NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF SCI- 

 ENCE. 



The skill of Linnaeus, derived from his intimate 

 knowledge of science, devised a method of destroy- 

 ing an insect, or of preventing its ravages, which 

 had cost the Swedish government many thousand 

 pounds annually by its destruction, of ship timber 

 in a single dock-yard. The insect was the Can- 

 tharis Navalis. By merely a knowledge of the sea- 

 son when the fly laid its eggs and attending to that 

 fact, the timber was immersed in water at the pro- 

 per time, and thus the ravages of the insect pre- 

 vented. 



By his botanical knowledge he also ascertained 

 the cause of a dreadful disease among the horned 

 cattle of his country, which had baffled all conjec- 

 ture, and was considered wholly unaccountable and 

 irremediable. 



Under the management of Mr. Forsyth, and by 

 his knowledge of vegetable physiology, timber 

 trees in Kensington Gardens which had become 

 hollow, were filled with new wood, and made to 

 produce new and thrifty branches ; — and pear trees 

 a century old, which had become so decayed and 

 knotty as to leave no fruit worth gathering, were 

 restored to such health and strength as to cover 

 the garden walls with new branches, bearing a pro- 

 fusion of fine fruit. 



These three facts strongly illustrate the impor- 

 tance of an intimate knowledge of the things about 

 us which we are constantly handling, raising and 

 using in all our operations upon the farm. This is 

 certain knoAvledge, science; it saved the ship tim- 

 ber, healed the diseased cattle and rejuvenated the 

 trees. The farmer of all men ever has something 

 scientific to learn ; he should study, reflect and ex- 

 amine, until he can walk in his fields and hold in- 

 telligent converse with his soils, trees and plants 

 in relation to their wonderful structure, springing 

 and growth. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CORN VS. POTATOES. 



BY SAMUEL TEXNEY. 



Mr. Editor : — Being pleased and I trust profited 

 by the perusal of the Farmer, I again take my pen 

 to add my mite with the rest of the brotherhood. 



Corn and potatoes are two very important crops 

 with the farmer, but the way many manage in 

 raising them, has a tendency to "run out" tillage 

 land very much. I refer to the practice of plant- 

 ing two years in succession, first to potatoes and' 

 then to corn. 



This is apt to be the method pursued, where a 

 farmer has but little manure, he not wishing to 

 seed down without dressing. Now as far as my 

 experience and observation go, I am satisfied that 

 this is not a judicious method. Potatoes are a 

 great exhauster to the soil, especially of the phos- 

 phate of lime, and its effect upon the soil is to rob 

 it of all of this valuable ingredient that the decay- 

 ing sward may contain, which the succeeding corn 

 crop •will require that it may thijve and grow. 



Some in this vicinity have got their eyes open and 

 now plant their corn upon greensward and apply a 

 quantity of lime, ashes or gypsum, and the con- 

 sequence is they are rewarded with a fair crop, 

 while others that pursue the old method do not 

 more than got pay for their labor. In a cold sea- 

 son, there is another advantage, that is in the 

 heat generated by the decomposing sward if suf- 

 fered to he undisturbed and the manure worked in 

 with the harrow or ox cultivator, (which by the 

 way is an excellent farming implement.) Another 

 is, it is considerably less work to hoc an acre pre- 

 pared in this way, than an acre after a crop of 

 potatoes has been taken from it ; besides, it leaves 

 it in a better condition for grain. 



I may be in an error, but I think that one cause, 

 and not the least either, of the failure of the wheat 

 crop, has been the successive cropping with pota- 

 toes and corn, and using but little lime, gypsum or 

 ashes, thus taking a valuable ingredient from the 

 soil without returning any of the same. Were 

 gypsum and lime more freely used as a manure, 

 in my opinion we should have better crops. One 

 acre well manured and well cultivated is better 

 than two worked at the halves, for it will produce 

 as much in a long run, and will not require near 

 the labor to tend it, and leave more time for im- 

 provement on the rest of the farm. Many in this 

 way might raise as much as they do at present, 

 and get time to rid their fields of bunches of bushes 

 and large stones, thereby much improving the ap- 

 pearance of their farms and at the same time mak- 

 ing them more productive and pleasant to work. 

 The soil in this vicinity is a rocky highland. 

 Yours for the cause of Agriculture, 



Raymond, Me., Dec. 1, 1851. s. t. 



Remarks. — About one-half the amount of ash 

 produced by burning the potato plant, consists of 

 potash and soda, and in manuring, these ingredi- 

 ents should be returned to the soil. The potato 

 crop also abstracts largely from the soil of both 

 phosphoric and sulphuric acids. Unfermented ma- 

 nure, plaster of paris, ashes and salt would there- 

 fore make a dressing which would supply to the 

 soil the ingredients which the crop had exhausted. 



BREAD. 



A northeastern writer says, that "the researches 

 of chemistry have confirmed the experience of the 

 world. It is past doubt that no single article com- 

 bines so many valuable properties of nutriment as 

 wheat." An incredulous old woman once having 

 St. Paul quoted to reverse her doctrine, very coolly 

 remarked, "Ah ! there is where St. Paul and I dif- 

 fer." So I must differ with the northeastern Gra- 

 hamite, though he be a Philadelphy lawyer. Sure- 

 ly he has not read the same chemistry as I have. 

 My chemistry teaches me that a pound of Indian 

 corn contains. ten per cent, more nutriment than a 

 pound of wheat, and when the bran is taken off, 

 contains about ten per cent, less indigestible, re- 

 sinous matter than a pound of wheat ; and my ex- 

 perience teaches me, that the man who lives on 

 corn-bread, can perform about ten per cent, more 

 labor than the man who lives on wheat-bread ; and, 

 with equal care in baking, most families will soon 

 learn to like the corn-bread best. But it is a com- 

 mon practice to give the wheat flour so many ad- 



