^4 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



June 12, 1829. 



Infancy of Knowledge. — IMankiiul at tlie begin- 

 ning of the 15th century, are thus described in 

 the Liverpool Observer. 



" They had neither looked into heaven nor 

 earth, neither into the sea nor land, as has been 

 done since. They had i)hilosophy without ex- 

 periment, mathematics without instruments, ge- 

 ometry without scale, astronomy without demon- 

 stration. 



They made war without powder, shot, cannon, 

 or mortars ; nay, tho mob made their bonfires 

 without squibs, or crackers. They went to sea 

 without compass, and sailed without the needlo. 

 They viewed the stars without telescopes, and 

 measured altitudes without barometers. Learn- 

 ing had no printing press, writing no paper, and 

 paper no ink. The lover was forced to send his 

 mistress a deal board for a love letter, and a bil- 

 let doux might be of the size of an ordinary tren- 

 cher. They were clothed without nianulucturers, 

 and their richest robes were the skins of the most 

 formidable monsters. Tliey carried on trade 

 without books, and correspondence without posts ; 

 their merchants kept no accounts, their shopkeep- 

 ers no cash book ; they had surgery without an- 

 atomy, and physicians without the materia niedi- 

 ca ; they gave emetics without ipecacuanha, and 

 cured agues without bark." 



always ready to spring up in every soil, and which 

 would rob the cultivated plants of mdst of their 

 food. Scraping the surface, if it be done fre- 

 quently, may answer this purpose ; but to des- 

 troy the roots of weeds deeper hoeing is neces- 

 sary. 



2. To keep the soil from becoming too compact, 

 which prevents the roots from extending them- 

 selves freely in search of their food ; at the same 

 time keeping up a fermentation, by which the 

 vegetable food is concocted, and brought into 

 contact with the roots. For this purpose the 

 deeper land is hoed the better. But hoeing 

 should cease or be only superficial, when the 

 roots are so far extended as to be much injured 

 by the hoe. They will bear a little cutting with- 

 out injury. For where a root is cut off, several 

 new branches will come up in its place. 



3. To render the soil more open and porous, so 

 that it shall greedily drink in the nightly dews, 

 and that rain may not run oft', but readily soak in 

 as it falls, and be retained. Accordingly the more 

 and oftener land is hoed, the more its plants are 

 nourished. 



4. Another design of hoeing, and which ha?| 



the new White Dutch Lettuce, the new Water- 

 loo Pea, from Europe, (a tall sort, of rich flavor, 

 and bears all summer,) the Amazonian Lettuce, 

 Sir John Sinclair's new Ueet, and some other 

 vegetable, and ornamental Flower Seeds. Also, 

 the following works for the Library of the Socie- 

 :ty — Speechly's Treatise on the Culture of the 

 Vine, and Pine Apple, and on the Formation of 

 Vineyards — The Fruit Grower's Instructer — 

 Hayue's Treatise on the Culture of the Strawber- 

 ry, Raspberry, Gooseberry, and Currant, with col- 

 ored plates — Drummond's New Treatise on Bot- 

 any — Davy's Agricultural Chemistry — Maddock's 

 Treatise on the Culture of Flowers, with splen- 

 did colored engravings. All the above works are 

 the latest London editions. 



From Capt. M. C. Perrv, of the U. S. Navy, a 

 quantity of the Egyptian Beans, (cultivated in 

 Egypt for cattle) — some Qnion seed, and melon 

 teed, brought by him from Asia Minor. 



From John Bartlett, Esq., a box of roots of 

 an esculent vegetable, brought by him from Cuba, 

 and supposed to be the original root of the po- 

 tato. 



The following persons were admitted meni- 



not been enough attended to, is to nourish plants bers, at the last meeting : Ebenezer Seaver, Jr, 

 by drawing fresh soil near to them, the efUuvium Roxbunj — John P. Rice, Esq. Boston — Ebenezer 



JVEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1829. 



The able article which commences this num 

 ber of the N. E. Farmer, on the « Circulation of 

 Sap in Trees," &c., will be found worthy of at 

 tentive perusal. It not only furnishes proofs of 

 acute investigation, but presents valuable materi- 

 als for further inquiries. An accurate knowledge 

 of the theory of vegetation cannot fail to atiord 

 practical results of the greatest utility. By ascer- 

 taining the manner in which JVature conducts her 

 operations, in giving existence to the vegetable 

 kiagdem, wc may apply the rules of Art with an 

 assurance of the most beneficial results. 



FARMERS' AND GARDENERS' WORK FOR 

 JUNE. 



If the season be at all dry, your garden vegeta- 

 bles will need water. A copious supply of water 

 ?s very essential to a kitchen garden. It is said 

 by Loudon that " Many kitchen crops are lost, or 

 produced of very inferior quality for want of wa- 

 tering. Lettuces, and cabbages, arc often hard 

 and stringy ; turnips, and radishes do not swell ; 

 onions decay ; cauliflowers die oft'; and, in gen- 

 eral, in dry seasons, all the cruciferece become 

 stinted, orcovered^witli insects, even in rich, deep 

 soils. Copious waterings in the evenings, durin"- 

 tho dry seasons, would jiroduce that fulness and 

 succulency which we find in the vegetable pro- 

 ductions in the low countries, and in the Marsh 

 Gardens at Piuis, and in England at the begin- 

 i:ing and latter end of tho season. The vegetables 

 brought to the London market, from the Neat's 

 Houses, and other adjacent gardens, where the 

 important article of watering is much more at- 

 tended to than in private country gardens, may 

 be adduced as affording proofs of the advantage 

 of the practice." 



nOEIjNG. 



" The ends to be answered by hoeing are 

 chiefly ^these : l.^To destroy weeds which are 



of which enters their pores, and increases their 

 growth. At the same time the earthing of plants 

 makes them stand more firmly, increases their 

 pasture in the spots where the roots most abound ; 

 and prevents tl|e drying of the earth down to 

 tho roots." — Deane. Another writer says " Thin 

 out and earth up all your plants ; remember that 

 frequent hoeing is both rain and manure to your 

 vegetables in dry weather." 



CUT WORMS. 



Dr Deane directed as follows : " If you perceive 

 any melon, cabbage, cauliflower plants, &c. injur- 

 ed by the cut worm, open the earth at the foot of 

 the jdant, and you will never fail to find the worm 

 at the root, within four inches. Kill liira, and 

 you will save not only the other plants of your 

 garden, but many thousands in future years." 



TAR FOR SHEEP. 



A gentleman, who keei)s a large flock of sheep, 

 assures us that during the season of grazing, he 

 gives his sheep tar, at the rate of a gill a day to 

 every twenty sheep. He puts the tar in troughs, 

 sprinkles a little fine salt over it, and the sheep 

 consmue it eagerly. This preserves them from 

 worms in the head, promotes their general health, 

 and is thought to be a specific against the rot. 



T. Andrews, Esq., Boston — Gen. Aaron Capen, 

 Dorchester — Otis Nichols, Dorchester — Benj. Thom- 

 as, Esq., Hingham — John Perry, Sherburne, and 

 Rev. Gardner B. Perry, East Bradford. 



The Seeds and Roots will be distributed at the 

 meeting tomorrow, — (see advertisement.) 



Qj^ A very convenient and spacious room has 

 been fitted up, over the counting room of the New 

 England Farmer, No. 52 North Market Street, for 

 the use of the Society. The room is furnished 

 ivith various agricultui-al, and other periodical 

 journals, and is open at all hours of the day for 

 tlie use of members. At this room will be de- 

 posited all seeds, scions of superior fruits, draw- 

 ings of fruits, new implements of use in horticul- 

 ture, books for the Library of the Society ; and all 

 fruits, vegetables, or ornamental flowers that may 

 be oft'ered for the premiums of the Society. 



SO- 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL 

 CIETY. 



The following donations have been received for 

 this Society since their last meeting : 



From Andre Parmentier, Esq., proprietor of 

 the Horticultural Garden, New York, a variety of 

 seeds of European grasses, comprising the Rough 

 Seeded Spurrey, of Flanders, (Spergula arvensis,) 

 Meadow Soft Grass, (Holcus Lanatus,) English 

 Rye Grass, (Lolium perennc,) Yellow Jleddick, 

 (Medicago fulcata,) Field Burnet, for Sheep, (Po- 

 terium sanguisorba,) — Trifolium mbrum ' of Flan- 

 ders. 



From Charles Savage, Esq. a small package 

 of vegetable seeds, from Guatimala, Central 

 America. 



From Grant Tuorburn &. Son, of New York, 

 a quantity of rare vegetable seeds, consisting of 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL SO- 

 CIETY. 



This Society, which has exercised an influence 

 so important and beneficial on the agricultu- 

 ral interests of this commonwealth, was incorpo- 

 rated in 1792, and a fund subscribed, amounting 

 in donations alone, to 3984 dollars. Among the 

 donations at the incor])oration of the Society, were 

 tlie following — Governor Gore, .SIOOO; Hon. 

 Thomas Russell, $1000 ; Hon. James Bowdoin, 

 $400 ; Andrew Cragie, Esq., $400 ; David Sear?, 

 Esq., $20D ; Joseph Barrell, $200 ; Thomas Lee, 

 Esq., S200 ; Patrick Jeflley, Esq., $200 ; S. W. 

 Pomeroy, Charles Vaughan, J. C. Jones, and Sam- 

 uel Eliot, Esqrs., $100 each ; Doct. Lettsom, of 

 London, the celebrated jihilantliropist, gave ten 

 guineas. The funds of the Society now amount 

 to about $14,000. The amount of premiums given 

 by the Society, since the establishment of the Cat- 

 tle Shows, have averaged about $1200 each year. 



Method of prevejiting milk from turning sour. — 

 Put a spoonfid of wild horse radish into a dish of 

 milk ; the milk may then be ])reserved sweet, 

 either in the open air, or in a cellar, for several 

 days, while such as has not been so guarded will 

 become sour. — Am. Farmer. 



