508 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



so general a prejudice. Something more is neces- 

 sary to produce so tremendous an effect; and that 

 is the frequent use of a great multiplicity of new 

 and difficult terms, derived from other languages, 

 and not always to be found in the common school 

 dictionaries. Such terms, it will be readily per- 

 ceived, are a very imperfect exponent of the wri- 

 ter's views to the minds of his readers. So that 

 he entirely fails of his object, to make himself un- 

 derstood by his readers, and at the same time, ex- 

 cites a prejudice in their minds both against him- 

 selfaind his subject. Now the only way to reme- 

 dy this defect, — to remove this prejudice where it 

 exists, and to prevent its existence in future, is 

 for all writers upon agriculture to abstain from the 

 use of such terms as appear strange and incompre- 

 hensible to common readers. 



I have been led to make these remarks from the 

 following circumstance. Not long since I held a 

 conversation with Uncle Sam, upon this very sub- 

 ject. Now Uncle Sam is "real death" on techni- 

 cal terms, learned words, and foreign idioms, wheth- 

 er derived from the living or dead languages. He 

 reminds one of the late Lieut. Gov. Armstrong, 

 who used to flare up in a moment at the mere 

 mention of a technical term, law phrase, Latin or 

 Greek quotation. He said that such expressions 

 were downright pedantry, undignified, uncalled 

 for, and a direct insult to the common sense of 

 mankind. Uncle Sam, like the late Lieut. Gov., is 

 an honest, straight-forward, open-hearted, strong- 

 minded man ; and if he had enjoyed the advan- 

 tages of a public education, would have made 

 a figure in the world. His principal objection to 

 reading agricultural papers, is, that he is obliged 

 to hold the paper in one hand, and his dictionary 

 in the other ; and then, he is not able to find out 

 the meaning of all the words. Mount Grace. 



Warwick. May 5, 1852. 



GROWING EARLY TOMATOES. 



A friend a short time since requested me to look 

 at a tomato patch belonging to one of his neigh- 

 bors, which had been the year previous famous for 

 the quantity of fruit produced, and its extreme ear- 

 lincss — by which the proprietor was enabled to 

 sell in advance of all other competitors in the mar- 

 ket, and thus realized as much profit from a few 

 rods of land as some of our farmers from a hun- 

 dred acres. 



This plot of land was a sand knoll — the top of 

 which had been removed to a depression near by, 

 leaving the ground so poor that it would have been 

 impossible to have grown any kind of cultivated 

 vegetation except tomatoes. These were planted 

 in hills prepared by adding a shovel full of well 

 rotted manure to each, and the soil being of such 

 a hot and dry nature, it brought them forward and 

 matured the fruit directly. I have never before 

 known this kind of fruit grown on such land, but 

 the result in this case may furnish some hints to 

 our market-gardeners which will bo to their ad- 

 van tags. — Rural Ncw-Yorhrr. 



Squash. — As the squash is quite sensitive to 

 cold, and the seeds frequently fail to germinate if 

 overtaken by cold and wet weather soon after be- 

 ing planted, it is best to delay the planting until 

 the weather becomes settled and the ground toler- 

 ably warm. The hills may be formed similar to 



those recommended for melons. The hills should 

 be from six to ten feet apart, each way, according 

 to the variety cultivated. Three vines are quite 

 enough for a single hill, and their leading shoots 

 may be stopped, so as to induce the speedy forma- 

 tion of fruitful laterals. Keep the surface light 

 and clean at all times, and draw a little soil around 

 the stems for their support. The Autumnal Mar- 

 row is a very good variety ; the Early Orange, the 

 Acorn, the Canada and the Large Green Striped 

 are approved varieties. — Maine Farmer. 



REPORT 



FROM THE WORCESTER COUNTY SOCIETY, 



ON FEEDING STOCK. 



To the Trustees of Worcester Agricultural Society: 

 Gentlemen : — The committee to whom was sub- 

 mitted the consideration of "the best experiment 

 in determining the advantage^ or disadvantages of 

 cutting hay as food for stock, under the following 

 regulations : A premium of . . $30 



"For the next best .... 20 

 "The trial to be made with at least two animals, 

 their condition to be as «iuch alike as is practica- 

 ble ; the time of trial to continue at least eight 

 weeks, divided into periods of two weeks each, 

 One animal to be fed with cut, when the other is 

 fed with uncut hay, and the feed of each to lie 

 changed at the expiration of each two weeks, and 

 so alternately each two weeks, during the trial. If 

 any other food, than hay is given, (such as roots 

 or meal) the same quantity to be given to each, 

 that the result in relation to the cutting the hay, 

 may not be affected by other food. The animals 

 should be kept in the same stable, that they may 

 be in the same temperature, the average degrees 

 of which is to be stated. If the trial is made with 

 cows, the time of having the last calf must be giv- 

 en, and also the weight of milk given by each cow, 

 during each period of the trial. Each of the ani- 

 mals to be weighed at the commencement of each 

 two weeks, and at the end of the trial, and the 

 statement must give an account of their condition, 

 age and every other circumstance that can have 

 any influence upon the decision of the question, 

 and that the experiment may produce the most sat- 

 isfactory results, the same kind of hay, (what is 

 usually called English hay) should be used, during 

 the whole time ; the time of giving the food and 

 drink should lie regular, and also of the milking ; 

 the time of weighing should be in the morning, and 

 before the animal has been allowed to drink. 



"The statement must also give the quantity of 

 hay, whether wet or dry, and other food given to 

 each animal, and of each kind during each period 

 of the trial, and to be forwarded and received by 

 the Recording Secretary on or before the 15th day 

 of March, 1852, to be laid before the Committee 

 appointed, for their adjudication." 



On or before the said 15th day of March a state- 

 ment of a trial of feeding with cut and uncut hay, 

 was received from Mr. Demond, of Grafton, with 

 two dry cows ; from Mr. Harvey Dodge, of Sutton, 

 with two steers : from Mr. W. S. Lincoln, of Wor- 

 cester, with two milch cows ; and from Mr. A. H. 

 Ilawes, of Worcester with two working oxen. 



The Committee was originally constituted by the 

 appointment by the Trustees of lion. George Den- 



