HEW ENGIiANU FARMER. 



^ 



John B. 



Published by 



Russell, at JVo. 52 JVorth Market Street, (over the Agricultural fVarehouse).—TBOM/L.s G. Fessenden, Editor. 



VOL. YII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1829. 



No. 24. 



AGRICULTURE. 



AGRICULTURE. 



Written for tlie Coiiversatioit- Lexicon, by the EJilor of the 

 New England Farmer. 



(Continued from page 179.J 



and Buflun caused the study of rural economy to 

 After the time of Tull's publication, no great al- lecome fashionable, and other writers contributed 



t) the advancement of husbandry. M. de Tru- 

 daine introduced the Merino breed of sheep in 

 1776, and Conite Lasteyrie has written a valua- 

 hls work on sheep-husbandry. The celebrated 

 Arthin- Young made an agricultural survey of 

 France in 1787, 8, and 9. Since that time sev- 

 eral French and English writers have given the 

 statistics and culture of different districts, and the 

 Abbe Rosier and Professor Thouin general views 

 uf the whole kingdom. Buonaparte established 



teratiou in British agriculture took place, till Rob 

 ert Bakewell and others carried into effect some 

 important improvements in the breeds of cattle, 

 sheep, and swine. These resulted in great bene- 

 fits to British agriculture and emolument as well 

 as fame to those who effected the alteration. By 

 Bakewell's skilful selection at first, and constant 

 care afterwards to breed from the best animals, 

 he at last obtained a variety of sheep, which, for 

 early maturity, and the property of returning a 



great produce of mutton for the food, wliicb they jWny new agricultural societies and professor 

 consume, as well as the small proportion, which sWiys, botanic and economical gardens for the ex- 

 the weight of the offal bears to the four quarters, i liil'ition of different modes of culture, and the dis- 

 were without precedent. Culley, Cline, Lord J senination of plants. He also greatly enlarged 

 Somerville, Sir J. S. Sebright, Darwin, Hunt, ; 'i'"' enriched that extensive institution, the Na- 

 Huiitcr, Young, &c. &c. have all contributed to'ioial Garden, whose Professor of culture, the 

 the improvement of domestic animals, and have Cluvajier Thouin, is one of the most scientific ag- 

 left little to be desired in that branch of rural i I'culturists in Europe. 



economy. Among other publications of distinguish- 1 I'le lands in France are not geneVally enclosed 

 ed merit, on agricultural topics, may be number- i -t"! subdivided by hedges or other fences. Sotne 

 ed y/te Farmer's Letters, Tour in France, AnnaU fences occur near towns, but, in general the whole 



qf Agriculture, &c. &c. by the celebrated Arthur 

 Young ; Marshall's numerous and excellent works, 

 commenced with Minutes of Agriculture, published 

 in 1787, and ended with his Review of the Agrt cul- 

 tural Reports, in 1816, Practical Agriculture, by 

 Dr R. W. Dickson, &c. &c. The names of 

 Kaimes, Anderson, Sinclair, are also rendered il- 

 Justrious by publications, which exhibit a union of 

 philosophical sagacity, and patient experiment, 

 resulting in improvements of incalculable impor- 

 tance not only to the British nation but to the hu- 

 man race. To these we shall only add the name 

 of John Loudon, F. L. S. H. S. whose elaborate 

 and able works, entitled Encijclopedia of Garden- 

 ing and Encyclopedia of Agriculture, have proba- 



bly never been surpassed by any similar works in ^^r conining sheep as the cause of foot rot, a dis^ 

 any language, age, or country. j case 'ery common among sheep in France.— 



The establishinent of a National Board of Ag- j Whers flocks remain out all night, the shepherd 

 uculture was of pre-eminent service to British : sleeps in a small thatched hut, or portable ware 

 husbandry. Hartlib, a century before, and Lord [ ho»s^ placed on wheels. He guides the flock by 

 Kaimes, in his Gen«mrt;i Farmfr, had pointed out j walking before them, and his dog guards the 

 the utility of such an establishment, but it was left I sheep from wolves, which still abound in some 

 to Sir John Sinclair to carry their Ideas into exe- ! partsof the country. In the south part of France, 

 Cution. To the indefatigable exertions of that { '''e ass, and the mule are of frequent use in hus- 

 worthy and eminent character the British public ; Landry. A royal stud of Arabian horses has been 

 are indebted for an institution, whose services can : kept up at Aurillac, in Limousin, for more than 

 hardly be suflicicntly appreciated. " It made | ^ century, and another has been more recently 

 farmers who reside in different parts of the king- 1 estsblished near Nismes. Poultry is an impor- 

 dom acquainted with one another ; and caused a '< 'ant article in French husbandry. Mr Birkbeck 

 rapid dissemination of knowledge amongst the '^inks that the consumption of poultry in towns 



whole profession. The 

 brought into fashion ; old 



art of agriculture was 

 practices were amend- 



d,new ones introduced, and a degree of exertion |'" Bretagne from hogs reared on acorns, and fat 



manifested, which had never before been eiem- 

 plified in this island," 



AGRICULTURE OF FRANCE. 



French agriculture began to flourish in the be- 

 Jlnning of the seventeenth centiu-y, under Henry 

 iV. and a work on that subject was published by 



Olivier de Serres. In 1761 there were thirteen ^ vines are planted in hills, like Indian corn, kept 

 agricultural societies established in France, and | low, and cultivated like a plantation of raspber- 

 nineteen co-operating .societies. Those of Paris, Iries. The white mulberry tree is very exteusive- 

 .Amiens, and Bounleaux have distinguished them- 1 ly cultivated for feeding the silk-worm. It is not 

 selves by their published memoirs. Du Hamel | placed in regular plantations, but in corners, rows 



by the siiles of roads, &c. The trees are raised 

 from seeds in nurseries, and sold, generally, at 

 five years' growth, when they have strong stems. 

 They are planted, staked, and treated as pollards. 

 The eggs of the silk worm are hatched in 

 rooms, by means of stoves to 18° of Reaumur 

 {72| Fah.) One ounce of eggs requires one hun- 

 dred weight of leaves, and will ])rodiice from 

 seven to nine pounds of raw silk. The hatching 

 commences about the end of April, and with the 

 feeding is ove' in about a month. Second broods 

 are procured in some places. The silk is wound 

 off the cocoais in little balls by woinen and chil- 

 dren. The olive, the fig, the almond, and various 

 other fruits are also extensively cultivated in 

 France. 



ACRICULTDRE IN GERMANY. 



The earliest German writer on husbandry, was 

 Conradus Hetesbachius, who lived and died in the 

 16th century, His work De Re Ru.stica was an 

 avowed com|iilation from all the authois who had 

 preceded him. No other books on agriculture of 

 any noto appeared ])revious to the seventeenth 

 century. With regard to the present state of ag- 

 riculture in Germany, we are necessaiily limited 

 to brief notices. The country is very extensive 

 and presents ij. great variety as respects soil, sur- 

 face, climate, and culture. Its agricultural pro- 

 duce is, for the most part, consumed within ite 

 limits, but excellent wines are exported from Hun- 

 gary and the Rhine, together with flax, hams, 

 geese, silk, &c. The culture of the mulberry, 

 and the rearing of tlie silk worm is carried on a» 

 far north as Berlin. The theoretical agricultur- 

 ists are well acquainted with all the improved im- 

 plements of Great Brit.-iin, and some of them have 

 been introfluced, especially in Holstein, Hanover, 

 and Westphalia ; but, in general, their ploughs, 

 wagons, &c. are unhandy, unwieldy, and ineflS- 

 cient. Fish are carefully bred and fattened in 

 some places, especially in Prussia, and poultry is 

 every where attended to and carried to a high 

 degree of luxury at Vienna. The culture of for- 

 ests likewise receives particular attention in that 

 country as well U3 in France. The common ag- 

 riculture of Germany is every where in a state of 

 improvement. Government, as well as individu- 

 als have formed institutions for the instructions of 

 youth in its principles and most enlightened prac- 

 tices. The Imperial Society of Vienna, the Geor- 

 gical Institution at Presburg, and that of Professor 

 Thaer, in Prussia, may be numbered among re- 

 cent institutions of this description. 



AGRICULTURE IN ITALY. 



The climate, soil, and surface of Italy are so 

 various as to have given rise to a greater diversity 

 of culture than is to be found in the whole of Eu- 

 rope, besides. Corn, grass, butcher's meat, cheese, 

 butter, rice, silk, cotton, wine, oil, and fruits of all 

 kinds, are all found in perfection in this fertile 

 section of the globe. Loudon asserts that only 

 one-fifth of the surface of Italy is considered ster- 



couitry IS open ; the boundaries of estates being 

 marced by slight ditches or ridges, with occasion- 

 al stones or heaps of earth, rows of trees or scat- 

 tering trees. Depredations from passengers on 

 the high ways are prevented by gardes champetre, 

 which are established throughout all France. 



Siice the time of Colbert the French have paid 

 a gooG share of attention to sheep, and there are 

 considd-able flocks of Merino sheep owned by in- 

 dividutls, besides the national flocks. That of 

 Ramboiillet, established in 1786, is, or lately has 

 been managed by M. Tessier, an eminent writer 

 on agrculture. Sheep are generally housed, or 

 kept infolds, and little yards and enclosures. 



Mr Jirkbeck considers the practice of housing 



may be equal to that of mutton. The breed of 

 swine is, in general, bad ; but fine hams are made 



ted with Indian corn. The French implements 

 of agriculture are generally rude and unwieldly, 

 and the operations of husbandry unskilfully per- 

 formed. 



The vino is cultivated in France in fields, and 

 on terraced hills, but managed differently in that 

 country from its common culture. In France 



