194 



NEW ENGLAND FAllMER. 



Jan. 9, 1829. 



this principle, in this country, is, generally carried 

 to an unprofitalile extreme, and onr fanners wniild 

 derive more henefit iVom their land if tlicy were 

 to limit their operation to such parcels of their 

 possessions as they ran afford to lill thoroughly 

 and to manure ahundanlly. A man may possess 

 a large landed estate without being called on by 

 good husbandry to hack and scratch over the 

 whole as evidence of his title. lie may cultivate 

 well those parts which are naturally most fertile, 

 and suffer the rest to remain woodland, or, liav- 

 ing cleared a part, lay it down to permanent ]>r:S- 

 ture ; which will yield him an annual profit, with- 

 out requiring much labcr. 



The (limate and soil of the United States are 

 adapted to the cultivation of Indian corn, a very 

 valuable vegetable, which, it is believed, cannot 

 be raised to advantage in Great Britain.* This 

 entirely, and very advantageously, supersedes the 

 field culture of the horse-bean [oicia faba) one of 



the most common fallow crops in that island 



The Moot-husbandry, or the raising of roots for the 

 purpose of feeding cattle, is hkewise of less im- 

 portance in the United States than in Great Brit- 

 ain. The winters are so severe in the northern 

 section of the Union, that turnips can rarely be 

 fed on the ground, and all sorts of roots are with 

 more difficulty preserved and dealt out to stock 

 in this country than in those which possess a mild- 

 er climate. Besiiles, hay is more easily made 

 from grass in the United States than in Great 

 Britain, owing to the season for hay-making being 

 generally more dry, and the sun more powerful in 

 the foriner than in the latter country. There are 

 inany other circumstances which favor the Amer- 

 ican farmer, and render his situation more eligible 

 than that of those who pursue the same occupa- 

 tion in any part of Europe. He is, generally, the 

 owner as well as the occupier of the soil which 

 he cultivates ; is not burdened with tythes ; his 

 taxes are light, and the product of his labors will 

 command more of the necessaries, comforts, and 

 innocent luxuries of life, than sinnlar efforts would 

 procure in any other part of the globe. 



The American public seem, at present, fully 

 aware of the importance of emulous and scientific 

 agriculture, to the strength and prosperity of a na- 

 tion. The state of Massachusetts has appropri- 

 ated considerable sums to add to the funds of Ag- 

 ricultural Societies in that Commonwealth. Insti- 

 tutions for the promotion of husbandry, Cattle 

 Shows, and Exhibitions of Manufactures, are not 

 only connnon in that State, but in every part of 

 the Union. A periodical publication entitled the 

 Amtrkan Farmer, is established at Baltimore, and 

 another called the JVew England Fanner, is pub- 

 lished in Boston. Men of talents, wealth and en- 

 terprise have benefited their country and acquir- 

 ed the highest honor to themselves by their la- 

 bors and their liberality to improve American hus- 

 bandry. Merino sheep have been imi)orted by 

 Gen. Ilumphrcj's, Chancellor Livingston, and oth- 

 ers, and are now common in the United States. — 

 The most celebrated breeds of British cattle have 

 been imported by Col. Powel, of Powclton, near 

 Philadelphia ; and there prevails a general dispo- 

 sition with men of intellect, influence, wealth, and 

 high standing in conuiiunity to promote the pros- 

 perity of American Agriculture, by all the means, 

 which these advantages enable them to call into 

 action. 



■ * '*''' C"''!'*" is. however, allempling lo culiivale Indian corn 

 in England, but with what success we have not learned. 



We shall conclude this article with a few brief 

 notices of some of the most jirominent benefits 

 and improvements, which modern scieiuc has 

 contributed to the tut of agriculture,. The hus- 

 bandmen of antiquity as well as those of the mid- 

 dle, or what are called the dark ages, were desti- 

 tute of many advantages enjoyed by those who 

 now pursue the same occupation. Neither the 

 practical nor the theoretical cultivators of those 

 jieriods had any correct knowledge of geology, 

 mineralogy, chemintry, botany, vegetable physiol- 

 ogy, or natural iihilosophy ; but these sciences 

 have given the modern husbandman the command 

 of some important agents, elements and principles 

 of which the ancients had not the most distant 

 idea. The knowledge of their writers was limit- 

 ed to methods of culture, which were sanctioned 

 by experience ; but the rationale of the practices 

 they prescribed they could not, and rarely at- 

 tempted to explain. Nature's most simple modes 

 of operation were to them inexplicable mysteries, 

 and their ignorance of causes often led to errone- 

 ous calculations, with regard to such effects as 

 the cultivator is most sedulous to accomplish 



We are indebted to modern science for the fol- 

 lowing among other improvements, viz : 



1st. A correct knowledge of the nature and 

 properties of manures, mineral, animal, and vege- 

 table ; the best modes of applying them, and the 

 particular crops for which particular sorts of ma- 

 nures are most applicable. 



2d. The method of using all manures of animal 

 and vegetable origin while fresh, before the sun, 

 air, and rain, or other moisture has robbed them 

 of their most valuable ])roperties. It was former- 

 ly the practice to place barn yard manure in lay- 

 ers or masses for the purpose of rotting, and turn 

 it over frequently with the plough or spade, till 

 the whole had become a mere caput mortuum; 

 destitute of almost all its original fertilizing sub- 

 stances, and deteriorated in quality almost as 

 much as it was reduced in quantity. 



3d. The knowledge and means of chemically 

 analyzing soils, by which we can ascertain their 

 constituent parts, and thus learn what substances 

 are wanting to increase their fertility. 



4th. The introduction of the Root-Husbandry, 

 or the raising of potatoes, turnips, maiigel-wurt- 

 zel, &c. extensively by field husbandry, for feeiling 

 cattle, by which a given quantify of land may be 

 made to produce nmcli more nutritive matter than 

 if it were occupied by grain or grass crops; and 

 the health as well as the thriving of the animals in 

 the winter season greatly jiromoted. 



5th. Laying down lands to grass either for pas- 

 tme or mowing with a greater variety of grasses, 

 and with kinds adaiited to a greater variety of 

 soils ; such as orchard grass, (dacti/Hs glomerala) 

 for dry land ; foul meadow grass, (agroslis stricia) 

 for very wet land ; herd's grass, or timothy, (phle- 

 um prntense) for stiff clayey soils, &c. &c. 



6th. The substitution of fallow crops, (or such 

 crops as require cultivation and stirritig the ground, 

 while the plants are growing) in the place of nak- 

 i;<l fallows, in which the land is allowed to remain 

 without yielding any profitable product in order 

 to have it recruit, or renew its fertility. Fields 

 may be so foul with weeds as to require a fallow, 

 but not v/hat is too often understood by that term 

 in this country. " In England, when a farmer is 

 compelled to fallow a field, he lets the weeds grow 

 into blossom, and then turns them down : in 

 America a fallow weans a field where the produce 



is a crop of weeds running to seed, instead of a 

 crop of grain." 



7th. The art of breeding the best animals and 

 the best vegetables, by a judicious selection of in- 

 dividuals to propagate from. 



These improvements, with others too numeroira 

 to be here specified, have rendered the agricul. 

 ture of the present period almost as different from 

 that of the ancients, as the art of printing is vari- 

 ant from the Egyptian mode of conveying ideas 

 by hieroglyphics. 



FOR THE KEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



HORN AIL IN CATTLE. 



Mb Fessenden — In the month of April last, I 

 had a cow taken with the horn ail, to that degree 

 that she had nearly stopped eating, and from giv- 

 ing a large quantity of milk, had become nearly 

 dry. I punctured her horn with a gimblet and 

 injected vinegar, in which salt had been dissolved. 

 It was soon evident that it was an injury. I then 

 applied to an aged acquaintance, who has had 

 much experience in doctoring animals, and stated 

 to him the case and what I had done. He said 

 " it was very wrong ever to make a hole in an 

 animal's horn for that disorder, that a very simple 

 medicine would cure it. 



"Take of salt, one-half pint, of stone soot,* 

 one-half pint, of black pepper, one table spoonful, 

 make all fine, and give one, or two, spoonfuls at a 

 time, night and morning. It is easily done by 

 drawing the tongue out of the mouth with the 

 hand, and jjutting the spoon as far down as it will 

 reach, then let go the tongue and keep up the 

 nose and it will all go down." I followed the di- 

 rections, and in two days my cow was better; 

 and in a week was perfectly well. The same 

 may not cure in all cases of horn ail, as my in- 

 formant said it would, but it is worth the trial. 

 LOVETT PETERS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



INSECTS ON FRUIT TREES. 



[Extract of a LcUerlrom a cultivator in New Hampshire, to tfa* 

 projirielor of (he New England Farmer.] 



Dear Sir — I have read with some interest the 

 late communications in your paper, respecting in- 

 sects on fruit trees. About two weeks ago, I col- 

 lected specimens of several kinds in order to send 

 them to 5Ir Fessende.n, and also wrote a short 

 communication for the Farmer. In this collection 

 were pieces of bark from the apple tree, covered 

 with rye shaped shells, such as those metitioned 

 by Mr Pcrley. Also |>ieces of bark from one of 

 the pear trees, which I received from Mr Prince's 

 nursery, last spring, covered with white scales, en- 

 veloping the insect described by your correspon- 

 dent " M." 



The first that I discovered of the insect last 

 mentioned, was, I think, in September. The tree 

 was then covered from the ground to the ends of 

 the limbs, with a white appearance. Upon close 

 examination they appeared like seeds of fishes, 

 adhering closely to the bark of the tree, and upon 

 pressure of any hard substance upon them, they 

 exuded a dark reddish substance, as described by 

 " M." On removing the scales, the bark under 



** B^ stone soot, we suppose is meant sool obtained from A 

 stiine cliimney in which wood is burnt. Probably wood soot 

 obtained lioni a brick chimney, would answer a similar pur-. 

 pose. — Editor. 



