562 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



and sprinkled with blackish dots. Flesh yellowish- 

 white, crips, tender, with a sugary juice. Noisette 

 {Jardin Fruitier) adds, "the skin is covered with a 

 bloom, like that on a jilum, which distinguishes this 

 variety from all those most resembling it." The 

 tree has the same wood, foliage, and vigorous habit, 

 as our Fall Pippin, and the fruit keeps from No- 

 vember to February, or March. 



Remarks. — The apple from which the beautiful 

 engraving above was made. Is from a tree making 

 one of twenty-five varieties, which we set near our 

 dwelling in the autumn of 184.8. All the trees 

 have fruited, several of them have borne abundant- 

 ly, and promise to repay us amply for our care. 

 The description of the Fall Pippin we take from 

 Downing. 



SHAKER FARMING IN KENTUCKY. 



The prosperity and thrift which mark this singu- 

 lar sect, whether located in New England or the 

 West, is of that quiet, unostentatious and comfort- 

 able character which is pleasant both to witness and 

 to read about. The editor of the Valley Farmer 

 gives an account of a visit he made recently to the 

 Society in Mercer County, Kentucky, from which 

 we make the following extracts. They certainly 

 show that farming may be made profitable : — 



Their Farm. — This society was established in 

 1807. They were extremely poor, &c., and began 

 farming upon about one hundred acres of land. 

 They now own about five thousand acres, worth 

 from $50 to $100 an acre. There are five "fami- 

 lies," and between three and four hundred mem- 

 bers. Their dwelling and outhouses are large, com- 

 modious and well built, chiefly of brick and stone. 

 The most of their land is enclosed and subdivided 

 with substantial stone walls. They have hired one 

 man for twelve years, who has devoted his whole 

 time to building this kind of fence, aided from time 

 to time by others. They have now about forty 

 miles of this wall completed which cost about 

 $1,000 a mile, or $40,000 for the whole. 



Tlieir Stock. — The whole number of cattle upon 

 the farm is about 500 head, mostly full blood Short- 

 horns, some of which are from the best imported 

 stock in the State. They average about 40 head 

 of milch cows to each family. The cattle are bred 

 with a view to the improvement of their milking 

 qualities, and in this respect we think that breeders 

 generally in Kentucky pay so little regard that 

 their stock is permanently injured by it. Their 

 system of feeding is of the most economical char- 

 acter, and best calculated to promote the growth 

 and sustain the health of the animals. The hay, 

 oats and straw are stored and cm ujion the floor 

 above. Their cutting machines are of the Sinclair 

 pattern, propelled by horse-power, and will cut a 

 ton of feed in a short time. Their cattle are ar- 

 ranged in stalls on each side of the barn, with a pas- 

 sage between. In this passage is a railway upon 

 which is run a large box for mixing and delivering 

 the food, which is wet with water applied by a 

 pump from a cistern immediately under the pas- 

 sage. The meal, which is of corn and rye, ground 

 Jine, is stored above, and is let down into the box, 

 tjirough a spout. 



They make no calculation on raising grain be- 

 yond the wants of the several families and their 

 stock. In 1855 they harvested from 100 acres, 

 3,100 bushels of wheat, equal to 31 bushels per 

 acre. The crop of the present season is of superi- 

 or quality, but the yield was but 18 bushels per 

 acre. 



Fruit Growing and Preserving constitutes one 

 of the chief sources of revenue to this society. Be- 

 sides the large amount of apples, peaches, pears and 

 strawberries that are dried and preserved for their 

 own use, they preserve large quantities annually 

 for sale. In 1855, which was a fruitful year, they 

 preserved in sugar 30 tons of difl'erent kinds of 

 fruit. The present year, their leading varieties hav- 

 ing been cut ofl', the quantity put up is but about 

 15 tons, chiefly of strawberries, raspberries, cher- 

 ries, plums, and plum jelly ; nearly half of the 

 whole is strawberries, and the quantity of these 

 would have been greatly increased but for the se- 

 vere drought which set in just as the fruit was ri- 

 pening. 



Other Matters. — In addition to their annual sales 

 of Durham cattle and preserved fruits, the society 

 manufacture a large number of brooms, which from 

 their superior quality and neatness of finish, find 

 ready sale in our markets at an advanced price up- 

 on the ordinary article. Of the number of acres in 

 broom corn the present year we did not inquire, 

 but besides what they cultivate themselves, they 

 hire the neighboring farmers to grow a considera- 

 ble quantity, and from what we saw, should esti- 

 mate the land occupied with this crop at several 

 hundred acres; the present season the crop has 

 been considerably cut short for want of rain. 



They also grow and put up a large amount of 

 garden seeds which are sold in Kentucky and other 

 Southern States. 



Every family raise a few pounds of silk, which 

 they manufacture exclusively for their own use. 

 They also keep a flock of the finest Saxony sheep, 

 the wool of which is combed and manufactured in- 

 to fabrics for family use. 



Their liouses are furnished with every conve- 

 nience calculated to reduce the labor of the various 

 domestic operations. The village is sujjplied with 

 water from a large spring about half a mile distant, 

 which is forced up into a reservoir and is conveyed 

 in pipes directly to every apartment in the prem- 

 ises where it is needed. Machinery is employed for 

 washing, wringing and smoothing clothes, and in 

 the operations for baking, &c. &c. 



A Wrinkle about the Age of Horses. — A 

 few days ago we met a gentleman from Alabama, 

 who gave us a piece of information in regard to as- 

 certaining the age of a horse, after he or she has 

 passed the ninth year, which was new to us, and 

 will be, we are si^re, to most of our readers. It is 

 this : after the horse is nine years old, a wrinkle 

 comes on the eyelid at the upper corner of the 

 lower lid, and every year thereafter he has one 

 well-defined wrinkle for each year over nine. If, 

 for instance, a horse has three wrinkles, he is twelve ; 

 if four, he is thirteen. Add the number of wrin- 

 kles to nine, and you will always get it. So says 

 the gentleman ; and he is confident it will never 

 fail. As a good many people have horses over 

 nine, it is easily tried. If true, the horse dentist 

 must give up his trade. — Southern Planter. 



