(Sl)e iTarmcr's ilTantbli) bif^itor. 



157 



6ii|ierl) a specimen of swiiic young and old as 

 we ever saw at the Worcester hospital, was ex- 

 hibited hy Mr. John Lawrence of Kcone. This 

 genlli'nian n sides upon Beach Hill overlooking 

 the vilhige frnni the east livo miles distant, Init 

 his farm out of siglit. He not only carried off 

 the premiums for the two best hoars and sow, 

 but also for the best butter, which sold on the 

 ground for 25 cents a pound, being a part of 45 

 pounds produced from five cows in six days. 

 Of these cows Mr. Lawrence had upon the 

 {.'rounil a beautiful animal with her calf at her 

 side to appearance nearly a full blood .-ihoit horn 

 Dniham, and known and taken here as a native 

 with its unknown Dinliani origin. Samples of 

 very fine Saxony bucks were also on the ground 

 from Walpole and other towns. Of the fine 

 wooled sheep there are said to be several flocks 

 of liundreds in the couiiiy. 



The Sentinel presents as the " most splendid 

 display" the e.xliihiiion at tlie court room of a 

 great variety of maimfactures of mechanics and 

 work of the ladies. There was an immense 

 crowd here and in every part of the village from 

 ten o'clock in the morning throngb most of the 

 day. The plniigliing rnatcli was interesting as 

 presenting stroiig teams each of a single yoke of 

 oxen, breaking up and ploughing deep in sward 

 without other driver than him holding the 

 plough. Generally the service of the oxen was 

 performed without application of the whip. 



On the whole, this exhibilion at Keene, with 

 the spirit shown by the firmers, who catne to- 

 gether for the occasion was to us highly gratify- 

 i])g, worth much more than the time and pains 

 taken to go and see it — a precursor, we hope, to 

 what may yet be done by other counties of the 

 State which have equally an interest in promo- 

 ling Agricnltme as the foundation of the conn- 

 try's prosperiiy. 



Cranberries. We are not aware of a single 

 instance of sncce-is in the ciiliivalinn of the cran- 

 berry wiihont a thick coating of sand (not a 

 n)ixlure of sand aud loam,) was first spread over 

 the surface. Six inches is the depth that has 

 been reconimeiiiled in this paper, and we are en- 

 tirely satisfied that it is more frequeiilly too little 

 than too nmch. If the bottom he a thick naid, 

 with only six inches of sand on the siuliice, the 

 bog .-It the end of the year will be in a better 

 condition to cultivate grass than cranberries. 

 The sand will sink into the inuil and bi'ciime to 

 some extent mixed with it. The surface will he 

 condensed and wanned by the operation, and 

 tlie grasses cannot be ke|jt out without injuring 

 or ilestroyinj; the cranberry vines. 



Tlie art of raising tlie craiiherry consists in 

 selecting a soil that is always damp, and if flow- 

 ed with water in winter and spring, it is the bet- 

 ter. The soil must be loose and barren, so that 

 the cranberry vines will without any cultivation 

 overcome and root out the few weeds and gras.':- 

 ps that may spring up. If the soil is fertile, 

 grass and weeds will obtain posession of the soil, 

 and they can be kep.t out only liy incurring an 

 expense which the crop will never repay. 



We have seen acconnls in the newspapers of 

 the cianberry being cnhivated snccesslully on 

 uplands, hut we do not believe much of the sto- 

 ries that are told. On damp barren sands the 

 cianlierry, in this coiiutry is as certain as any 

 cultivated crop ; hut on other soils it is precari- 

 ous and nncerlaiii, and will not repay the labiu' 

 in cultivation.— lnrmou//i R(f;islei: 



Medicine for Hogs. — The American Farmer 

 furuislies the Ibllortiiii; : " When your hogs gei 

 sick, you know not of what, give them ears of 

 corn, first dipped in tar, and then rolled in sul- 

 plier. ' Tis ten to one that it arrests the disease 

 and restores the pig to health." 



Qy=Timber cut in the spriiiji and exposed to 

 the weather with the bark on decays much soon- 

 er than if cut in the fall. 



Bcdlord AgiiciiUaiali Societ). 



We attended the moetiiig of the Agricultural 

 Society of Bedford, held at the Town Hall, in 

 that place, on Tuesday last. After an appropri- 

 ate prayer, hy Rev. Air. IMoore oI'Millbrd, reports 

 were made by the examining cuuiinittee on larnis 

 and crops belonging to members of the Society, 

 which exhibited a high slate of the culture of the 

 soil, anil some considerable altention to modern 

 improvements ; but still they show that there is 

 room for tar greater ini|iroveineuts, ami the ben- 

 efit that wouhl result from them by what had so 

 manifestly accrued IVoiii those already made 

 The polato rut has prevailed there as in other 

 places, pretty extensively, this season ; and some 

 experiments of its elTects were related on dlfler- 

 ent soils and mode of culture ; and some discus- 

 sion ensued on the nature, cause and prevention 

 ol' this disease, showing the difficulties of ascer- 

 taining either the one or the other. The Socie- 

 ty was then addressed by the Hon. Isaac Hill, in 

 an inlelligenl, interesting and appropriate dis- 

 course, suggestive of useliil thoii^liis and hints 

 tliat should be turned to prolitahle acconiit. 

 'I'lie anther, being ' well manured in the Hill,' 

 with the help of a little plaster, and a judicious 

 distribution of Giiano, pioiluced an abniidaiit 

 crop of matter for the entertainment and in- 

 struction ol his hearers. And we only regretted 

 that there was not more of the farmers of Bed- 

 lord to bear him, aud to profit by bis experience 

 and the coininunication of it, which vfould have 

 been much to their benefit. 



riip proximity of the people of Bedford to a 

 re.idy market lor their produce at the growing 

 munufacturing village of Manchester, it would 

 seem would lead them to avail themselves of ev- 

 ery means of information how to improve and 

 enlarge their crops, and we were surpriseil at 

 the apparent apathy to these great iuteresls, 

 manilested by so great a non-attendance at the 

 meeting, and as we learn, in joining the Society 

 and mutually engaging iii its operations. A hint 

 to the wise, will, however, we trust, be sufficient 

 — and lliat a better atteiilion to this all-inipor- 

 tant concern will not only he there manifested; 

 hut tlironghont the whole of this county, by an 

 endeavor to re-establish a County Agricultural 

 Society, for the iiiiproveiiient and fiirlheranee of 

 the great agricultural interests of this region. 

 Amherst Cabinet, Oct. ISth. 



Annual Meeting of the Bedford Farmers, 

 Oct. 13, 1847. 



DEACON BROOKS SHATTUCli's REPORT. 



The first farm we visited was that of Ralph 

 Hulbrook. He plants about two acres of corn, 

 one potatoes, one-half acre gardening — mows 

 by estimation twenty-five acres, and cms twenty 

 tons of hays. Corn looks well. He plants the 

 orange, long-red, and chenango potatoes. Mr. 

 Holbrook thinks of the. orange and cbenangoes 

 he shall get about three-fourths of a crop — that 

 is one-fourth lost by the rot — the long-reds not 

 so much. He planted his potatoes the last of 

 May and first of June. His manure spread and 

 plowed in; he plasters, mixed with ashes, in the 

 hill. A part of his potato ground was manured 

 in the hill; these potatoes were more atFected 

 with rot than on the grouml where no manure 

 was applied in the hill. 



Air. H. raises considerable fruit ; he has a fine 

 nursery of apple trees, some three thousand, 

 ready for budding, which he intends to do with 

 the Baldwins. The Holbrook family are distin- 

 guished as raisers of fine Baldwin apples. As 

 their fiirms lay high upon a delightful swell of 

 land in the north-west part of Bedford, overlook- 

 ing a large extent of country, their land is not 

 subject to froat, which is thought to be unfavor- 

 able to fruit trees. We noticed his barn-yard so 

 constructed as to save all of the wash of the 

 barn and other buildings. 



We next called upon Thomas Holbrook ; he 

 not being at home, we did not gel much inform- 

 ation. We noticed a fine piece of corn. Mrj. 



Holbrook inforiiicd us that their potatoes Were 

 considerably ufiected with the rot. 



We next called upon Gardner Neveus, Esq. 

 Air. Nevons directed us to a beautiful piece of 

 corn, some three acres; we should judge will 

 yield fifty sound bushels to the acre. The ground 

 gravelly loam; plowed twice in the spring— ma- 

 nure, spread a little, put into the hill together 

 with a little plaster; the corn rowed both ways 

 three aud a half feet asunder. We are safe in 

 saying that it is the best jiicce of corn we have 

 seen the present season. Mr. Neveus' potatoes 

 are badly affected with the rot ; three-fourths, ho 

 thinks, are more or less disensied. We noticed a 

 fine plat of carrots, turnips and onions. Mr. N. 

 has done something in setting out peach and 

 plum trees, most of which look healthy and in a 

 growing condition. He plants three acres of 

 corn, one and a half acres potatoes — half acre 

 in garden. 



Brooks ShattucU's potatoes are more or less at 

 this time aflected with the rot, although three 

 weeks ago he discovered no traces of it. One 

 piece, three and a half acres new ground broken 

 up last fall, (ilowed twice in the spring— inamire 

 composted of meadow muck, leached ashes and 

 stable manure, mixed together last fall — spread, 

 plovved in, plastered in the hill, rowed both ways 

 and suhsoiled in the row — planted the first week 

 in May — dug fifteen or twenty bushels in the 

 second week in September, which were sound 

 and good — llth Oct. this field is more or less rot- 

 ten. What is said of the above field holds good 

 with all my others, with one exception ; in one 

 field the rot is hardly discoverable — [ilanted the 

 second week in June ; the laud manured with 

 m°ailow muck soaked with urine. I noticed an 

 interesting f;ict that where the potato vines were 

 protected from the sun by trees or bushes, bri- 

 ers, &c., the potatoes in such hills were sound. 

 And also another fact : we dug and sold soino 

 three bushel's to a person in .Manchester of sound 

 potatoes; nothing was seen to indicate the rot 

 of those we dug oi» those that remained in the 

 field. The family being small, the potatoes last- 

 ed some fifteen days ; but before they had been 

 in the cellar twelve days they began to decay and 

 rot. The potatoes in the field from which the 

 three bushels were dug began to rot about the 

 same time. 



I had tliouglii of saying something in regard 

 to my other crops, but 1 close hy simply saying 

 that on a piece of ground three rods one aud 

 about four the other, I raised what brought me 

 in Alancliester Alarket, .$31,03. 



[While on a visit, at the invitation of some of 

 the Bedford farmers, the editor of the Visitor 

 tarried under the hospitable roof of Mr. Shat- 

 tuck, and saw and learned sonielhing of his 

 fiuniiug operations. Partly from the avails of 

 his personal labor at Lowell as oversiMU- of a 

 factory, he four years ago purchased tiis farm o( 

 140 acres, in the roughest part of Bedford, at the 

 price of §2300: the soil is of a natural hardness 

 that might discourage a man less persevering 

 than Air. S. He keejis cows, and carries milk to 

 Mnnchester six days in a week. Witfi his own 

 labor and that of his sou, a young man of seven- 

 teen years, aided by the labor of not more than 

 a single hired man, he has already made iiu- 

 provenieuts, adiling n.ncli to the value of his 

 fiirm, clearing bushes aud rocks from fields, lay- 

 ing stone walls, increasing the liny crops of hia 

 cultivated fields, setting out and budding aud 

 grafting fruit trees, and besides ap|)le trees, some 



