318 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL, 16, 1834. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 1G, 1834.. 



SPRING WORK. 



See that your sheep are freed from ticks. A 

 correspondent gives the following directions for 

 effecting this object. 



" Boil a small quantity of tobacco, perhaps what 

 grows on one good thrifty stalk would be enough 

 for half a dozen sheep, in so much water, as when 

 it is sufficiently boiled, there shall be two or three 

 gallons of the liquor ; let it become sufficiently 

 cool, then open the wool along the centre of the 

 neck and back of the sheep, and with a bunch of 

 tow or some other spongy substance put on the 

 decoction until the skin becomes thoroughly muist- 

 ened therewith, and in a short time the ticks will 

 all be destroyed, and the sheep instead of pulling 

 out and wasting their wool by fruitless exertions 

 of self defence, will become easy and contented, 

 and suffer their fleece to remain to be taken off by 

 the shears. 



" F.>r many years I have taken this method 

 with my sheep, just before the time of their lamb- 

 ing, and have always found it to have the desired 

 effect. I very much dislike the foolish practices 

 of smoking, chewing and snuffing the poisonous 

 weed, at least when no better reason can be given 

 for so doing than fashion or the force of habit ; yet 

 I annually raise a few plants for the benefit of my 

 sheep, anil would recommend to every one who 

 keeps these useful animals to do the same." 



We approve of the practice of our correspon- 

 dent in cultivating a Utile tobacco for the purpose 

 of extirpating sheep-ticks. It is likewise well to 

 use decoctions of this plant for destroying lice on 

 cabbage plants, insects on fruit trees, &e. It has 

 been recommended to use the powder or dust of 

 tobacco to save young plants from insects. While 

 the dew is on the ground the dust of tobacco is 

 thrown over the beds where, the plants are just 

 coming up. Likewise a liquid expressed from this 

 plant may be obtained of tobacconists, which is 

 cheap, ami highly destructive to animal life. Mix 

 this liquid with from three to five times its quan- 

 tity of water, and wilh a syringe or watering pot 

 you may lid your premises of canker worms, cater- 

 pillars, turnip Hies, anil other plagues of the kind 

 in a cheap and efficacious manner. 



If you cannot conveniently obtain this essence 

 of destruction from some neighboring tobacconist, 

 you may pour boiling water on the leaves or even 

 the steins of tobacco, and when the decoction is 

 cold apply it as aforesaid to such creeping and 

 crawling animalcules as it may be desirable to doc- 

 tor into nou-enlity. 



Ewes and Lambs. The Farmer's Manual asserts 

 that the best nursing for feeble lambs is to keep 

 the ewes well, and recommends giving them not 

 only potatoes and carrots but white beans ill small 

 quantities, So as not to excite fever. If your lambs 

 are feeble they will require to he nursed with warm 

 milk, given frequently in small quantities. Ewes 

 milk is best, and if the ewe does not give milk 

 enough fur her lamb there is little probability that 

 the lamb will live. Therefore, as before asserted, 

 you should attend to the diet of the mother for the 

 purpose of giving health lo her offspring. If you 

 are apprehensive lest foxes should take unwarrant- 

 able liberties with your lambs and geese, you will 

 rub a little tar on their necks, and it is said neither 

 foxes nor wolves will attack them, as those ma- 

 rauders cannot endure the odor of tar. 



Culture af Onions. The following mode of cul- 

 tivating onions is extracted from a communication 

 for the New England Fanner, printed vol. 3, p. "205, 

 and written by J. Tucker, Esq. of Salem, Mass. 

 We reprint the directions because they appear to 

 us useful, differing in some respects from any 

 others which we have observed, and will be as 

 good as new to many of our readers. 



" The land should be ploughed about four inches 

 in depth, and harrowed so as to make it very line ; 

 the manure which should always be a rich com- 

 post, should be ploughed in and thoroughly mixed ; 

 the land should then be rolled with a heavy roller 

 to form a close bottom for the bulbs to form upon, 

 and at the same time not so hard as to prevent the 

 plant from penetrating. The best onions, and the 

 largest crops are produced where the bulbs grow 

 almost entirely on the top of the ground. After the 

 ground has been rolled and before the seeds are 

 sown, the beds should be raked with a sharp iron 

 rake, to prepare a finely pulverised drill for the re- 

 ception of the seed ; and after the seeds are sown, 

 the drill should be pressed with a board and suf- 

 ficient weight to bring the earth in close contact 

 with the seed. Care should be taken in the selec 

 tion of the seed ; none should be sown but what 

 will be sure to vegetate, and it would be well if 

 no more seed was sown than you would have 

 plants to grow and remain in the drill. It will be 

 superfluous to add that if you would have a good 

 crop of onions, you must not permit a crop of 

 weeds to grow in the same bed, they will not do 

 well together.'' 



The best manures for onions are said to be sea 

 weed and charcoal dust. The sea weed should 

 bo buried with a spade or plough like any other 

 coarse manure. The charcoal dust spread upon 

 the top of the ground intended for onions about a 

 half an inch thick, before the seed is sown, (the 

 ground being previously well dug and manured) 

 and dug in with the point of the spade, so as to 

 mix the top soil and charcoal dust together. 



Mr. Joseph Perkins of Newbury, Mass. in the 

 year 1832 received a premium of twenty dollars 

 from the Mass. Agricultural Society for a crop of 

 onions, amounting to 646 1-2 bushels to the acre, 

 reckoning 52 1-2 lbs. to the bushel. The follow- 

 ing as staled by Mr. Perkins was the mode of cul- 

 ture by which this great crop was obtained. 



" The quality id' the soil varies fioni a light yel- 

 low to a dark loam, and has been cultivated wilh 

 onions for several years. The 20th of November 

 last, there were four loads of barn manure plough- 

 ed in, in ridges. The 28th of April following, 

 the land was ploughed and harrowed, and three 

 pounds of seed sown in drills fourteen inches apart. 

 The first hoeing and weeding was done June 10th, 

 which cost six days' labor. The last weeding was 

 done July 7th, which cost six days more. The\ 

 were harvested the last of October, and nine thou- 

 sand and seven hundred hunches have been bunch- 

 ed ; which estimating 15 bunches to the bushel, 

 each bunch weighing 3 1-2 lbs. is six hundred and 

 forty six and a half bushels." 



New Mode of seleeting Seed Corn. Mr. Solo- 

 mon Thayer of New Brnintree Mass. has left in 

 the office of the N. E. Farmer, several ears of In- 

 dian corn, which are remarkable for a propem 

 in which corn moil corn are often deficient. The 

 small ends of the ear is filled completely out, quite 

 to the extremity wilh sound kernels of good size, 

 instead of an inch or two, more or less of small 

 imperfect kernels, or barren cob, as is often the 



case, in the product of our corn fields. This was 

 effected by Mr. Thayer, by selecting for seed for 

 several years in succession, kernels which grew 

 at the tip of the ear ; and as like not only produ- 

 ces iis like but improves its likeness, these top end 

 kernels being planted produced two or three more 

 ears to a stalk, which were filled and the ends 

 rounded off with sound corn of larger size than 

 top end kernels usually are. 



We doubt however, whether these cars are as 

 large, as if the largest kernels had been planted. 

 Some cultivators think they have derived advan- 

 tage by selecting their seed corn exclusively from 

 the largest end of the ear. They tell us that " the 

 nearer the seed is taken from the butt-end ibe larger 

 will be the ears." Perhaps Mr. Thayer might im- 

 prove mi his praise-worthy experiment by selec- 

 ting seed corn for two or three years from the 

 large end of his improved ears ; and then plant a 

 while from the middle. Dr. Deane directed in 

 shelling seed corn, to select about an inch from 

 each end of the corn, planting die middle only. 

 But experiments are of more weight than authori- 

 ty in the scale of improvement. 



ANOTHER TRANSPLANTER. 



We have in this day's paper, (page 315,) taken 

 notice of Mr. Oakes' transplanters, for which he 

 deserves well of cultivators. Since that notice we 

 have been introduced to another implement for 

 the same purpose, invented by a Mr. Smith, and 

 which is for sale at the Boston Agricultural Ware- 

 house. This machine is so fitted with a move-, 

 able slanting side that the communication between 

 the plant and the earth in which it grew, except 

 a portion of soil attached to the roots, is cutoff at 

 the bottom as well as the sides, by which means 

 on withdrawing the implement, the extraction of 

 the plant, and a quantity of attached suil in which 

 it grew is rendered certain. 



HOUSE BELLS. 



Communication. I wish through the medium 

 of the Centinel and Palladium, to notice a neat and 

 economical improvement made by Mr. Currier, 

 of this city, respecting bells for houses and hotels. 

 Heretofore there have been separate bells for each 

 apartment. These have been numbered to indi- 

 cate the apartment where an attendant was wan- 

 led. In large establishments numerous hells are 

 necessary, and these were costly, and sometimes 

 not useful if the bell had ceased to sound before it 

 was looked at. In the invention a single bell is 

 sufficient for the largest hotel. The wire from each 

 apartment, while it rings this common bell, com- 

 municates motion to a suspended hall over an ap- 

 propriate number, and its long continued vibra- 

 tions give, without fail, and without noise, the in- 

 formation that is desired. The expense is com- 

 paratively trifling. — Boston Centinel. 



The above mentioned ingenious and useful con- 

 trivance may be seen at the Boston Agricultural 

 Warehouse, No. 52 North Market street. 



ITEMS OP INTELLIGENCE. 



Salt. At no period since the commencement of the 

 salt-manufacture in this county was that interest more 

 depressed than at the present time. Salt works are 

 unsaleable at any price much above the inconsiderable 

 value of the materials of which they are composed for 

 other purposes. Salt is very low. Sales have been 

 made at 31 and 32 cents per bushel, and there is little 

 prospect for an improvement at present. — Barnstable 

 Journal. 



