1859. 



NEW ENGLAND J^ARMER. 



253 



was spread on the turned furrow and harrowed 

 in before planting. The corn where the wood 

 ashes and muck, were spread, early took, prece- 

 dence of all the other parcels, and continued ap- 

 parently much the best through the season. This 

 manure was prepared by mixing eight bushels 

 of ashes with two estimated tons of muck." 



Within the limits of the calcareous mica slate 

 regions of Vermont, which with the limestone 

 regions on Lake Champlain, &c., constitute much 

 more than half of the area of the state, are im- 

 mense deposits, or rather formations, of sphag- 

 nous muck. In many instances the beds of what 

 were once large ponds, are now filled with muck 

 to a great depth. Many existing ponds are con- 

 tracted to one-fourth, and some to one-tenth of 

 their former area, and will eventually entirely 

 disappear. When the peat or muck lies over 

 shell marl, as is the fact in many locations, it is 

 more valuable for manure than in other cases. 

 Such marl may be readily converted to caustic 

 lime by placing it over a pile of logs or wood, 

 and then burning the pile. It is equally valua- 

 ble for manure, when burnt thus, as if burnt in 

 a kiln. The ponds made anciently by beavers, 

 and now called beaver meadows, (not barren, as 

 your types made me say,) very often contains both 

 marl and muck. These are very numerous, and 

 furnish an adequate supply to a large number of 

 farms. I will furnish you with some experiments, 

 made by myself and others, as soon as I may 

 find it convenient. Yours, <S:c., 



Browninglon, VL, 1859. S. R. Hall. 



Mr. Brown : — Allow me to enclose a copy of 

 a line received from my friend Wheelock, since 

 writing the letter enclosing this. 



Yours, Szc, s. R. n. 



Rev. S. R. Hall: — Since forwarding a hasty 

 line to you to-day, and having read the article by 

 '•W.,"in the last Farmer, calling in question the 

 accuracy of your statement, it has seemed to me 

 that you might like to receive an account of the 

 stock I am wintering at the present time. I do 

 not now mow more ground than when I made 

 the statement to you some years ago — not over 

 thirty-five acres. If any one doubts whether I 

 am wintering stock equal to forty ordinary cows, 

 let him come and see it. I have now — 



1 yoke of 7 foot Oxen. 

 10 Cows. 



8 Yearlings. 



8 Calves. 



3 Horses (larpe ) 



3 Colts, 1, 2 and 3 years old. 

 47 Slieep cf the large breed. 



One of my neighbors,! think, keeps more stock, 

 in proportion to the amount of land he mows 

 over, than I do. My grain, &c., is about the 

 same as formerly. Yours, &c., 



JosiAH B. Wheelock. 



Coventry, Vt., Jan. 31, 1859. 



Remarks. — If our intelligent correspondent 

 would be a little more careful in his chirography 

 he would have to regret less errors. For in- 

 Btance, if we should select his words "with," 

 "barren," and some others, and place them with- 

 out any connection with others, we think it would 

 puzzle him to tell what they are. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 

 BUCKWHEAT AND WIRE WORMS. 



Mr. Editor: — I have long had it in contem- 

 plation to communicate to you what I observed 

 in a gentleman's corn-field, last season, in the 

 fore part of July. It was four acres of Indian 

 corn, two acres growing and two acres trying to 

 grovv', upon a piece of land, all of which, until 

 that year, had always, as the owner expressed it, 

 been so infested with wire worms as to i-ender 

 the growing of Indian corn, or other crops, "a 

 very steep up-hill business." But when I ob- 

 served it, only one-half the field was giving signs 

 of the worms, while the other half presented that 

 beautiful appearance which always characterizes 

 a luxuriant corn-field. All parts of the field had 

 been treated alike that season, but the year pre- 

 vious, the part of the field presenting a healthy 

 appearance, had produced an abundant crop of 

 buckwheat, no buckwheat having been sown on 

 the other part. The difference between the two 

 portions of the field was very marked — the crop 

 on that part where no buckwheat had been raised 

 being past all hope of recovery. 



Now I thought the above facts of sufficient 

 importance to excuse me for a self-introduction 

 to you, in my first newspaper article, knowing, 

 as I do, your anxiety to give any information, 

 however remotely benefiting the farming interest. 



If the farmer can be exterminating so destruc- 

 tive an enemy to his thrift as the wire worm, and 

 at the same time, and on the same soil, be produc- 

 ing a profitable crop, he surely ought to know it, 

 and know how to do it. I do not know as the 

 buckwheat had anything to do with driving off or 

 starving out the worms, but it certainly looks like 

 it. At any rate, I have given facts as I have seen 

 them, and farmers can form thtir own opinions ; 

 they will lose nothing, if they have a nest of wire 

 worms which they would like to break up, by ap- 

 plying the buckwheat theory. 



'Leyden, March 5, 1859. David Mowry. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FRUIT TREES— LIMITED DURATION. 



The celebrated Thomas Andrew Knight, of 

 the London Horticultural Society, one of the most 

 scientific cultivators in Europe, whose attention 

 was directed to the unhealthy condition of the 

 old varities of fruits, particularly the apple, came 

 to the conclusion that we could no longer raise 

 healthy tree, and good fruit from the old sorts. 

 Professor Lindley, although differing from Pres- 

 ident Knight's theory, says, "However much we 

 may diff'er from him, no man living now before 

 the world, can be said to rank with him, in that 

 particular branch of science, to which his life was 

 devoted." Thiking that the opinion of the practi- 

 cal Octogenary llodgers, on this theory, would be 

 interesting to your readers, I have ventured to 

 transcribe it. He says, "The Golden Pippin is 

 one of the most esteemed and hardy fruits. There 

 is, however, an idea prevalent that this country 

 was about to lose this fine fruit forever. In Mr. 

 Knight's Treatise on Orchard Fruit, the doctrine 

 was first broached, that ail our varieties and sub- 

 varities of fruits, liave but a temporary existence. 

 They are raised from seed, flourish for an uncer- 

 tain number of years, and after arriving at their 



