1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



135 



The Chaiuman said that all cattle were native 

 that could not be proved to belong to the import- 

 ed races. 



Mr. Shelbon thought that good keep had as 

 much to do with improvement of cattle as had 

 foreign importations. 



Several other gentlemen spoke, and the meet- 

 ing broke up aftpr 10 o'clock — Mr. Sargent's 

 resolution being first laid on the table. 



Fur the New Enr;land Farmer. 



BOOK KNOWLEDGE VS. E'XPEEIENCE-.. 

 SAIiTING PLUM TB,E£.S. 



Mr. Editor : — In this month's number of the 

 Farmer an article appeared with the above cap- 

 tion. The writer does not inform us of the mo- 

 dus operandi of his applying this article. Hav- 

 ing had some experience in this matter of salt on 

 land, I can only say that in February of 1845, 

 I applied to one acre five hogsheads, and for the 

 two following seasons my trees produced great- 

 ly, particularly the Green Gage ; I had at that 

 time upwards of twenty-five varieties of the 

 plum. Previous to this my fruit was badly stung 

 by the curculio. I could not, however, perceive 

 that the salt had any effect upon the black wart, 

 which has since destroyed nearly all the plum 

 trees in this section ; my fruit was most satisfac- 

 torily preserved for two years from the curculio. 

 A friend from a neighboring city on a visit to 

 my place while the salt lay upon the surface, on 

 his return home applied brine to a few trees, 

 •which killed them outright; salt as well as gua- 

 no must be used in a proper manner ; crude salt 

 or brine must not come in close proximity to the 

 roots ; it should be applied to the surface of the 

 ground early in the spring, to the extent or 

 spread of the branches, and remain upon the sur- 

 face some two or three weeks before spading in. 

 The plum is naturally a marine tree, and it is 

 surprising how much salt it will assimilate and 

 thrive upon. The asi)aragus is also a marine 

 plant, hence a sprinkling of salt over the bed in 

 early spring is beneficial, but we should not rea- 

 son that if a small portion would be good, a large 

 quantity would be better. A servant of Judge 

 P., of our city, reasoning after this fashion, de- 

 sti'oyed his plants. 



Regarding the severe experiment, as it was 

 then called, on my land, Mr. Downing, who vis- 

 ited my place when the crop cf plums was upon 

 the trees, remarked in his IlortiatUurisf, that my 

 garden was in a neighl)orhood not remarkable 

 for plums, and that the abundant production of 

 this fruit, he attributed to the destructive effect 

 of the salt on the curculio. 



Many writers in our agricultural papers are 

 too indefinite ; they should be more esi)licit, not 

 only in the precise article recommended, but the 

 season and mode of applying it. We often find 

 lime recommended, but whether stone or shell 

 lime we are not informed ; the article lime, so 

 highly commended by Mr. Pell, the great apple- 

 grower in New York, is .'ihell, and n't stone lime, 

 the latter having frequently magnesia in combi- 

 nation, Avhich is deleterious to the land. 



Salem, Bee. 15, 1858. J. M. Ives. 



CONVENTION" OP AGRICULTURISTS 



AT V7ASHINGTON. 



The delegates invited by the Secretary of the 

 Interior to represent the agricultur:il interests, 

 from the several sections of the United States, 

 met in the Patent Office in Washington, on the 

 3d January. 



D. J. Browne, Esq., who has charge of the Ag- 

 ricultural Division of the Patent Office Bureau, 

 was present, and explained to the members of the 

 convention the objects of the meeting to be for 

 the purpose of aiding the department in obtain- 

 ing more thorough and relialde information in 

 regard to the pr^-sent condition and progress of 

 agriculture throughout the Union, both as it re- 

 gards statistical facts, and as to the results of im- 

 provements instituted and practices followed in 

 the various branches of farm and plantation man- 

 agement. This information to be published in 

 the Reports, with a view to the "elevation ofag- 

 riculture, so essential to our wealth and prosper- 

 ity, as a nation, at least to an equality with other 

 pursuits." 



The Convention then proceeded to organize. 

 Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, of Massachusetts, was 

 chosen President, and Major Ben. Perley Poore, 

 of the same State, was chosen Secretary. The 

 roll of names being then called, it was found that 

 the diflferent States and Territories were repre- 

 sented. 



The Secretary then read a list of questions pre- 

 sented by Mr. Browne. 



A discussion then sprang up in regard to the 

 name by which the Convention should be known, 

 and it was finally voted that it should be called 

 the "Agricultural Advisory Board of the Patent 

 Office." 



It was also voted to divide the Board into five 

 divisions, as follows : 



1st. The New England States, New York, New 

 Jersey, and Pennsylvania. 



2d. Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, 

 Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and 

 Georgia. 



3d. Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, 

 Texas, Indian Territory, Arkansas, Missouri, 

 Kentucky and Tennessee. 



4th. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wis- 

 consin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas. 



5th. New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, 

 Oregon, and Washington. 



The delegates of each division form a commit- 

 tee to examine and report upon the interrogato- 

 ries submitted to them, with power to change and 

 to propose others, or more, as they might think 

 proper. 



It was then voted that a committee of five be 

 appointed by the chair, as a business committee, 

 to bring forward sulijects of discussion during 

 evenings, and the following gentlemen were ap- 

 pointed : 



Hon. D. J. Browne, of Patent Office, (ex offi- 

 cio ;) F. G. Cary, of Ohio ; Dr. John A. Kenni- 

 cutt, of Illinois ; James G. Holmes, of South Car- 

 olina ; Frederick Holbrook, of Vermont, and 

 Hon. Delazon Smith, of Oregon. 



It was then voted that there should be a regu- 

 lar meeting of the Board, each morning at ten 

 o'clock, after the adjournment of which the sev- 

 eral divisions should go into session by them- 



