182 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



April 



ception, they confirm my statement touching them, 

 as occupied by oxen, cows and calves from six to 

 twelve months old. My brother values them very 

 highly. Charles Lawrence, Esq., a neighbor, who 

 introduced them into his barn six months since, has 

 expressed to me his admiration of them, and allows 

 me to assure you and the public, if I choose, in his 

 name, that they perfectly answer my promise re- 

 specting them. They use chain ties. In honor of 

 my lost cow, please speak of them, if at all, as the 

 "Ayrshire Stall." 



Yours, &c., Jos. M. Driver. 



Remarks. — We feel obliged to our correspond- 

 ent for his favors ; we did not understand his dia- 

 grams sufficiently to come to a clear perception of 

 their merits. Will take them up again. 



the old motto ought to be improved, in order to 

 a]5])ly truthfully, and read thus — "what man has 

 done, man may yet outdo." I am a farmer, and 

 read much upon the subject, and conclude that the 

 A. B. C.'s of farming are not learned yet. 



By the way, reading has a curious effect upon 

 my mind, especially the reading of the JVein Eng- 

 land Fanner, for it always sets me into a "Brown 

 study." Thine for the earth's best products, 



Ware,N. H.,Feb. 25, I806. L. Breed. 



Re^iarks. — The apples sent were very beauti- 

 ful in shape, color and flavor, and other things be- 

 ing favorable, ought to be extensively cultivated. 



Fur the New England Fanner. 



GRANITE BEAUTY APPLE. 



Friend Browx : — I take the liberty of sending 

 along a specimen of an apple, much ])rized in this 

 vicinity, the history of which, as related by those 

 "who know," is as follows : — Years ago, when our 

 grandfathers and grandmothers first came to seek 

 them a home in the wilds of New Hampshire, their 

 only mode of conveyance from place to place was 

 on horseback. The grandmother of the family that 

 lived on the farm I now occupy, was one day 

 I'eturning from a visit to her old home and friends, 

 mounted on a slow horse ; a long ride was before 

 her, and wishing to accomj^lisb it in one day, she 

 felt the necessity of using means to increase the 

 speed of her pony. I;Ooking about for something 

 that would suit her purpose, she spied by the way 

 side a slender "stripling" of an apple tree, which 

 she plucked, rools and all, and came on her way 

 rejoicing. Soon after arriving home, it being the 

 season for setting out trees, and the subject of 

 planting an orchard decided upon, she bethought her 

 of her riding stick ; this she took into the little or- 

 chard "to be," and Avith it finished a row of trees, 

 just transplanted. It lived, flourished, and from it 

 were taken the scions that produced these a])ples. 



The tree is exceedingly hardy, naturally low in 

 "stature," flourishes best in a rich gravelly soil, and 

 bears every year. They are good for cooking, ear- 

 ly, and with good care, keep till into March. I 

 think Cole describes this apple, as what he calls 

 the "Mother Apple ;" but as it probably has a dif- 

 ferent origin, and the name not conveying any idea 

 of the apple, and as it originated as stated above, 

 the admirers of it, in this vicinity, have christened it 

 the "Granite Beauty." 



With this history, and with this name, I intro- 

 duce this beautiful and luscious apple to the pub- 

 lic. That the cultivators of nice fruit for home 

 use, and for market also, may know its value, where 

 it is known, I will just say, that in this time of 

 great abundance of apples, when selected Baldwins 

 bring only $1 25 per barrel in Manchester, I can 

 sell the Granite Beauty, for $1 00 per bushel, or 

 $2 50 per barrel I took $5 00, for 2 barrels [at 

 Manchester, week before last. Mine are the lar- 

 gest and nicest that I ever saw of the kind, but oth- 

 ers can do the same, if they cultivate as I do, for 

 "what man has done, man may do," was the motto 

 of the ancient school-master. 



I thinlc, in reference to gardening and farming. 



EIGHTH LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTU- 

 EAL MEETING. 



Reported for the Farmer uy H. E. Rockwell. 



The eighth Legislative Agricultural meeting was 

 held in the Hall of the House of Representatives, 

 Tuesday evening, agreeably to adjournment. The 

 sutiject for discussion, as previously announced, was, 

 " Grasses and the Small Grains." 



The meeting was less fully attended than usual. 

 No member of the Executive Committee being pres- 

 ent, Mr. ^Y. J. BuCKMiNSTER, in their behalf, invit- 

 ed Mr. Harvey Dodge, of Sutton, to preside. He 

 said, on taking the chair, the grass crop in Massa- 

 chusetts was of greater value than that of'any other 

 crop in the State. It has been considerably im- 

 proved within the last quarter of a century, by 

 clearing swamps, by under-draining on clay soils, 

 and seeding in August, 



Deep plowing and manuring, as when corn is to 

 be planted, and then sowing herds-grass, red-top 

 and turnip seed, in July, has been beneficial. The 

 sowing of turnip seed has been particularly useful 

 in shading the grass seed during the hot, dry weath- 

 er of August and September. In the Spring suc- 

 ceeding, a roller will make the surface even. It has 

 been thought that the growth of turnips would make 

 the grass too thin the next season ; but it is not so. 

 The rolling should be done when the soil is neither 

 very soft nor very hard. A good croj) of grass may 

 l)e obtained in this way. ^^'hen grass is sown with 

 oats, it is apt to dry up in the fall after the oats are 

 taken off. He never had an oat crop that paid for 

 raising. He would not speak of the small grains 

 at present, but leave others to introduce that part 

 of the evening's discussion. 



Mr. Parsons, of Ludlow, had had Init little experi- 

 ence with regard to the subject. He said the sug- 

 gestions of the chairman as to sowing turnips with 

 grasses was entirely new to him ; it Avas not prac- 

 ticed by any one in his vicinity. They practiced the 

 rotation of crops, plowing and planting for a few- 

 years, and then stocking down with clover. The 

 idea of sowing grass seed Avith turnips struck him 

 favorably. It is well worth consideration and of 

 experiment, if a crop of turnips is desired, and then 

 a crop of grass for th.e next summer. 



