228 



NEW ENGLAND FAHMER. 



Mat 



In the season of 1854, I found, toward the last 

 of June, that I had a small portion of mowing land, 

 ■which was so bound out, that there was no promise 

 of a crop of hay ; not even to be worth mowing. I 

 plowed up ninety-two square rods of this land, and 

 spread on it twelve loads of compost manure, about 

 the 12th day of July. On the 25th day of July, 

 "zoef or dry," I sowed my turnip seed ; and harvest- 

 ed from that field three hundred bushels of turnips. 

 I mixed my grass seed with the turnip seed as 

 above stated. Last haying season, I cut the finest 

 crop of herds grass, on the same land which I have 

 ever had from any other method of stocking down. 

 The quantity of turnip seed sown by me is at the 

 rate of one pound to an acre. I have now gone in- 

 to a greater length than I intended ; but it is at 

 your election to use as much of the above as you 

 may think proper, and in such a manner as you 

 may please. Josiah Bennett. 



Westmoreland, JV. H., 1856. 



Remarks. — Mr. Bennett presented some very- 

 large and fine cattle at the national exhibition last 

 fall, and imputed their superiority mainly to their 

 being fed upon roots. We are glad he has given 

 his testimony in favor of roots as profitable feed for 

 neat stock. 



CATAWISSA RASPBERRY. 



The Catawissa Raspberry is a native variety, en- 

 tirely, grown and sold by Joshua Pierce, at Linne- 

 an Hill Nursery, near Washington, D. C., and en- 

 tirely new and distinct in its characteristics in re- 

 spect to the manner of bearing, and the periods of 

 maturing its fruit, which promise to render it an 

 object of general cultivation. From its appearance 

 and mode of growth, I have no doubt but it is a 

 seedling produced from the common wild black 

 raspberry of the country, which grows in great 

 abundance about the regions where it originated ; 

 nor can I lean that any other varieties, native or 

 foreign, wild or cultivated, ever grew near the orig- 

 inal plant, except, perhaps, the Thimble Berry, 

 (Rubus purpurea, or odorata,) which from the dis- 

 similarity of the two, I do not suppose had anything 

 to do with its production. 



This bountiful gift of nature originated in the 

 grave-yard of the little Quaker meeting-house, in 

 the village of Catawissa, Columbia county, Penn., 

 situated near the confluence of a stream of the 

 same name with that noble river, the Susquehanna. 

 The history of its discovery is smply as follows : 

 The person who had the care of the meeting-house, 

 from whose own lips I received the account, was in 

 the habit of mowing the grass in the grave-yard, 

 several times in the course of the year ; and on one 

 occasion, some eight or ten years since, obser^^ng 

 that a brier, which he had often clipped with his 

 scythe, showed symptoms of bearing fruit out of the 

 ordinary season. For this time he spared the plant, 

 bestowing upon it watchful care, and afterwards re- 

 moved it to his garden. 



The fruit is of medium size, inferior to many of 

 the new, popular varieties, but is sufficiently large 

 for all economical purposes. Its color is dark-red- 

 ish purple, when ripe, and is of a very high flavor. 

 It bears most abundantly throughout the season af- 

 ter the young wood on which it produces its best 

 fruit attains a height of four or five feet, usually be- 



ginning to ripen early in August, but sometimes 

 sooner. The fruit is produced on branches contin- 

 ually pushing out from all parts, successively ap- 

 pearing in its various stages of growth, from the 

 blossom to perfect maturity ; and often there may 

 be counted more than fifty fruits on a single branch. 

 As the fruit on each branch successively ripens, the 

 later ones diminish in size, but there is no suspen- 

 sion of its fruiting until checked by frost. If pro- 

 tected in-doors, it undoubtedly would produce fruit 

 during the winter months. 



The Catawissa Raspberry is ofi'ered to the fruit- 

 growers as a grand desideratum which should be 

 in the possession of every one who has the means 

 of cultivating even half a dozen plants. It is not 

 expected that it will compete with many other sorts, 

 as a general crop at the ordinary season of rasp- 

 berries ; its time of ripening and its great produc- 

 tiveness are the qualities for which it is particularly 

 recommended; producing its fruit on the young 

 growth of each year, it is in its fall crop entirely 

 exempt from the effects of spring frost, so often de- 

 structive to many of our fall fruits, in which case, it 

 otfers a valuable substitute for such as may fail, 

 both as a desert at hand for present use, and vari- 

 ous economical uses as a preserve for wnter. 



In its cultivation, deep plowing, or trenching the 

 ground before planting,will be found advantageous. 

 It should be planted in rows six feet apart, and at 

 least four feet in the rows. The plow and cultiva- 

 tor should be freely used to keep the gi-ound loose, 

 and to keep down weeds or grass. The bushes 

 may then be tied up to stakes or trellises, as with 

 grape vines ; and as it is desirable to a good fall 

 crop, the old stalks should be cut away in winter or 

 spring, to promote the rapid growth of the young 

 wood. 



U. S. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We have the Journal of this Society for the year 

 1855, before us, and it is more valuable than any 

 that has preceded it, in every respect — in spirit, 

 matter, and typographical and artistic execution. 

 It is illustrated, first, by one of the most graphic, 

 Hfe-like, and beautiful hthographs of the grounds 

 and structures, with all their animated beings, that 

 we have ever seen. The view includes some of the 

 surrounding buildings of the city, a portion of the 

 shipping in the harbor, the rich foliage of the trees 

 and the adjacent hills. Then comes the address 

 of the President at the annual meeting in Feb. 28, 

 at Washington, giving a rapid, yet clear history of 

 the transactions of the Society, for the year, with 

 appropriate reflections on the present condition of 

 American agriculture. The business of the annual 

 meeting is then given, such as choice of officers, &c., 

 and then follows, a history of the Third Exhibilion 

 of lite Society, held at Boston, in October last. 

 This is illustrated with elegant specimens of the 

 Short Horn and Jersey breeds of cattle, of South- 

 down sheep, and the Essex, Berkshire and Suffolk 

 swine. 



The account of the Banquet, containing the In- 

 vocation, Thanks, President Wilder's Address, and 

 speeches and sentiments, would make an interest- 



