282 



fatten him, suppose he will give 800 llis. of beef. 

 It has been already said that he may be made Cut 

 in three months, or 100 days, it' in good store or- 

 der when put up. Let this time be allowed. He 

 will eat every twenty-four hours, 14 lbs. of hay, 

 cost 6 cents ; half a bushel of potatoes, 12 J cents, 

 and eight quarts of Indian meal, 1 2 J^ cents ; being 

 31 cents a day, or $31 for the 100 days. This 

 I have verified by many trials ; and the interest 

 $1,75, together making .$32,75, which added to 

 the first cost, !j-25, then the ox has cost $57,75. 

 If the beef is sold at $8 per owt. in March, i- 

 leaves only $6,25 profit. There are several other 

 articles of food on which cattle may be fatted ; but 

 the above is the tnost economical that I know. — 

 Oil cake is the quickest to fatten with, and where 

 it can be hail, it is advisable to use it instead of 

 Indian meal ; the price is about 56 cents per 

 bushel, ground, and the quantity from 4 to 8 quarts 

 per day. 



" To fatten an ox on turnips will require two 

 bushels a day, with 10 lbs. of hay. Carrots an- 

 swer well, but are more expensive still — cabbage 

 the same. From all these we exemjit premium 

 cattle, and tliose made up for show. Sure I am 

 that the feeder never gets paid, unless he is grati- 

 fied with seeing his oxen dressed up with ribbons, 

 and his name in the papers. It \vas told me as a 

 fact, that one gentleman from Orange county, who 

 had just sold in New York ten very fine cattle, 

 being asked how nnich profit he had made by 

 these, as they had been fed eighteen months, an- 

 swered, he had just made a loss of $30 a head, al- 

 though they were sold at a high price. Where 

 then go all the jirofits, for beef is still at a good 

 price when cut up 1 The answer is to the butch- 

 er, who realises from 25 to 30 per cent, on good 

 cattle." 



We doubt very much whether stall feeding cat- 

 tle can ever be made profitable in the vicinity of 

 large markets ; for this plain reason, the articles 

 of produce, which are required for fattening the 

 cattle, would command more money in market 

 than their value when turned into beef by any 

 mode of feeding with which we are acquainted. 

 But when farmers live at such a distance from 

 market tliat their ])otatoes, turni|'s, and other arti- 

 cles of that kind are of too great bulk and too lit- 

 tle i)ro|)ortiunal value to bear transport to some 

 place of profitable sale, they may advantageously 

 change those articles into beef by fattening cattle 

 with them. Likewise where farmers are in pos- 

 session of rich [)asture grounds, it will often hap- 

 pen that their produce can scarcely he turned to 

 good account in any other way but by its use in 

 fattening cattle. Besides a small farmer even in 

 the immediate neighborhood of a good market 

 may profitably fatten his old oxen without their 

 consuming any considerable quantity of marketa- 

 ble produce. By parmitting them to have the 

 first run of his spring pastures, and of his rowen, 

 or aftermath ; the first bite at tlic balks of his corn 

 field ; the tops of his garden and field vegetables ; 

 the thinnings or extra plants or leaves of Indian 

 corn, turnips, mangel wurtzel, &t. with sin^li ad- 

 ditions of Indian meal, green corn, grass cut with 

 the scyllie and fed out green, refuse pumpkins 

 and squashes, sweet ap|)les, &c. &c. as prudence 

 may suggest and ecoiiojny ju.stify, a small farmer 

 may fatten a yoke of o.xen, or a cow or two, at an 

 expense so trifling as to realize a palpable profit. 

 The best way is always to keep your working 

 oxcu pretty good beef, and a small expense will 



NEW ENGLAND FAUMER, 



convert them into fat beef But lo iuy produce 

 to fatten cattle, is like jmniping up water to carry 

 a grist mill — the thing may be done, but will cost 

 more tliau it will come to. 



FUR THE NHW KNGLANU FARMER. 



NATIVE GRAPES. 



Mr Editor — As new fruits are presenting 

 themselves, and information respecting their qual- 

 ities desirable, I hope a few remarks, on our na- 

 tive grapes, tliose varieties suitable for the table, 

 and for wine, will not be ill timed.* We recom- 

 mend our remarks to those wlio cultivate fruits 

 in open situations. The Black Ilaniliurg in my 

 garden, does not ripen successfully, once in six 

 years in open ground — the Sweet Water has fail- 

 ed six years in succession — latterly they have done 

 better, but are still a very uiicerlain fruit. The 

 hardiness and certainty of the native grape crops, 

 urges us strongly, to cultivate them largely. In a 

 few years, I have no doubt, in the country, we 

 shall find the greater proportion of cultivated 

 grapes native sorts. I noticed last fall, that the 

 cultivators of fruits, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, 

 were giving up foreign varieties, owing to their 

 frequent disappointments in good crops, exchang- 

 ing them for our native varieties, particularly Al- 

 exander's, or Schuylkill Muscailelle — their gene- 

 ral market jirice was nineteen cents the pound. 



Bland's Madeira, or Virginia, or Palf. Red. 

 This variety has been raised last season, on the 

 rich farm of Eben. Seaver, Esq. in Roxbury, pre- 

 sented in our market and sold readily for twenty- 

 five cents the pound. Their fine np|iearance was 

 such, as seven out of eight would have declared 

 them a fine, foreign, table grape. A handsome 

 bunch of" the same, was at the time, to be seen at 

 the New England Farmer office. It was only my 

 positive declaration, that I knew them to bo nu- 

 tive, that could convince a noted gardener in Bos- 

 ton they were so. This fruit has the credit of 

 standing, first as a dessert grape, and is also a sii- 

 [lerior wine grape. The vine is vigorous, hardy, 

 and a good bearer — bunches large, six or eighi 

 inches long, with handsome slioulilers or branches, 

 berries good size, claret color, thin skin, very lillle 

 pulpy, good flavor, juicy, sweet, and lively, a very 

 little of the native taste about them. 



Isabella — Much has already been said in fa- 

 vor of this variety, which is a valuable acquisition, 

 when we consider its many good (pialitics, its 

 great yield, (more so than any others known here) 

 \igorous growth, hardy, ami certain crops — a good 

 wine grape ; many will like it, as a dessert grnpe, 

 as it is ascertained that by hanging them in a 

 room, they lose the foxy taste attached to them, 

 becoming juicy, and more palatable. No one, I 

 tliink, could withhold from their gardens in liie 

 country, these native varieties, when they are so 

 certain to bear well, requiring no trouble, except 

 keeping them well pruned. No protection is ne- 

 cessary from the cold. Let every one witness, as 

 I did last fall, Messrs Winship's, of Bri.;fhton, five 

 years old vine, on which were three hundred fine 

 bunches of grajios. Also in Mr Shaw's fine gar- 

 den in New York city, a nine years old vine, cov- 

 ering the whole front and top of a piazza, loaded 

 with fine grapes, estimated to be over two thous- 

 and bunches. Likewise in Brooklyn, Long Island, 

 a nine years old vine, sjireading over a tree with 



^ 111 spcnkinl^ nf iKilive vniiiuies, we c.tliiml liniik nl (Ij^i-inc 

 inff llic richrr fiiri*ion kinds, as llie siiperinr IJl.'ick Haniluirjr. 

 OnlHen Chnssplas, and While Swcel Wfiler. raised hv" ihese 

 possessing grape houses,sijulh walls,and fine sheltered situations. 



March 27, 1829. 



more than a thousand bunches, without any re- 

 cent pruning. I should think all would be de- 

 sirous of trying for similur success in their own 

 grounds ; we must, however, remember they grow 

 in proportion, bs the soil is good, where they are 

 |ilaied. This variety was only introduced since 

 1816. 



Catawba — This variety I have not seen, but 

 those whom I consider good judges speak very fa- 

 vorably of it. Mr J. Adlum, one of the greatest 

 cultivators of native grapes, gays " I look ujion this 

 as one of the best wine grapes in the United 

 States ; and I say the very best. It is a very tol- 

 erable table grape. Those that ripen in the sun, 

 are of a deep purple color; where they are par- 

 lially shaded, they are of a lilac color ; and where 

 they ripen wholly in the shade, and are perfectly 

 ripe, they are white, rich, sweet, and vinous.-— 

 When tiny are colorcil, they have somewhat of a 

 musky tiiste, resembling the Frontignac — they are 

 vcrv great and certain bearers." 



Elsinburg, or Elsinborough — This grape Mf 

 Prince describes as follows — a very sweet, juicy 

 fruit, of a blue color, very hardy, and very pro- 

 iluitive — free from pulp, and musky taste, &c. I 

 have heard it spoken of as a fine grape, and suita- 

 ble for the table. S. DOWNER. 



Dorchtsler, March. 23, 1829. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAXD FARMER. 



TO THE LOVERS OF GOOD FRUIT. 



A synopsis of a work on fruits and fruit trees, 

 wliith was published in the New England Fann- 

 er t le week before last, princijially drawn from 

 the Treatise of Moiis. Duhamel du Moneeau, has 

 projably (tillen under your view. The motive for 

 pu'ilishiiig this work is two fold — first, a desire to 

 siive to the cultivators of fruits the trouble many 

 of them are now at in inquiring weekly of peri- 

 odical writers, what course they ought to pursue 

 ill the treatment of their fruit trees, under differ- 

 ei t circumstances, as well as the management of- 

 their fruits ; and, secondly, from a desire which 

 vve have long felt of remedying in some measure, 

 if possible, an evil which now pervades this coun- 

 try, in regard to the nomenclature of fruits gener- 

 ally, and particularly [lears, which have of late 

 years become an object of considerable interest 

 amoDg a large and respectable class of our citi- 

 zens. 



Almost every man who has land of his own, on 

 wliicli he wishes to raise fruit trees, is desirous of 

 establishing such sorts in \\\c first instance, as will 

 be permanently acceptable to his family and 

 fiiciids, or profitable as a means of support. It is' 

 tlierefi.re of much importance to him that he be 

 supplied in the outset with such sorts as will an- 

 swer one or both of these objects. Hitherto the 

 confusion of names has been so great, and the care 

 of individuals so small, that many gentlemen have 

 been led into great expense, and have experienced 

 great disappointments by inserting grafts and 

 planting trees that have been sent them as one 

 kind of fruit, while they were in fact of a distinct 

 and entirely different sort. The expense, which is 

 to many persons an oliject of importance, is noth- - 

 ing, however, in comparison with the loss of time 

 which follows before the error is detected. Three 

 or four, and sometimes five or six years pass away 

 before we have ascertained that we have been 

 nourishing and cherishing a being in which wo, 

 have no interest, and which, as soon as its charae« 

 ter is known we devote to destruction. 



