utl)ig tesitcru 



CONDI CTI!:D by ISAAC 1UI.I.. 



■Those who labob, in the earth are the choibn i-euple of U*id, whose breaits he has made his peculiae detosite for supstajttial and otNLi.f e vihtuc.'* — Jefferson, 



VOLUME VI. 



CONCORD, N. H. FEBRUARY 29, 1844. 



NUMBER 2. 



THE FARSIEK'S MOA'THLY VISITOR, 



PlIBLISHEII BV 



ISAAC HILL, & SONS, 



ISSUED OS THE I-A^T PAY OF EVERT MONTH, 



At No. 3, Hill's Brick Block. 



{t>-GE!<KBAL AoBSTs B. C'ooR, Kcetis, N H.; Thomas 



R. Hampton, WasliiiiL:ton-Citv, D. C; Joiin Marih, Wasli- 

 Jnston St, Biiston, M;us. ;" Charles WjHtRK**, Brinley Row, 

 Worcester. Mass. 



TERMS — To single subscribers, Fifty CmU. Ten per 

 cent, will be allowed tn the person who slinll send more than 

 one subscriber. Twtlvt! copies wiil be sttnt tor the ailvancc 

 payment of Five Dollars; twenty five copies for Ten Dollars; 

 sixty copies for Twenty Dollars. *Tlie payment in every case to 

 be inadf! in advance. 



gO-JI/t»«c» and aubscrlptii'us^ by a rcgvlaliun of the Post Jil'istcr 

 General, may in all casc^ be remitted by the Pat Master, Jrce of 

 postage. 



rcCT-'^" peiitlomen who have heretofore acted aa Agents aie 

 requesltd to continue their Agency. Old subscribers who 

 come under the new leiins, will please notify us of the names 

 already on oiir books. 



^\]t iHmttI)!) Visitor. 



For tho Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Euglish Cattle. 

 In tlie two l:ist niiiiibeis of the Visitor the Dur- 

 haiiis a])|)ear to he so imicli in favor that it may 

 almost s^eeni Iiopcless to say any thing at present 

 in hehalt' of our acclinialed stock, for they were 

 all, lilio our Anglo Siixou ancestors, of ISnglish 

 origin. 



From a note loo in the margin, it appears tliat 

 llie Editor of the Visitor has joined in the cho- 

 rns of the sni)eriority of the Durhums, so diffi- 

 cidt it is lor cool sensible men, in tl70 excitement 

 of the day not to he drawn into the current—- 

 even the venerable and never to be forgotten. Sir 

 Mathew Hale, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, 

 believed in witclicraft and passeil sentence npon 

 innocent and harndess old women. Such is the 

 proneness of the limiian mind to catch the es- 

 oitement of the day, hour, and generation, be it 

 cattle or witclics ; and some have believed that 

 the vender of tin wares of Connecticut, who 

 bought a bidl calf in one town in Ohio, and sold 

 it to a farmer in the next for a Durham, founded 

 the origin of as fine a race tor the butcher, or the 

 jiail, as ever came with boast and blazon direct 

 from the " fast-ancliored Isle." The story runs 

 that somewhere in Pickaway County, Ohio, a 

 shrewd pedlar learned that a wealthy farmer of 

 the next town had read of Durhanis, with soft 

 red coats, palls of milk at a milking, cream and 

 butiei', until his hend had become warm and fe- 

 verish npon the sidiject. In hi.s dreams, verdant 

 lawns, running streams and shady forests were 

 spread out and enanielled with these beautiful 

 animals, and he woidd sit and sigh over the pic- 

 ture of some lately imported " Daizy heifer," the 

 enterjirising importer of which had caused to be 

 engraveil lor tho last number of the Farmer. — 

 And then liis apjietile vvoiiUl grow keen, and he 

 fancie<l that he could smell the rich and jifrcy 

 Bteaks, so acceptable for a winter dinner as they 

 dripped and browned upon the gridiron. The 

 gooil man was ripe, and the experience of such 

 bubbles as Merino shee() and Morns Mnlticaidis, 

 were as dust in the balance. 



Oiu- Jonathan took him at his full tide — drove 

 lip his waggon with his red calf " destined for a 

 mail in the ne.xt State," and pocketed his hun 

 dred dollars for the animal that had cost him but 

 a single dollar. 



Care and feeding, with an attested pedigree, 

 gave n sort of reality to the visions of the cattle 

 fimcier : preniiums at the cattle-shows fr)l!ow ed — 

 the heifers ^old at high prices, only half blooded; 

 and the fine soil of Pickaway Comity Cor gra 

 zing established there n character for the Dur- 

 hanis too general to be cpiestioned, and too firm 

 to he shaken. 



When Jonathan passinl by some ten years af- 



ter ho scratched his head with a sort of know- 

 ng look, at the mischievous blessing he had cmi- 

 ferred when he heard them boast of their supe- 

 rior English stock of cattle. 



Facts are stubborn things, and when this new 

 Durhajn breeze shall be a little over, when the 

 wind shall bo somewhat laid, it is proposed to 

 look a little into the [iroofs that can bo adduced 

 to see if the recently imported breeds are so de- 

 sirable that we should empty our pockets for 

 them. 



The writer of this'arlicle has come to tlie con- 

 clusion that the cattle of this country as a whole 

 are decidedly superior to those of any otiier ; and 

 that wfi act the wiser and better in selecting .tt 

 home than in going abroad. It is pro|iosed how- 

 ever to wait a little for these writers for tho Eng- 

 isli breeds, and to look at the facts they may 

 bring forward. Let us have something besides 

 mere assertions, something that will ])rove supe- 

 riority, and not figurative boasting. If indeed 

 our own cattle are so decidedly inferior to the 

 cattle now in England, it would be well that so im- 

 portant a truth sliould be known ; and those who 

 can show it by pointing out that superiority will 

 do a service to their countrymen. If however it 

 be otherwise ; if like the caps that crown our 

 hills it shall be found that we have no occasion 

 to go abroad for excellence, then we may stimii- 

 laie our contentment by improving them. My 

 neighbors who have crossed tho water for stock 

 out of doors or companions within, have had a 

 sorry tinie of it compared with those who have 

 fitted themselves at home. 



OI.B -ESSEX. 



Curing Hattts. 



Miss Leslie calls thisa " tins Recipe fur curing 

 four large hams." • ; ; : 



Mixtogether one pound of fine salt, two pounds 

 of good brown sugar, and two ounces of salt- 

 petre, ])0unded fine. Then mix together a quar- 

 ter of an ounce of cloves, a quarter of an oun(;e 

 of mace, and half an ounce of nutmegs, all pow- 

 dered. Add the s|^ico to the salt, &c., mixing 

 them thoroughly. Then put them into a pot over 

 a slow tire, and stir then! till they become very 

 dry and hot, which should he in about two min- 

 utes. Be careful not to have the fire too quick, 

 or to keep them loo long over it, lest the sugar 

 melt. Afterwards divide this mixture into four 

 equal parts, and rub one of the portions, n little 

 warm, on each of the four hams, which should 

 previously be wiped quite dry with a clean cloth. 

 Next, lay the h;ims, with the rind down, in a clean 

 salting tub, and keep them thus six or seven days. 

 At the end of that time, take the hams out of 

 the tub, and in the pickle that remains in it, add 

 two gallons of water, stirring it well. Then pour 

 the liquid into a large pot. Next, stir in two 

 quarts of molasses, and two ounces more of 

 saltpetre ; put the pot over the fire, and boil and 

 skim the licpiid till it is perfectly clear. After- 

 wards let it stand to get quite cold. Return your 

 hams to the salting tub, (firstmaUing it very clean) 

 pour the pickle over lhei>>. »n<l let them lie in it 

 three or four weeks. Then smoke them eight 

 days — with the shank or bone hanging down- 

 wards. Coni-eohs inaku a good fire for smoking 

 hams. 



I lams should, previous to lioiliu^, lie soaked to 

 make them tender. A green or new ham may 

 be put in soak early in the evening, and the wa- 

 ter (changed about 10 or 11 o'clock. One iiight'e 

 soaking will be onongh for It. All older ham 

 should soak tvveiity-lbia- hours; and one two 

 years old will riquiie soaking f<>r two diiys and 

 nights — always changing the water at intervals. 

 A liam weighing fifteen or twenty poumls should 

 be boiled six or seven hours, simmering slowly 

 the first hour, 'i'ake care to skim the pot well. 



When tho ham is done, strip of the skin, whieli 

 should bfi saved i" gkewer nn again when the 



ham is put away cold. This will prevent the cold 

 liam from becoming dry an<l hard. ,' - 



-V cold ham that has not been cut, can be great-; 

 ly improved by glazing it as foliovvs: — Itave rea- ' 

 dy a sufliciency of beaten yolk of egg, and, dip- 

 ping in a brush or a pin-feather, go all over the 

 ham with it. Then cover it with bread crumbs 

 grated as finely as possible — and afterwards go 

 over it with cream. Finish by browning it in the 

 oven of a stove. This glazing is delicious. 



Cold boiled ham is better than raw for broilinc 

 or frying. If raw ham is to be broiled or frier' 

 scald it several times to take out the salt wliicb 

 otherwise will ooze forth in cooking, and stand 

 upon the surface of the slices, tasting and look- 

 ing un|ileasanlly. When scalded, it should lie 

 in each hot water half an hour. 



There is, however, no process of curing that 

 will make good hams, unless the pork is of tha 

 best quality, and corn-fed. — J\'eiv Eng. Far. 



Grnftlng. 



The principal fault to be discovered in the 

 various descriptions we have of grafting, i.", their 

 not sufficiently describing the parts of the busi- 

 ness. A first rate hand will set from three to 

 four hundred per day and not loose more than 

 ten out of a hundred. 



Cutting .Scioru.— Scions may bo cut from the 

 fall of the leaf in autumn till the buds begin to 

 o|)en in tho spring. Cut your seiniia from trees 

 you are acquainted with, or obtain them from 

 persons who can be depended upon. Much time 

 and money is expended in cultivating fruit of an 

 inferior quality, which discourages the owner 

 from continuing the business of grafting, when 

 the whole fault consists in an improper selection 

 of scions. It should always be remembered, that 

 it costs no more to raise the best fruits than the 

 worst. For example, it costs no more to raise 

 apples that will fetch seventy-five cents per bush- 

 el and to get them to market, than it does those 

 that will fetch but twelve cents. The latter 

 would not pay even for transportation any dis- | 

 tance. 



In cutting scions, select thrifty shoots of the 

 last growth, cut them ofl' about three-fourths of 

 an inch below the circle where the last year's 

 growth commeuced. Do not take scions that 

 have been much shaded, or from the interior of 

 a tree-toi), however thrifty they may look ; nei- 

 ther the wood nor the buds are sufficiently ma- 

 tured to render lliBin safe for use. Tie each sort 

 in a bunch by itself, and mark them. Make the 

 same mark in a book and annex the name of the 

 fruit. If you graft in an orchard mark in the 

 bark of the tree, if in a nursery, put a stake with 

 the name at the end of the row, or by the tree 

 grafted, liy this means you can always obtuin 

 tho name of the fruit. 



To keep Scioni.— Select a dry piece of ground 

 and dig a square pit about two feet deep, of suf- 

 ficient size to contain your scions; line it with 

 boards at the bottom and the sides to prevent 

 them from coming in contact with the earth ; 

 lay a board over the to|) and cover the whole 

 with earth about a foot dee[) ; lay boards over the 

 mound to turn off the rain, for should the wet 

 penetrate, the scions will be sjioiled. Remember 

 that those scions' cut after the circulating of tho 

 sap, cannot be transported or so safely kept as 

 those cut earlier. 



&lling the Scions.—Iu a. nursery you may safe- 

 ly graft all the trees that nro half an inch in di- 

 ameter at the surface of tho ground. Those of 

 a larger size graft at such a distance al)ove thn 

 gronrid as will" give a stump of about three-fonrtlw 

 of an inch in diameter. 



The best lime to grafl in an orclinrrt is tlio 

 second or third year affcj- tho trees are traiiB- 

 planted. If they are less titan an inch in diame- 

 ter, at from five to six feet from the groimd, cut 

 oft' the wh'ile top and swt tJ»e sciaiis juf'-iostuttir'. 



