NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



35 



with red stripes, quite acid, very tender pulp, more 

 fit for culinary than table use, although not un- 

 pleasant for eating at this time. But the most re- 

 markable property which belongs to it is its bear- 

 ing qualities. It bears every year most abundant- 

 ly, equal at least to the Baldwin, quite as large as 

 this most favorite apple. It is very tender and re- 

 quires very delicate handling when gathered, ripe 

 in November and will keep till Jan. or longer, re- 

 fused by boys when they can find the "Aunt Han- 

 nah!" 



N. B. I have some fifty trees of the latter, three 

 years from the bud, which I will sell, or give away 

 as the case may be. R. a. m. 



Topsfield, Dec. 8, 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE WHEAT CROP. 



BY RUFUS M'lNTIRE. 



Writers of late in agricultural publications ac- 

 count satisfactorily to themselves for the failure of 

 the wheat crop on lands much cultivated, in assert- 

 ing that certain elements in the soil essential to 

 the production of wheat has, by bad husbandry, 

 been exhausted or used up. They suppose that if 

 their particular element could be restored, wheat 

 could again be raised as abundantly as when the 

 land was first cleared. They particularly mention 

 the want of soluble silica as one principal cause 

 of failure. This looks plausible, but still there are 

 difficulties encountered in raising wheat, that theii 

 suggestions and rules do not seem to remove. In 

 many places near the seaboard, wheat will occa- 

 sionally produce bountifully; but four years in five, 

 will, by rust, blast, mildew or some other disease, 

 prove an entire failure, and this without any re- 

 gard to how the land has been cultivated or man- 

 ured. To supply what these learned writers say 

 is wanting, they recommend the raising of clover 

 and plowing it in green, as affording the requi- 

 site food for wheat, because, they say, clover con- 

 tains the identical ingredients essential to the pro- 

 duction of wheat. If so, pray where does the 

 clover obtain the wanting ingredients? Cannot 

 wheat find the materials as well as clover 1 Again 

 they say, peas are a good crop to precede wheat to 

 be used green as a manure, because it affords some 

 ingredients useful in the growth of wheat, but ex- 

 tract little or no soluble silica from the soil, and 

 leave it there for the future crop of wheat. Does 

 this soluble silica rejected by peas increase by rest 

 for the use of wheat 1 if not, why is it more avail- 

 able for wheat after this non-user by peas than be- 

 fore 1 I would not be understood to deny the fact 

 that clover and peas do furnish a good manure for 

 wheat ; but I am considering the reasons given for 

 it by agricultural chemists as a matter of science.- 



They further tell us that the want of soluble si- 

 lica in the soil is the cause of the weakness in 

 wheat straw, so that it will not sustain itself up- 

 right but lodge when the land is manured to pro- 

 duce a large growth. Experienced farmers have 

 long noticed the fact on old cultivated farms, and 

 the reason would be satisfactory if they did not 

 know that Indian corn on the same lands finds no 

 obstaela to procuring abundant glazing matter to 

 give to its stock all needed stiffness. The silica 

 appears to be there, and why cannot the wheat use 

 it as well as the corn ? I make these queries for 

 the purpose of suggesting that the successful cul- 



tivation of wheat may depend upon what it obtains 

 from the atmosphere as well as what it takes from 

 the soil — and further, that agricultural chemistry is 

 but in its infancy — and that to make it useful to 

 the farmer the analysis of the laboratory should be 

 subjected to the test of careful and extended ex- 

 periments in the field. It is to be regretted that 

 much in the lectures of learned professors profess- 

 ing to teach the revelations of science, will on ex- 

 amination be found to be hear says and say sos. 

 For instance, one professor in discoursing on the 

 modes of preserving milk sweet, gravely says, that 

 it is said milk put into bottles and corked tight and 

 then boiled or scalded in water a eertain length 

 of time, will keep sweet for a long period. — 

 The learned professor should have informed his 

 auditors where they could get bottles strong enough 

 to bear the operation. I have heard of witch doc- 

 tor's endeavoring to kill the old woman supposed 

 to have bewitched the churn so that it would not 

 make butter, bottled the cream up and subjected it 

 to the same scalding process ; but when about to 

 boil, the witch finding herself uncomfortably warm, 

 burst the bottles and escaped. The doctor boast- 

 ed he should have killed the witch, if the bottles 

 had been strong enough. r. m. 



Parsonsjield ', Me. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE CRANBERRY. 



Mr. Editor : — I have read the admonitions of 

 your correspondent in your paper of this date, and 

 hope to profit by his advice. He will allow me to 

 say, that his criticism seems to be carping at the 

 meaning of words, and words only. I am not able 

 to perceive any misapprehension of the idea, by 

 the manner in which the quotation was made ; nor 

 was I aware of any abridgment or alteration of the 

 sentence, until mentioned by him. I perceive now 

 an idea of his, by his explanation, that would not 

 have been thought of, without such explanation. 

 But I am content to endeavor to promote the 

 growth of the cranberry ; and to let words take 

 care of themselves. 



Yours truly, p. 



Dec. 13, 1851. 



LAUGH AND BE WISE. 



The man's a dolt who lets in grief, 



When he might ope the door to laughter; 

 If tears afford the heart relief, 



They leave a void for some hours after. 

 Dull sorrow is a malady, 



That ends in lunacy or phthisic; 

 But mirth is nature's recipe, 



And laughter is the best of physic. 



The kings of old, to shun at least 



The ill effects of melancholy, 

 Kept merry folks, to crown life's feast 



With sparkling wit and harmless folly; 

 So Comus rules with buoyant hand — 



To mirth turns fear, and pain, and sadness, 

 And sends forth, ringing through the land, 



The laughing shout of hope and gladness. 



Care, oft indulged, is like a fire 



That flames and burns the more you blow it, 

 Or, like a sexton— wrinkled, dire— 



Who digs your grave before you know it. 

 For young or old— for sage or clown— 



For all who live, or may hereafter— 

 To cure life's ills, or keep them down, 



There's nothing like a fit of laughter. 



