274 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



March 20, 1829. 



gullies, would be kept eveu, smooth, and comiiact 

 as if it weie by rollers. 



I would be very thankful if you would be 

 pleased to communicate by private letter, or 

 through the medium of your paper, a sketch of 

 the law on the subject ; with information of the 

 place and time of its origin, and also its effects. 

 Yours respectfully, 



J. A. CALDWELL. 



Harrishurg, Feb. 16, 1829. 



The following is a copy of the act, to which the 

 above has reference. 



An Act providing for the use of Broad Rim- 

 med Wheels. 



Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of 

 Representatives in General Court assembled, and by 

 the authority of the same, That from and after two 

 years from the passage of this act, the wheels of 

 every wagon, carriage or vehicle built or rimmed 

 anew, and drawn by two beasts (excepting pleas- 

 ure carriages) passing upon or over any turni)ike 

 or commoa highway, within this Commonwealth, 

 Bhall have felloes not less than four inches in 

 width, and if drawn by more than two beasts, the 

 said wagon or other vehicle (excepting as afore- 

 said) shall have felloes not less than five inches in 

 width: Provided, that the wheels of stage coaches 

 passing as aforesaid, may have felloes only four 

 inches in width. 



Sec. 2. Be it further enacted. That the owner or 

 owners, and also the driver of every wagon, car- 

 riage, or other vehicle, having wheels contrary to 

 the provisions of this act, who shall drive or suffer 

 the same to be driven, upon or over any turnpike 

 or common highway within this Commonwealth, 

 shall forfeit and pay for each offence, a sum not 

 less than five dollars, nor more than twenty dol- 

 lars, to the use of the Turnpike Corporation, City, 

 Town, or Disfict liable by law to support the 

 turnpike, or common highway, upon which the of- 

 fence shall have been committed, to be recovered 

 before any Justice of the Peace within and for the l 

 county within which the offence shall have been 

 committed, not being a member of the Turnpike 

 Corporation, or an" inhabitant of the City, Town, 

 or District liable for the support of the Tm-npike, ] 

 or connnon highwav as aforesaid : Provided, how- j 

 ever, that the provisions of this act shall not ex- I 

 tend, or be applieil to either of the counties of 

 Dukes or Nantucket, nor to any carriage passing 

 upon or over any of the roads aforesaid, solely for 

 the purposes of common husbandry. And pro- 

 vided further. That no prosecution shall be sustain- 

 ed under the provisions of this act, which shall 

 not be commenced within ninetydays from the com- 

 mission of the offence, upon the complaint of the 

 Treasurer of the Turnpike Cor|ioiation, or one of 

 the Surveyors of Highways within the City, Town, 

 or District liable for the support of the road upon 

 which the offence shall have been committed, to a 

 .lustice of the Peace having cognizance of such 

 offence. 



Sec. 3. Be it further enrfted. That this act shall 

 be published in the months of January and Octo- 

 ber in each year, for the term of two years, in all 

 the newspapers in which the laws of the Com- 

 monwealth are published, and shall also be read 

 at the annual town meetings in March and April, 

 for the same term of years. 



Approved by the Governor, March 8, 1828. 



To the extreme South, the late storm and sub- 

 sequent cold, are spoken of as severe. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



I was gratified to learn by the notice in your 

 paper, that the public would be favored with an 

 abridgment of Duliainel's celebrated Treatise on 

 Fruit Trees, and still more pleased that it was to 

 be accompanied with additions and remarks adaiit- 

 ed to our climate by a very cxi)erienced cultiva- 



""^i am not aware that Duhamel's Treatise has 

 ever been translated into our language, nor do I 

 know of any abridgment of it, unless it be tluit ot 

 Coxe. It is true that Coxe does not mention Uu- 

 hamel, yet the arrangement, names and plates ol 

 his pears would seem to indicate, that be had the 

 benefit either of Duhamel, or of the Abb6 Rozier, 

 who avows, that his Treatise is a simple copy from 

 Duhamel. 



Duhamefs work is at this day esteemed the first 

 in France, preennnently the country of fine fruits 

 —and the learned members of the London Horti- 

 cultural Societv, superior to national prejudices, 

 assign him the highest rank. Duhamel, united to 

 more science than any other writer on fruits, pos- 

 sessed most minute practical knowledge accpnred 

 during almost as long a period as can be boasted 

 of by the venerable Thomas Andrew Knight. 



Permit me to say one word on the o|)poituiu- 

 ties and acquirements of the publisher of the pro- 

 posed work. I know of no person in this vicinity 

 who has had so much experience or success. For 

 ■25 years he has superintended an extensive collec- 

 tion of fruits with consummate skill. He has al- 

 ways enjoyed the advantage of the first edition of 

 Duhamel "colored under that enlightened man's 

 own inspection ; and few persons have made more 

 extensive experiments suggested by their own 

 minds. I should consider such a work, the fruit 

 of so much experience, of great importance to the 

 cause of Horticulture. It is to be hoped, that the 

 publisher will be encouraged by a liberal subscrip- 

 tion, to give Duhaniefs figures, at least of the 

 fruits, if not of the foliage and flowers. 



My known enthusiasm for the improvement ot 

 our horticulture is the only apology which I can 

 offer for these remarks. JOHN LOWELL. 



Roxbury, March 14. 



FOR THE NEW ENGUAXD FARMER. 



difficult to ascertain as a component part of sub- 

 stances, is yet admitted to be highly productive of 

 nutrition. It is for these the swine so diligently 

 search, as well as the poultry. 



But any further than may be derived from the 

 saccharine matter in the seed in pomace, it would 

 seem improbable that much animal nutritive mat- 

 ter could be obtained from a substance so abound- 

 ing with acidity. 



I find in your Journal, under date of October 

 6fli, 1826, that one of your correspondents by 

 turning his hogs into his orchard, thought that he 

 experienced some benefit. So also with his horse. 

 But as there was nothing very precise in his ex- 

 periments as to other food, nor any means of 

 judging how the sweet apple might have prevail- 

 ed, 'there did not seem to be anything decisive on 

 the sjbject. The sweet apple tree i)robably docs 

 not exceed one in forty. This is, however, mere 

 coiijocture. 



Tiie spirit with which fruit abounds, and the 

 foniluess of animals for it, as noticed by your cor- 

 respondent, are not entirely conclusive as to the 

 prevalence of nutritive properties therein ; many 

 things which are agreeable to taste produce an 

 opposite effect to this ; more especially where 

 aci'dity prevails. So also others are highly dis- 

 agrcuible, which when often recurred to conduce 

 to ijreat thrift, viz. oil-cake, &c. 



The late General Derby, of Londonderry, N. H. 

 had a favorable opinion of pomace, and of its [ire- 

 scrvation by (Irving for winter's use. But the 

 trouble of curing, and the great difficulty of prc- 

 ser inff it free from must, and acid fermentation 

 coild not have been, it is apprehended, sufficient- 

 ly c^nsiilered. The time too, taken herein would, 

 prokiblv, be better compensated by mcreasiug 

 ve"etab'le products of more certain effect. 



One or more instances of cattle that have sup- 

 IHTted a good condition the most of the time about 

 these heaps has been stated in your paper. But 

 those are too" indefinite to be wholly relied on.— 

 For, first, the cattle had access to other food, and, 

 secondly, the prevalence of sweet fruit in the pom- 

 ace wni'ild doubtless produce such a result. It is 

 therefore submitted, whether, for these and other 

 reasons that might be urged, the little value which 

 ; is ataibuted to this article by our farmers needs 

 ' correnion ? Nothing has been said of the posi- 

 tive disadvantages herein to stock ; although many 

 are fill in the belief of its injury : such as swelling 

 the bowels, setting the teeth on edge, exciting an 

 aversion to dry food, &c. 



It seems then, that in the application of pomace 

 as far as the .seeds go, the bcif- 



APPLES AND POMACE AS FOOD FOR 

 STOCK, &c. 



Mr Fessenden— I have observed in the course 

 of vour useful labors, that you have suhimtted to 

 your readers occasionally, some inquiries, remarks, .^ animal supjiort, 

 nd experiments on " the convertibility of pomace I ^^^ .^ ai)parent— a..., „ 



cumstances of some uncertainty, and that promise, 



at best, nn verv essential advar.tafjf 



■ .-. ,. ent is apparent— anvthing farther depends on ci 

 to some useful purposes." First " of nutrition lor ^ 

 animals," seo^ndlv as " an article in itself condu i 

 cive to the enrichment of soil, or as a component 



material in the Compost Heap." 



On these points some opinions are herein sug- 

 gested, rather as matter-^ of conjecture than other- 

 wise : nut having gone into any accurate analysis, 

 and the result of some exj.eriments on the subject 

 are likewise submitted. 



And first, as to nutrition, there can be no doubt 

 that sweet apples are conducive to the fattening of 

 cattle as well as horses and swine. This is affirm- 

 ed by many observant fiirmers. The pomace, 

 i therefore, as far as these prevail, is doubtless nu- 

 I tritious in some degree. 



j So also in the seeds of the apple. In these 

 j there is much gluten, saccharine matter, oil, ar- 

 . omatic flavor, &g. 



It will be perceived that the whole subject is 

 proposed for discussion by your correspondents.— 

 The considerations, which belong to utility in the 

 enrichment of soil will be next offered. W. 



Dorchester, March, 1829. 



Remarks by tht Editor.— We conceive the ob- 

 jects of inquiry embraced by the preceding com- 

 munication are of considerable consequence to ag- 

 riculturists. The principles which the questions 

 involve are imiiortaut, and applicable to other art- 

 icles used as food for animals and plants, besides 

 apples and pomace. We hope that " W."' will 

 pursue his inqUb-ies, and thiit both practical and 



^:i:rr.Xr^:ou;^lp.:ilo^;h.;;i .ihiv^to. wm a^o contribute their 



