NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



263 



frost will cover it sufficiently. The same is true 

 of birch seed ; it is often entirely lost under the 

 operation of the harrow ; it is best to leave it on 

 the surface where nature casts it, and in the same 

 season of the year. After sowing, birch and pine re- 

 quire no other attention beside keeping cattle from 

 the ground. Young oaks should be cultivated 

 several years, and when this is omitted, the roots 

 may be extended and better trees produced by 

 cutting them all close to the ground in the spring, 

 after they are three years old, but as several 

 sprouts will grow from each stump, some labor 

 will afterwards be required in thinning. 



Various other forest trees can be raised from the 

 seed, but the experience of the writer does not 

 qualify him to offer any remarks on the manner in 

 which it can best be done. m. a. 



Pembroke, March 2G, 1852. 



CONCORD FARMER'S CLUB. 



Some of the farmers of the good old town of 

 Concord, in this commonwealth, held stated meet- 

 ings during the past winter for the discussion of 

 any and all matters pertaining to their vocation. 

 We had the good fortune to attend most of their 

 meetings, and have been as much interested and 

 instructed there as at any similar meetings we have 

 ever attended. There may be some towns in Mid- 

 dlesex where here and there a single farm may be 

 found surpassing in value and amount of produc- 

 tions, more than any single farm in the town of 

 Concord; but take it as a whole, we doubt if 

 many towns can be found where there are so 

 many thrifty, intelligent and independent farmers 

 as in this old town, famous for its revolutionary 

 and interesting historical incidents. 



The meetings of the farmer's club indicate a 

 spirit of inquiry and progress, and will lead to a 

 more systematic and thorough cultivation of the 

 soil, and consequently to a larger profit. 



We copy the annexed account of the last meet- 

 ing of the club from the Middlesex Freeman, pub- 

 lished at Concord, and intend to give hereafter an 

 occasional sketch of their meetings, as published 

 in that paper. 



CONCORD FARMER'S CLUB. 



The closing meeting of the club for the season, 

 took place at the Middlesex Hotel, on Saturday eve- 

 ning, April 24. Nearly every member, accompa- 

 nied by one or more ladies, was present, and also 

 several invited guests. 



The company assembled in the spacious parlors 

 of the hotel, and enjoyed a social hour in free con- 

 versation, after which several short and appropri- 

 ate addresses were made, which occupied the time 

 until supper was announced. Precisely at 9 o'clock, 

 the company sat down to the tallies, where all en- 

 tered with alacrity into an intimate and pleasant 

 acquaintance with the rich gifts of Ceres and Po- 

 mona. The president then made a brief address, 

 which was followed by a set of regular toasts, but 

 interspersed with voluntary sentiments, stories, 

 songs, and brief addresses. The occasion was al- 

 together a most happy one. The ladies were an- 

 imated and beautiful, the gentlemen gracious, but 



not "unco glorious," the supper a nonpareil, the 

 toasts sharp as a thistle, or as light as the thistle's 

 down, and the songs excellent. 



The committee had made the most perfect ar- 

 rangements, so that everything came off precisely 

 at the right time, without delay or confusion. The 

 only thing to be regretted is that your reporter 

 was not present. 



Such were the closing ceremonies of the Far- 

 mer's Club. The meetings through the winter 

 have been well attended, and the interest in them 

 continually increased, and cannot have failed to 

 prove beneficial in many respects. 



Truly yours, A Farmer. 



Concord, April 20, 1852. 



THE POOR MAN'S BOOK. 



BY GEO. W. BUNGAY. 



The winds have blown the smoke away. — 

 Cold is the forge and hushed the mill; 



The "toil-worn cotter" rests to-day — 

 Traffic is mute and Labor still. 



The unharnessed horse feeds on the green, 



The laboring ox rests in the shade; 

 A holy calm pervades the scene, 



And beauty smiles from hill and glade. 



The modest flowers that light the clod, 

 Like drops of sunshine from the sky, 



Bow their sweet heads and worship God, 

 And send their fragrant praise on high. 



Beneath his fig-tree and his vine, 



Beside the lowly cottage door, 

 The poor man reads the precious line 



Of promise to the humble poor. 



The Bible is the poor man's law, 



A blessed boon to mortals given; 

 A ladder such as Jacob saw, 



With angels coming down from heaven. 



N. Y. Tribune. 



CLEANLINESS FOR PLANTS. 



"If as much washing were bestowed, in London," 

 says Dr. Lindley, "upon a pot plant as upon a lap- 

 dog, the one would remain in as good condition as 

 the other. The reasons are obvious. Plants breathe 

 by their leaves ; and if their surface is clogged by 

 dirt, of whatever kind, their breathing is impeded 

 or prevented. Plants perspire by their leaves ; and 

 dirt prevents their perspiration. Plants feed by 

 their leaves ; and dirt prevents their feeding. So 

 that breathing, perspiration, and food, are fatally 

 interrupted by the accumulation of foreign matters 

 upon leaves. Let any one, after reading this, cast 

 an eye upon the state of plants in sitting rooms or 

 well-kept green-houses ; let them draw a white 

 handkerchief over the surface of such plants, or a 

 piece of smooth white leather, if they desire to 

 know how far they are from being as clean as their 

 nature requires." — Hoveifs Magazine. 



Grass under Trees. — By sowing nitrate of soda 

 in small quantities in showery weather, under 

 trees, a most beautiful verdure will be obtained. 

 I have used it under beech trees in my grounds, 

 and the grass always looks green . Having succeed- 

 ed so well on a small scale, I have now sown ni- 

 trate of soda among the long grass in the planta- 

 tions, which cattle could never eat. I now find 

 that the herbage is preferred to the other parts of 

 the field. 



