226 



on this east side of the Peiiohsr.ot liavc liiit latcl} 

 been made to lielieve tliat fruit trees may be cidti- 

 vated to advantage. Indeed it may he douhted 

 if their prejudices vvouKl have yielded to aiiytliiuj; 

 but the evidence of their senses. The entire suc- 

 cess of one individual* lias |jap|)ily furnished this 

 evidence. 



Tliese circumstances, sir, iinist make it obvious, 

 to you, that it is for the interest of this region that 

 the excited hopes of our farmers be not hhglited ; 

 and their hnidahle endeavors frustrated by the in- 

 judicious selection of trees not suited to the 

 climate, or rc(|uirii)g more skill in the manage- 

 ment than is possesseil by our common cultivators. 

 I iiope the luirserynien will take these hints. It 

 appears to me their interest is concerned, and that 

 good caution to buyers, and a selection of trees of 

 varieties suited to domestic uses at all seasons, not 

 wanting either of the four qualities above men- 

 tioned, woulil create a confidence in them, which 

 would result to their advantage. I have some 

 fault to find with oiu- books on the subject of 

 orchards and fruit trees. In some instances they 

 neglect to inform us among other jioints whether 

 certain trees are good bearers — when the fruit 

 ripens — how it keeps, and other properties impor- 

 tant to be known. I hojie this may be remedied 

 in future editions. 



Allow me, sir, to repeat my strong conviction i 

 that all trees, which are not suited to this clitnate, 

 are not healthy, and vigorous, and good bearers j 

 of good fruit, would be a nuisance in this country, j 

 and such trees are to be rejected absolutely, to give 

 place to those of better properties. 



Respectfully your obed't serv't, 



SAMUEL LITTLE. 



Bucksport, Me. Jan. 24, 1829. 



iN EW ENGLAND FAIlMEn 



perienced surveyor, they might find it an interest- 

 ing and profitable exercise, to make the necessary 

 surveys and other preparations, for the hand of 

 the lithographer. The subject is one of so much 

 interest that it deserves to be taken up immediate- 

 ly by all our towns. A FARMER. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BROAD WHEELS. 



Mr Editor — It was a matter of surprij, j to me 

 to hear that the town of Barre should present a 

 petition to the Legislature for a repeal of the law 

 requiring broad riimneil wheels. I wish they had 

 an opportui.ity to travel in a chaise through the 

 Old Colony, in a wet time, and then I am per- 

 suailed they would not oppose the use of broad 

 rimmed wheels. It is a common thing for the 

 hubbs of the lowest wagon wheels to drag on the 

 banks of the ruts in a wet time, even on high land 

 where it is level. There are so many Forges, 

 Furnaces, Rolling Mills, and Factories, that keep 

 our teams in constant employ, that if we put our 

 roads in good re|iair in the spring, they will soon 

 be bad, especially if the season be wet.' Last year 

 there was a motion made in the Legislature for 

 either a repeal or a modification of the law. If 

 the law was altered so as to reduce the rims to 

 five inches ])rovided the tire is that width, I aiTi 

 persuaded that His Excellency would not approve 

 of a repeal, if he knew how much the south-east- 

 erly part of the commonwealth snffiers by having 

 their roads cut up with two inch rims. Two- 

 thirds of our usual high-way tax would keep our 

 roads in good repair were broad rimmed wheels 

 in use. AtJRICOLA. 



FOR THE J\EW ENGLAND FARMER. 



TOWN MAPS. 



Mr Fessende.n — I have just turned my eye | 

 from a short article in the American Traveller, * 

 upon the subject of town maps. I was smprised ' 

 at the very trifling sum, at which they may be pro- 

 cured. It is stated that Mr Pendleton of this city, j 

 well known as a lithographic drawer and printer, 

 gives information that from 2 to 500 copies can 

 be furnished, after a maiuiscript draft is prepared 

 at from 12^ to 2.5 cts each. It seems to me that 

 in any town, almost every family would gladly pay 

 twice that stun, for a correct map of their place of 

 residence, pointing out all the water courses, 

 ponds, tnill privileges or establishments, roads, 

 principal buildings, &c. In such maps it would 

 not be d flicidt to present a geological view of a 

 town, by some signs or marks to designate the dif- 

 ferent kinds of rocks or other minerals, soil, depos- 

 its of clay, sand, peat, &c. 



Such maps would he of particular benefit to 

 those who have invested, or \vish to invest proper- 

 ty in manufactories, to fanners, and even to al- 

 most every class of the counininity. All our pub- 

 lic schools might to great advantage introduce 

 maps of the towns where they are placed. And 

 if well formed they could hardly fail of becoming 

 important instruments for the general difiusion of 

 useful and practical information. 



In most towns surveys and manuscript drafts 

 might he made, with little or no expense. If a 

 number of young men who wish for general iin- 

 provemeni, siiould jirociire the aid of some ex- 



• Ephbaim Goudale, Esq. 



IMPROVEMENT IN RAIL- WAYS, &c. 

 Dr 3Iease, of Philadelphia, whose science, ac- 

 tivity, and ))ublic spirit, have ever led him to take 

 a prominent and useful part, whenever improve- 

 ment was the object, has obliged us with the fol- 

 lowing article. It will be jierceived that it states 

 what has been and may be done, hut gives no de- 

 tails of the manner in which the great objects ad- 

 verted to are effected. But it will, we hope, lead 

 to such further investigations as the inijiortance of 

 the subject demands. 



for the new ENGLAND FARMER. 



Philadelphia, Jan. 2S, 1829. 

 Sir, — I have the jileasure to send you the 

 sketch of a new and improved plan for construct- 

 ing iron rail-ways, which appears to promise great 

 benefits. JAMES MEASE. 



SKETCH 



Of a neiv and improved plan of constructing iron 

 rail-waijs and carriages, hi/ which all sorts of 

 goods, merchandize, and other articles whatever, as 

 likewise passengers, will he conveyed ivith much 

 greater ease, convenience and speed, and with less 

 expense than could till now be effected, by employ- 

 ing either the power of steam, or that of horses. 

 It is generally acknowledged by the most emi- 

 nent engineers, and by the most impartial writers 

 on mechanical subjects, that the present construc- 

 tion of rail-ways and of the carriages or wagons 

 conveyed upon them is still very far from being 

 arrived at that degree of perfection, of which, by 

 their principle, they apjiear to be susceptible, and 

 it cannot be denied that, upon the whole, this 

 most valuable invention is yet in a state of infancy. 



Feb. 6. 1829. 



To this imperfect state it is undoubtedly owing, 

 that those artificial roads, though known and par- 

 tially used <or a century past, have till now not 

 been extended to a more general application over 

 whole countries and for all sons of conveyance ; 

 that the greatest part of those companies which 

 a few years ago had associated themselves for tho 

 establishment of rail ways in diflerent directions 

 all over England, have been dissolved, and that 

 ahiio.st none of those numerous and magnificent 

 pojei'ts which were announced in the English 

 papers has been carried into execution. 



It i<, therefore, my opinion, that before any im- 

 portait and extensive ]ilan of that kind can be 

 adopted with a certain jirospect of success, it will 

 be nectssary to bring those roads with their vehi- 

 cles and all their other mechanical contrivances to 

 a higher degree of perfection, by removing all the 

 difticuhies and inconveniences to which in their 

 present state they are subject. 



In the first place, on the flat rails or tram-ways 

 as well as on the edge- rails, the continual rubbing 

 of the wheels against the upstanding rims of the 

 plates, or of the jirojccting flanges of the wheels 

 against ti.e sides of the rails, causes a considerable 

 resistance, by which not only a great part of the 

 moving power is wasted iu a useless manner, but 

 which also tends to loosen the rails anil disturb 

 their foundation. This is particularly visible on 

 all sorts of rail-ways where the carriages are - 

 drawn by horses, who by their trampling shake 

 the sleepers and the whole foundation in such a 

 manner that the rails become in a short time 

 loose, with their joints displaced, their ends stand- 

 ing up tnd their parallelism destroyed, the imme- 

 diate consequences of which are : an increased 

 resistance, violent jolts, frequent breaking of 

 wheels and rails, continual repairs and delays, and 

 the speedy destruction of the whole work. 



2dly. Where horses are employed, the flat as 

 well as the edge rails, but iiarticuhuly the first, 

 are continually filled and covered with sand, gra- 

 vel or mud, thrown up by the feet of those ani- 

 mals, so that the rails ofteu become so obstructed 

 as to occasion a considerable resistance to the car- 

 riages passing on them. 



3(lly. With regard to the wagons or carriages 

 used upon either of these rail-ways, their present 

 construction is so clumsy and defective in every 

 respect, tha". they hardly deserve the name of ma- 

 chine*. As both axle-trets are immoveably fixed 

 on the body of the wagon or tram, these vehicles 

 can only go forward and backward in a straight 

 line, and the least deviation from that line occa- 

 sions a very considerable rubbing and fretting of 

 the wheels on the bottom and against the sides or 

 rims of the rails, and of couise a great additional 

 resistance with a most destructive wear and tear , 

 of the rails and wheels.' 



4tlily. On such places where a rail-way ceases 

 or where it must be interrupted, which is unavoid- 

 able upon long lines passing through towns, over 

 long and narrow bridges, etc., these wagons are 

 incapable to leave the rails and to be brought over 

 any common road, paved street or other ground. 

 The; must, therefore, be unloaded, and their con- 

 tents carried on upon common carriages — a very 

 troublesome oi^eration, which is always attended 

 with-expense and great loss of time. 



5tlily. One of the greatest nbjections to the 

 present system of rail-ways is, that the carriages 

 are .so confined to the track of the rails, that they 

 cannot, like cdmmou carriages upcn a inrnpiko 



