of my slatement, provided il be planted on 

 land highly cullivnled, well managed and fVee 

 from siones. Perhaps ihe very best mclhod of 

 as to the'"""'^'"? Indian corn is not yet found out, and no 



doubt there are many erroneous ideas respect- 

 ing il ; bul farmers ought not to be satisfied wilh 

 one single atlempt, in which perhaps Iheie was 

 a want of proper management, or an insulTicien- 

 cy of manure or an unfavorable season. I am 

 fully of opinion thai, in farming we ought lo be 

 as particular and as careful in planting, hoeing, 

 trimming, weeding, kc. as in gardening ; and we 

 get as well paid for our labour. 



In Way, 1825, 1 ploughed a rich piece of land, 

 tvlierc I bad ihe last year a large crop of pnia- 

 toes. The plough was large and made deep 

 furrows. 1 considered once ploughing was en- 

 ough at the lime, prefering to slir it more fre- 

 t jpo nuenlly after Ihe grain was up and growing. — 

 This piece conlaiiuil one acre; five oighlhs of 

 which I planled in bills, and ihe rem.tiiuler ID 

 single rows. H.iving ploughed il as bclbre des- 

 cribed, 1 marked it out by running a ploiigB 

 twice in Ihe same [dace, making a wiile I'urrotf 

 for the manure. I then put aboul 70 cart loads 

 ofcornposl and manure of equal quanlilies into 

 the fuiTOw.s, and covered it about 2 inches deep 



