NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



545 



ted ones now before me are a splendid sample. 

 I will therefore satisfy myself from the demonstra- 

 tions which have this day been presented from the 

 departments of agriculture, horticulture and the 

 domestic manufactures, from your flocks and herds, 

 that, if this is not strictly a land flowing with milk 

 and honey, it is literally a land orer-flowing with 

 all the substantial comforts and conveniences of 

 life, and possessing as many of the luxuries as it 

 is convenient to enjoy, furnishing the most unequiv- 

 ocal testimony to the judgment and well directed 

 labor of the farmer, to the skill and ingenuity of 

 your female artizans ; and that the land you dwell 

 in is fat and good, that your people be many and 

 strong — that they dwell in strong holds and have 

 monstrous barns well filled, and plenty of wood. 



Almost an half century has passed since that 

 record was made ; and yet it remains with all its 

 freshness among the thrilling incidents which have 

 since transpired, as fresh and fragrant as when 

 first impressed. It was, sir, the first (a) agricul- 

 tural exhibition ever made in this country. And 

 it was the birth-day of our elder sister — she of 

 whom it may be said is the mother of all the Ag- 

 ricultural Societies, now scattered over our Union, 

 from Maine to California, — thirteen of which are 

 within our own borders, and the youngest of which, 

 I have the pleasure of participating with to da 

 if not to witness its birth. I may venture to say 

 christening, unless I have lost time, for in this age 

 of progress and improvement, children are born 

 by express and christened by telegraph, fearing their 

 names would not otherwise overtake them in this 

 world ; but pardon me, sir, I think it a promising 

 child, well worthy to receive your fondest paternal 

 and I may add too maternal care. She is now 

 for the first time initiated into the embrace of 

 her sister societies. And we bid you a hearty and 

 a cordial welcome. Young as she is, we cannot 

 apply the figurative expression of Solomon to her, 

 ■'that we have a little sister and she has no 

 breasts," for I see the breast of every member of 

 this society is fully extended with the highest as- 

 pirations for the future welfare and destiny of the 

 society. Go on, then, Mr. President and gentle- 

 men, fulfill your destiny, and your laurels shall be 

 interwoven with that wreath of glory which en- 

 circles the character and honor of Massachusetts. 



of it. I have sent you many garden seeds. Dis- 

 tribute them among your neighbors. Send them 

 to the store in the village that everybody may 

 have a part of them without cost." 



Remarks. — The Middlesex County Society was 

 incorporated in the year 1803, and had existed as 

 an unincorporated association, under the same 

 name, from the year 1794. "We had supposed it 

 the oldest County society in the State. "The Mas 

 sachusetts Society for promoting Agriculture" was 

 incorporated in 1792. 



The Garden. — Daniel Webster writing to the 

 overseers of his farm in Franklin, N. II., last 

 March, uses the following truthful language of 

 cultivation and the garden. 



"Whatever ground you sow or plant, see that 

 it is in gotjd condition. We want no pennyroyal 

 crops. 'A little farm well tilled' is to a farmer 

 the next best thing to a 'little wife well willed.' 

 Cultivate your garden. Be sure to produce suffi- 

 cient quantities of useful vegetables. A man may 

 half support his family from a good garden. Take 

 care to keep my mother's garden in good order, 

 even if it ■ t you the wasesof a man to take care 



For the New England Farmer. 



BROOM CORN. 



Having cut the brush, the next step in the pro- 

 cess is to cure it. Its value depends much upon 

 the manner of curing. If suffered to become heat- 

 ed, its color will be changed and the buyer will 

 say, " 'tis nought, 'tis nought." Some bind it in 

 small bundles, others do not. If bound, it requires 

 less room to dry it, and it is in a better form for 

 scraping. 



When thoroughly dried, then comes the scrap- 

 ing process. This consists in removing the seed 

 from the brush, by drawing it through a scraper, 

 composed of two elastic steel plates curved out- 

 ward at the top and pushing hard against a point- 

 ed rod, standing erect. It is considered a day's 

 work to scrape two hundred pounds. After scrap- 

 ing, the brush is firmly bound in small bundles, 

 and is then ready for the manufacturer. 



The cultivator often finds it necessary to retain 

 his brush for several months, and his care is not 

 to cease with the removal of the seeds. Rats and 

 mice, either because they know that "the new 

 broom sweeps clean," or because they feel a deep 

 interest in all the operations of the farmer, and 

 wish to ratify all his proceedings, are sure to dom- 

 icile in the newly scraped brush. Broom brush, 

 therefore, needs the same protection as Indian corn. 



Productiveness. — An important question with 

 the farmer is, "will it pay ?" 



There are many contingencies affecting the an- 

 swer to this query. The quantity of brush varies 

 from 300 to 1300 lbs. per acre, according to the 

 condition of the soil, and the skill and faithfulness 

 of the cultivator. In the towns above named, the 

 average yield don't vary much from 750 lbs. The 

 quantity and quality of the seed varies still more. 

 An early frost destroys the seed entirely. If the 

 land is cold, from too much clay, the seed is liable 

 to be chilled in part, or wholly. When the seed 

 ripens well, the cultivator expects ten bushels of 

 seed to every hundred pounds of brush. Hence, 

 if accurate in my estimate above, the average pro- 

 duct of an acre is seventy-five bushels. One hun- 

 dred bushels of seed and one thousand pounds of 

 brush, is not a very uncommon product in a good 

 season. 



Broom seed, for all purposes, except feeding 

 horses, is worth as much as oats. It is heavier, 

 and for feeding swine, cattle, sheep, and even 

 horses, it is really worth more than oats, though 

 it does not command so high a price. When oats 

 sell for fifty cents, broom seed is worth about thir- 

 ty-seven and a half cents. It is generally estima- 

 ted that the broom seed, in an ordinary season, is 

 worth as much as an oat crop would be, on the 

 same land. The price of brush varies from two 

 and a half cents to fourteen. The average for the 

 last twenty years, I think, has been as high as six 

 cents per pound. At five cents, cultivators regard 

 it as a better crop than Indian corn at one dollar 

 per bushel, provided the seed ripens. 



Taking seven hundred fifty pounds as the aver- 

 age crop of brush, and sixty bushels as the aver- 

 age for seed, and allowing six cents as the price 



