310 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRTI. 4, 1S8S 



AND gardener's journal. 



Boston, Wednesday, Apbil -t, 1838. 



SPRING WORK. 



The month of March has benn a cold month, and April 

 opens with severe frosts. A cold Marcli however does 

 not prognosticate a cold season ; but rMiher cnconrages 

 the hope, thai if we have our cold weather now, there 

 will be some warm weather due to us early in llie pres- 

 ent month ; and when vegetation i.s once started it will 

 go forward without interruption. 



The season is favorable to making all necessary prep- 

 erations for a vigorous campaign. One of the farmer's 

 first objects should he to see that all his ulensil.i are in 

 Older ; that his ploughs, harrows, roller, forks, shovels, 

 hoes, carts, yokes, and chains are all repaired, sharpened! 

 brightened, and ready for immediate service. The next 

 step is to arrange his plans ; and fully make up his mind, 

 ifhehasnot done it long since, how he will manage 

 and cultivate this or the other piece of land. Every re- 

 flecting man, who has looked int.r the writings and his 

 tory of Washington, will see with astonishment how 

 amidst the most arduous and perplexing cares of state he 

 laid down a perfect system of agricultural operations 

 for his farm at Mount Vernon and pointed out in exact 

 and minute detail what should be the management ol 

 every part of it. Let a man's farm be small or large, let 

 his business indeed be of the most humble character, he 

 will find the greatest convenience as well as advantage 

 in order and systematic arrangement ; and in being early 

 decided as to the course, which he determines to pursue. 

 One of the first things to be done at this season, for 

 the farmer, is to see to his fences. Let him do this for 

 the sike of his own reputation. Nothing is mote disre- 

 putable to a farmer than a slovenly and dilapidated 

 condition of his fences. Let him strai{;hten the crooked ; 

 put up the fallen ; see that all is sound and secure ; and 

 not merely botched up for the present; and especially 

 let him see that his outside fences are of the legal heiglit. 

 Lei him do this on account of his own interest ; that he 

 may secure his crops, and secure, his cattle ; and espec- 

 ially that he may not corrupt the good morals of his cat- 

 tle, who will soon learn to trespass under the encour- 

 agement of poor fences. Let him do this for the sake 

 of peace. Good fences secure good neighborhood ; but 

 few things make more ill blood among neighbors than 

 broken, low, imperfect fences, through which the callle 

 are consequently finding their way into a neigh- 

 bor's cnclosuie, and helping themselves to the best, 

 which his fields afi"ord. We have much more advice to 

 give ; hut we refrain from giving it all at one lime and 

 making the dose too strong at once. 



the cheapest of all luxuries ; and what can we offer to a 

 friend who visits us, which will ordinarily be received 

 with more grateful delight than a plate of delicious Iruit, 

 or a bouquet of choice and brilliant flowers; for look at the 

 lilies of the field, how they grow; and Solomon in all 

 the gorgeousness of oriential magnificence was not ar- 

 ranged like one of these. 



The book contains a brief account of the Pomological 

 Garden commenced in North Salem in 1823, with the 

 design of forming a collection of specimera of foreign 

 and native tieis as would endure the severity of our cli- 

 mate. With the exception of Peaches the book recom- 

 mends no fruit that -Aill not ripen in any part of New 

 Enjtland, or New York and the southern part of Canada, 

 and no f|)eciineti is described in these pages, which has 

 not been identifiud beyond a reasonable doubt uf its 

 o-enuineness. 



There is one statement in the preface which we con- 

 not refuse ourselves the great pleasure of quoting. "We 

 well remember the discouraging advice that we fre- 

 quently received at the beginning of our course as a cul- 

 tivator. We were too old, it was said, to expect to reap 

 in our own person, the fiuils of our labors; yet in spite 

 of these and many other prophecies of the same nature, 

 we persevered and have not only had the satisfaction of 

 raising a great variety and abundance of fine fruit, but 

 of producing from the seed, the Apple, Pear, Peachy 

 P um, Cherry, Nectarine, and Currant. • • « « 

 We mention these seminal productions only to show 

 that our labors meet a speedy reward ; and that a person 

 is seldom so advanced in life that he may not look both 

 for requital and gratification in so laudable a pursuit." 



The book contains much useful information respect- 

 ing the cultivation and management of Fruit Trees, un- 

 der the heads of Root, Manure, Transplanting, Grafting, 

 Budding, &c. from which we design on some future oc- 

 casons to enrich our columns. In the mean time, we 

 recommend to every man, delighting in a garden, and 

 haviniT a desire to cultivate fine fruit without risk in 

 mistaking its character and to understand the cultivation 

 of a tree or a vine, to obtain this book. It is a substan- 

 tial benefaction to the conmiunity and deserves the lib- 

 eral patronage of an int&lligont public. 



MANNING'S SOOK OF FRUITS. 

 Mr Robert Manning of Salem, well known In the hor- 

 ticultural community, and distinguished for his skill and 

 public spirit in the introduction and cultivation of fine 

 fruits, has just published a " Hook of Kiuits— being a 

 descriptive catalogue of the most valuable varieties of 

 the Pear, Apple, Peach, Plum, and Cherry for New 

 England culture, with plates." 'I'ho book is well 

 printed ; the plates do credit to the engravers ; and the 

 information contained in the book is adapted to be 

 highly useful. ' Kruil,' says some one, ' was the food of 

 paradise ;' and ripe fruit of every kind we believe is as 

 conducive to health as it is agreeable to the taste. At 

 the same time to persons living in the country it is among 



The Ahericau Flower Gardes Companion. Adapt- 

 ed to the Northern States. Ky Eliward SaviiRS, 

 Landscape and Ornamental Gardener. 



Tliis is a beautiful book, just issued from the press, 

 containing in a small compass ample instructions lor the 

 cultivation of flowers, and catalogues and directions for 

 the selection of varieties suited to the meridian of New 

 York and Massachusetts, and adapted with variations to 

 other slates. A plain, full, and well arranged; and 

 may he salely commended to the patronage of those 



who have a taste for what indeed is st beautilul in 



the Creat' r's works. 



The pleasures of the eye are among the most varied, 

 ihe most al)uudant, the most impressive, the most in- 

 .slruiiive of any of^ the senses ; we had almost said of 

 all the others combined ; and throughout universai na- 

 ture, in all lis departments and productions, external 

 heauly is every where present and predominant, that 

 this sense might be cultivated and gratified, that the eye 

 might be filled to the full. 



The cultivation of a taste for the beautiful in creation, 

 is laying a broad foundation for innocent (ileasures and 

 moral devotion ; and multiplying the instruments and 

 excitements to a grateful piety. This taste, then, should 

 by every means be encouraged and improved ; and it is 

 impossible in ibis case that we should go too far. It is 

 impossible for us lo become too much in love with na- 

 ture ; with the beauty of the land, the ocean, the skies, 

 the forests, the beasts, the birds, the insect world, the 

 llowers ; and the vast and ever changing procession of 

 animal and vegetable life, as it passes tielore us. 



We oreot, therefore, with unaffected delight, every ef- 

 fort to "cultivate, and strengthen this taste, and to lead 



men away from the grovelling cares and wasting per- I 

 plexities of common life, to study nature in her vast 

 laboratory ; and to mark the divine agency in her every 

 operation, and admire and adorn that beneficent prodi- 

 gality of beauty, which is every where poured out 

 aro'jnd us. 



We cannot forget the delight with which the last sea- 

 son we visited the splendid tuli|) plantation of n distin- 

 guished cullivatnr in the vicinity of Boston. This man 

 is a fool, sav« one, to spend his time and money in the 

 cultivation of these paltry flowers ! But he was a much 

 greater fiol who said it. We saw in it the truest wis- 

 dom. What a profusion and what an endless variety of 

 beauty ! What a wonderful organization ; and what 

 exquisite touch, and tints, and coloring, and shades! 

 What skill, what wisdom, what beneficeace illuminated 

 this simple and narrow page of God s earliest revela- 

 tion, and were here concentrated in a blaze of glory. 

 What a source of innocent and delightful recreation to 

 the cultivator; and what a benefaction lo others in the 

 pleasures which it imparted. 



Away then with party politics, which madden men to 

 frenzy ', and embitter all the wnters of life. Away 

 with the miserable sophistries, and conceits, and arro- 

 gancies of controversial theology, which disturb the 

 temper, and narrow the mind, and nourish pride and 

 and inflame resentment. Away with the wretched 

 drudgery of a never-tobe-satisfied avarice, which ex- 

 tinguishes all generous and noble sentiments; and har- 

 dens the heart like stone. Learn to love the purer, the 

 heart-enlarging, the heart-improving pleasures of nature ; 

 diink of the crystal waters of this cxhaustless fijuntain ; 

 and worship your Creator in this, his glorious temple; 

 adore his goodness and perfection in the infinitely mul- 

 tiplied forms of beauty, which every where crowd upon 

 the sight ; in the snowdrop which first peeps above 

 the ground to whisper to you thai spring is coming, in 

 the rose, the queen of flowers, that sits upon her mossy 

 throne and sheds her fragrance upon your path, in the j 

 floating and golden clouds which draw their glowing 

 folds a round the retiring mimarch of ihe day, and in 

 the sparkling stars which watch with their eternal fires 

 over your hours of repose — " See God in every thing 

 and every thing in God." 



For llie N. t:. F'armer. 



ilAWTHORN Cottage, 

 Roxbury, March 2«, 1838. 



Dear Sir: I have read with attention and pleasure, 

 " The American Flower Garden Companion," by Mr 

 Sayers, which you was so kind as to send me in sheets. 

 It is precisely such a work, as was lequiied, on that 

 most interesting portion of horticulture. The arrange 

 ment of the subjects is appropriate, and the inlnrmation, 

 under each head, so lucid and practical, as to the whole 

 niamgemenl of each family of jilants, as respects expo- 

 sure, soil, varieties of compost, and culture, that every 

 person who has a taste for flowers, will be enabled to 

 rear them, in the best and most satisfactory manner. 



Mr Sayers well merits the thanks and patronage of all 

 Americans, who admire a garden, and especially the 

 splendid embellishments, which flowers are capable ol 

 giving to it, and the beauties they add even to the hum- 

 blest cottage, with but its rod of land. 



The culture of ornamental plants, is the most conclu-. 

 sive evidence of an advanced stateof civilization. So 

 unerring is it, that in passing through the country, I 

 should li;ive no hesitation, in pointing out the relative^ 

 moral condition of each family, from the plants which 

 suiround the house, or appear in its windows. They 

 are the sure indications of intellectual cultivation and 

 exemplary deportment. Vice and a love of plants are 

 incompatible, for flowers are the emblem of virtue, and 

 the deaily cherished companions of pure hearts and pol- 

 isheil minds. Where they are most fostered, the best 

 faculties of the intellect and heart are most appreciated 

 and devolo;.>ed. 



With a sincere hope, that the author and yourself 

 may be justly rewarded, for your laudable efforts to ad. 

 vance the culture of plants, from the modest violet tc 

 the majestic trees of the forest. 



Please to accept assurances of my esteem, 



H. A S. DEARBORN. 



To Joseph Breck. 



Hj'Owing to the press of Advertisements this weel 

 we are under the necessity of omitting our prices o 

 Produce ; there has been no variation, however, since 

 our last, except in Clover and Herds Grass, which har 

 ■advenced a little. 



