i^[)t irarmcr'0 iUcintl)ln ilisitor. 



143 



thm siiliiion and oilier excellent (isli were plenty 

 Dt the liriie ilie Indians made the intervales ol' 

 this town their place of residence and re>ort, as 

 to eniihlelheni to fenBton the best Ibod IVoin the 

 waters as u nialter of common snslenance. They 

 undonbtedly understood the manner of prepariiij; 

 this animal food so nn to make it equally palata- 

 ble with the bust Enjilish rookery. 



The celebr.ied "clam hakes," wliicli have re- 

 cently come into fashion in Massachusetis as a 

 Rhode Island cnsioni, were derived from the In- 

 dians, who by a simple process make these as 

 palatable as the best seasoned chowiler: indeed 

 we are not qnite sin-e that ihe chowder itself did 

 not come lo ns as one of the modes of cookery 

 by ihe »bori>;ines. 



In our next number we may have sotnethinir 

 more to say uboni the Sewall farms and those 

 other Concord intervales which remain lo be 

 described. 



Large Crops. Kev. Nathaniel Bouton, of this 

 town, on 47 square rods of land has this year 

 raised 106 bushels of Potatoes, the larger por- 

 tion of them the celebrated blue noses, and the 

 remainder round whites — all of them when la- 

 ken from the frromul on the 20ih Seplendjer 

 smooth and sound and free from any indicaiions 

 of rot. Two men, with the assistance of a boy, 

 to pick np, duji and housed these potatoes in 

 less than one day and a hall'. 'I'his crop is about 

 equal to 860 bushels Ihe acre. On the same 

 pround with ihe potatoes {irew at the same time 

 puuqikins equal to three lull ov-cart loads. — 

 From 24 square rods adjiiiniii<;, Mr. IJ. fjalhered 

 24 heaped baskets of ripe corn in the ear, suffi- 

 cient to make twelve bushels of shelli;d corti ; 

 nud on 8 square rods of the li^diler part, beans 

 judjreil sufficient to make two bushels when shel- 

 led. — Attache<l to this cultivated part, i\lr. 15. Ii.is 

 a kiicheti garden measurins 32 square rods, « hich 

 has finiiished hiui abuiidatice of onions, beets, 

 carrots, squashes, melons, &c. Sir, to the lull 

 value lis he believe* of twenty-live dollar.<. — 

 The lot of iMr. Bunton's cultivation is that attach- 

 ed to the mansion of the late l\laj. Daniel Ijiv- 

 crmore, which is now his residence : it consists 

 of a sini'le acre of land, from which the Upper 

 Bank lot of idioiil one fourth of an acre, and the 

 ori;>iual house, stable, &-•. coveriui; a like quaii- 

 lilv, have been taken. Little mure than halt an 

 acre lias been left (iir cnltivalion, and this is ol 

 Ihe light, sandy soil adjacent to (he intervale. — 

 It was ploughed deep, and i,'enero,isly manured 

 —not in the hills of potatoes or corn, but spread 

 over the ground and mixed well by the plough. 

 Deep plonghiiig and iiuiple inanining mix^d 

 with the soil will, In our lightest l.iuils, generally 

 prolect the growing crops from the ordinary ef- 

 fects of drought. 



IMr. Bouion's garden and field were cultivated 

 %vilh great care and neatiu:ss — free from those 

 %veeds which iti many gardens and fields usurp 

 one half the strength of the land. His mode of 

 cidtiv.'ition is an example tiir others: its expe- 

 dieiwy and preh'niice are demonstrated by the 

 fact that alttiough he hires all his labor be yet 

 finds a. handsome prolii in the crop at present 

 prices. The same day that the two men iu three 

 days work were in his field comph'tiug the dig- 

 ping of one hundred and si\ bushels of tiiir large 

 potatoes, iu auoih-'r field we saw persons digging 

 who could not find a bushel of potatoes larpe 

 And small, iu one hiitulred hills, and where it 

 would be bard work liu' one to dig and gather 

 five bushels in a day '. Farmers who raise such 

 crops surely cannot afford to hire. 



Swine. 



The Berkshire breed of hogs, fiir some reason, 

 do not retain the popularity of four and six years 

 ago. Allboiigb the clear Beikshire is not now 

 likeil, we are confident that the Berkshire blond 

 ill this State has much contributed lo ihe im- 

 provement of the breed generally. The i5\ field 

 bleed, which existed here several years before 

 the introdiM-tion of the Berkshire— like the old 

 Newbiny white potatoes— are still the favorites 

 of most farmer?. We have a pair of hogs this 

 season, which from their appearance are luoie 

 than half Berkshire, which do belter credit to 

 llieir lender and keeping than any two we ever 

 raised: we purchased iheni for their good breed- 

 ing at an extra (uice of one third when about six 

 "•wks old. On n recent visit to iIk( Sliokeis et 



Canterbury we selecf.ed and purchased at $3.^0 

 each ;it the age of about three months, two umre 

 for the next year, having also a tprinkling of the 

 color and character of the Berkshires. The two 

 largest bogs ate the most quiet and least difficult 

 creatines of the kind we have ever oiwied : lliey 

 are a sow and barrow, and the sow evidently the 

 largest. They have eaten with a good appetite 

 whatever has lieen given tlnuu — they have not 

 been great mainue workers, but seem to have 

 enjoyed lhemselvi:s in indolence, rising and being 

 active oidy at the limes of feeding. 



At llic Shakers we found a paii of clean while 

 pigs about six « etks old, which they itdurmed us 

 they had bought fur breeders of Messr.s. II. &, J. 

 Moore, the well known^ landlords at the North 

 end of Concord Main street. In all the points ol 

 the good hog this pairof pigseqimlled any that we 

 had ever seen. On our return, having learnt the 

 great success and profit of our ueighhors in rais- 

 ing a new and improved kind of swine for breed- 

 ers, we made it our business to call on ihe Messrs. 

 Moore lo make enquiry rel.itive lo their swine. — 

 We find they are of a recent imporiaiion from 

 Eiinhmd, called the Siiflblk breed at Boston. Mr. 

 Siii-kiiey, the iiijpoiter, writes IMessis. iMoore, 

 " the |iigs 1 swiit 30U are ihree-foiulhs Suffiilk ami 

 one quailer native. The sows ticiin which they 

 came were sired by a boar 1 imjiorted three years 

 since, iind the pigs by the one I imported last 

 season." The breeder, in his letter setiiliiii; the 

 first pair says — " these hogs, for (pialiiy of flesh 

 and aplitnde to fallen are not exceeded by any 

 other breed, 'i'he circumstance of their having 

 taken the premiums of the various Agiicullural 

 shows, when in competilioii with all otUer breeds, 

 show the fiict of their excellence." From the 

 samples we have seen, we are of the belief that 

 Ihe breed of hogs fiiroishtd by the Messrs. Moore 

 are an impiovemeiit upon any and every kind 

 yet inlKiduced in this part of the conniry. 



The Crops of 1844. 



The potatoe cro|>, which is said to be entirely 

 destroyed by the ml in ihe whole of northern 

 Vermont, and which is extensively infected all 

 alimg Ihe ('onneciicut river valley so near us as 

 Clareuiont anil Newport, ue do not as yet learn 

 has been injured much in this part of the valley 

 of the Menimack. ll was lemarkable lliat the 

 rains which here fell about ihe 7lh ul September 

 changed all :il once the polaloe tops which uiilll 

 that lime had been fionrishing. Some fields had 

 been previously slriclieu Willi rust: whether this 

 lasl change was the effi-ct ot' I list or blight, or 

 whelher ll came in conse(pience of the ripeness 

 and maturiiy of Ihe potatoes, we are unable to 

 deleiinine. In several acres ol growing potatoes 

 there was every ioilicalion of ripeiiiss and ma- 

 turiiy while ihe lops were luxuriant and green: 

 alter the rain, the change of tops in these was 

 rapl<J beyond all previous observaliun. This 

 change only took place in the crop of white po- 

 tatoes. A field of Ihree acres of long red po- 

 tatoes alongside of the whites, with Ihe excep- 

 tion of a dead sprig now and iheii, remains near- 

 ly as green as Inline the ram. '1 bese red pot.i- 

 loes seem lo have allaiiied al this lime (."iejit. 17) 

 nearly or quite their I'u'l growth. Some people 

 say these long reds will continue to grow until 

 the frusl kills the vines. Should the warm sum- 

 mer continue through the month of September 

 al it has thus liir, mca>iuing it by ihe crop ol 

 while potatoes already secured, our crop of red 

 potatoes by the 1st of October innsl he quite 

 larse. These pot.itoes, laid iu the ground, will 

 come out fresh in the spring, and are llienot the 

 best kind for liiuiily use: the hog who knows 

 what fooil is best will first select the hnig reds to 

 the exclusion of ihc better kind of whiles. Nev- 

 er were potatoes betler [irescrveil through the in- 

 lense freezing of lasl wiiiler, ihaii were about 

 two huiiilred bushels of the long reds iu our field 

 which were taken out in the spring as fresh and 

 fair as when llicy were pin in. A scooping hol- 

 low not over two feel deep was made at llie high- 

 est pniul of a gentle riil^e upon Ihe higher inter- 

 vale whcMe the v^aler might be made to desccuid 

 each way. The potatoes were poured down in- 

 iliscriniiiialely as last as lliey were dug, in fair 

 weather without drying in the sun, and were 

 laid in an obl<m<: pile so as lo rise a little above 

 the snrtace. Over these in the first iuytaiice 

 were placed fresh hemlock boughs lo ihe ileplli 

 ' of f'lur or six inches, c<.impl<;lely covering the 



pile: upon this to prevent the admixture of dirt 

 was thrown a slight covering of straw ; and r)ver 

 the whole the dirt of the ireiich was thrown to 

 the depth upon the hemlock covering say of olio 

 foot, and deeper at the edges where the liost 

 Wdiild be likely lo jienelrate. In the earlier part 

 of the fall the top of the pile was left partially 

 open BO that the air could finil access Ihiougb 

 the hemlock covering — this was laid over deep- 

 er with earth beli>re the winter closed in. — 

 Hemlock boughs, as well in a cellar as iu the 

 field over piles of potatoes, ate their best preser- 

 vative: they shut out the frost, at the same lime 

 lliey keep the potatoes cool. 



Nearly the whole Indian corn crop, early and 

 lale kinds, iu ihis part of the Rlerrimack liver 

 valley is al this lime (middle of September) so 

 ripe as lo be beyond Icar ot injury ti-oin frosi : in 

 the drier fields the color has become entirely 

 changed. This crop will be excellent the pres- 

 ent year — the well tilled ficlilsare extremely pro- 

 lific of ears, and the ears themselves tipped with 

 corn to Ihe very points. The pumpkins in the 

 cornfields where they have been sntlered lo grow, 

 are numerous and lar;,'e almost beyond piece- 

 deiii; and these loo are :;eiierally ripe. The crop 

 of rje this year on till oor light lands where it 

 was not injured by the liost of last winter, has 

 been very good, and it was even tolerable on 

 fields early in the season supposed lo be nearly 

 mined by winter killing. Our own experience 

 has t.ingbt us the last year that the rye sown 

 as early as the first of Se|ileinber was nearly dou- 

 ble the crop sown iipmi similar laiiii on the first 

 of October, and (<air times as great as that town 

 as late as the niidi le of ihal month. Oals sown 

 before the lOlh of May have been an excellent 

 crop the |nesenl year: those sow 11 after that lime 

 run the risk of blight. So it has been geneially 

 with potatoes — the earliest planted run the least 

 risk from blight and rust. Iu old fields which 

 have never been ploughed deeper than four or 

 five inches, and where the weeds after the first 

 of July are suflTeied to gain the ascend.iury, we 

 may be pretty sure Ihe blight and rust will near- 

 1}' rnin the crop of potatoes. 



The crop of hay in this region has turned out 

 lo be not as lijilit as was expected. Oii old 

 ground long mowed, as inigbl he an'ii'ipaled in 

 all seasons, it is almost invariably less this year 

 than it was last ; lint in uplands culiiv.Tied :ind 

 nianured and Inrned over as much wiih a view 

 to a fuliue bay croji as to a present crop of corn 

 and [lolaloes, the h.iy turneil out quite as good 

 as tiie average crop. Hay may be generally re- 

 lied upon in all pails ct New l'jni;l.iiid accessi- 

 ble to tli(^ larger towns as mie ot the most profit- 

 able crops liir the market; and even at ihe pres- 

 ent prices of callle and sheep and the encoura- 

 ging prospect lor all kinds of wool, hay will pay 

 as Well as jiny oilier crop for reaiiiig the various 

 kiiuls of slock. 'I'hc price of hm-ses dining the 

 present smmm r has al no lime been exceeded : 

 if the fiirnier can do nothing belter, why not 

 rear good horses along with Ihe variety of cattle 

 and sheep.' Frniilul and lei tile as are ihe fields 

 of the West, there is no belter pasture Kround 

 than is found upini the sides of some of the New 

 llainpshire !;rauit<? bills and mountains, ihous- 

 i aiids of acres of w hich remain uncleared. 



There was on ihe evening of the 25lli Sep- 

 tember a fine moderate rain of several hours, just 

 enough lo disappoint the predictions of those dis- 

 ciples of Miller who had confidently predicted 

 that we were lo have no more rain until the end 

 of >dl earlhlv things. The month of September 

 h;is beeii,both dry and hoi — indeed lliere has been 

 very little I'aiu since July ; and lor the lasl twen- 

 ty days the streams have been drieil up, the 

 springs and wells have failed, and the earth has 

 become like powder seveial inches below ilie 

 siirliice. Others say they have seen Meiriinack 

 river lower than il now is. Co|iii)Us rains al the 

 iiorlh have sever.al fniies raised this stream dur- 

 ing the preseiu summer when we have had n.> 

 rain all llie way south from Ihis middle re;;ii)n of 

 New Hampshire. We have never seen ihis 

 >lreani when in some places il became so nar- 

 rowed dosvn to the appeaiance of a brook as it 

 now does; and we have not btdine wilhiii the 

 limits <d' ll.is lown witnessed ihe water so clo.ir 

 as to see the bottom all the way overtis we could 

 from Concord bridge before the late rain, Tliu 

 brirk cnricut of the Blrcain i»i its contnicted di- 



