^l)c jTarmcr's illontl)li) Jjisitor. 



107 



llie inovL-iliinl Yankee sugacily readies a liltle 

 nlie.ul ol' Ihy lirst iiiitl sliruudcst of every oltiiT 

 iimiie and iwuion. 



Profitable Peas.— Mr. Nallianiel Kendall, o( 

 Di.vriiDiil, iiiliiniis us llinl lie last year i-owcd lliruc 

 |iicks (if earl> June |ieas that yielded liiin ulial 

 lie biild Ibr si.") in llie pod, hcsides liinr Im.sliels 

 of dried peas. 'I'lie present season he has sow- 

 ed ot' the same kind of peas two pecks on a pieee 

 ol iaiiil almnt filiy leet sipiare, and has sold llins 

 far Sl(_i worth, and thinks there are at least Ibiir 

 hnshels led. Two females j^atheri-d in half a 

 (lav what ho sold tor nine dollars. — Biingor 

 flhig. 



We believe Mr. Stephen Carletoii, who learnt 

 his trade us a market fanner at West Cambridge,. 

 Ms., among the Hills of cm- own kith and kin, 

 took at least !J200 in the nioiiths of June and Ju- 

 ly Ibr green peas in this village, which be raised 

 on the shore of Long pond, three miles out of 

 town, and all this wiihont employing hired help 

 beyond his own family. We passed his iireinises 

 bi April, and saw the peas out of the ground in 

 rows: we passed again on the 4th of July, and 

 saw the peas and pea vines cleared off" and rows 

 of potatoes (planted between) growing in their 

 stead. 



Another fact may be stated to show bow mucli 

 n;ore moral and honest is a ooinmimity of far- 

 mers than a neighborhood mixed in wiib lotilers 

 who do not consider poaching and robbery any 

 sin. We planted some peas for our own use in 

 early spring on the Ferry plain lot, east side of 

 the river: from these when first grown we had a 

 single mess, less in quantity than the [leas sow- 

 ed. We sent over to pick the second mess — there 

 was not a pea left ! Moreover, on the same lot 

 we IkuI early i)otaloes which would have been 

 fully ripe on the 4lh of July, had not ilie frost 

 in May cut oft' all the growing tops. These p.o- 

 tatoes have since come up and will yield a large 

 crop the first week in August, but not earlier 

 than they would have been if |)lanted at the time 

 of the frosl. Well, we went over to look at our 

 jiotatoes, and found fifty hills dug in one place, 

 tops and all carried ofl" with a boat over to our 

 own side; and we counted, here and there, carried 

 away, more than a hundred hills dug. Why is 

 it, that there is so great difference between our 

 village atid the country about us .^ Apples, mel- 

 ons and other Iriiits here cannot ripen helbre they 

 are taken and carried oft" by those who do not 

 own thcni. We surely ought to be better hero 

 than our neighbors in the west part of the town: 

 we have twenty sermons and a hundred evening 

 lectures preached, where they have one! 



The Gather-all. 



n'Uion,Juhi 17, 184(3. 



Ho.N. Isaac Hill; — Sir. — We send to the ad- 

 dress of Currier &c Knox for your acceptaiin.' 

 and use a large rake, the manuliicliire of Hhich 

 we commenced last year. So far as they have 

 been used they give, wc believe, general satisliic- 

 lioii. One man will do the work, with one of 

 these rake.«, of two with small ones and easier. 



The head should lay flat upon the ground, and 

 in raking into llie winrow proceed as with a horse 

 rake from side to side of the pii^ce to be raked. 

 For gathering cradled or mowed grain, they iU"e 

 much esteemed, doing the work well and with- 

 out much shelling. 



Jii raking after the cart nud winrow, a lad 10 

 or 12 years old has no diffi'-ulty in keeping up 

 easily on sinoolb ground. 



Respectfully vour.«, 



E. PUTNAM & CO. 



The editor of the Visitor received ihe above 

 which be will name the "Gather-all" in the 

 midst of hay raking. It was condemned at first 

 as two unwieldly and heavy, by gome of our hay- 



makers. We thought best to take it at once to 

 the field on trial for getting liay. In the Imrry 

 of n shower where there was time only to pitch 

 into heaps, one man who thought badly of the 

 rake took it v\ilhont luiy instniclions, raked over 

 the whole ground clean and followed the wag- 

 gon completing his work as the bay was loaded. 

 The rake at first blush did the work of Hvo 

 hands. 



Wc happen this year to have none or very lit- 

 tle hay ground that does not rrqiiirea horse pow- 

 er for the large raki; ; and our admiration for this 

 use is the spiral metal tooth rake; but heavy hay 

 pitched with the fork, or very light Imy, in the 

 open field, will be much belter and easier gath- 

 ered with this instrument than wiih the horse 

 rake. We cannot doubt its usefulness as a grain 

 gatherer after the cradle. It is recommended to 

 our (in iners as worthy of trial for any of these 

 |)urposes. 



Subsoil Ploughing. 



The advantages of subsoil ploughing are no 

 doubt greater on soils having a close liaril-pan 

 subsoil, than on lliose of a loose and open nature. 

 In the tlnglisli Agricultural (jazelle, we find an 

 account of some expei iments, a brief sketch of 

 which niav affnrd interest. 



1. A fifhl of 13 acres, "partly heavy on a dry 

 subsoil, anil (lartly dry on a gravelly subsoil," 

 was siihsoiled to llie depth of 7 to 8 inches — the 

 subsoil plough being piei-eeded by a common 

 plough wliiirh worked from 6 to 7 inches deep. 

 The field had been ploughed many Jears, and a 

 hard crust was formed which was in many cases 

 almost iinpenetialile to water. Two acres only 

 were left ploughed in the usual way. The whole 

 field was ecjiially iiianiired and sown willi yellow 

 iiirnips. The appearance of the crop was similar 

 till August, when thai portion of it on subsoiled 

 land took the lead, and at harvest gave 2G Ions 

 17 cwl. per acre, while the part ploughed in the 

 old way gave only 20 tons 7 cwt. per acre. 



2. The second experiment was made on a deep 

 soil inrliniiiff to sand, on a subsoil of sandy clay. 

 Two acres were subsoiled 15 inches dee|i, two 

 were ploughed or 7 inches, and two rid:res 

 were treucli-ploiiglied 13 inches ileep. The 

 whole was p'aiited to potatoes, and suhjucted to 

 the same treatment as to manure and culture. 

 The subsoiled yielded 7 tons and 9 cwl. 2 tp'S.; 

 trenched 7 ions 1 cwt. 3qrs. ; ploughed, 6 tons 

 14 cwt. 1 qr. 



3. The potato crop was followed by barley. 

 The subsoiled part kept the lead tliroii;.'lioiit, and 

 at harvest gave 8 (p-s. 3 bushels barley, and 3()i 

 cwl.«. of straw per acre; the ploughed part 7 qrs. 

 4 bushels, (i pecks barley, and 28 cwts. straw per 

 acre. — ^llhany CuUivator. 



W'e (Visitor) are able to say something in favor 

 of subsoil ploughing on intervale land. Three 

 years ago we subsoiled a field of about five acres, 

 on which was first grown potatoes, second corn 

 third potatoes, and the fourth (present) season 

 oats. The land has every year been growii 

 better: it was high, worn-out intervale that bad 

 been cropped, perhaps, a hundred years, and 

 never before ploughed over six inches deep. The 

 subsoil plough struck down lioin twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches. A first team turned over the sward 

 — a second heavier team struck the plough into 

 new ground six to ten inches, lightening and rais- 

 ing the whole surface, so that the first furrow 

 was nearly filled. The first crop of potatoes was 

 good ; the corn, the second year, was very stout. 

 A ribbon lane was left, in two instances, without 

 snbsoiling: and on this part the crop of potatoes 

 the third, or last year, wa£ from one-fourth to one- 

 third less in quantity than upon the subsoiled 

 land. The present year gives a most magnifi- 

 cent growth of oats; but the strips left with the 

 single ploughing are of a di9"erent color and 

 nearly one fourth shorter than the oats subsoiled- 

 This fine field of oats stood well until llie heavy 



rains since the 20th of July : the heavier portion, 

 after the filling of the heads, has since fallen. 



We have nine acres of potatoes on land sub- 

 soiled last l"ull in the same manner as the fiire- 

 goiiig. .A portion of these are getting ripe. The 

 heavy intervale is made more light and lively by 

 the subsoiling. The whole surface of ihe field 

 seemed to be raised up at least four inches. Wo 

 will give some account of this potato crop after 

 it shall come oft'. The manure used upon this 

 ground the two last years, has been compost of 

 yard maiiine with black muck, mixed and tem- 

 pered with lime. We had no rotten potatoes 

 last year on land similarly planted early in May 

 we ho|)e to be able to say we will have no rotten" 

 potatoes this year. 



Of the very few soldiers of the revolution re- 

 maining, we may afford to devote an extended 

 notice, altliou<;h obituary notices are not common 

 to our monthly pulilication. 



A letter from bis relative announces to us the 

 death of the veteran Be.njamix Boardma.n, of 

 Briilgewaler. It must be some seven years since 

 we saw and conversed with him ; and this was a- 

 hout making the first clearing, after he had reliirn- 

 ed from the wars, upon the high elevation of one 

 of the rougher towns of New Hampshire. This 

 opening was in the year 1780. He worked it 

 home (we believe in Old Reading, the town of 

 early shoeuiakiiig, in iMussacliusetts,) at his Irade 

 during the winter, and went fiir into the woods 

 in the summer, to clear, burn ofl", and gel the first 

 crop from his land. Nearly sixty years after- 

 wards, he informed us, that he raised good spring 

 wheat upon this ground of bis first clearing. In 

 the early history of the New Hampshire Legisla- 

 ture, this gentleman sometimes represented his 

 town, and other small towns about him: be was 

 a standing magistrate Ibr bis neighborhood many 

 years. He has stood longer than the common 

 age of man to be gathered to his fathers as a 

 shock of corn fully ripe. Enviable, truly, as it 

 was usefiil in ihe cause of religion, humanity, 

 and justice, must be the life and conversation of 

 such a man. But we will wiihhold farther com- 

 ment to give the more full details of the letter to 

 wliich we have referred : 



Gilford, July 13, 1846. 

 Hon. I. Hill : 



Dear Sip.,— Aware that you have fell some 

 interest in my uucle, Benjamin Buarpman, of 

 Briilgewaler, I send you some account of him. 

 He died on Tuesday last, at the age of 88 years. 

 About ten days before he died, I visited him. He 

 was ihenalmosl blind, and nearly deaf. He bad 

 been fiiihng gradually a number of years. For 

 some months be bad been severely afllieled with 

 a cancer iqion bis tongue, which rendered it 

 painful fiir biiii to speak, and very difticult to un- 

 derstand what he said. 



A more striking' inslance of Christian fortitude 

 and resignati 111 1 have never known. His dis- 

 ease must at times have been excessively painfid, 

 but not a complaint or even a murmur escaped 

 him. Fur nearly two weeks he had been unable 

 to take any article of" nourishmeni, except some 

 liquid, and that with the greatest (lifliciilly. But 

 be lay quiet as the lamb and calm as Ihe summer's 

 eve. His mental poweis were slrong and clear. 



Solii'itons to learn what weie his views and 

 feelings upon the near tipproach of death, I 

 sonjiht coiiversalioii with liini. His failh in the 

 Savior was reniarkahly clear and strong. Not a 

 cloud seemed to hang over bis mind. He was 

 perfectly caliu and collecied, and seemed to wel- 

 come the approach oftlie grim messenger. Said 

 he to me, wiili an earnestness of manner peculiar 

 to himself, '• 1 long to !;o home, I long to be wiili 

 my Savior." He srciiied lo enjoy an intimate 

 and sweet communion with bis Savior, an>l it 

 was this which sustained him in that trjiiig liiiur. 



For steadiness of (lurpose he had lew equals. 

 From my earliest acquaintance with him he was 



