238 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



of twenty-four hills each ; in all ninety-six hills, has ever been my lot to witness in this county; 

 Lot No. 1, was cut at the ground and stooked so many boys, farmers' sons, too, all of them to 

 Sept, 24. Lot No. 2, had the top stalks cut in | be sent to the penitentiary for stealing and 

 the usual way, at the same date. Lot No. 3, was j burglary. Farmers of Chatauque county, when 

 left standing whole until October 29, when each your boys get large enough to work, find work 

 of the lots was harvested and husked. The ears for them at home ; on no account let them go 



were then spread about six inches deep, and re- 

 mained until Dec. 20. At this date the whole 

 was shelled, and the result is as follows : 



Lot No. 1. Lot No. 2. Lot No. 3. 



Cut up whole 

 / anil iiooked 



Sept. 24. 

 Oct 2. harvested, weight, 143 lbs. 

 Dec. 20, shelled, corn we'd, 111 '■ 

 Cobs weighed, 16 " 



Total, 127 •' 



Shrinkage, 16 " 



Per cent, of shrinkage, 13 4 8 



"It appears, by this experiment, that the corn 

 hich was stooked weighed least at harvest and 

 shrunk most before shelling, while that which 

 had the top stalks cut, weighed most at harvest- 

 ing, and shrunk least before shelling. — Secretary 

 of the Society ." 



Perhaps it may be proper to say that all the 

 lots, in other rtspects, were cultivated alike. 



Boston, February 22, 1859. D. 



Remarks. — There is a great difference be- 

 tween cutting off a limb near its termination, 

 where it is small, and where but comparatively 

 little sap is flowing — being scattered into all the 

 branches and twigs in its neighborhood — and 

 cutting it off close to the body of the tree. If 

 you were to cut oft" the first joint of a finger, the 

 danger of bleeding to death would not be so 

 great as it would if the leg were cut off at the 

 thigh ! A skilful operator leaves what are called 

 leaders, when grafting, to take up the flowing 

 sap and divert it from the limb that is cut off. 

 These leaders are vigorous limbs that spring 

 from a larger one just back of the one that is cut 

 ofi". But even with this care, and that of covering 

 the wound with grafting wax, they will some- 

 times bleed and decay. The scion itself, although 

 so small, also takes up and disposes of consider- 

 able sap. 



KEEP THE BOY a AT HOME. 



In the circuit court of Chatauque county, N. 

 Y., says the Sprinc/Jield Bepublican, eight or ten 

 young men were sentenced to the penitentiary 

 for theft, burglary and other crime. Before pass- 

 ing sentence. Judge Marvin inquired of each his 

 birth-place, occupations, and the temptations 

 that had led him into vice. All of them had been 

 brought up farmers, and had gone to teaming, 

 or into taverns, or some other business exposing 

 them to temptation, and had learned to drink, 

 swear and use tobacco, and so began their ca- 

 reer of crime. Having finished his address to 

 the criminals, the judge turned to the spectators 

 and said : — 



"Before sentencing these boys I have a few 

 words to say to the men of Chatauque county, 

 the agriculturists in particular, some of whom 

 are here to-day looking on the saddest scene it 



into the city or village to work ; nor let them go 

 to teaming ; I care not if they can get fifty dol- 

 lars per month, it will be a dead loss. They will 

 just as surely follow the example of these boys, 

 now l)efore you, as they leave the sacred and re- 

 straining influences of home. Give them plenty 

 of good books, and papers, make home pleasant, 

 and keep them there until they are of age and 

 have the wisdom to resist the temptation of the 

 high wages on the road or in the tavern, but ob- 

 tained at the expense of good character." 



Fur the New England Fanner. 

 AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS THE BASIS 

 OF HUMAN PROGRESS. 



Mr. Editor : — When the time comes, which 

 is foretold by the prophets, "when the swords 

 shall be beaten into plow-shares, and the speara 

 into pruning-hooks" — when universal peace and 

 harmony prevails, and "righteousness cover the 

 earth as the waters do the sea" — then will the in- 

 terests of mankind become associated ; then the 

 whole earth will be one great mammoth associa- 

 tion. Our Saviour has said, "for where your trea- 

 sure (or interest) is, thei'e will your heart be al- 

 so." Therefore, those who act voluntarily, are 

 governed and controlled by what they deem to 

 be their interest ; and this interest or treasure, is 

 not confined to money — to dollars and cents ; but 

 is that which is anticipated to produce pleasure 

 and happiness. None but the slave can be said 

 to exercise or do a disinterested act. Isolated 

 and antagonistic interest is the source or germ 

 of all the contentions, wars and crimes extant 

 on the face of the earth — is "the sin of the 

 world." Isolated labor is, for the most part, un- 

 productive, discouraging and unprofitable. As- 

 sociated interest and labor levels the mountains — 

 fills up the valleys — makes the rough places 

 smooth; and, by it, "all flesh shall see the sal- 

 vation of God." By it a "highway is cast up 

 for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in," — by it 

 the iron horse moves through the length and 

 breadth of the earth — by it the manufacturer has 

 made his fabrics plenty and cheap. Most of the 

 great enterprises of the day, in the arts and sci- 

 ences, are accomplished by associated interests 

 and labor. Almost every useful commodity is 

 made plenty and cheap, except our bread and 

 butter, our beef and pork and cheese ! That 

 which constitutes the life of man is as scarce as 

 ever — as hard to be obtained as it was sixty or a 

 hundred years ago ! This is not a right state of 

 things. Make the necessaries of life plenty and 

 cheap, to correspond to the productions of the 

 manufacturer. 



Agriculturists are the foundation, the bottom 

 strata of the whole superstructure of human so- 

 ciety, and so long as they remain in their isolat- 

 ed and antagonistic condition — laboring single 

 handed, with their few imperfect implements, try- 

 ing to force a few bushels of grain from a sterile 

 soil, without system, without adequate knowl- 



