WMW ENGLAND FARHER, 



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



VOL. XII. 



BOSTON', WEDNESDAY KVENINC, JINK 11, 1834. 



NO. 48. 



From the Portsmouth Join nut. 

 BIRDS. 



It has been the ravenous practice of man l<i 

 destiny all those beautiful creatures — and tlie mijr* 

 beautiful, the more furious lie is to destroy them, 

 and that too without the least gain. 



Now can we be candid enough to consider the 

 evil consequences of this practice, as well as the 

 great benefits to be derived in forbearance of such 

 a practice ? It is my present intention to set forth 

 some of the evils resulting from such brutal and 

 inhuman practices, and to endeavor to bring to 

 view some of the benefits unavoidably resulting 

 from thicr discontinuance. 



It is a melancholy fact in this vicinity, mid 

 probably elsewhere, at least as far as the extent 

 of the New England States, that our songsters, 

 who give the most delightful of all melody, arc so 

 extinct, that in our usual walks of business or of 

 pleasure it is rare to hear or see a solitary one, 

 especially one of those admired songsters the ma- 

 vis or mock bird that is so distinguished ahovt all 

 others of the bird tribe, — especially to sec hei so 

 bold us formerly, rise to the top of a high tree, de- 

 termined that every note should be distinctly beard, 

 and there for fifteen minutes in succession, with- 

 out the least intermission never repeat a single 

 note ; us soon as her song is ended, she is sure to 

 remove to another of the loftiest tops and pitch 

 another song in as clear and deliberate a manner 

 as any of the human tribe possibly can. — Vow 

 the poor songster, if she presumes to show her 

 head, or sing us one of her old hundreds, even 

 in a bush, she is immediately put to death. 



The singing of birds in general, isabovi all mu- 

 sic particularly at the closing of our loig frozen 

 winters, after being long shut up and sxcluded 

 from most of the enlivening exhibitions cf nature. 

 The sight of a variety, and of plenty of tlose birds 

 with their warbling voices around us in cur walks, 

 and in our business, would change tie present 

 melancholy scene very .much. It is surprising 

 that we notice the very great difteren-e within a 

 few years; 1 could once see a tolerable number of 

 different species in my orchard, and about my 

 farm ; but men as they call themselves, and boys, 

 would flock around my dwellings, and in dry sea- 

 sons, when there was much danger ot fire being 

 kindled from their guns. Every birl of every 

 description, was shot on its nest, or of, no matter, 

 if a bunch of birds could be obtaiied to carry 

 home for a show. I am not troubled with those 

 gunners now; there arp no birds on my farm save 

 barn swallows, and a pair of Pewees, who are sure 

 to come home every season, and breed in an out- 

 building undisturbed. — We endeavor to protect 

 them from guns and stones. They are as tame as 

 we wish them ; and they take off a few of the in- 

 sects that infest our eyes and ears. 



Besides the privation named of the sight and 

 music of those birds, we are sensible of a great in- 

 crease of insects that infest our fruit trees, and 

 that prey upon our grain and corn fields. We 

 may positively assert, that if birds were inc-eased 

 a thousand to one, hopping over our grounds in 

 search for their food, that there would be a great 

 diminution of those insects amounting to nearly to- 

 tal extinction. There are many that feed on the 



insects on fruit trees, which if undisturbed, from 

 . a Common course of nature, would free them from 

 these pests, which ruin the fruit. The different 

 species of Woodpeckers used to be plenty, which 

 are now almost extinct, from their exposed state, 

 ' in searching out fruit orchards. The Cuckoo is a 

 fine but rare bird ; she exposes herself from sing- 

 ing her very melodious songs ; also from the cir- 

 cumstance of her particular manner of living, 

 which I believe is wholly on caterpillars' I have 

 seen them light at a new nest and clear it com- 

 pletely. 



There are many species of birds which I have 

 not mentioned as to their beauty and usefulness, 

 and some few that are mischievous. IWy design 

 has been to show that we once were delighted 

 with, and benefitted by those birds, and that we 

 are now living in thig dreary land, without their 

 company, and without their great benefit. And 

 now I will show that if we choose, we can soon 

 enjoy their company again. 



The remedy is practicable, it is only to legislaU 

 in their favor. To make the thing more perfect, 

 every State should go hand in hand. A heavy 

 tine should be laid against those who destroy any 

 birds, except the most mischievous. 



MANGEL, WURTZEL FOR CATTLE. 



By the Editor of the American Farmer. 

 Last year we made an experiment with mangel 

 wurtzel for cattle, and the result was highly satis- 

 factory — so much so that we shall hereafter adopt 

 it in preference to all other root crops for the pur- 

 pose. Having about the sixth of an acre of ground 

 prepared for early corn for which we had not seed 

 enough, we determined to plant it in mangel wurt- 

 zel as an experiment, having very little confidence 

 in its equality with ruta baga. We accordingly 

 soaked the seed twenty-four hours in warm water, 

 laid oft" furrows about two f^t apart, and dropped 

 the seed six or eight inches apart, covering it as 

 we do corn. When the plants were up, we passed 

 over the field with a weeding hoe, and subsequent- 

 ly run a small plough through it twice, clearing 

 out the weeds with a hoe. This is all the cultiva- 

 tion it had, and we feel certain that all the work 

 bestowed upon it, including the original prepara- 

 tion of the ground for corn, did not amount to 

 more than two full days work for one man. We 

 put no manure on the ground, though it had been 

 manured the year before for potatoes, and for 

 planting in early York cabbages, which were kill- 

 ed by the severity of the winter. The soil was a 

 fair medium mold, a mixture of sand, clay and 

 vegetable matter ; high ground, but level. When 

 the mangel wurtzel was gathered, it was estimated 

 by every one at seventy-five bushels ; some more, 

 hut none less. It was also perfectly evident that 

 we might have taken at least one-fourth more, if 

 not double the quantity, from the same ground, 

 had we planted more carefully, and laid the rows 

 fifteen or eighteen inches apart, instead of two 

 feet. There were many places in the rows where 

 there was not a plant for six or eight feet; and 

 then again many places where they were so crowd- 

 ed that the roots could not fairly develope them- 

 selves. 



As food for cattle, especially for milch cows, our 



experiment was as follows: In October our best 

 milch cow began to fail in her milk, and we cut 

 an arm full el' the tups of mangel wurtzel for her; 

 this seemed to have a good effect, and it was re- 

 peated night and morning fur a week, when she 

 fully recovered her usual supply. The leaves 

 were then withheld, ami she immediately failed 

 again in her milk. At that time her full quantity 

 was about twelve quails a day, and when the man- 

 gel wurtzel leaves were withheld, the quantity she 

 gave was only about six quarts. She had a good 

 pasture, with an excellent stream of -water in it, 

 and plenty of salt during the lime; but. at that 

 season the grass does not afford sufficient nutritive 

 matter. 



After another week we began giving her the 

 roots of the mangel wurtzel, cut small, and occa- 

 sionally sprinkled with shorts or corn meal, and a 

 'ittle salt; one peck of the roots given thus, .had 

 the same effect on her milk that the tops hail ; and 

 we suspended these a week, to try their effect the 

 more certainly. The result was as above stated, 

 a conviction that mangel wurtzel is the best and 

 most profitable root we can raise for milch cows. 



After cutting oft' the leaves, they very soon 

 grow out again, so that they may be cut every 

 fortnight. But we think it better to select the 

 largest roots from crowded places, and give them 

 tops and all ; as we think the new growth of leaves 

 is at the expense of the roots. 



FRUIT TREES. 



Bit. Thatcher gives the practice of an intelli- 

 gent cultivator, in priming young trees in the nur- 

 sery, which we consider very judicious : 



"Mr. Cooper remarks that the side shoots 

 should not be cut close to the stem, as the whole 

 growth is thereby forced to the top, which becomes 

 so weighty as to bend and spoil the tree. A bet- 

 ter method is to cut the ends of the side shoots, 

 which will encourage the growth of the trunk, un- 

 til it acquires strength to support a good top. The 

 side shoots may then be cut close. In forming the 

 top Mr. C. has found it necessary to lighten the 

 east and northeast sides, as fruit trees generally in- 

 cline that way ; and to encourage the branches on 

 the opposite quarters, to keep the scj from the 

 truss ; otherwise the rays of that luminary, when 

 striking nearly at right angles, will kill the bark, 

 bring on canker, and ruin the tree." 



Professor Lindley says that transplanted trees 

 " sltoutd not be headed down the first year, nor will 

 they require to be headed down afterwards, in 

 such trees whose growth is upright ; but such as 

 are of a pendant growth should remain till they are 

 well established in the ground ; and may then be head- 

 ed down.'" In giving directions for the treatment 

 of dwarf trees, he also says " they should not be cut 

 down when planted, but should stand a year, and 

 then be headed down." — Genesee Farmer. 



To render Fruit Trees productive. — If the ground 

 is richly cultivated for crops, the trees will grow 

 thriftily, but will ripen but a little fruit. After 

 they have acquired a sufficient size, the ground 

 should be laid down to grass, or, when more con- 

 vci.ient, a wide walk should be made over their 

 roots. — American Card. Mag. 



