^i]c iniimcr'fi iHmitl)lii bisitar. 



153 



per |iiiiiiiil, iimkiiiif II viiri.iliiiii of ii (iu ceiil.-. nu- 

 ll Ihivvr-iii Ihc lir>l aiHl jiuiiicst otwc.iil ; iiiid nil 

 ivli.i -til i<> ilieiii iiiii>l mII wiiliiii iIkjsc ^(lllllll^'. 

 Ami tlicM iitNiiii, |iMivlilc(l iliiii. lln; |nin-|in.-i|- 

 Imijs ii|>iiii lii.s (HVI1 ie.<|M,iisiliilii\ , \m,i)I (;io\v- 

 t'i.-' mil aciKMiills lifiviiifr an o|i|iiiriiiiiiiv nT iiii- 

 (l^iMiiliiliii- llii- true rxit^iit (if lliis iliffm-'iire, 

 Ills inli ri-.-i jiml siucrss in liii\ii 



Im 



•ji'iiKiiis iilidiii imjiiii; o.xirii pruT.- (in- e.\lr.i 

 Wiiul, as ll li;i.- vvli.il In; Hdulil cull II liiiil ii,liiiciiCK 

 ii|iiMi ilii- niiiiniiniily. Fm- inslinicf- A Im- a mi- 

 ji'iinr lot iif wool, and lei-civt^s a piici; aocoKl- 

 iii,i;i.\. B lias i;ot a i;ooil jot, a liiile siijioiinr 

 liiiw.-n-i- ill ijiiailly lo A's. 14 savs A lias sold 

 Ills Hoiij (ill- so niiirli ; my wool is as flood as A's, 

 tlifieloiu iiiilcss I i-Mti liiivo A's piice I Hdiiisill, 

 anil hiTH a li'ade is Insi uilli iioij;lilior 15 C, &r, or 

 15 Miiiy oinlerviiliio Ms wool and is uilliiii; In sell 

 lor less iliaii its real uortli; llinn liis liliiiiiler is 

 iiiade all apolo^jy and ai^si-tant in liiiyiiig others 

 cheap. ISiit let the wool growers have l<no« I- 

 edf;i' ol'the coiiiparativu value of their uool ; then 



will the piirchaseis on principles of hi r pay it; 



then will wool he hmif^lit and sold ninlera more 

 jiist siandiird of valuation. 



Will not wool^M-owers direct their attention to 

 Ihis matter? Will not the iiiaiinfictnrers en- 

 conraL'H the i;rowth of a hetler staple ? I helieve 

 a kmnvleir^'e and pradicnl application of the true 

 principles of hreediiji; tOi.'etlier with the aid of 

 inaiiiiliictiirers liiviny ns proper iliscriminatiiii: 

 prices would still render the Imsiness of wool 

 firoivin^' prolilahle, nol^vilh^landlnf^■ the present 

 depifssed slate of the inaikei. 



KHENEZF.R lilUDGE. 

 Pomfret, Vl., Sept 7tli, J84<j. 



(iy= I will send you samples of wool, and the 

 siiiieinents of my last sheai iu'i-, vvhichyou can 

 make such account of as \on may see tit. 



No I.-.>aini;{;Stock Bucks ; No."l, affe 2. w'l 10 

 Ills., 1 1 oz. ; No. 2. a;;e 2, «'t ••. 14 ; No. 3, Year 

 liii-. «'t !) 11, 3 14 oz. 



.5 Ureediiifi eivlis, averaged, 

 :^1 " u ' a = • 



J 00 " " 

 25 Yearliii!;" « 



48 " "' " " 



Entire flock 403 " 



My sheep are all evveswith 1 he except mn of 

 Ihiee ?«tock Bucks and ahoiii si\tv jearlini; hncks. 



(^holniit has not heeii considered vnluahle lor 

 liiel inasmuch as in open lire places its ciiideis 

 snap and n> iu all directions. Jl has oihirwise 



' n used htllc liir timlier e.\cept liir po^i and 



rail fence, liein;; more laslni'; under ;;rounil Ihan 



while oak or oiher wooil pleniihd iu ihis rcfiion. 



Lallcrl.\, however, il has conn: so much iiilo ii>e 



Hari'S him lo i ihal cheslnnt ndfies even of lij;ht jirowth have 



' rapiill} ri.-eii in juice, althoii-h ii,e nooanal 



value is even less than the real value. 'I'hon- 

 .-ands and lens of ihon.-anils ol chotuul .-lei p- 

 ers lor ihe seveial railroads ^oin;; out of llo.^ion 

 have heeii taken down uitliui Ihe Inst ihiee 

 year,*, the nntuheis and price incieasiiij.' evei \ 

 y:\i: Soino per.-iin>, v\k helieve, hiue cleared 

 the purchase of chesinut lul.-, in ihe piofiis U|ion 

 the railroad sleepers taken off the same ^roniiii 

 in a sinjile season. It is now said thai the chest- 

 nut for (linaliilily is hctier than any kind ol ce- 

 dar. Cilestniit plank and tiinlier lor some pur- 

 poses are prelenrd lo an) other kind of wood: 

 shin^h's made of cheslinii, next to white pine, 

 are sai.l lo he the hesl.— LU f'isilor. 



A writer in the Loiirloii Gardenei's (Jlnonide, 

 since Ihe crop of potatoes this jear came o(f in 

 Eiifiland, says— " I have ohserved that all those 

 maniues v\ilh cliarrin-.s, sool, and liiue, are the 

 last lo he altacked in the slalks and loli,,ge; and 

 1 have not as jei found a decayed or attecled tn- 

 lier lo onuvaid appearance amongst those iiia- 

 iiiired with the idiove materials." 



Our own experience in relation to lime for Ihe 

 last IHo ^ears corresponda with that expressed 

 aliove: so Ijir as salt has heen used, we think it 

 also a jiooil iiifviedient for making the compost 

 heap. We have pla'iled potatoes for the two 

 last seasons early in May helore planting corn ; 

 and He have used all our manure upon this po- 

 tato fiioiiiid, of Ihe compost kind, hy spreadnif; 

 over the siutJice and p|ouj;liin!i' in. The earl\ 

 plalilin;; has enahled ns to escape the rust; and 

 where iln.ie was no rust there has heen no rutteii 

 poiatues. I , ,... 



are aMal.^Z(d and classified hv the Botanisi' WhHt 

 IS the potato, will, out vWilcli vmi could li.irdly 



'."•'^,*'' .\""';'li' r, liui a tuhc-oiis root ? Wheri, 



hmis the ^ankee the materials for lii.s Thaiiks- 

 i;hiiii.' pies hut on a creeping vine? What i.s 

 >onr collce hut an Anihiaii hcrry, vonr lea hut n 

 Chine.se shriih, your sn^iar hiit the j'nice of a We-t 

 Indian cane ? The prodnctions of which Boiaiiy 

 discourses Inrnish also siihsianccs to shelter and 

 doiheiis: the trees of the forest make (hr us 

 houses and liirnilnre and iinmherless ihinos that 

 minir-ler lo our daily necessity or enjoj meiu ; the 

 pine that is .m, easily shaped hy the joinei, the 

 oak that i.lfords strong rilis for the ships that 

 plow the mii;hty deep, Ihe tiahoganv, waliini 

 and spiilied maple that are lioili firm and heanii- 

 lul, Ihe cedar that so h,i;^ resisis deca\, the hau- 

 thorn Ihal makes a living liuice, the elm, horse- 

 (diislnol, willow and others that give a relreshing 

 shade, Ihe colion and the flax that an; mannlac'^ 

 lured into chuhs, the indigo thai djes them and 

 Ihe starch that poli>lics iheiii. the hark that lan.s 

 a coveriii!; for the le-I, the strasv that is «ioiiKlit 

 into light hats and graceful honnet.-i, all these and 

 a iiiiiliiiude more Ihal we have not time to men- 

 lion, heloiiy lo the province and are examined hy 



''"^ scieiii f Boianu l< it not a study that is 



uell sMuihj of our notice ? S^hould not ijie iIuii^'h 

 which do so much tiir oiircoiive 

 lort he carefully 

 gated ? 



piiieiice and com- 

 lalvzcd and miiuitely invesii- 



Plniitiiig Chesluuts. 



The rapid growiu ol il.c chesinut, the exi'el- 

 leiice of its ti,i,l),i-. .11,(1 iis line oninmei.ial ap- 

 pcaranc.'. rinihr it ,i rlP-ir,-dilo oljici of ciilti- 

 v.iliou. Theliiiii which it pi oducts loo, is iioi 

 the le.'.sl con-idei.iiioi,. 



i\l.-iii\ liowe\ir, whoaiteuipi rai-ing the trees 

 paiiiallv erwliollii fail in caioing ihe si ids lo 

 g'l minalc. This i.^ ii.-uall_\ ovvin^ m ihr sei ds 

 l"( iiiniiti' iliy fei.ii.- Hay aie planlcd. A lcv» 

 il,js exposure lodrv air is siitiici.nt to prevent 



thiir growing. Ilencc, assi as they are taken 



I, mil the liie Ihej should he ai once planied he- 

 lore dixinga diiKor inivi-d wiih iiinisl sand, and 

 ke|it ill thai condiiiiin lill |.|ai.l. d. The_s .-honhl 

 not III! covered o (U'e lhan an inch anil a lial! 

 deep if the soil is he.ivv, nor more than Iimi 

 inches il it isli::!.t: hut a still hi'iier wav is tii 

 plant them half ihal depih, aid then spread on 

 a ihin cinering— say one inch ol | eal, or rotten 

 leave.-, wliich will keep the smliice soft and 

 moist. ■ " ' 



It must. Iiereii'iemhei-ed that n.ico are exceed- 

 iii.;ly hind of the nut.--, and if planied near <;ra>s 

 lands, Ol (iiher places li(i]iienled hv mice, the 

 young plants will he missing lln; iieJil season.— 

 Mhiiiiii CiiHiviilor. 



For the distance of some forty miles up the 

 Meniaiaek coinmeiicing near the line of Massa- 

 chuseiis and exieiidiiiL' North, th(= chestnut is the 

 n.itiiial and aliiinst exclusive growth on some 

 li.iiiicnlar kinds of land: this land is that 

 alioiinding in small rocks wlt'i a thin hard i:rav- 

 elly soil. Ji is p. rliaps, next to the pine pl.iins, 

 the least valiiahle for clearing. Upon ihis land' 

 there is no necessity of planting the diesi 

 for ihe very next .\(,'ar afur t!ie piesent tree 

 cut off commonly from three lo five and some- 

 times ten s[iroiiis (-orne out at the root. U'e 

 (reqiieiitly sec as innnyas four considerahle trees 

 several inches each in dijinieter siirroimdiii;;- the 

 not entirely decayed jiarent sliini|) cut off wiih 

 the axe in tlie iniddlc. 



05^ The following heaiilifiil essay hy ilie Rev. 

 D. K. Brewer of ihis lov.n — elegant and plain 

 iu manuscript .is it is simple and heautifiil iu lan- 

 guage — has heen luniished lor the press at the 

 reipiest of the editor, ll was read as a lecture 

 heliire the Concord Nalinal llistoiy rtociely, la- 

 dies and gentleineii, at their meellii", Seiit. 1(1, 

 184(;. ' 



Uses of Ihe Study of Rotauy. 



There are persons to whom llie sluilj (if plants 

 and flowers seems an iiiipiofitahlf and liiflmg oc- 



'■"P ui : ihey woiuler how it can aliiacl ihe at- 



leniioii and consume ihe Im e ol those who are 



not delicieni in inli Ih .-i or - I sense; lliey look 



wilh iniiiLled alli.-iZeimni ;,i i| ,| 

 w ho inanilest 



'riMoii on a man 

 liiu.jj in Id. si iu the a row ill aim 

 Ml net me of some huh (Inw.r, who plucks it Iroiu 

 Ihe wa>-side as il it were ii valiiahle discoverv, 

 who examines iis ever\ part, who gazes on each 

 leaflet, petal and -tamen,.is if ii weii' mad. (d gold 

 and diaiminds; ihe enthusi.isiic hotanisi who 

 thus pores over a worlhless weed ,-ind spends his 

 hours upon honevsiickles is reuarded liy such 

 persons as a son of momimauiac, whose irisaiii- 

 I>, ihoiiiih il does no hai in, is _\ei prodnciive ol 

 11(1 good eilhi-r lo hliiis. ll or I'lie commniiily.— 

 What good does il, of w h.il use is ii lo jiondi r 

 upon posies aid lo hecoine Hnaimiied of a wiih- 



Iniit : 

 is 



These are r|uestions which are 

 to ihe lover of the science ol 

 who. have no t.i.sie liir such siii- 

 ipieslions that can In- verv 

 d. A hricl slaleineni 

 f the study of Bolany 



Cling lilossom.^ 



someiiines put 



|,la|ils hy those 



di,s ; hut Ihey a 



readily and Inlly aiisw 



of some of Ihe lieueHi 



is all thai can at this time he allempleil. 



'I he study of thai liianch of iialiiriil hislor\ 



whiidi is lunliraced In the science ol Boianv is 



lieiieficial to man in his hoily. his iniinl and "his 

 heart : il is filled lo advance ilie welliue and se- 

 cme the greatest ;:ood of ea(di of these iliiee 

 chief pill lions of a hitman heiug. 'I'o hegin w iih 

 that pan of our nature which is \isihle and ma- 

 terial, w ho can deny that our lioiiily coililort is 

 p.-omolcd hy ihe various prodnctions ol the m-o. 

 eiahle kingdom ? Do not inanifihl rools, herl s 

 alid frnilsgrow liir ihe use of man, to siipph hiii. 

 with iieedlnl and pleasant liiod ? Win nee ha\ . 

 we bread, thesiaff of liii', hiii from ihe corn ano 

 wheat tliat are liiil plums grow iuf; in ilie soil, thai 



Yet Ihis is not all that plants do for niir liodies; 

 they not only teed and clolhe iheni, hut ihi-y also 

 are the ineaiis of curing their diseases andhelii- 

 iiig their infirmities; how large a portion of those 

 remedies thai are employed hy the sick are taken 

 from the world of vegetal'ion? How iiianv ol those 

 suhsl.inces whose names ap|iear on iIk^" pages of 

 Ihe pl,\sician's hooks, and which fill ihe jars and 

 hoxes in ihe shop of i|ie apothecary, are the 

 roots, leaves, flowers, fniit..see(l.s-, hark", glim and 

 juices of herhs and trees.' Nor can we suppose 

 thai Ihe calalogiie of medicinal planls is ahcadv 

 coinpleled, Ihal no new remedies can he h.nnii, 

 giiiwiiig in the woods, and fields and meadows; 

 no hoianisi helieves this: all science is progress- 

 ive: Ihe knowleilge of |i|anls and iheir medical 

 uses is coniinnallv ei,lar:!iiig : full many a flower 

 that now hlnshes unseen and wastes i"ts sweet- 

 ness on Ihe desert air, will hereafter lie discover- 

 ed, examined and employed lor our adv.-inlage. 

 il is not impridialile lliiit every herli that ilie 

 earih luiiiiis loi Ih is lilted to con; or to idleviMle 

 some sickness, that every disease has its naiiiial 

 remedy and every pain iis soothing h.din, conid 

 we hut find it and apply it. Botanical resi.-uch- 

 es may he the means of efTlciing fiir mankind so 

 Kieat a henefii : the patient student of the weeds 

 and inosses that are generall.v pas.sed hy wilh in- 

 difli-ience y make disc(iv(^ries ihal shall pre- 

 serve ihe heallhaiid piolongihe lileof hi- fi How 

 heiiigs. 



Asceiulin:.' a step litj:lier, we as.'ert that li.e 

 study of plants and flowirs is useful to the Im- 

 iiiali mind. 'J'Ik; words iilihtv and usefulness are 



■■^'•■""■li f* slraiijjely al,usi(i ; ihey- aie app)i< d 



exeliisively to those pursuits or arts lli.ii promoie 

 the hap|iiuess(if the liody ; Ihev aie considered 

 wholly out of place wilh ivleieiice to ihinjis ihat 

 are purely inlelleeliial in iheir iialme and resulis. 

 Bi.I is il iriie Ihat hitig is useful unless il se- 

 cures the comlorl and saiisfles ihe waiils of our 

 eaitldv, perishaMe Ix.dv ? Is it the chief end of 

 our lieini; to eat and (irink, in clolhe ourselves, 

 lo liiiild houses and get great possessions? No' 

 indeed! Fiiliiy is not lo he measured hy siidi 

 tesis ; ihe various woiks oCcreaiion answer high- 

 er and nohler purposes ihaii these: the trees of 

 ihe wood were not madi; merely to snpplv ns 

 wilh sill her and shade, houses and (iirniii'ire ; 

 ihe vegeiahles and fniils can do more than s;,iis- 

 f\ hunger or plea.se ihe pal;i|e ; root-i and lieihs 

 may serve a siill hetler use lhan the healing of 

 diseases. They can all he .«o employed as to he 

 of i'leat ntiliiy to the inlellecl, the jmiiiortal iniiid. 

 'Ihey can insirnct, enliihlci' and rdiicnte us; 

 ihey can give ns know ledge, wliidi is power; 

 'he sillily of them Is as piofitahh;, as truly and 

 really useful, as the eaiiiig aid wearing of I'ln in : 

 if, liir inslance, my intelleciual liiciihies are i]iiick- 

 ned. eidar;.'ed and slrenglhened hy examining 

 hi' cnii.'iis slrucinre of an apple or' a peach, hv 

 uaiching iis viadiial toiTraiion liom hiid lo Mo.s- 

 soiii. liom the hlossotii to the ripeni d linii, hv 

 discovering as liir as po.ssilile, the whole process 



