1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



515 



"We make no apology for expressing these views 

 in connection with any society, for it is a dut}', 

 though it may not be a pleasure, to express our 

 opinions of these matters in a plain and candid man- 

 ner. 



AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



We are in the midst of the season for agricultU' 

 ral exhibitions. They are held in great numbers 

 all over New England, and will continue lo be 

 held until the second week in November. If thi 

 increase of cattle fairs, and the increased atten- 

 tion and interest which is paid to them, is 

 any indication of growth, no interest of the coun 

 try has so progressed within the last quarter of 

 a century as agriculture. It is but a comparative 

 iy short time ago, when the only cattle shows 

 in the State were at Brighton and Pittsfield. Now 

 they are not only held in every county, but in some 

 counties there iire three or four flourishing societies, 

 ■while many towns hold fairs upon their own hook. 



This is certainly an encouraging state of things. 

 Our Commonwealth, rich in everything but a good 

 soil, have determined by perseverance, intelligent 

 culture and legislative bounty to overcome narrow 

 and unwilling fields, and to draw from them the 

 sources of food and nourishment, of luxury and 

 beauty, in their fullest measure. As an incentive 

 to efforts in this dirsction and an encouragement to 

 the citizens to form Agricultural Societies for mu- 

 tual improvement in the "art of Husbandry," the 

 State allows and pays out of the Treasury $200 for 

 every $1,000 contributed by individuals and put 

 out at interest on public or private security ; no so- 

 ciety, however, to receive more than $600 in any 

 one year. 



This liberal provision extends only to county so- 

 cieties. It follows, then, I hat minor societies asso- 

 ciate for the promotion of the cause, solely from 

 their love for it, sustaining themselves by their own 

 funds, without any hope or expectation of receiving 

 aid from any other quarter. Yet we can see that 

 societies for sections of counties have flourished and 

 are flourishing, quite as vigorously which as those 

 which are sustained, in part, by the bounty of the 

 State. 



It is certainly a source of gratification and pride 

 that our farmers have been enabled to realize so 

 much from the comparatively small number of acres 

 which they cultivate. To obtain a realizing idea of 

 the large quantities and amounts of fruits, vegeta- 

 bles and field crops that are di-awn from a few hun- 

 dred thousand acres, it is only necessary to con- 

 sult the " Statistics of Massachusetts Industry aflfd 

 ■ Production," published by order of the Legislature. 

 What other 7000 square miles of territorj^, what 

 other one million of people on the face of the 

 whole earth, have produced or can produce $296,- 

 000,000 as the result of a year's industry ? " This 

 result, surprising as it seems," remarks the Secre- 

 tary of State, falls, manifestly, below the reality." 



The Agricultural Societies of the Commonwealth 

 have contributed largely in this good work, and 

 they will contribute still more to the development 

 of our agricultural resources. In this point of view 

 they deserve every encouragement it is possible to 

 extend to them. Several exhibitions take place 

 this week. We shall give attention to as many of 

 them as we can reach, and publish reports of them. 

 - — Boston Herald. I 



For the New England Fanner. 



SINGULAR FACTS ABOUT POULTRY. 



Dear Sir : — A most singular occurrence has ta- 

 ken place among my poultry, which I thought 

 might be of some interest to you. A fall chicken 

 perfectly black, commenced laying in A])ril last, and 

 laid eighteen eggs ; she then wanted to set, but as 

 she was a young bird, I shut her up for a week or 

 two, and then let her loose. In a few days she 

 again commenced laying, and laid as many eggs as 

 before; and as before, wanted to set. I shut her 

 up for ten days, then she was let out again. Soon 

 after her neck became covered with gold colored 

 feathers, while those on the rest of her body were 

 a bright beautiful purple, brighter than any of the 

 cock's. Her head and legs remained as before, ex- 

 cepting the spurs, which were longer. In October 

 she shed her feathers, and put forth beautiful, bril- 

 liant ones with those in the tail longer and bright- 

 er than any cock's, her head and legs remain the 

 same. She takes but little notice of any of the 

 hens, and the cocks do not notice her. She has 

 laid no eggs since her feathers changed. Last week 

 I set some hens near each other, and to my great 

 surprise, this hen has taken it upon herself to be 

 their nurse ; she sits in front of them all day, and 

 has pecked ofi" the feathers from her breast to lin 

 their nests. S. A. Shurtleff. 



Brookline, April 12, 1856. 



Sept. 2. — Since the above was written the above- 

 named hen has laid four litters of eggs, in all about 

 80, and wanted to set four times, and is now laying 

 again. I let her set in May on 13 good eggs, but 

 she did not bring out a single chick, and the other 

 hens that were set at the same time brought a full 

 brood. Why she did not is to me a mystery. She 

 is in perfect health, and her plumage is most bril- 

 liant, with all feathers like the male bird, changed 

 from black to a rich golden and purple, s. A. s. 



FuT the New England Farmer. 



MANURE AND ITS USE. 



Mr. Editor : — ^The making and applying of ma- 

 nure to the land is often discussed. I would like 

 to express my mind on the subject. If it pays to 

 farm at all, it pays to farm well, and in order to 

 farm to any profit, for much length of time, we 

 must have manure of some kind, — and farmers in 

 the country have to depend mostly on home-made 

 manure. No good farmer will allow anything in 

 the shape of manure to be wasted on his farm. It 

 pays well to keep a good supply of mud or loam 

 in the yard where cattle are yarded, hog pens, and 

 under where manure is thrown out, or under the 

 barn, that nothing be wasted. A great addition 

 can be made by bedding cattle and hogs with poor 

 hay, brush and leaves from the woods, hard wood 

 saw-dust, &c. 



As for green manure from the heap, it is not fit 

 to use in any shape until it has been worked over 

 fine with mud, or loam, or sand, if nothing better 

 can be had, and remain until it has heated a little ; 

 it can then be spread and it Avill mix with the soil 

 in good shape — or it can be put in the hill. If 

 spread in a green state, it will be in chunks, the 

 plow will not cover it at all, and the more you har- 

 row or cultivate the land, the more manure will 

 come to the top to be dried and wasted by the sun 



