240 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



soon becomes so full of seeds, that the young 

 plants will be found springing up, in great num- 

 bers, for a long succession of years. 



Beside the common mullein, there are two 

 other kinds, the Moth Mullein and the White 

 Mullein. The latter is a tall plant with a thin, 

 powdery wooliness. and yellow (sometimes white) 

 flowers 



What farmer would not value a book giving 

 him a definite and reliable account of every plant 

 growing on his farm in the manner in which this 

 is given ! Some of the terms used in describing 

 it may be difficult to comprehend at first, but with 

 a little care they would soon become familiar. 

 But there is usually enough in plain English to 

 enable us to find out the names of unknown 

 plants, and to explain those whose names are 

 common to us. 



The work is by Dr. William Darlington, 

 with revisions and additions by George Thur- 

 BER, Professor of Botany in the N. Y. College 

 of Pharmacy, and we understand is approved by 

 Prof. Gray, of Cambridge, whose "Analytical 

 Key to the Natural Orders" he has permitted 

 the author to use. It is published in the neat 

 and attractive style of A. O. MooRE & Co., Agri- 

 cultural Book Publishers, 140 Fulton Street, New 

 York. It will become one of the most gratifying 

 and useful books we have. 



Devons. Allowing a quart to weigh two and a 

 quarter pounds, it gives but two quarts, for one 

 pound and a quarter of butter. Such a statement 

 ought not to pass unnoticed. C. E. FiSKE. 



Natick, March 12, 1859. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 RUNNING WATER— NATIVE STOCK. 



Many are the farms that are not supplied with 

 running water. Such was mine ten years ago. 

 Thinking that by means of a syphon I might 

 save the expense of pumping for my stock of cat- 

 tle, I dug a well twenty rods above my barn, and 

 twenty feet deep, the bottom of the well being 

 on a level with the trough at the barn. The pipe 

 was half inch, laid four feet from the top of the 

 well, and run to the bottom ; the remainder of 

 the pipe laid so as to be secure from frost. These 

 ten years it has worked admirably ; as good to- 

 day as ever. The cost of it was about fifty dol- 

 lars. Now there are a multitude of places in New 

 England, as well situated to obtain water by this 

 means as my own, which when obtained, the ow- 

 ners would not part with for many times the cost. 



In the March number of the Farmer is a re- 

 port of the Third Legislative Meeting, at which 

 time was discussed the best stock for general 

 farming purposes. The reports of these meet- 

 ings, (although there is a great diversity of opin- 

 ion,) are generally very interesting and profitable 

 to me, and I am prepared to believ pretty large 

 statements — but there is one, made by Mr. Da- 

 vis, of Plymouth, in relation to native stock, 

 which is a little too large for me to credit. There 

 must be some mistake. The statement is this. 

 "Four pounds and a half of the milk from a cow 

 of a friend of his had yielded one and a quarter 

 pounds of butter." Now this is far beyond what 

 Mr. Buckminster ever claimed for his favorite 



THE STATE FARM. 



On Wednesday, March 30, the State Board of 

 Agriculture made a formal transfer of the State 

 Farm at Westboro', to the Board of Trustees of 

 the Institution, with all the stock — some forty 

 head — fodder, grain, implements, &c. &c. 



We had the pleasure of going over a portion 

 of the farm with the members of the Executive 

 Committee, and looking at some of the improve- 

 ments which had been commenced or completed 

 by the Board. One experiment in draining, un- 

 der the special direction of Hon. B. V. French, 

 is well worthy the observation of those who in- 

 tend to engage in that particular item of farm 

 progress. Another in trenching, is a work of 

 considerable magnitude, and the results from it 

 so far are encouraging. Some five or six acres 

 of land almost covered with rocks, hummocks 

 and bushes, have been thoroughly trenched by 

 the boys of the Institution to the depth of eigh- 

 teen inches, and now lies as mellow as a garden 

 bed ready for spring seeding. 



The Hon. John Brooks, of Princeton, has act- 

 ed as Chairman of the Superintending Committee, 

 and no man could be more constant, faithful and 

 persevering in the discharge of the duties which 

 have devolved upon him. 



The head farmer, Samuel N. White, Esq., 

 after a six or eight years' residence u])on the 

 State Farm, has returned to Brookfield to soothe 

 the declining years of aged parents, and to settle 

 once more in the home of his youth. These he 

 thought paramount objects, and declined longer 

 to remain in the service of the State. His duties 

 at the Farm have been arduous and unremitting, 

 and he has discharged them with an ability, zeal 

 and fidelity which reflect as much credit upon 

 himself as they have been valuable to the Board. 

 Beside his responsibilities as farmer, his clerical 

 duties have been nearly as arduous as those of 

 a counting-house clerk, in keeping the accounts 

 of the farm and the numerous experiments which 

 have been instituted. He carries with him our 

 hearty wishes for the continued health and pros- 

 perity of himself and his intelligent and cultiva- 

 ted family. 



The Agls of Trees. — The Newburyport 

 Herald says that among those trees whose ages 

 have been ascertained, the elm has been known 

 to live more than ooO years; the chestnut. 600; 

 the cedar, 800; the oak, froin 1000 to 1500; and 

 some of the woods of the tropics for 3000,4000 

 and 5000 years. 



