IGO MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ally fails to turn stock, and alwa^-s becomes a harbor for 

 brush, and that little nuisance the woodchuck. The thought- 

 ful farmer's judgment does not hesitate long regarding walls. 

 He knows that thej' are expensive to maintain, that large 

 fields are easier to cultivate than small ones, and that it is about 

 as expensive to rela}- a tumbling wall as to remove it altogether ; 

 hence all unnecessary walls shall be doomed, and the material shall 

 be used to reinforce those that are actually necessary — and a good 

 wall is in some situations a necessity ; but it is never picturesque, 

 as is an old one, and this is so simply because it is fast reverting to 

 wild and natural conditions. No artist would select as a subject 

 for a picture a good substantial stone wall, such as covers the 

 farm requirements of" horse high, bull strong, and pig tight." He 

 could not make it attractive — neither can the farmer, who under- 

 stands less of art; therefore the fewer he embellishes bis land 

 with the better. ' 



The inquisitive eye will also be quick to perceive the possibili- 

 ties of an old " alder run ;" even though the land be unsuited to 

 cultivation, it can be put to more profitable use than harboring 

 the undesirable wild growths which infests it now. A strong-armed 

 man would soon finish the job of cutting them, and with no great 

 stretch of the imagination one ma}' picture in their place a grove 

 of maples and elms, with a few outstanding willows; and possibl}' 

 a fish pond, to be created by an inexpensive dam. I have heard 

 of one use and but one for alders on a farm — it was that " the 

 cattle loved to brush through them to remove the flies." The far- 

 mer who gave me this valuable piece of information owned two 

 brindlc cows and a roach-backed calf, and had alders enough to 

 do the brushing for a drove of western steers. 



The natural landscape of our New England farms is diversified. 

 I feel positive that you will not question this point. It is like our 

 weather, showing a maximum variety in a minimum of space; 

 smooth fertile fields, sandy dunes, rolling hills, and. abrupt crags 

 are commingled in a wa}' to bewilder all but geologists. A prairie 

 farmer has no diversified problems of utilization to solve; his 

 farm is equally fertile in all parts, and is as square and monoto- 

 nous as a checker-board, but his eastern ))rother can pick out a bit 

 of strong land only here and there, and it is a question what he 

 is to do with the larger remaining portion to make it remunerative. 

 He is forced to pay taxes upon it, though deriving no income. 



