NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



553 



For tke New England Farmer. 



MY GARDEN. 



OR, SMALL NOTES FROM A SMALL BANK. 



1. Extent and Aspect. — It measures by my pa- 

 ces about seven rods east and west, and three rods 

 north and south, containing twenty-one square rods. 

 Tt slopes to the south, converging on the south 

 line from the west, so as to form a hollow extend- 

 ing into my neighbor's premises. This hill-side 

 takes the full strength of the sun, and rains wash 

 down the soil, and till I built a high wall on the 

 south line, its finest and best portion ran away to 

 my neighbor. Two grass terraces, not yet suffi- 

 ciently raised, have arrested a portion of my fugi- 

 tive ground. Would not perpendicular terraces of 

 stone, be preferable, by giving me more space to 

 cultivate, and affording a less tempting resort for 

 mice, which destroyed my raspberry bushes, under 

 last winter's snows? (a.) So I judge, though a 

 grass bank suits the eye better, while, alas, it con- 

 stantly claims the right of annexing the adjacent 

 territory, much to my annoyance. 



2. Its Soil. — It consists, in its natural state, of 

 pebble stones, from over 100 lbs. weight, to an 

 ounce, and I cannot say how much less. In the 

 twelve years I have cultivated it, probably enough 

 has been removed to build a sufficiently high adobe 

 wall to secure it on two or three sides. The sup- 

 ply is still ample, though my hoe rings less against 

 t'r.em than when I began to batter it. The ox-stone 

 rnfa r, (/;) to exhume and gather them, has not come 

 to hand yet. The crow-bar strikes firm bottom too 

 soon, often when I try my power of penetration, 

 in setting bean poles. Yet my soil has a good 

 constitution, with appliances to develop its funda- 

 mental principles, commingled with the auxiliary 



4th. Experiments. — Placed four or five inches 

 of white sand below the seed potatoes, in one 

 row, with no marked result. Ashes unleached in 

 the hill, I found of no service, but prejudical. 

 Charcoal dust used in the hill had no striking ef- 

 fect. Having feared stable manure, and besides, 

 finding none to buy, I spread on one plat, before 

 plowing, a supply of decayed forest leaves, and the 

 surface sod, and there the potatoes grew large and 

 sound ; and in a drilled row, planted afoot apart, 

 one tuber in a place, the whole bedded well with 

 decayed leaves, beneath and between the whole 

 the product was evidently increased much, and the 

 tubers were many of them unusually large, and all 

 of them of a healthy appearance, (c.) They were 

 the long curved blues, called in Vermont, cow- 

 horns, a fine potato, ripening rather early. They 

 evidently are a very productive kind. 



5th. The weeds of my garden, piled from time 

 to time, with grass of my terraces and small yard, 

 and droppings and scrapings from the street, re- 

 ceiving night soil and soap-suds of the wash, 

 turfs also being added, afford much aid, as to com- 

 post manure. 



Please accept this small instalment from your 

 obliged friend. J. Lee. 



Salisbury Centre, Conn., Oct. 10th, 1852. 



Remarks. — Please accept our hearty thanks, 

 friend Lee, fur the picture of your garden, and for 

 the experiments and observations you have made 

 therein. 



(a.) Would not a perpendicular wall where the 

 grass terraces now are, afford you a fine opportu- 



nity for the espalier training of grapes, peaches 

 fu^ceToFclayT^ dwarf pears, be equally as pleasing to the eye 



it is made contented to remain with its owner. jand-yield you a handsome profit ? We lately saw 



3. Its insects that war upon it. — The cutworm, j a row of pear trees trained to a lattice fence in the 



the cornstalk and potato-vine borer, the yellow 

 striped bug, and his slugs, and the whitish thou- 

 sand legged racer, that can run backward and for- 

 ward equally well, perhaps, and that eats off straw- 

 berry roots, and the squash bug, also, are all fond 

 of the repasts they find in my garden. No law of 

 extermination, yet known, can reach them. My 



garden of Mr. John Gordon, of Brighton, nearly 

 all of them yielding delicious fruit, and on one of 

 which, we counted one hundred and one, large and 

 very handsome pears, we think of the Duchess 

 D'Angouleme variety. 



(b.) But the stone picker has been invented, is 



squashes I save, by inspecting the leaves often, es- . ugc in E land and we believe has been intr0 _ 

 pecially the under side, killing the parent bugs, and . °. 



scraping off their eggs. The borers of fruit trees | duced into tms countr } r - 



I fight with knife and wire, for ashes, soap, &c, (c) Mr. Lee's experiment with the potatoes is 

 have disappointed me. With common soap, I ex- well worthy of notice. When the crop has suf- 

 coriated the bark of my finest peach tree, and it fered the most by rot, we have rarely known it af- 

 died in consequence Gave too large a dose, doubt- j fected QQ n , land> What virtue j g there in 

 less, lhe insects found on the branches of my , , . , ,, . , . ., . • 



fruit trees, are, first, a small brown worm, coilingj new land ' which the P ofcato re( !» ires .' that 1S 80 

 single leaves of apple trees around him, eating off soon exhausted by plowing and cropping 



the blows, and cutting off the stems of the germs ; 



second, the rarculio, that speedily follows, dill- QATTLE SHOW AT NORTHAMPTON. 

 gently depositing his ovum in the young apples,' 



plums, and cherries, working sure death, or a The annual exhibition of the Hampshire, Hamp- 

 stunted growth, with his sharp gouge. Third, the dcn and Franklin Agricultural Society occurred at 

 codling miller, making the blow end of apples his Northampton, on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct 

 place of deposit for his offspring. This rearguard 6 and 7. The multiplicity of these festivals, msteai I 

 of the invaders, scarcely au apple escapes, left by!° f satisfying the public mini, and growing yearly 

 them to struggle for life. The bag-catterpillar I^rs and less interesting, are becoming annually 

 destroyed by crushing, when within reach, or burn- ; more enthusiastic, better attended, and each ex- 

 ingifnot. I assailed curculios with the syringe, hibits, in some respects, marked improvements 

 and lime water, soap-suds, and tobacco tea ; but I , over lts predecessors. A spirit of honorable em- 

 ' was too late, as the enemy was- entrenched. My ulation has been awakened, and the beneficial rr- 

 apples I nearly lost, but cherries escaped, and suits are everywhere apparmt. There ,»n po 

 plums beyond my hope. tion of country better adapted to the growtn o« 



