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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



times very great within a period of a few hours. 

 Plants come forward in moist warm weather so 

 that they show expanded leaves, buds are swollen 

 and ready to burst, and the branches full of the 

 ascending sap, when the sudden fall of temperature 

 takes place. Leaves that had come out turn 

 black and die, and the tender and half-hardy shrubs 

 perish with them. These are phenomena of annu- 

 al occurrence and familiar to most observers. But 

 these changes, occurring after vegetation had fair- 

 ly started in the spring, have not been supposed to 

 prove destructive to trees of three or four, or even 

 ten years' growth. That process seems to be one 

 enveloped in mystery, and demands the attention 

 of close observers and students of nature, to solve 

 its workings. 



There are those among us who have given a life 

 of attention to these subjects, and now that they 

 are prominently before the persons interested in 

 them, it is hoped they will make their theories and 

 observations known. 



We have barelytouched upon these topics, more 

 with a view of eliciting facts from those of vastly 

 greater experience, than to express any decided 

 opinions of our own. We hope our correspond- 

 ents who have carefully observed these phenomena, 

 will favor us with the conclusions at which they 

 have arrived. 



For the Neiv England Farmer. 



AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS. 



Mr. Editor : — With your permission, I would 

 like the privilege through the Farmer to express 

 my thanks to your YVinohester correspondent. 

 "Echo." Not so much for his favorable notice of 

 my article which appeared in the Fanner not long 

 since, as for the sound and sensible views which 

 were expressed in his own upon the same subject. 

 And also to express my satisfaction for his appro- 

 priate and practical remarks, as to the propriety 

 of making it a rule with agricultural papers, so far 

 as their columns will admit, of publishing other ar- 

 ticles than those which may agree with the opin- 

 ions of their editors. Such a policy I think would 

 produce a very beneficial effect. An exchange of 

 opinion is just what is wanted, in order to obtain 

 a clear view of facts, and the true merits of the 

 case. I believe in the saying of that great man, 

 Thomas Jefferson, "that there is little to fear from 

 error, so long as truth is left to combat it." I 

 therefore most heartily endorse the sentiment of 

 our friend "Echo," upon this part of his subject, 

 and hope the present editor of the Farmer will 

 continue his present liberal policy towards those 

 of his correspondents who may happen to differ 

 from him, and not do as one of his "illustrious 

 predecessors" did; — bring mourning, lamentation 

 and woe into one of the best of families, by casting 

 one of his offsprings upon the funeral pyre to be 

 consumed by that fearful element, merely because 

 he was not pleased with its beauty, or if suffered to 

 live, its growth might become dangerous to the com- 

 munity. I take it, however, that brother "Echo" 

 is not the man to give way to grief, even when 

 overtaken by such calamities as that described. 1 

 was nut aware before reading his able article in 



the Farmer, that the experiment of an agricultural 

 college or school had been tested in this country 

 to that extent and under so favorable circuiiistan- 

 ces, as he informs us it has. I am not disappoint- 

 ed, however, in their results. It is no more in 

 my opinion than others are destined to meet with, 

 that have the folly to try the experiment. I have 

 one now in my mind, whose head stands eminent- 

 ly high f«>r his scientific acquirements. Yet if my 

 friend "Echo" should live, I predict that ho will 

 have an opportunity at some early future to write its 

 obituary, and to exclaim, as he reasonably did before, 

 where is it now? and the answer will be the same, 

 echo will answer where ! Respectfully, &c, 

 Newton Centre, June 17. w. a. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FEEDING STOCK. 



Mr. Editor : — The experiments in cutting fod- 

 der for stock published in the late numbers of your 

 excellent paper are very interesting and the results 

 quite worthy of notice. But the most remarkable 

 article relating to this subject appeared in your 

 25th number, copied from the Wool Grower. 

 Though doubtless never intended to "pull wool" 

 over the eyes of any one, it savors somewhat of 

 the marvellous. In fact, though never prone to 

 quote Latin, on reading it I did exclaim, with all 

 due emphasis mirabile dictu. And there does seem 

 occasion for wonder. It is sufficiently wonderful 

 that three cows should be kept 160 days on a 

 daily allowance for each cow of 8 1-3 lbs. of hay 

 and 9 quarts of shorts, but it is more wonderful 

 still that they each continued to give 12 quarts of 

 milk per day for the whole period ; and it caps the 

 climax of wonders that they "came out in the 

 spring good beef." My own experience, though 

 perhaps wanting in accurate experiments, would 

 suggest twice the above amount of food, or its 

 equivalent, as the proper quantity required in a 

 similar case ; but if we can all pursue this improved 

 method with equally satisfactory results, the good 

 time coming of which we hear so much cannot be 

 far away. The knowledge of it would be worth 

 the price of a farm to thousands. Who will say 

 from his own experience that the plan is perfectly 

 feasible ? Enquirer. 



Eehobolh, June, 1852. 



Remarks. — The article from the Wool Grower 

 has had one desirable effect, that of calling atten- 

 tion to this very important subject. The truth is, 

 we cultivate our crops and feed them out more by 

 guess than any other way, and in consequence 

 perform a great deal too much labor, and use far 

 more than is necessary of its products to produce 

 certain results. Exact knowledge is as necessary 

 on the farm as in the workshop, in order to reap 

 the largest profit from our labor. This knowledge 

 is slowly dawning upon us ; and until its full light 

 come we must work and wait patiently, each one 

 "magnifying his office," to the extent of his abili- 

 ty. We hope to hear from "Inquirer" again. 



HEP" Somebody says "physicians are the nut- 

 crackers used by angels to get our souls out of the 

 shell which surrounds them." 



