VOI.. XII. NO. 32. 



AND HOftTICULTUitAL JOURNAL. 



253 



limn the Isabella, close set upon the cluster, very 

 delicious, pronounced by some foreigners from 

 vine growing countries equal to any they have 

 seen in Europe, n very great bearer, and what 

 renders it particularly valuable in this climate, is 

 perfectly hardy, as much so as any of our native 

 grapes. As a proof of its hardiness and adapta- 

 tion to our climate, it endured the severity of the 

 winter before last, uncovered, without sustaining 

 any injury, while in some parts of our country, 

 some of oiir native varieties were nearly killed. 



The gentleman who communicated this infor- 

 mation, agreeable to his promise, has recently for- 

 warded a box of the cuttings of this grape, with a 

 communication, in which he says : " I last Satur- 

 day sent to Troy a box of grape vines, to be for- 

 warded by canal to you. There is but one kind, 

 the 'To Kalon,' or Spafford Grape, now consider- 

 ed here the finest ice have." If as fine as described, 

 it is worthy its name, " To Kalon," the beautiful 

 and good. This American daughter of an Euro- 

 pean parent, will prove a valuable acquisition to 

 the American vigneron and horticulturist, and will 

 add one more to our choice hardy grapes; while 

 it affords another proof of the truth of the theory 

 ndvanced by the present writer in a former num- 

 ber of the Gen. Farmer, that the only true way to 

 acclimate the European grape (Vitis vinifera) is to 

 raise it from the seed. This successful experi- 

 ment of our late distinguished citizen, and friend 

 and patron of agricultural and horticultural science, 

 Dr. Spafford, should stimulate others to like experi- 

 ments, to obtain new and choice hardy varieties, 

 by sowing the seed of the best European kinds. 

 We have several valuable hardy grapes which 

 have been produced in this way. The Herbemont's 

 Madeira (called after the distinguished gentleman 

 who was supposed to have originated it, in South 

 Carolina, and who has done much by his writings 

 in the Baltimore American Farmer, to promote the 

 knowledge and practice of this interesting branch 

 of rural industry,) is a seedling of a hardy character 

 adapted to our climate, and said to be a very supe- 

 rior grape for wine and for the table. It is the 

 grape which he principally cultivates in his vine- 

 yard, for wine ; of a thin skin, and abounding in 

 a rich purple juice. Such is its hardy character, 

 that it was thought by some to be a native Ameri- 

 can grape ; but Mr. Herbemont considers it a seed- 

 ling of a European variety, though not produced 

 by himself. It is well known that most of the 

 valuable varieties of grapes cultivated in Europe, 

 have been originated by sowing the seed. It is 

 thus that new varieties are constantly formed. We, 

 Americans, by the same practice, may derive the 

 same advantage, with the additional advantage to 

 us, of obtaining vines adapted to our climate. We 

 are glad to see that the attention of our nursery- 

 men and cultivators is awakened to the subject, 

 and that experiments are now making. We anti- 

 cipate, as we have reason, the most favorable re- 

 sults. W. W. B. 



Hammond's Port, Dec. 19, 1834. 



PEUMNG TREES. 



We notice that some of our neighbors have 

 already commenced pruning their fruit and si 

 trees. This operation had better be omitt .1 until 

 the month of May, or even the forepart of June, as 

 lii.; wounds made by cutting oft' limbs at tlm. 

 son, will sooner be covered willi new wood, than 

 those made by cutting wood during the winter. 



The pruning of fruit trees may be omitted, until 

 after they have passed the flower, and the young 

 fruit begins to show itself; the limbs to be cut 

 away can then be selected more judiciously with 

 regard to the crop. Ornamental trees may be 

 trimmed as soon as they begin to leaf out. — In 

 cutting oft" limbs, a small cut should always be 

 made on the lower side first, then the limb may 

 be cut or sawed upon the upper side without dan- 

 ger of splitting down when nearly taken oft', which 

 often happens when this precaution is not taken. — 

 GoodselVs Farmer. 



CATTLE IN ENGLAND. 



Our readers have an example in the following 

 extract, of the great increase that is given to hu- 

 man sustenance by improvements in live stock. — 

 .V. Y. Farmer. 



" A century ago, our cattle, from the inferiority 

 of their food, were not one-half, sometimes even 

 not one-third, of the present weight. — It is com- 

 puted that England and Wales now" contain at 

 least five millions of oxen, and a million and a half 

 of horses of which about a million are used in 

 husbandry, 200,000 for pleasure, and 300,000 ore 

 colts and breeding mares. The number of sheep 

 is about twenty millions, and eight million lambs. 

 The number of long-woolled sheep is about five 

 millions, their fleeces averaging 7 to 8 lbs. ; and 

 of short-woolled sheep fifteen millions, the weight 

 of fleece averaging from 3 to 3J lbs. The whole 

 quantity annually shorn in England is from eighty 

 to eighty-five millions of pounds. The Merinos 

 were introduced about the beginning of the pres- 

 ent century, and were imported in large numbers 

 after our alliance with Spain in 1809. The great 

 pasturage counties are Leicester, Northampton, 

 Lincoln, and Somerset; and for butter and cheese, 

 Cheshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. The im- 

 port of butter and cheese from foreign countries is 

 checked by duties, but these are important articles 

 of Irish commerce with England." 



From the Halloxvell Me. Free Press. 

 BLACK OR SCALT TONGUE. 



This is a disease that has prevailed to a very 

 great extent among horses and cattle through the 

 country during the present winter. We have seen 

 many remedies published in different papers, but 

 have heard of none but such as are either expen- 

 sive or not easily to be procured by our farmers 

 generally, till a neighbor of ours, who keeps a large 

 number of horses, and who has had a number of 

 cases among them, and also among his cows, a few 

 days since, informed us of the following simple 

 remedy, which he has tried with complete success. 

 It has also been tried by the keepers of livery sta- 

 bles in this town, and has invariably effected a 

 speedy cure : 



Take the bark of the common Juniper, (com- 

 monly denominated "Hackmatack,") and boil i! 

 thoroughly till the water becomes very dark color- 

 ed, nearly black, the stronger the better. With 

 this decoction wash the mouth of the diseased ani- 

 mal inside and out, as often as convenient, three 

 or four limes a day ■• 



. - - liecoc- 



tion are also very beneficial. 



All who have made use of the i 

 declare ii nut only more sin much better 



than any other that has come under their ol 

 tion. 



CULTURE OF SILK. 



Wednesday, in the House, the bill to encour- 

 age the cultivation of Mulberry Trees, and the pro- 

 duction' of Silk, was passed to a third reading. 

 This bill gives a bounty of two dollars for every 

 hundred of" trees set out at the rate of 600 to the 

 acre, and one dollar for every pound of domestic 

 reeled silk. The consideration of the above bill 

 was attended by a very interesting debate, in which 

 the following gentlemen took part : Messrs. Gray, 

 Moseley, Rockwell, Eustis,Thayer, Chapman, For- 

 ward, M'Kay, Lincoln, and Kinsman. Mr. Mose- 

 ley communicated much interesting information. 

 He stated that the Mulberry tree would grow in 

 any country between 20 and 50 degrees of latitude 

 — that sandy and gravelly soil suited it best — that 

 the required labor coidd be performed by children, 

 and that 600 lbs. of silk, worth $3 per lb. could 

 be obtained from the worms fed on the trees, 

 which coidd be raised on one acre of ground. 



Mr. Chapman, of Greenfield, who opposed the 

 bill, made some judicious remarks as to such ar- 

 ticles as are ornamental, and such as are useful. 

 But the question was not whether our people had 

 better wear silk, but whether, if they will wear it, 

 it is best that a good part of it should be produced 

 in this country, or that nearly the whole should be 

 imported. Mr. C. wished our farmers' wives and 

 daughters should be able to procure silks at 30 

 cents a yard, rather than at a dollar. Domestic 

 competition may effect this. But, if we do not 

 choose to wear silk, we may produce it to export. 



MASS. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MR. RICHARD JA0.BES' CULTIVATION OP A 

 PREMIUM CROP OP -WINTER RYE. 



Newbury, Nov. 22, 1833. 

 To the Secretary of the Mass. Agricultural Society : 

 Stn, I send you a statement of a crop of winter 

 rye raised on one acre of land the present year, 

 which I wish to enter for premium. Theland is 

 a sandy loam. It was planted with corn in the 

 spring of 1S32, and manured in the hills with 

 about three cords of manure of common quality. 

 The third day of August I sowed one bushel of 

 rye on the acre and hoed it in the usual manner ; 

 in the month of August of the present year the 

 rye was reaped and threshed, and found to meas- 

 ure thirty-five bushels and three-fourths of a bushel. 



Richard Jaques. 



I hereby certify that I assisted in gathering 

 threshing and measuring the above mentioned rye, 

 and there was thirty-five bushels and three-fourths 

 of a bushel. Richard T. Jaques. 



I hereby certify, that I measured the land on 

 which the above mentioned crop of rye was raised 

 and found it to contain one acre and no more. 

 Wade Ilsley, Surveyor. 



Essex, ss. Nov. .'25th, 1833. — Personally appear- 

 ed, the above named Richard Jaques and Richard 

 T. Jaques, and made oatli to the truth of the al 

 certificates, by them severally subscribed 

 inc. Silas Moody, Justice of Peace. 



Essex, ss. Dec. 10, 1833. — Personally appeared 

 above named Wade Ilsley, and made oath to 

 llie truth of the above certificate by him subscrib- 

 ed, before me. Silas Moody, Just, of Peace. 



