NEW ENGl-AN© FAMMEK. 



Published by John B. Russeli,, at JVo. 62 JVorth Market Street, (at the .Agricultural Warehouse) — Thomas G. Fessekden, Editor. 



VOL. YII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1829. 



No. 46. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BEES. 



BIr Fessenden — In your 44tli No. a writer 

 over the signature of " Medicus," says there is a 

 fact observable in tlie ecouomy of bees, which to 

 his mind is inexphcahle. This mystery is, how 

 the bees in the month of March, before a tree or 

 shrub is in bloom, or any signs of vegetation are 

 manifested, can procure the substance resembling 

 pollen, which they obtain from flowers and blos- 

 soms in their season. I make no pretensions to 

 the appellation of a " curious observer," but if I 

 am not greatly mistaken, the witch hazel is in 

 blossom all winter. And Fessenden's New Gar- 

 dener, tells me the " Mezereon is a beautiful 

 shrub, blooming in the month of March, loaded 

 with flowers of delightful fragrance. It is as 

 hardy as a shrub oak." And it is probable there 

 are many other blossoms in the winter, that these 

 sagacious and industrious insects can procure 

 pollen frojn. L. 



May 25. 



I fat tbey are said to yield sometimes as much as 

 I 150 pounds weight ofiaJioif. The latter is so im- 

 I portant an article of commerce, that, in many in- 

 stances, the hunters cut out only the tongues and 

 tallow, leaving the remainder of the carcase to be 

 devoured by wild beasts. Powder flasks are made 

 of the horns. The skins oxe capable of being con- 

 vened into an excellent buff" leather ; and when 

 dressed with the hair on, the ligliter skins serve 

 the Indians as beds, and for clothes, gloves, and 

 shoes. Some persons use them as blankets, and 

 find them a very warm and pleasant clothing. — 

 The hair is spun and woven into various articles ! 

 of clothing, which are both durable and useful, and 

 are peculiarly soft and pleasant to the wearer." 



Perhaps some of our correspondents will oblige 

 us with further information respecting this animal ; 

 and whether he can be rendered useful as farm 

 stock, or in any way more subservient than at 

 present, to the convenience and comfort of civil- 

 ized man. 



FOR THE SEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



THE BISON. 



Mr Fessenden — I should like to bo informed 

 through the medium of your paper, if there has 

 ever been an attempt made to domesticate ;ho 

 bison, or the breed crossed, and what were the re- 

 sults ? 



I httve been led to this inquiry by SU])po9irig 

 that the bison, from the extraordinary size of his 

 bones, and the depth and formation of his chest 

 is far superior to our domestic ox, for agricultural 

 purposes. 



I think it will be admitted that this powerful 

 inhabitant of our prairies possesses a double por- 

 tion of strength and agility compared with our do- 

 mestic cattle. 



We have been in the practice, since the first 

 settlement of our country, of importing our neat 

 stock from Europe, frequently at a great expense, 

 and have wholly neglected that noble animal, 

 which formerly moved over the greater part of 

 our country, but is now scarcely to be seen east 

 of the Mississippi rivor, and will in a few years 

 probably beconio extinct. 



Yours respectfully, F. 



Remarks by the Editor. — Willicli's Domestic En- 

 cyclopedia says that the " Bison (Bos Atiiericanus) 

 ie a large species of ox, with round and distant 

 borns, which point outwards, a long and woolly 

 mane, and a large fleshy protuberance on the 

 shoulders. 



" As they are capable of being doineh^ticoted, 

 and in this state are sufficiently tractable for the 

 purpose, they arc sometimes rendered useful for ag- 

 ricultural labors. 'Vht'ir Jlcsh is used as food, and 

 the fatty protuberance on the shoulders is esteem- 

 ed a great delicacy. The tongues which are reck- 

 oned superior to those of oxen, aro frequently 

 transported to New Orleans, where they always 

 have a ready sale. When these animals are quite 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



QUINCES. 



Mr Editor — In the perusal of your well con- 

 ducted paper, I have seen but very littl* on the 

 subject of the cultivation of the quince. Whetlirr 

 there is much attention paid to the cultivation of this 

 valuable fruit in the New England States, oreven in 

 the United States,! am unable to say. But, in the ag- 

 ricultural works, that I have perused, I find but very 

 little said upon the subject, either in relation to the 

 ■lultivatioii of the rjuince from the seeds or cuttings, 

 the value of its productions or deliciousness of its 

 fruits. 



In this conmiunit)', there is but little attention 

 paid to the quince, and but few iudividuals, have 

 any trees or bushes of this description. Whether 

 the quince is to bo ranked among other fruits for 

 goodness, I must leave to the judgment of those, 

 whose knowledge of the subject best enables them 

 to determine. 



I would, therefore, make a few inquiries, 

 through the medium of the New England Farmer, 

 in relation to the subject. 



1. Should they be raised from tho cuttings or 

 from the seeds ? 



2. Should they bo planted in beds, or on the 

 grounds where they are iutended to remain ? 



3. What kind of soil is best adapted for the 

 trees or bushes to be cultivated upon ? 



4. \V'liich season of the year should tho seeds 

 or cuttings be plauted, sjiring or aututnn .' 



5. When placed where they are intended to re- 

 main, at what distance should they stand to be 

 most ])roductive or profitable to the cultivator, 

 beautj' and taste made a subject of consideration ? 



6. In Avhat way should they be treated to be 

 kept in bushes, or to be pruned up into trees ? 



7. If pruned, at what season of the year should 

 the o|)eration be performed ? — And any other val- 

 uable information, in relation to the subject, which 

 may he thought beneficial or useful to the pub- 

 lic, would at least bo acceptable to oue of your 

 readers. 



In relation to the soil, I would further suggest 

 that the land here is a low, gravelly, heavy, moist 



loam ; more adapted to the cultivation of the 

 grasses, than to be worked with the shovel and 

 hoe ; and the frost iias considerable eftijct in the 

 cold season of the year, with the roots of the 

 grass, and trees, in removing the soil about them, 

 which causes, in some instances, the winter grain 

 to be injured very much by this meons. It is, 

 therefore, more particularly the object of this com- 

 nnmication, to ascertain whether the frost would 

 affect the roots of the quince so much as to be 

 very hurtful to them, or not. You are, sir, at hb- 

 erty to use this as you think most proper and 

 beneficial. 



I am, sir, very respectfully, yours, &c., 



JOSEPH W. CAPRON. 

 Altlehorough, May 11, 1829. 



~ *■ 



Remarks by the Editor. — There is not much in 

 books on cultivating the quince, and the reason, 

 we believe, is because there is little peculiar in its 

 culture, which is nearly, if not precisely, the same 

 as that of the apple tree. Mc Mahon says " as 

 soon as you find your ground in a dry state in the 

 spring, sow the kernels of apples, pears, and 



I quinces, to raise stocks for budding and grafting 

 on : the sooner this can be done tho better. It 

 will be necessary to have these kernels preserved, 

 either in eand or earth, from the time they were 

 taken out of the fruit, till the time of sowing; or 



I to take them immediately fresh out of the fruit ; 

 for when long exposed to tho dry air they lose 

 their vegetatiie quality." 



Prince on Horticulture states that " This tree 

 may be cultivated by scions and layers, or by bud- 



Iding o:; storks of tho same, or on the pea"-, haw- 

 tliorn, &c. It flourishes best on a moist soil, 

 where it produces the greatest crops, but will 

 thrive on almost any good upland soil. It requires 

 little attention as to pruning, but must bo kept 

 clear from suckers at the root ; an occasional 

 thinning out, however, of superfluous upper 

 blanches, where too close and interfering with 

 one another, would be advantageous." 



Loudon asserts that the quince is propagated 

 " generally by layers, but also by cuttings, and ap- 

 proved sorts uiay be perpetuated by grafting. In 

 propagating for stocks, nothing more is necessary 

 than removing tlie lower shoots from the larger, 

 so as to preserve a clean stem as high as tha 

 graft ; but for fruit bearing trees it is necessary 



to train the stem to a rod, till it has attained four 

 or five feet in height, ai;d can support itself up- 

 right. The quince prefers a soft, moist soil, and 

 rather shady, or at least sheltered situation. It 

 is seldom planted but as a standanl in tho or- 

 chnnl, and a very few trees arc sufiicient fijr any 

 family. The time of planting, mode of bearing, 

 and all the other jjar'iculars of culture aro the 

 sauje as for the a^iple and paar." 



As the quince tree is smaller than the apple or 

 pear tree, we presumo quince trees may stand 

 nearer together than those other fruit trees, with- 

 out interfering with each other. But tho common 

 practice is to raise them singly, in iiorders of gar- 

 dens, fields, lanes, «Scc. wherever chance or cliolce 

 may place them. 



'• The fruit of tho quince (says Loudon) is not 

 eaten raw ; but etswed, or in pies, or tarts, along 



