NEW ENGLAIND F^VllMER. 



June 30, 182G. 



volume, " the poison may be imparted by the lead 

 on earthen milk pans." — Editor. 



The season continues two weeks! crops have been abundant, excepting Indian corn. 



SEASON OF 1835. 

 Mr Pessenden — I have been in the liabit, a 

 few years past, of keeping a diary and of making 

 some remarks at the end of each month, and year, 

 and am enabled by recurrence thereto, to gratify 

 a curiosity by comparing the past with the pres- i 

 ent. Besides, I find it very useful— it assists me 

 much in fixing on tlie best time for the numerous ! 

 and various operations in my agricultural pursuits. 

 It shows me the proper seed time for the various 

 vegetables, the progress of vegetation, the quanti- 

 1:y of ground and kind of soil it is best to occupy 

 for the various productions of the earth, the time 

 we may look for each to be at maturity, &c. &c. 

 The gratification and benefit I have received 

 from this course lead me to recommend it to oth- 

 ers. The time it takes is but little, when brought 

 to a system. Let the objects be limited according 

 as time can be spared. Select some few of the 



of small seeds, 

 forward of the average. 



j\Iati — very variable — a considerable proportion 

 of th(3 month cool, but little rain and very dry — 

 grass forward of common seasons, but the pro.5- 

 pect at present unfavourable for want of rain — 

 the progress of vegetation generally has been 



slow. 



June — This month has afforded copious rains 

 beginning on the 2d, and was followed with much 

 1 heat — the grass which was languishing with the 

 drought of April and May, has recovered and we 

 now have a prospect of a fine crop — all kinds of 

 fruit and vegetables promise well. 



July — E.xcessively hot a part of this month from 

 lOth "to IBth — Tliermometer in shade 9.5 to 96i- 



and this a middling crop. The grass more than an 

 average, thefall feed abundant. Potatoes some- 

 what short, but a sufficient supply — other vegeta- 

 bles very good and in plenty — small fruits plenty 

 and fine — pears better than usual — apples plenty 

 but not so good in quality, and in a decaying state. 

 Thus, sir, we see that twice during the last seas- 

 on, to wit, at the last of May, and in August, our 

 lands were like jiowder, and the hope of a crop 

 seemed almost to have past. Yet we had a plen- 

 tiful harvest. At the present time it i,-; made more 

 certain that the crops of grass must be exceeding- 

 ly small, wliich ought to excite us to diligence. — 

 If it is best, we may be blessed with a good latter 

 i crup, but I contend that we are not to depend on 



and from 19th to 21st— 90^ to 97. — This weather 

 was so oppressive that labourers were oblig'eJ to 

 retire from their work for a time — no rain of con- 

 sequence during this month, vegetation suffering 

 severely. 

 Aus:ust — A little rain on the Od which revived 



most important to be noticed every evening ; if j vegetation, but no more till the 20th, a fine ram 

 they should be but merely the employment of the | which at once changed the face of the earth, and 



day, the state of the weather and the progress of 

 vegetation, it will be very useful, and afford much 

 gratification. At the end of each month a concise 

 record of a few general remarks on the past, of 

 the most prominent events, and the progress of 

 the season would be very convenient to refer to. 

 From a short summary thus made, (not entering 

 into the particulars of my journal) I offer you the 

 remarks on each month of the last year. It will 

 serve to compare the progress of the season with 

 the one now passing, and shews, although we are 

 sometimes almost ready to despond, that at the 

 end we always have reason to trust in that provi- 

 dence which governs the whole. 



nXMARKS ON EACH MONTH FOR 1825. 



January — was unusually open and mild — (the 

 physicians have considered this unfavourable to 

 health — colds have prevailed in almost all families 

 — many cases of fevers — and many deaths among 

 the aged) — But a trifle of snow, sleighing only 

 from 3d to 10th — the rest of the month very good 

 travelling with wheels. 

 - February — very changeable, tlie first seven days 

 tolerable sleighing, the remainder of the month 

 moderate and broken weather, the roads very 

 muddy, and very unpleasant travelling the most of 

 the time. 



March — remarkably pleasant till about the 20th 

 the remainder very boisterous and characteristic 

 of the season. No snow to lie but a few hours, 

 and but very little frost in the groimd. Prepared 

 my hotbed the Kith — transplanted lettuce, the 

 plants having survived the winter in the open 

 ground, the change of their climate at once invig- 

 orated and hastened their growth beyond the com- 

 mon progress of vegetation. Gatliered dandelions 

 on the 22d — the grass was tinned with green the 

 middle of tlie month — the ground was fit for cul- 

 tivation through the month — farmers have planted 

 early seeds sooner than usual — vegetation may be 

 considered a fortnight in advance of the average 

 of seasons. 



Jlpril — very fine for farming business, the earth 

 dry and in fine order for cultivation through tlie 

 month. Farmers very busy in getting in barley 

 and grass seeds ; and some have made considera- 

 ble progress in field planting. On the 18th began 

 to take fine head lettuce from the hotbed — a fine 

 rain the 26th, which greatly assists the vegetation 



revived those things not wholly dried up. 



September — a fine month, seasonable refresliing 

 sliowers, the products of the season are much im- 

 proved, a good prospect for feed for cattle — tho' 

 too late for a crop, for tlie scythe — vegetibles, 

 such as cabbages, celery and turnips will be very 

 abundant. Apples have improved, but the early 

 drought and e.xcessivc heat of the summer, have 

 caused them to be more wormy than is common, 

 and being brought to maturity earlier will proba- 

 bly bring on an early decay. 



October — Changeable — from 1st to 7th very hot 

 for the season — 5th, 0th and 7th thermomiiter at 

 ggj — and on the 8th lowered to 62 same Uine in 

 tlie day, a change trying to nature — onthe22d 

 thermometer at sunrise stood at 20 — lie i inch 

 thick upon a tub of water at the well — tie foliage 

 upon the trees has received a mortal bow, it has 

 sustained its beauty until this time, eKcepting a 

 few of the early and more tender kiids, such as 

 the ash, the English walnut, butternu', &c. — sev- 

 eral light rains, but the springs are very low — on 

 the whole a good month for gathering the har- 

 vest. 



a fall supply, unless we will attend^ in season to 

 the warning, and make use of the means we have 

 put in our hands, The many ways the farmer has 

 to provide fodder for his creatures, that will ena- 

 ble liira to spare hay for tho market, I need not 

 point out, the season has not so far advanced but 

 there is sufficient time — I hope you will send forth 

 your warning voice, and wake up the farmer to 

 double his diligence at this time to save the little 

 he has, and in providing substitutes for a deficien- 

 cy of hay. Your obed't serv't, 



A FARMER. 



NEW SPECIES OF GRASS. 

 Mr Fessenden — I send you a specimen of a new 

 species of Grass, (that is, new to me) which I first 

 discovered in my meadow last year. It grows very 

 thick, stands erect, looks very handsome, the tops 

 being almost a purple, the leaves a bright green, 

 standing more than five feet high. It yields a very 

 large crop of excellent hay. You will perceive it 

 is much earlier than almost any other grass ; it be- 

 ing now past the bloom. 



I have shown it to many of my brother farmers, 

 none of whom have ever seen the like. Of course, 

 they cannot give it a name. As I intend to propa- 

 gate it, I wish to know of you the name, if it has 

 one ; if not, please to name it. 



Yours, with much respect, 



N. S. BENNETT. 

 Framingham, June 22, 1836. 



Remarks by the Editor. — We have submitted a 

 .Yovember — a fine month for labouring business, j sppcinien of the grass sent to us as above, to Dr 

 the ground in good .order for ploughing, the i Bioelow, (Professor of Botany, &c. in Harvard 

 weather pleasant, which has afforded a ine time 

 for the finishing of the harvest — turnips continu- 

 ed to grow through the month and remaned un- 

 injured by frost to the last, though generdly they 

 were gathered the middle — the springs continue 

 very low — a considerable fall of snow on 22d, 

 about 4 inches deep, which soon disappeared, and 

 served to soften the ground. 



December — has been a fine month, the leather 

 mostly very pleasant — on the 13tli excessive cold, 

 thermometer at sunrise 8 below zero, said to be 

 13 degrees lower than on any day in tho winter 

 of 1824-5 — but it was of short duration, and 

 most people being prepared for winter tliere has 

 been but little inconvenience in consequPiice. — 

 Several rains but not very abundant till the 30th 

 day, when the earth was filled to overflowing upon 

 low grounds. The ground has not been frozen to 

 any considerable depth — much business has been 

 done, such as digging wells, cellars, ploughing, 

 &c. On the whole the past year has been unusu- 

 ally variegated, but favourable for health general- 

 ly, and for the products of the earth. The grain 



University,) who is distinguislied as a scientific 

 botanist. DrBioEi.ow denominates it .'intnrfo Co- 

 arclata, (Slender Reed Grass ;) and states that "it 

 is common in this vicinity, about the edges of 

 meadows and marshes." It has the appearance of 

 being a valuable grass. The stalk is slender and 

 tall, and throws out many long narrow leaves quite 

 from the root to the top. The leaves are probably 

 nutritious, and the stalk so small that cattle may 

 easily masticate it. The top resembles what is 

 called Red Top (.'Iffrastis stricta, or .lirroslis rubra) 

 but it grows much taller than the Red Top, and 

 would probably produce a much greater burthen on 

 an aero. 



With regard to its value for feeding cattle, we 

 must leave it to cattle to determine, .^n ox or a 

 horse or a sheep would be a better judge than a 

 farmer or a philoso))her. Mr Bennett says " it 

 yields a very large crop of excellent hay ;" and if 

 lie is correct in these particulars, it must be a great 

 acquisition to the husbandman who jultivates it. — 

 Its not being hitherto unknown, nor uncommon, is 

 no argument against its value, or the merit of Mr 



