NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



■vmst 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Aorkultural Warehouse. )— T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XII. 



i BOSTOV, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 12, 1834. 



NO. 3A. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



For the New England Fartntr. 

 DRAINING SWAMPS. 



Mr. Editor, The attention of the community at 

 the present time seems to Lie mainly directed to one 

 object, or to say the least, one object engrosses n 

 much greater share of thought and conversation 

 than any other, and like ' Aaron's rod swallows n|i 

 all the rest' — namely, the currency of the country. 

 Nor should it he deemed strange that such should 

 be the fact, if we consider that whatever may be 

 denominated money, stamps the value of all other 

 commodities, according to its appreciation, or de- 

 preciation in the money market, and the credit 

 jfiveu to the currency. 



But although I am willing to concede that we 

 have "fallen upon evil times," yet I am by no 

 means willing " to give up the ship," and however 

 much property may depreciate in value, I can but 

 look forward for a redeeming principle, with hope, 

 mid no small share of confidence, to brighter days, 

 and better times; and ..it is this consideration that 

 induces me at this time to request a portion of the 

 attention of the community to a subject, which in 

 this section of the country, so far as my knowledge 

 extends, has hitherto been much neglected. 



The subject to which I now solicit attention, is 

 the draining of swamps and low grounds, with 

 a view to augmei t, aud accelerate the growth 

 of wood and timber. 



It is universally admitted that wood is a neces- 

 ■ary ami indispensable article to the comfort aud 

 happiness of man ; and that in many parts of the 

 country it is becoming scarce and dear. If such he 

 the fact, whatever can be done to increase the 

 quantity in the shortest given time, should by no 

 means be neglected ; and those persons most suc- 

 cessful in producing such a result, would be as 

 much entitled to the thanks of the community, as 

 he who, by superior management, should be the 

 instrument of producing " two spires of grass 

 where but one grew before." 



It is believed that in the New England states 

 there are many acres of swamp, and boggy land, 

 that are now nearly valueless, and that they are 

 wholly so in consequence of stagnant water having 

 lniu upon them for ages ; and the few trees that 

 may be seen here and there, in a thin aud scatter- 

 ed state, are short, scrubby, mossy, unhealthy and 

 unthrifty. 



There is another description of swamp land, 

 •omevvhat different in soil and situation from that 

 which is considered mere bog ; I mean those 

 swamps situated on brooks and small streams, 

 many of which have a soil varying in depth from 

 one to three feet, and which are nearly dry at the 

 •urface occasionally, and in their present state may 

 yield from ten to thirty-five cords of wood per 

 acre ; but in the condition they now are they will 

 not produce that amount of wood in a less time 

 than from forty to sixty years between cutting ; 

 the growth being much retarded by the super- 

 abundance of water lying a' the roots of the trees. 



To remedy the foregoing defects in soil and sit- 

 uation, and render them more productive, and 

 •onsequently more profitable, I beg leave to sug- 

 gest, as being probably the beit meant that cau be 



used, that of draining, wherever it can be done 

 without incurring an expense greater than what 

 would be the probable amount of benefit resulting 

 from the operation. 



There are many acres of swamp land within 

 my knowledge, which may be sufficiently drained, 

 at an expense not exceeding one dollar per acre ; 

 and I believe that I hazard nothing by saying, that 

 if those lands were fairly drained of the supera- 

 bundance of water, that the growth of wood would 

 he so far accelerated thereby, that the amount of 

 wood grown on an acre would be as much in 

 thirty years, as it has heretofore been in forty or 

 forty-five years ; thus making a saving of from ten 

 to fifteen years in rapidity of growth, and the in- 

 teresl for an equal length of time on the value of 

 the wood taken off. 



On bogs where the growth is thin, scrubby and 

 mossy, after being well drained, I would recom- 

 mend, that the growth then on the ground, what- 

 ever it may be, whether wood, or brush, should be 

 cut close and clean, as near even with the surface 

 as is practicable; aud in all places where a growth 

 of wood is desired, cattle should not be suffered to 

 go ; ever remembering that cattle are as fatal to 

 the grovVth of the young and tender shoots of trees, 

 as they would be to the successful growth of a 

 field of Indian corn in the month of July. 



R. Howard. 

 Easion, Feb. 25, 1834. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 ARTIFICIAL, FISH PONDS. 



Mr. Editor, Being about to make an artificial 

 Fish Pond, and seeing some remarks made by a 

 Rhode Island committee which were published in 

 your 5th volume on the "Raising of Fish in Fresh 

 If'ater Ponds," I take the liberty to inquire through 

 the medium of your paper, whether some of those 

 gentlemen, committee men, will not answer the 

 following' inquiries : 



1st. Whether they have made any artificial fish 

 ponds — and if so with what success? 



2d. Will salt water fish thrive best in fresh 

 water ponds? 



3d. What sort of fish are the most prolific to 

 stock a pond with — and which are the most de- 

 sirable for the table ? 



4th. Is it adviseable to put a variety of kinds in 

 one pond ? 



5th. What food is required to feed the fish with ? 



6th. Is a fish called the carp known in your 

 section of the country ? and if so, what are its 

 qualities ? 



QC/^Any other information on the subject of 

 rearing fish in fresh water ponds will be duly ap- 

 preciated by A Subscriber. 



strong salt-brine, for a certain purpose, and placing 

 the vessel containing the brine near my inkstand, 

 the thought occurred to trie, that it would prevent 

 the mothering and drying up of the ink, by mixing 

 it with the thick substance in the inkstand. A.- 

 corc'ingly I mixed some of the brine with the inky 

 matter, and found, upon a fair trial, my anticipa- 

 tion realized. It keeps the inky compound en- 

 tirely free and open, consequently the pen elect, 

 whiclt is a great desideratum with all who have 

 use for the goosequill. Please try aud satisfy your- 

 self - J. N. B. 



For the A'eio England Farmer. 

 PRESERVATION OF INK. 



Mr. Ffsse.nden — Sir, You are at liberty to pub- 

 lish the following, if yon think it worthy of notice. 



It is well known that the common writing ink, 

 commonly made of vinegar or water for the liquid, 

 causes the ink to mother, dry, and of course be- 

 coming thick, and unfit for use, unless often mixed 

 up. Having occasion lately to make use of some 



From the New York Farmer. 

 TO REMOVE VERMIN FROM CATTLE. 



A decoction of tobacco is very good, but it 

 often makes the animal very sick for a short time. 

 A better remedy is to mix plenty of strong Scotch 

 snuff in train oil, and rub the back and neck of 

 the creatire with it, whkh will effectually drive 

 away or kill all vermin. 



Curvven observes that " the best preventives 

 against fleas in hogs, lice in cattle, and ticks in 

 sheep, are rorn meal and good care." Hickory 

 ashes thrown upon swine, not only'assist in de- 

 stroying fleas, but in removing cutaneous diseases, 

 by causing the animals to rub themselves fre- 

 quently. 



From the Genesee Fartngs. 

 BLOODY MURRAIN. 



It is believed that the cause of Bloody Murrain, 

 which is a disease very common and fatal to cattle 

 in many parts of the United Sta'tes, has not yet 

 been discovered and explained; and it is therefore 

 deemed proper to state the following facts, which 

 seem to show that it is caused by leeches, taken 

 with the water drunk by the cattle. These facts 

 may be the means of directing the attention of 

 farmers to the subject, and also to the importance- 

 of supplying cattle with pure water. 



A farmer in Madison county, Ohio, had lost 

 several of his finest catlle by this disease, and upon 

 opening them he found leeches in their 6tomachs, 

 much swollen by the blood they had extracted, 

 aud it was also found that that leeches were living 

 in the water at which the cattle were in the habit 

 of drinking. Bdieving that this was the cause of 

 the disease, he changed the water, and in future 

 only gave them that which was pure;*and for 

 three years his aock had not been troubled with 

 that disease. 



Although this seems to show very conclusively 

 that leeches are the cause of the disease, yet it re- 

 quires further investigation before the question 

 can be entirely fettled. S. L, 



87,000 CROWS 



— Were destoyed this season at Dupplin by the 

 demolition of/between 11000 and 12000 nests, 

 by contract f|r £25 sterling. * * * * In opposition 

 to this spirit a persecution it is said that nine tenths 

 of their foodeonsists of worms, insects and their 

 larva? ; and ij every one who knows how destruc- 

 tive to vegettion are the larva; of the tribes of in- 

 sects and wrrns, some slight idea may be formed 

 of the devajtation which rooks are the mean! of 

 preventing.j-Z.oud(/nV Gardmer'g Magazine. 



