284 



NEW ENGLAND FARIJER. 



[March 31 



ORXGXNAI. COXVIiyiUKXCATIOirS. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLA.VD FARMEll. 



Allleboro\ March 21, 1826. 

 MULBERRY TREES. 



Sin, — 1 observed in your paper of (he 17lli 

 inst. i«ii inquiry t'y « gentleman of .Anilierst, N.H. 

 where liie IViiite Mulberrij Tret?, lit for trans- 

 planting-, and the scedsiov planting, could l^e ob- 

 tained. 



In answer 1 can stale that Mr Enoch Pierce, 

 of Mansfield, (not Marshfield) Windham county, 

 Conneclicnl, called on me lale last fall, with a 

 quantity of said trees for sale, having previously 

 disposed of part of his load to Mr As.4 Sayles of 

 Atlleboro'. lie informed me he could supply 

 nny reasonable number of said trees, or the seed 

 for planting. His trees were from 4 to 7 feel 

 in height, and appeared tlirifty ; the price was 

 ^5.00 per hundred. He observed that orders, 

 sent liy mail, for seeds or trees, would meet 

 prompt allentiiin. — 1 presume the eggs also can 

 be obtained of him. 



Messrs Grant Thorburn & Son of New York 



.inform me (hat they have the sweet or Carolina 



{lotaloe slips for sale, which 1 presume is what 



one of your correspondents wishes for, if it is for 



the purpose of planting. 



Yours respectfully, N. 



Oi^The name of Hk- above writer is left with the 

 ]'^ditor, for the satisfaction of any person who may wi.sli 

 fmthur information on the suliject. 



and made fast to one of the strong roots ot' the 

 stump while the team is attached to the draft 

 chain at the wheel. Thus by turning the wheel 

 the stump is immediately drawn from the earth, 

 and suspended under the axle. The method of 

 moving, is, by attaching a yoke of oxen to the 

 end of each runner, and driving both at the 

 same time. The expetise of the wood work 

 was about 25 dollars, and the bands aiound the 

 beam and posts, -1 or 5 dollars. The chains 

 may be easily computed. 



With this preparation, 1 have cleared from 

 one to two hundred acres, of large growth of 

 pine stumps, and during the same time my 

 neighbors have done u)uch in clearing their 

 lands with it. From 30 lo 80 stumps may be 

 drawn in n day, according to the size of them, 

 and the extent ol their roots. The whole ex- 

 pense of raising them may be computed at trom 

 10 to 15 cents each; and when placed in rows 

 they make a durable fence. 



1 uin, sir, very respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 



JOS. S.\WYER. 



TO THE lailTOn Ol- THE NEW ENOLANl) FAIIMER. 



MACHINE FOR RAISING STUMPS. 

 Picriiwiil {X.ll.) March. 7, 1826. 

 Sir — Observing in your paper of February 21, 

 some inquiries by Mr J. II Newkm. concerning 

 the best method of raising .Stumps, by which, 1 

 supjiose, is meant extracting them fiom the 

 earth in our fields, 1 am induced to offer you 

 my experience on the subject, hoping it may be 

 of some use in this necessary part of farming. 



The plan of a machine or Slump I.il'ler which 

 I have adopted and had in u.s* for the last throe 

 years, is simply a windlass or wheel and axle, 

 placed in a frame so as to be easily moved about 

 the field, and adapted to the silualion of the 

 ground where the stumps are to be draivn. 



It is made by placing two sills or runners of 

 strong limber, 7 inches sipj.-ire and 14 feet Ion"-, 

 parallel with each other, and 16 fi'et apart. To 

 the middle of each of these, is framed, by a 

 strong tenon, a post 10 feel high and 10 or 12 

 inches thick at the top, lo serve as a hub or 

 nave lo prevent the frame from swaying too 

 much to the right or left. The posis are braced 

 " fore and all" in the sills. Near the top of the 

 posts, is inserted ihe beam or axle by agudgeon 

 lo inches in diameter, secured by ;i stronsr pin 

 and washer, on the outside of the posts. The 

 beam is of lough oak or maple, about 18 inches 

 in diame'.er. loin the beam, and near one end, 

 is framed the wheel (of sjiokes and felloes) 16 

 feet in diameter. The rim of the wheel is 7 

 inches thick, with a groove in Ihe oulside or 

 edge, to which is attached a chain about 50 feet 

 long, nf the size of a drafl chain, or a large rope 

 may answer. To tbi- middle o( the beam is af 

 iixed, by a sl-\(ile, a large chain about 22 feel 

 Jong, and weighing something more than 2ll0lb'.^. 

 In using the mjchine, Ibc large cliain is let down 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PRESERVATION OF SEED CORN. 



Gloucester, March 18, 1826. 



Dear Sir — From an article which I observed 

 in your paper (I think Ihe jd vol.) 1 wa« induc- 

 ed to try the experiment there recommended, 

 to soak my seed corn in copperas water before 

 planting, il immediately struck mo that it would 

 have ;i benelicial effect. 1 tried it and the re- 

 sult was fully equal to my most sanguine expec- 

 tations. I have been a subscriber to your ex- 

 cellent pajier from its commencement, and have 

 derived much information from il, both pleading 

 and useful ; but this one article I consider a suf- 

 licient compensation, had I benefitted by no 

 other. 'l"he field which I planted the last year 

 was more than half destroyed by worms and 

 birds, Ihe last lime it was planted about 8 years 

 before, principally by the cut worm; and as 

 many of them were discovered when ploughing, 

 1 expected nothing but 1 should be served the 

 same ; but much lo my astonishment, 1 h.id 

 scarcely a hill or even a spire destroyed, which 

 I impute principally lo the cip|ieras. 



I am conlideut that il is a full and entire rem- 

 edy against the wire worm, and also against 

 birds, who will not eat it after they have pulled 

 it up if it be well impregnated with the copper- 

 as, if they do, il must prove iheir destruction (il 

 this be an honorable way of disposing of them.) 

 I am even sanguine in my belief that it is a pre- 

 venlive against the ravages of the cut worm, 

 lor 1 could not olherwise account for their not 

 injuring my tield, when many of my neighbors 

 actually lost most of their fields, and some ol 

 them were under ihe neces'^ily ot replanting. 



'Ihe plan which 1 pursued was as follows. I 

 used about one and an half pounds of copperas 

 in three pecks of corn. I made the water warm, 

 and soaked the corn lull 18 hours before plant- 

 ing, putting in corn and copjieras as we used il 

 out. It is nul easy lo use loo much copperas, I 

 believe the more the belter. 



I have been in the habit of soaking mv corn 

 belore planting lor many years,sometimcs in s.tit 

 petre juckle from which I could never see that 

 I deiived any benefit. 1 then II led CDmmoii snll, 

 which 1 thought about the same. 1 then tried 



my bacon pickle, this 1 thought injurious in con- 

 sequence of the greasiness of the liquor ; the 

 corn did not come up well. .'Vnd lastly ihe cop- 

 peras with which I was perfecily satisfied for 

 ihe reasons before stated. 



1 would recommend to every man who plants 

 meadowy ground which is generally iiilesled 

 with wire worms to try the copperas, and those 

 who plant higher ground in which the cutworm 

 commits its ravages, may also derive a like ben- 

 elil. I am determined lo continue the practice 

 until I am more fully convinced by experience. 

 I wish you to republish that piece lo which I 

 allude ; and recummend it strongly lo the farm- 

 ers generally to try Ihe experiment ; the season 

 is now approachinir for planiing, and it is the 

 proper time lo publi-^h it. 



Yours respectfiiUv. 



A bUiiSCRIBER. 



Remarks by Ike Editor. — The article to which we 

 presume our correspondent alludes, may be tound in 

 the New England Farmer, vol. iii. pages 318, 319. It 

 was written by the Editor, who was induced to believe 

 tli.\t copperas might be of use, from the following recipe 

 recommended hy Or Deane and other agricultural 

 writer?, as a steep for barley : 



" Dissolve three pounds of copperas in a pail of boil- 

 ing water. Add to this as much boiling water as wilt 

 co.er three or four bushels of barley. Stir it and let it 

 steep twenty-four hours ; wlien the seed must be drain- 

 ed and spreari soft on fine lime which fits it for sowing." 

 .-\ great number of other substances have been re- 

 coniinended for the purposes of preserving seed from 

 insects. But we want the best and cheapest. The 

 object is of great importance to the agricultural intei- 

 est ; and we have hopes, that our correspondent has 

 Vi commended an article w4iich combines cheapnrss 

 with utility. The on!)' danger lo be appiehendi d ii., 

 i that of destroying the vegetative principle by sttepii.g 

 the seed too long in an acrid or pungent liquid. But 

 our correspondent has given the results of actual ex- 

 peri'ients, and without experiments there is no cer- 

 tainty in the most plausible theories. 



FOR THE .VEW ENOI-A.-VD FAKMJ^R. 



'orchards. 



IVurcestcr Coinily, March, 1826. 



Mr Fessenden — I have noticed several articles 

 of late, in your paper, relative to fruit, and fruit 

 trees. 'l"he soijecl is im|)ortanl and inlereslmg 

 not only to the farmer pos.sessing a large terri- 

 tory, but lo every one who is the owner of no 

 more and even a less quanlity than half an acre 

 of land. We know that with proper exertion 

 and care, good fruil of various kinds may be cul- 

 livale.d in greater or less abundance, around and 

 near our buildings, without producing any in- 

 convenience or injurious effects. In many in- 

 stances not only llie palacr^iut the more hum- 

 ble cottage is rendered far more pleasant and 

 agreeable than it olherwise would be, by Ihe 

 cooling shade of valuable and useful trees load- 

 ed with rich and delicious fruit, presenting a 

 deliglilful (irospect lo every beholder. 



During the last twenty years, 1 have devoted 

 some little lime and attention lo Ihe cultivation 

 of fruit trees. I Ir.ive tried different methods* 

 and experimenls which in some instances h.ive 

 succeeded to my satisfaction. In re •iiect to rais- 

 ing fiuil tree-i, I should prefer producing ibem 

 from the seed, rather than by grafting or iuoc- 



