238 



NEW ENGLAND FARxMER, 



JAR. 



IR4I. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTEH. 



Boston, VVepsesdav, Jan. 27, 1841. 



O-PRICE REDUCKD.XB 



In future the terms nf iliis pripiT will be $3 per year 

 in advance, or $2 50 if not paid within tliirty d:ijs. 



FIELD PREACHING— No. 11. 



Where no wood is, the fire goeth out. — Solomon. 



So says the wise man ; so says common obaervalion ; 

 but Bome ofyou, my hearers, di-n't — don't \\ ha! .^ Don't 

 believe il, I lilied to have siiid. And if I had said it, 

 that super-efFeminnle ant! vulg.prly genleel giri who is 

 afraid of di'gradinj herself or soiling her fingers by go- 

 ing to the wood-pile for .1 new supply j that carelrss 

 boy, who forgets to bring the wood miirning and even- 

 ing ; that lazy boy, who " cuts " acquaiiilanoe with the 

 axe; that ci/rf-hearled husband and father, » ho neg- 

 lects to get up a year's supply at the most convenient sea- 

 son — each would he a good witness to prove that I did 

 not very essentially over stati\ 



" The fire goeth out.' Raiher an uncomfortable con- 

 sequence when the dinner is to be cooked ; or when 

 Jack f^iosl has his fingers on the door latch; for he. 

 faithful servant, if he don't stnell fire through the key 

 hole, is svire to walk in and give the whole family the 

 ague. " U here no wood is," he is sure to come; and 

 where none but o^recn icood is, you think him' rather too 

 intrusive and troublesome ; for he makes a shaking 

 there. But, my fiiends, don't blame him. He is only 

 doing his duly under a commission from the Highest 

 Couit. If he come in, the fault is yours and not his. 

 Theri-I'oio, in season preparf means for keeping the fire 

 blaziiii'. In this, your least busy season, my farming 

 friends, let the sound of the axe echo in the woods ; let 

 the tean) wend its wsy among rocks and stumps and 

 over sloughs and ponds, while this faithful Jack holds 

 up the wluels or the sied-shnes. Looking forwaTd to 

 the wants of the next generalion, with benevolent econo- 

 my, cut clean in the wood lot .is far as you go. Work 

 up the wood in winter ; house it inthe spring or early 

 eunimer ; and then may you tinticip.ite, when winter 

 comes again, thai He will bless you with the comforts 

 of a ch'-erful fire, wh"se servant said, that '' where no 

 wood is, ihe fire goeth out.'' 



The fliimes of conjugal, parental, filial and fraternal 

 affection will grow dim, if not fed by the'fuel of kind 

 acts anil attentions. Fires of philanlhropy will die out 

 if not nourished by good deeds toman. Wheixr the oak 

 and walnut of christian truth are not taken home ani 

 housed, Ihe fires of piety will hum with but a sickly 

 flame. Where no moral wood is, the nioral fire goeth 

 out. 



SECOND AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT THE 

 STATE HOUSE. 



On Thursday evening last, the organizaliirn t'f the 

 meeting was cunplt'ied by the <;hoice of 



Hon Daniel P. King, of Danvers, President. 



Allkn Putnam, of Danvers, Secretiiry. 



Committee oj .Brrnvgements. — William Jjiricoln, \\'or- 

 cester ; Horace Collamore, Pembroke ; Cornelius De- 

 lano, Northampton; Calvin Cnoley, Hawley; John 

 Prince. Koxhury ; Andrew Dodge, W'enham ; Asa G. 

 Sheldon, Wilmington; Hon. Isaac Hill, Ed. Monthly 

 Visitor; Mr Buckininster, Ed. Boston Cultivator; Mi 

 Cole, Ed. Yankee Fanner ; and the President -anrf .Sec- 

 retary ex vjicis. 



Subject for discussion, as previously announced, was 

 the Cultivated Grosses. 



Mr Colinan, Acricultiiral Commissioner, slated that 

 there are more than 6( such grasses, hut that he should 

 confine his remarks to a few of the more common. — 

 Heids gipss or timolhy yields well; two tons to the 

 acre is a good crop, though four tons have been obtained ; 

 it is an enduring grass, lasting fi or 7 years, alter which 

 period It is hist to turn the sod : cattle ;ire fond of it 

 Would sow 1-2 bushel seed to the acre; no harm in 

 sowing more ; when thick the hay is finer ; moist but 

 not wet soil host suited to it. According to chemical 

 analysis it is most nutritious if suffered to ripen before it 

 is cut, though our animals like it better when cut young 



There are two kinds of Hutch clover, Northern and 

 Southern, differing ill Ihe lime of their ripening. The 

 hrodd leaves lake much nourishment from the a'.mrrs- 

 pliere, and the tap root when it decays furnishes nutri- 

 ment to ihe other gra-ses. It ameliorates the soil. As 

 food for stock it is inferior when cured in the common 

 method, i. e. when allowed to become nearly ripe be- 

 fore cutting and Ihen dried thoroughly in the sun. Some 

 practical men maintain that if cut younger and made in 

 cock, its quality as f"od is as good as the other grasses. 

 The Southern though less productive than the northern, 

 is to be preferrid ; makes belter hay ; should be sowed 

 in winter or spring and not in autumn It is valuable 

 as a green crop to turn in ; if it be rank, roll and harr'iw 

 before ploughing and then it can be easily turned under. 

 Should il be green or dry when turned in ? The field of 

 one man who tried it in both state.*, indicates thai the 

 drv is best: 4 to 6 lbs. of seed to the acre. There is 

 one objection to it as'paslurage ; horses are salivated or 

 niade to salver by its use. 



Red top is as good as any grass; good for milch cows 

 and horses ; requires a soil that is not wet : 3 to 4 pecks 

 of seed lo the acre — Orch ird grass glows quick ; can be 

 cut freqiiciilly ; is sweet; the cattle rcli>h it. — Lucerne 

 is good for soiling ; may be cut 4, 5 or G times a year. 

 Must be tilled ihe first y«ar or the weeds will kill it; 

 lasts 8 or 10 years. A small plat maybe cultivated to 

 advantage; will not do on wet soil ; from IG to 18 lbs. 

 of si^d to the acre. 



Gypsum, as a top-dressing, 1 bushel or 1-2 bushel to 

 the acre, once in two or thrte years, is in many places 

 very serviceable. Is not fully satisfied as to the utility 

 of lime. Saltpetre has been used to great advantage. 

 Wood ashes are good, but in great quantities will cause 

 moss to grow, particularly in moist or wet lauds: peat 

 ashes will do the same. Eel grass, kelp, rockweed and 

 sail hay are good top dressings. 



Mr Buckininster, Ediiorof ihe Cultivalor, agreed with 

 Mr C. ill most respects, yet diflered from him in a few 

 points. Thought clover, pound for pound, as good as 

 herdsgrivss; recommended sov\'ing them together; and 

 cutting so early that the clover stalks (the principal 

 pari) should he good fodder. Clover, no doubt, is a good 

 crop to plough in, hnl tiie difficulty is lo get crop enough 

 to be worth ploughing in Buikwheat will answer bet- 

 ter for this purpose on poor lands : he doubted whether 

 it is well to let the crop dry before it is turned under. 

 Was in favor of colling English grasses young, but 

 thought that our wet meadow grasses vvere worth more 

 if not cut until they were ripe. Had sometimes sown 

 hay seed among corn at hilling tirne (no hill made) and 

 found il lo do well. 



The Editor of this paper had never heard before that 

 clover wouM salinaie the' horse. On one side of his 

 lather's fann the horses found nothing that produced 

 this effect, though clover was often eaten by them there ; 

 on Ihe other Side lobelia grows, and there the slobbers 

 or slavers are produced. He slated one or two facts 



from which he was inclined lo infer that do.- r hav was 

 better than red-lop lor producing milk. Als i he gave 

 an account of the sowing of hay seed amnn- rorn; the 

 substance of which may be f mnd in No. xjv li. nf the 

 present volume of the N. E. Farmer. 



Mr Collauiore, of Pembroke, stated that by Ihe appli- 

 cation of cinnpost lop-dri ssings in the sj)t <r, he had 

 sometimes, (in dry seasons) done more harm 1 lan good ; 

 has found It best lo apply lliein in the auli 'un. Sea 

 weed he thinks not valuable ; but kelp and nek weed 

 are. Ashes should be Sjiread r.n sandy loam Lime is 

 sometimes serviceable ; it sh'iuld be used in c hiipost. 



Mr Cole, of the Yankee Fanner, expressed the opin- 

 ion that the salivation of the horse might be produced 

 by something else ihan either clover or Itjbe'ia. The 

 remainder of his remarks we do not retain ; hilas the 

 meeting adjourned while he had the flour S' 1 as the 

 same subject will come up at the next meeting, we hope 

 then to preserve what he may offt-r. 



AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL. 



VVe understand ihat an aspocialion has been formed 

 by several gentlemen in this city and vicinitv, for the 

 purpose of eBlablishing a "Practical Institute f Agri- 

 culture and Education." The design of this i i-lilolion 

 is lo furnish the means of a liberal education lo those 

 who are not intended for ilic learned professii is. The 

 principles of science, which lie at the founilrlion of 

 the practical arts of life, will form ihe chief o i ecla of 

 attention, while the study of the languages wih iccupy 

 a subordinate sphere. It is intended lo com -ic the 

 study of scientific agriculture wiih its pracliea opera- 

 tions, lo illustrate the gnat improvements of tuodern 

 husbandry by artiial experiment ; to increase the attach- 

 inent(*fthe farmer lo the cultivation of the -ill, by 

 showing the dignity of the pursuit, and the km \''ledge 

 and ability which il demands, and thus to prepan y'oiing 

 men, who propose to make agriculture the busii ess of 

 their lives, for the intelligent discharge of the d lies of 

 llieir calling. 



The want nf an institution of this kind has been deep- 

 ly felt and loudly expressed. No branch of edm ation 

 has been more neglected, though its unspeakaL' .- im^ 

 portance is adinilled, than the professional educ;ir:on of 

 those who Si'ck their subsistence by tilling the ■ arth. 

 Our most enlightened agricultural publications have 

 been urgent in their appeals to the community in be- 

 half of such an ineiilution ; the friends of jio.iuhii edu- 

 cation have set forth its claims in a convincing ma iner ; 

 legislative patronage has been earnesily solii.ited both 

 in Ma-saehiisetts and New York lor tho establisliinent 

 of one on a large scale ; proposals have been inai'p to 

 connect a department for this purpose with some of our 

 most distinguished colleges; and no one aeqiiai'.ted 

 with the character of our New England population can 

 doubt for a moment, that an institution of this de.erip- 

 tion, conducted in a judicious and efficient inauner, 

 would receive the favor of the public, and prove of w'de 

 practical utility. The eminent-success of Von Thar, ia 

 Prussia, and of Felleiiberg, in Switzerland, it would 

 seem, ought not to surpass thai of an insiiliition so con- 

 genial with the spirit of our government and the char ic- 

 ier and hcbils of our cilizens. 



•* When we consider," says the late lamenli-d Judgo 

 Biiel, of Albany, among the last words probably whi.ih 

 ever fell Ironi his pen — " when we consider that agi i . 

 CAtlture is the great business of the nation — of inankiinl , 

 that its successful prosecution depends upon a knowl- 

 edge in the cultivators of the soil, of the priniiph'S ■ f 

 natural science, and lliat our agriculture stands in spe- 

 cial need ol this auxiliary aid — we cannot withhold our 

 surprise and regret, that we have not long since eslalj- 



