430 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



destroy their corn in the field, or prevent its being 

 planted by them in the Spring. In either case, 

 starvation or severe suffering to the poor Indian, 

 was sure to follow. 



The Indian corn was about the first thing, dis- 

 covered by the Pilgrims upon their landing at 

 Plymouth, and their knowledge of it, and its mode 

 of culture, by planting it on the intervale land by 

 the rivers, and in hills, by raising the soil around 

 the crown of its roots, was obtained from the 

 aborigines of the country. 



Many are the traditions related by the Indians, 

 in regard to the origin of the Maize or Indian corn. 

 Mr. Neal, one of the early historians of New Eng- 

 land, says, "The Indians have a Tradition, that a 

 Crow brought the first Bean, and a Black-Bird the 

 first grain of Indian Corn into New-England ; for 

 which Reason, those Birds are accounted sacred 

 by them, tho' they are so mischievous, that the 

 English contrive all ways they can think of, to 

 destroy them." There is likewise a tradition with 

 the Indians, that a beautiful squaw sent by the 

 Great Spirit, once visited them, and with her right 

 hand presented to them the Maize or Corn, with 

 her left hand, she gave them the bean, and seeds 

 of the squash, and from the warm earth on which 

 she sat, after she left them, up sprung the tobacco. 

 We must say we are most strongly inclined to be- 

 lieve this legend, at least so much of it as relates 

 to the origin of the Indian weed; it must, we think, 

 have been produced in some such manner. The 

 time of planting or setting Indian Corn has not 

 varied for two centuries. Our ancestors usually 

 planted, or as they termed it, set their corn before 

 the assembling of the Great and General Court, 

 which took place the last of May in each year. — 

 There is a tradition that Gov. Endicott cultivated 

 in his garden, at his Orchard Farm, the white weed 

 as a flower, or for medicinal purposes, and that 

 a long time since, it spread into the adjoining 

 fields, and probably may now be found on most of 

 the farms in New-England. For this supposed 

 act, he has received the maledictions of many far- 

 mers. That Gov. Endicott might have introduced 

 the white weed into his garden, for its beauty, or 

 for medicinal purposes, we do not deny, for it has 

 been supposed by medical men to possess medical 

 qualities, and we are certain by a reference to the 

 correspondence between two distinguished botan- 

 ists, Peter Collinson of London and John Bartram 

 of our own country, which passed between them 

 July 20th, 1759, that the white weed has been 

 cultivated in English gardens, as a flower. In the 

 letter referred to, Mr. Collinson says, " The 

 Leucanthemum, or ox-eye Daisy, [white weed] 

 overruns some fields. But then it makes a fine 

 show. For this reason, I give it a proper place in 

 my garden, — as I love all flowers." Our own 

 opinion is, that the white weed was brought over 

 from England, with the grass seed first used upon 

 the Orchard farm — when the mowing lands there 

 were first laid down to grass. We are confirmed in 

 this opinion somewhat, from the knowledge we 

 have of this weed, that it is not confined to the 

 county of Essex, or to this part of the country. — 

 It is a fact that the white weed was introduced into 

 Eastern Pennsylvania, with many other worthless 

 plants, unintentionally, more than one hundred 

 years since. We are disposed to close our com- 

 munication here, and will furnish another article 

 upon the same subject, if desirable. s. p. f. 



Danversport, Aug. 9lh, 1852. 



Remarks. — The communications of S. P. F. are 

 always acceptable : they are copied into other 

 journals, as they are instructive as well as interest- 

 ing- 



DARTMOUTH COLLEGE. 



This honored old Alma Mater nullifies the doctrine 

 that "corporations have no souls." Her heart is 

 as expansive as the sunshine, seeking out among 

 the children of men those who have toiled up the 

 "hill of science," and made themselves useful to 

 their kind, and clothing them with her honors, 

 whether they have graduated at any similar insti- 

 tution or not. 



Thus we notice that at the recent commencement 

 of this college, the honorary degree of Master of 

 Arts was conferred upon our Associate, Henry F. 

 French; upon Richard Boylston, of Amherst, 

 N. II., and John Prentiss, of Keene, both veteran 

 editors and printers of that State ; and upon Ben- 

 jamin B. French, of Washington, D. C, but a 

 native of N. II. Never were titles more fitly be- 

 stowed. That they will wear them with meekness 

 and grace, and make glad the heart of the "benign 

 mother," we have no doubt. 



Well — we shall put on our best behavior and 

 tug on, and who knows but at some future day 

 the honorable Trustees of Dartmouth, or some 

 other College, will add those titillating words — 

 Master of Arts — to our own humble patronymic ! 

 Who knows ! 



BONE MANURE. 



Bones, though of comparatively recent intro- 

 duction as a manure, stand at the head of all mis- 

 cellaneous articles used for this purpose. The 

 improved machinery for preparing them has brought 

 them into extensive use in Europe. In England 

 it has been demonstrated that on dry sands, lime- 

 stone, chalk, light loams, and peat, bones are a 

 very valuable manure. That they may lie applied 

 to grass with great effect. That on arable lands, 

 they may be laid on fallow for turnips, or used for 

 any of the subsequent crops. That the* best 

 method of using them, when broadcast, is previ- 

 ously to mix them up in a compost with earth, 

 dung, or other manures, and let them lie and fer- 

 ment. That if used alone, they may either be 

 drilled with the seed, or sown broadcast. That 

 bones which have undergone the process of fer- 

 mentation are decidedly superior in their immedi- 

 ate effects, to those which have not done so. That 

 the quantity should be about 20 bushels of dust, 

 or 40 bushels of large, increasing the quantity if 

 the land be impoverished. — Fanner and Mechanic. 



ygT The article in the Working Farmer, for 

 August, on the value of Fruit, and credited to the 

 Bridgcton Chronicle, was written for and pub- 

 lished in this paper. Another article, "An Old 

 Tree," was from our own pen, gathered from the 

 musty records of English history, and is credited 

 to the West.Hort. Review. The Working Farmer 

 is strong enough to work its own way, and is very 



