358 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAT 12, 1841. 



ani> horticultural rpgister. 

 Boston, Wednesday, May 12, 1841. 



DIALOGUE.— WHICH IS THE BEST KIND OF 

 CORN TO PLANT ? 



A. Ar'nl you wrong, neighbor B., lo plant, in a cold 

 ipring like this, that large and late corn of yours, which 

 never ripens unlil October? 



B. Perhaps I am ; but is it not well to trust that the 

 season may yet be warm and favornble to the corn crop? 



A. Yes, we may hope so; but 1 am thinkiner it is 

 best to go on the safa side, and plant only a small kind 

 that ripens early. Is n't that the most profitable course ? 



B. 1 shall pl^nt some ol an early kind, but shall not 

 give up the mqre productive kind which lias usually ri- 

 pened on my farm. 



A. How much of your corn land shall you put to the 

 large kind ? 



B. More than half. 



A. More than half! that seems to me foolish — you 

 cannot expect it to ripen. 



B. I will hope for its ripening. And judging from 

 the past, 1 consider it best not lo make a general sacri- 

 fice of productiveness to early maturity. 



A. Will the past prove the wisdom of your course ? 



B. You know, neighbor A , that I have passed all my 

 days on this farm. My memory goes back for sixty 

 years ; and 1 believe that no failures of this crop have 

 occurred on the place during that period, excepting in 

 the years 1812, 16, '36 and '37. In 1812, a considera- 

 ble portion of the crop ripened, and the same in 1837. 

 Perhaps three crops have failed to ripen in sixty years. 

 The chances then are nineteen out of twenty that the 

 large kind will mature. And if it should, I shall f;et 

 one fifth more both of corn and stover, than the small 

 kind will yield. If I fail to get sound corn, I shall get 

 more stalks and more green corn. To be sure, I would 

 rather have a small crop of corn well ripened, than a 

 green and frozen large crop ; — but when my chances 

 are nineteen out of twenty to get the large crop ripe, I 

 think it belter lo take the risk. In other words, 1 pre- 

 fer taking from mj fields 60 dollars worth of corn and 

 stalks per acre annually, for 59 years, and 25 dollar.< 

 worth of green corn and stalks the 20th year, to taking 

 48 dollars' worth per year each year of llie 20. In the 

 one case I get $1165 woith in twenty years — in the eth- 

 er 1 get $960 only. 1 think, therefore, neighbor A., 

 that the past does justify me in holding on to the use of 

 any highly productive kind of corn, whicit ripens well 

 in ordinary seasons. Still, the convenience of having 

 some corn ripe early in the autumn, and the inconve- 

 nience arising from loosing a late corn are such, that I 

 shall plant probably a third ol my ground with the 

 Brown corn, from N. Hampshire, or the Hartwall corn, 

 from Southbridge, both of which ripen early, and have 

 large kernel, small stalk and small cob, and arc very 

 productive for early varieties. 



Nori, — The facts here stated by B. in relation to the 

 ripening of the corn crop, are the history of that crop on 

 the editor's native farm. The land there is liss suliji ct 

 to frosts than the average of laud in the commonwealth 

 A/cio hills of this HartireH corn were in our father's 

 field last season, and it ripened a week earlier than the 

 earliest of seven other varieties, and was the most pro- 

 ductive of any excepting the latest, the Red Blaze. We 

 think it combines lo an uncommon extent, the two desira- 

 ble properties of early maturity and productiveness. At 

 o»r request, Messrs Brcuk & Co. have procured a few 

 bushels of this variety from Dr. Hnrtwell, of Southbridge, 



and it is for sale by thtm. Dr. H. obtained of this I'.iO 

 bushels per acre in ly39, and in 1840, its husks were 

 white in our field about the first of September. Our 

 own opinion of this corn is such that we shall plant 

 chiefly of this kind on our new farm, where the soil is 

 in an exhausted state. This fact speaks our advice to 

 our brother farmers. 



Brother Holmes, of the Maine Farmer, has " burst in- 

 to a" snow " song," liaving been set on fire by the cur- 

 rent of our raining rhymes — and his lay pleases ui so 

 much that we withhold our own editorial for the pur- 

 pose of showing hissno?^ to our readers before the weath- 

 er shall become warm enough to mar its freshness. — 

 Thank you, sir, for your company " down to posterity." 



THK LAY OF THE MAY SNOW STORM. 

 Come cheer up, farmers, don't look pale, 



Although the north wind 's blowing. 

 And all around, o'er hill and dale, 



'T is snowing, snowing, snowing. 



'T is true thai sometimes long ere this, 



You 've done up all your sowing — 

 You may as well keep quiet now 



'Tis snowing, snowing, snowing. 



1 know 'tis now the first of May, 



And violets should be blowing ; 

 But girls can 't have their holiday 



Because 'tis snowing, snowing. 



Good uncle Bill 's put on his coat, 



And Pat his hands is blowing ; 

 And Sis is scolding round the stove 



Because 'tis snowing, snowing. 



But courage, farmers — do not fret — 



Your crops will soon be growing ; 

 Dog-days will give you all a sweat 



Though now 't is snowing, snowing. 



To fancy's eye, in yonder sky. 



The star of hope is glowing ; 

 This blustering storm will soon pass by, 



And stop this snowing, snowing. 



Then cheer up, farmers, do n't look pale. 

 Although the north wind 's blowing ; 



" Seed time and harvest ne'er shall fail," 

 Though now 't i.s snowing , snowing. 



Verily, if the editor of the New England Farmer and 

 ourself do not go down to posterity as a brace of storm 

 ■poets, there is no virlue extant. He became so inspired 

 with the rain storm during the last days of April, that 

 hi^ [)oi'tical cup ran over, and when it cleared up and 

 snowed, we " burst into a song," and though it is rather 

 a lugubrious one, it was the " best the house ajforded," 

 seeing as how we had lo *' make tracks" instead of mak- 

 ing furrows, and seek a shelter from the snow instead of 

 holding the plough. 



In sober earnest, we have not had such a cold, dreary 

 and backward spring for many a year. April has been 

 remarkably cold and stormy, but it is no sign, because 

 January " lingers in the lap of" May, that her sifter 

 June will be equally accommodating. It is true that 

 our cattle have been at the barn nearly or quite six 

 monihs, and there is a greit scarcity of fodder; but we 

 will venture to turn prophet with the rest — for every 

 one seems to have a spirit of weather soothsaying — and 

 predict that the diligent and careful farmer will next 

 tall have a good harvest of grass, potatoes, wheat, and 

 perhaps corn — a fat thanksgiving, and a merry Christ- 

 mas. — Maine Farmer. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the Mass. Horticultural Society, May 

 8th, \Sil— Voted, That the following letter be published 

 in the N. E. Fanner, with the thanks of the Society for 

 the donation of scions. 



Attest, E. M. RICHARDS, Rec. Sec. 



Bradford, .Ipril SOtA, 1841. 



Messrs Breck & Co. — Gentlemen — I send accom- 

 panying this, some scions of the Wynkoop Harvest Ap- 

 ples, specimens of which I exhibited at the Horticultu- - 

 ral Rooms last season. Will you be so kind as to hand 

 them to the chairman or one of the committee on fruits, 

 to be distributed by them as they judge well ; only I 

 trust that you will be remembered in this ministration. 



The tree is disposed to grow pretty large, to rise high 

 — rather high than to cast out extended lateral branches. 

 The bark is generally quite smooth and more easily 

 raised from the wood than is common with apple trees. 

 My trees have generally produced every year, exhibiting 

 but a slight tendency to alternation. Of course tho 

 fruit is not very abundant any one year, yet 1 think 

 them entitled to the credit of being good bearers. The 

 fruit will need no praise where it is known. The de- 

 scription given by the committee is very accurae. It 

 generally begins to ripen by the middle of July — fre- 

 ! quently very good specimens are obtained earlier. I 

 hope the scions — though owing to indisposition which 

 has prevented my being out much, they were cut later 

 than I could have wished — will prove good ; and that 

 those who are disposed to try them, may not in the end 

 be disappointed as to the meiiti of the fruit. 



Some of the committee were so good as to say that 

 they would hand me some scions of approved fruit in re- 

 turn. 1 surely do not wish or ask this as a condition 

 upon which I send the parcel directed to them; but 

 still, to one who has but limited means of obtaining 

 any of the more improved fruit, the offer is too inviting 

 to suffer me to pass by it without saying, that if any 

 one finds it perfectly convenient to hand you any sci- 

 ons, &c. of any kind of fruit, I should be truly very 

 grateful, and I know you would very readily lake charge 

 of them and send by some opportunity. Since the loss 

 1 sustained in my trees a few winters since, I have a 

 much more limited variety of the better fruits than I pos- 

 sessed before, though my good friend, G. Parsons, Esq., 

 has done what in his infirm health he has been able to 

 do. He had formerly, in a very generous manner, done 

 much to help me to various kinds of choice fruit. 



Will you make my best respects lo the committee, 

 and believe me, with sentiments of high esteem, gentle- 

 men, Yours, G. B. PERRY. 



Let us not be too prodigal when we are young, nor 

 loo paraimonious when we are old ; otherwise we shall 

 fall into the common errir of ihoie, who, when they 

 had the power to enjoy, had not the prudence to acquire; 

 and when they had the prudence to acquire, had no lon- 

 ger the power to enjoy. — Lacon. 



P. S.— The woolly appearance which many of the 

 grafts have, is very common to the young shouts in the 

 spring : — upon vegetation coming, it is not retained. 



CREAM-POT STOCK. 



Inquiry was made in our columns a few weeks since, 

 whether any of the Cream-pot stock could be purchased, 

 and at what price. Col. Jaques immediately furnished 

 a reply. It was sent to the printing ofSce — but, by 

 some process iindiscoverable, it has effectually secreted 

 itself. We looked for its appearance in the " proofs" 

 last week, and again this week, but not meeting with it, 

 we have inquired lor the copy, and the answer is that it 

 has not been seen. VVe can get no clue by which lo 

 discover its hiding place. 



The highest of all characters, in my estimation, is hil 

 who is as ready to pardon the errors of mankind, as if ho 

 were every day guilty ofsome himself. — Pliny. 



