214 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JAK. 6, ls4I. 



and horticultural. rkgister. 



Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1841. 

 ■■- a i— .. — ■■■ - 7— :_ .L — -— 



TO THE A(JRTCULTURAL PUBLIC. 



The proprietiit;* iirn) publishers of ihe New Kngland 

 Farmer irusl ihat the arr<ingf luem which maki'S Mr Put- 

 nam editor, will contribute niiirh to the usefulness of 

 their paper. During the last twn ot three yeiirs, whil« 

 there ha^ been no one whose time has bi'en mainly de- 

 voted to the preparation of matter for these pages, it 

 could not be otherwise ihnn tliat ihe wnrk should fjill 

 below the rank it might lake when cndnr-ted by one 

 who made iis cnie his chief nccupatinn. The work is 

 now lo be supplied with liiat imjiorlnnl appenda^e^ a 

 head. Mr P., previously a stranger to us, made himself 

 favorably known by an address In-fore the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society in 1831), and by the pari he look in the 

 agriculUirai moeling^ at the State House last winter. 

 The rh iracter <il his perlbrmances on these occasions 

 bespoke his fitness for the jdice we were anxious to fill 

 as soon as tlie proper imn could be found. Without 

 any knowledge of his circumstances or wi^iws, we made 

 application to him, and, though for a lime his engage- 

 ments prevented his giving us any aid, we are happy 

 now in securing his services. The opinions expressed 

 lo us since we announced the arrangement, cnntirm the 

 expectation that he will meet our wants and the wants 

 of our readers. We know not ulnre else the man can 

 be found who with Mr P "s edui-ation, talents and char- 

 acter, baa madn himself so practically acquainled with 

 common farming labors and operations ; who for month 

 after month and year after year, has nstjd the axe, ihe 

 dung-fork, the plongh and ihe scythe, for the purpose of 

 regaining the herdih which had been lost in the dis- 

 charge of professional duties. A mind, disciplined as 

 his had been, by previous study, would naturally famil- 

 iarize ilself with the principles of the business about 

 which his hands were- employed, and in which he took 

 pleasure. His previo.is professional labors have given 

 him that practice with the pen which fits him well to 

 communicate the infiJrmation he has been acquiring. 

 We believe, tot), thai he po^jse-'Sra a birge Fh;ire of com- 

 mon sense, an in'.pnrt:int quahficalion in one who is to 

 write for commtmine;*. W*; ^'ivo up the paper entirely 

 to his direction ; and we nsk our friends to aid fiim gen- 

 erously by contribulions and sobscripiions. It is very 

 desirable that onr list of pub.-ciibers should be enlarged, 

 and we eincerely li(»pe that f)ur friends will aid us in 

 this matter. Every addition lo tbo list contributes large- 

 ly to Mr P.'s e:rjolumcnt and increases both his means 

 and his obligations to render the paper more valuable. 

 With this introduction we leave him to speak for him- 

 self. J. B. 

 Exchanjre papers arc respectfully requested to copy. 



JNTKODUCTORY. 



Mr Breck recently introduced u.<» to the readers of the 

 New England Farmer as it^ future editor The time 

 has come when we mnsi cominenre our labors. The 

 duties as.sunied will task our powers to the full extnnt 

 of their reach. To sustain :he biyh charncter of this 

 paper, and make it meet th.* wants of onr acrriculturisis, 

 may require greater resources ihan iire at our command. 

 We should have ^hrnrik from seeking the place, but 

 when the proprietors 3ouifht us lo fill it, onr circumslan- 

 ees and ta-)t»8 both inclined us to the trial. 



When, last sninmer, we hungup the scythe for a few 



succeed llie able and discreel Fessenden and the inqui- j 

 sitive and laborious Colman ? We answered no. We ' 

 still say no. But we will endeavor I'l do wliat we can i 

 Excu>e us, reader, from promising more 



To unlbld intelligibly lli-- science, and to give wise 

 rules for the art of husbiiudry, require a rare combina- 

 tion of attainments. Knowledge of agricultural chemis- 

 try, farndiitr arquainlanre *vith farming ojeralions, an 

 eye (.hservHut ol" the forms and operations of nature, a 

 sound and discriminaling judgment, eagerness to learn 

 something new, and a watchful care not to prefer the 

 ntw to whatever in the old is better ; — these, together 

 with a ooncise, perspicuous, and forcible style of com- 

 position are all de.-irable in a writer for practical farmers. 

 Wc fall below our standard, but hope lo rise lowar<is it. 

 Buel and Fessenden furnishel streams of light and wis- 

 dom remarkable for purity and worth. Few among 

 their survivors may expect to rival tiiem in the pcrspi- 

 cuilv and soundness of their teachings. We hope to 

 profit by their example. 



Our Course. The opinion expressed by Mr Ctdman 

 in the iast Farmer, tiiat the paper would be rendered 

 more popular and have its circulation increased by ad- 

 milting to its columns more miscellaneous matter, per- 

 liaps may be well founded. It is Iru**, that for the last 

 fi;w y«ars, the list of subscribers baa bften diminishing ; 

 and othfr ])apers, Keating upon a greater variety of to[i- 

 ics, have perhaps supplanted this in many instances. 

 But, we are not satisfied thai the cause lifs m a limila- 

 liun oCihe topics discussed. Other papers, [larlly agri- 

 cultural, have been multiplying in number and have 

 bet^n industriously carried directly to the doors of our 

 larmers, while no efll'orts have been made to obtain new 

 sub.scriber8 for this one. Reports have been in circula- 

 tion that this was the aristocratic paper, designed for a 

 class of readers more scientific and mere at leisure than 

 tlie laboring man. Whether the reports have been well 

 founded or not, tht're shall be no ground in fu;ure for a 

 charge that the editor overlooks the wants or transcends 

 the intelligence of the common farmer. The blood in 

 his vt'ins comes through a line of ancestors, who, suc- 

 cessively, have earned a subsisience by their own toil. 

 on the same jidds, for precisely two hundred years. He 

 belonijs lo ihe farming class by birth, by early assnria- 

 tions, by recent toils, and by his tastes. His labors will 

 be devoted lo thern. And what do they want.'' It is 

 believed thai there is .i large class in New England, 

 who desire lo have this pioneer of New England a(;ri- 

 cultural pap'Ts, one that shall treat concisely, prudently, 

 and constantly upon the common branches of ordinary 

 hnshandry ; which shall be worth preserving and bind- 

 ing as a reference book ; which sh.'ill contain but little 

 matter foreign to their own pursuits; whirh shall fur- 

 nish them from week to week valuable instruction ; 

 which shall help them to undeialand better their own 

 business and interests ; which sha'l lead tbem to think 

 and inquire ; which shall improve their own minds and 

 the minds \jf their children. No n^as'tnable efTi;rt on 

 our part shall be spared to fit our pages lor meeting this 

 want; and if we succeed, the good sense of our yeoman- 

 ry will lead ihem tn reward us more liberally in the end, 

 for instructing than they would for idly entertaining 

 them. 



It would be mortifying Hi have this oldest of New 

 England agticultur.il journals decline in our hands; and 

 we must thus early bespeak the kind and constant eid 

 and indulgeu'H of its friends. Onr own deficiencies, 

 Wfi trust, will bo supplied by contributions from those 

 wh(» have heretofore enriched these columns And we 

 invite tiicm all, whether personally known to us or not, 

 to send in the r^snhs of their experience, iheir inferen- 



wc hope, will come lo uur assistance; and we invite 

 the cumtnon farmer y wherever ho may belong, to send 

 us the (runs of his experience, and lo propound his in- 

 (|UiriHS. If unwilling to write, he is invited to call up- 

 on us at Mr Breck's warehouse, where we shall be 

 always happy to see him and to exchange opinions. 

 Let no one keep away because he is a stranger, or be- 

 cause he wears a striped frock and cow-hide bot>is ; lei 

 him come as a farmer, and he shall be welcome, As lo 

 the frock and bouts — such boots — we liave worn them 

 enough to know that no garments are more comfortable 

 and none more respectable. Common farmers, these 

 pag'-s bbould be devoted to your interests, and unless 

 yon make known your wants, they cannot well be met. 

 Give information of y(»ur success, your failures, your 

 ktiowledge, and your doubts. The edit:>r's object will 

 be to furnish you with the best information and advice 

 at his command. 



The composili'in and application of inanures, the 

 "ruwinj; of grasses, nrains and roots, the management of 

 ihe dairy, the breeiis hikJ inanagpin(-nt of c;iUle. shi'ep 

 and swini^,are tlie important niatit'i's lo tiiy masH uf our 

 hiisliandinen ; and to these, primarili/, will our paijes bo 

 dovoiert. Beet sugar and silk, as vet, in our vicinity, re- 

 ceive too little attention to lender th-in fit topics for ex- 

 tended discussion in columns iirejirired for the, benefit of 

 New England tillers of the soil. Fruits, iinplcinents of 

 husbandry, vines, and all ihe various anicles of common 

 cultivation and use amon^ the j^reat bulk of farmers, 

 may claim attention in our columns. 



At our fir.^t survey of the editorial f<ir7n, it seems to 

 us vaster than we can manage ; pans must be neglect- 

 ed ; we shall fail to acquire the rejjulatinn of a thorough 

 husbandman. Some will find one fault and some anoth- 

 er. By the wool grower we shall be called an indifFe- 

 rent shcplierfi, knowing but little about the fleicy Iribeii 

 and devoting loo liille of our lime to their habits and 

 wants. Those who look to the dairy as their chief 

 source of income, will accuse us of inattention to the 

 cow ; around the city of notions and elsewhere, con- 

 flicting notions in relation to our doin;}S will prevail 

 Some will think that we do too litllK — others too inucju 

 upon iiur patch of roots, our corn, our wheat, or our 

 grasf liinds Some will ihink we plough too deep, oth- 

 ers to<» shallow. One will laugh at us for planting some 

 svmll corn that ripens early, anil another for iiaving a 

 large kind that the frost 'may bile. Good friends, we 

 cannot please you all, and shall best consult your 

 g'lod and our own by trying to please ourselves Wiser 

 than Mr Colman deems himself, u-c iiave soM none of 

 our liberty of speech ; no one has proposed to purchase 

 it: we shall speak our mind ''without let or abate- 

 ment,'' but it will be mostly upon tigricvlivre^ and not 

 upon disputed questions in morals, poliiics and religion. 



ALLEN PUTNAM. 



momenta lo rend the li-it,.r which invited us here, the 



question iiiBlainly aroac, whether w« were competi nt to j cei, opinions and inquiries. Others also— many others 



MR COLMAN'S ADDRESS. 



We have just received an address by our Agricultural 

 Commissioner, before •' Connecticut Agricultural Socie- 

 ties, in 1.S40 " — but have yet had no lime to examine its 

 pages. 



HINT TO FARMERS IN THE LEGISLATURE. 



During the last winter, many of our practical iigricul- 

 tiirahsls felt a want of opportunity fcr more free conver- 

 sation, and thnrouoh questioning of each oli.er, than 

 was afioided in the meetings called by the A;;ricuhural 

 Oimii'issioner. May it not be well to form an Agricul- 

 tur.il Soriely among ihe members oftlie Legisialiire lor 

 holding such meetings, as practical men sliall deem 

 suited lo their wants ? The Editor is ready to join with 

 olliers in siiili an association and will esteem it a favor 

 if others will give him their opinions. The meelings 



