#arm^rs Jlcrutljlg iBfisitox. 



CONDUCTED BY ISAAC MILL. 



■ OSE WHO LABOR IM THE EARTH ARE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GoD, WHOSE BreajtS HE HAS M4DE HI 



VOLUME V. 



3 PECULIAR DEPOailE FOR lURlTANTIAL AND OENUINE VIRTUE."— Jc^friOn. 



CONCORD, N. H. MAY 31, 1843. 



NUMBER 5. 



THE FARMER'S MOBTTHLY VISITOR, 



Pl'ELISHEU BY 



ISAAC HILL, & SONS, 



ISSUED ON THE LAST DAY OF EVERY MONTH, 



At No. 3, Hill's Brick Block. 



Jte-GiiKEHAi. AfiENTs.— B. CooR, Keene, N H. : Tho 

 in'«;t,"sV°n' ^^"sl-'ngt"" Ci'y. D- C. ; John Marsh 

 ingtoiiSt. Boston, Mass.; Charles Warren, 

 Vvorcester, Mass. 



. Wasli- 

 Brinley Row, 



'':^'*;'J**'— To single subscribers, F.ftv Cents. Ten nen 



nlS'J",'/'""^ ""'' ^■"''""'•'>;'''"»-. *!/« regulation of the Post Master 

 aeneral, may in all cases be remitted by the Post Mater, free of 

 postage. ) J- i-v ty 



rpHr^'i !;"'"«""'n "ho have heretofore acted as Agents aie 

 come , ni r"„"'""""f '""■• ^^'""^y- O"! ^"bscriblrs who 



<^I)c iHontl)lu Visitor. 



IIS perhaps have any doubts upon 

 of |)aint upon buildings agiiinsl 



Kor the Farmer's Monlhly Visitor, 

 Oil Painting, 

 Few person 

 the protection 



decay. We have heard this all our Jives, and 

 while It adds so much to the appearance of our 

 new doniicils, we are willing witliout question, 

 to believe in its utility. Yet some have denied 

 that a coat of oil and color upon the surface of 

 tlie wood does prevent it, and on the other hand 

 have alleged that it facilitates destruction by not 

 keeping out the water and lueveming that free 

 evaporation of the water when imbibed; and 

 thus Ijaslens its destruction. The house painters 

 have hut one opinion upon this subject, and that 

 \ve are all Yankees enough to guess, without be- 

 ing told ; but those who use lime as a wash have 

 another and a ditfeient opinion from the former 



On the tops of the ont-hotises in the city of 

 Jialtimore many years since, one lialf of the 

 wood work exposed to the weather and equally 

 e-xposed to wind and weather, waa painted with 

 colors in oil as usual; the other half was left 

 without paint altogether. After a period of years 

 which in this climate soon decays wood, the 

 work was examined and it was found that the 

 unpainted wood was decidedly in a sounder state 

 than the painted. 



It is not with readiness that we admit of facts 

 resulting from e.\pcriments, when they are in op- 

 position to long received opinions, in the iiii- 

 Jirovmenls of almost everv department in agri- 

 cijltiire, which has undoubtedly taken place The 

 triumph has not been an easy one over many an 

 error; hut, the derided book knowledge, and ex- 

 perience has steadily advanced ; and tardy us this 

 has been, it has advanced more rapidly than in 

 any other country. 



Everyone has, or may observe that painted 

 wood which has been exposed until partly decay- 

 ed has a sort of crust formed in part of the paint 

 Itself, Willie under this the wood is rotten This 

 crust only exists upon painted wood, and as paint 

 IS rarely so tight long as to keep out the water 

 torced in by our long storms; so it may prevent 

 that prompt evaporation on drying which would 

 permit the wood to endure. All are aware that 

 the shaded sides of a house, or fence where the 

 moisture continues, or where covered will 

 hasten destruction. Even brick walls 

 proof against the destructions effected by beim' 

 covered with creepers or other vines "■• " 



ful houses and cottages that adorn fair New Eng- 

 land stript of their coloring. Appearance to a cer- 

 tain extent, and certainly ia this, is a blessing and 

 a virtue; but in some cases, perhaps in all, we 

 iiiay in time find tliat a coloring whose basis is 

 lime, or water-proof cement, while it is cheaper 

 and equally pleasing to the eye, is also more pre- 

 servative in its effects. The water-proof cement, 

 which is a species of limestone that does not 

 slack and becomes rapidly hard from exposure to 

 wet, has been used here in giving a very pleasing 

 tint to brick houses. In some few cases, this is 

 much less expensive than oil, and far more dura- 

 ble. 



These hints are rather given In a spirit to awa- 

 ken attention than from any very positive opin- 

 ions. Oil certainly leads on comliustion wlien 

 we ap|)ly the actual elements of fire to wood 

 with which it is united ; and if the chemists are 

 coriect when they tell us that decay is the same 

 thing in a slow way, may It not add a helping 

 hand in both cases. 



A MARYLAND FARMER. 



Ajiril 14th, 1843. 



vines, 

 are not 



The des- 

 but a slow 



Iruction of wood by the weather Is 



combustion and if the conjecture against paint 



be correct, the smothered flame sinks the deepest 



I do not expect, nor would desire to see paint 

 superseded by ungariiished wood, and the heauti- 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Tumble Dams for Water. 



Numerous instances occur upon our farms and 

 country roads where the construction of a dam is 

 necessary, and (dieapness and durability are 

 desirable in accomplishing these objects. — 

 Tliere Is no difficulty with money and materials 

 under the direction of scientific individuals on 

 those who have had long experience in erecting 

 dams great or small to propel the machinery of a 

 factory, or to irrigate a field ; but something dif- 

 ferent is wanted for thea every day purposes, 

 -something within the usual reach of almost every 

 man or neighborhood. 



This may be found in the use of small saplins, 

 or branches of trees of almost any kind, by lay- 

 ing the butts even across the stream and branch- 

 es down, and [ilaciiig upon theni stone of moder- 

 ate size. This should be done in layers, first the 

 saplins, then stones, and so on until the desired 

 height is attained. Dams of this kind have been 

 found to endure in large rivers resisting the 

 floods that swept away the costly structures of 

 masonry laid l>y art and science. The tops of the 

 small trees or branches being down stream make 

 the most effectual resistance to the descending 

 torrents: held down by the stones, they cling to 

 the bottom, and the intersecting branches hold 

 the whole together from bottom to top. All dams 

 are very liable to undermine from the backward 

 spread of a portion of the constantly tumbling 

 stream. Hence the various contrivances to pre- 

 vent this; but can any thing surpass the tops of 

 the branches of trees all slo|iing with the run of 

 the water and extending out or down stream so 

 far as to render undermining impossible. Dams 

 made in this way at first are leaky : the water 

 finds Its way among the stone and branches, and 

 it requires some time to render them waterproof. 

 This however is done sooner or later accordiii" 

 to the rapidity of the stream, and the quantity oT 

 leaves or other floating matter everywhere swept 

 along with running water. These substances of 

 whatever kind are sucked In by the water be- 

 tween the stones and branches and there remain, 

 and the dam soon becomes tight and immoveable. 

 The lendeney to decay may appear objectionable 

 to these structures of wood and stone; but when 

 we consider that a dam is constantly wet, and as 

 it were submerged in water, this objection is di- 

 minished in importance, lor all know that wood 

 of any kind constantly uniler water is not liable 

 to decay. Some considerable experience has 

 been had in works of the kind now proposed, 

 and they have been found the least expensive 

 and best for general use by a 



COUNTRY ENOTNEER. 



Premiums offered by the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Society, 1843. 



The Trustees of this Society, bv their Com- 

 mittee, Hon. Peter C. Brooks, E'lias Phinney, 

 Henry Cod man, and Francis C. Lowell, Esquires, 

 have offered the following very liberal premiums 

 for excellence in various branches of farniing (he 

 present year. 



The agent who will be sent to inspect farms 

 offered for premiums will timke many Inquiries 

 as to the mojies of cultivating each farm. These 

 will appear in our next. 



FOR STOCK. 



From any County of the Commonwealth, to be 

 exhibited at the annual Show of the Hampshire, 

 Franklin and Ham[i(len Agricullural Society, in 

 the Autumn of 1843. Among other objects. 



For the best full blooded Bull, of an Import- 

 ed breed, not less than one year old, on satisfac- 

 tory assui-ane* being given that he shall be kept 

 for use, in some county of the State, at least nine 

 months from the day of exhibition. 

 For llie best ditto, of native breed. 

 For the best Milch Cow, full blood, of an im- 

 ported breed, not less than three, nor more than 

 ten years old, with satisfactory evidence as to 

 the quantity or quality of iier milk and the man- 

 ner in which she has been fed. 

 For the best ditto, of native breed. 

 For «he best full blooded Heifer of imported 

 breed, that has been milked not less than three 

 months, with satisfactory evidence of the quan- 

 tity and quality of her milk. 



For the best iHtto, of native breed. 

 For the best yearling full blooded Heifer, of 

 Imported breed. 



For the best pair of Wwking Oxen, taking in- 

 to \iew their size, power and training. 

 For the second best diiio. 

 For the best pair of three year old Steers, take- 

 ing Into view their size, power, &c. 



(IT^By an annual of full blood. Is Intended 

 one, whose dam and sire were of the same race ; 

 and reasonable evidence of the fact will be re- 

 quired. 



The amounts of jhe premiums for the fore- 

 going, being §iOO In tite whole, will be particu- 

 hirly specified in ilie premium list of said Society ; 

 and no premium will be awarded to any animal 

 which has heretofore bad a premium of the 

 State SocieSy. 



Competitors will be required to comply with the 

 rules and regulations of said Society, and also to 

 give notice in writing, of their intention to offer 

 animals for the foregoing Premimiis, to Benjamin 

 Guild, Esq., Boston, Recording Secretary of the 

 Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, 

 on or before Monday preceding the day of exhi- 

 bition. 



JOR THE BEST CULTPIVATED FARMS. 



For the best cultivated Farm, on which no 

 premium has before been given, of not less thsn 

 70 acres, exclusive of wood land, regard being 

 harl to qnantity of produce, the manner and ex- 

 pense of cultivation and llie general appearance 

 of the farm, $200 00 



For the next best, 150 00 



For the next best, 100 00 



For the next best, 75 00 



For the next best, 50 00 



For the next best, 2500 



To obviate the objections which some claim- 

 ants for premiums may have to making a written 

 statement of the condition, products and man- 

 agement of their respective farms, as herelolbre 

 required, the Trustees propose to relieve them of 

 this trouble by an inspection, either personally or 

 by an agent, of the fiirHIB wliich may be offered lor 

 premium. 



N. B. Claims to be .addressed to Benjamin 

 Guild, Esq., in Bo.^ton, before the first day of 

 October next. 



