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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



robin is seldom seen Avithout one of these cater- 

 pillai-s or some similar grub in his mouth, which 

 he designs for his young ; and as the robin often 

 raises three broods of young during the season, 

 his species must destroy more of this class of nox- 

 ious insects than almost all other birds together. 



It must be idle to dispute the fact that in cer- 

 tain places the robins are very mischievous in 

 their depredations upon the cherry trees. There 

 is one good remedy for this evil, which was sug- 

 gested some weeks since by a correspondent of 

 the Farmer. This remedy is to plant a greater 

 quantity of cherry trees ; for it will be found that 

 wherever there is a great abundance of this fruit 

 the robins do comparatively but little damage. 

 One very important cause of their depredations 

 is the destruction of the blueberry pastures, 

 which would supply them with large quantities of 

 berries about cherry time. It is precisely in those 

 sections of the country, as in Cambridge and the 

 suburbs of Boston, where the lilueberry bushes 

 have been extirpated from the wild lands, we hear 

 the most complaint against the robin. Our farm- 

 ers, when they clear a whortleberry pasture, 

 should transplant all the blueberry bushes to the 

 sides of the walls and fences, to supply the fru- 

 giverous birds with berries, and thereby divert 

 them from the gardens. There are thousands of 

 miles of stone wall, within two hours walk from 

 Boston, which ought to be bordered with blue- 

 berry bushes and amelanchiers, (June berries,) 

 where without occupying any valuable space they 

 would feed the birds and produce tons of berries, 

 to employ the diligent hands of women and child- 

 ren of poor families, who would gather them for 

 the market. Let those horticulturists who have 

 conceived a prejudice against the robin, instead 

 of petitioning the Legislature to remove the legal 

 protection that new exists in favor of this bird, 

 petition the authorities of the city of Boston to 

 appropriate a few thousand dollars for the plant- 

 ing of blueberry bushes and amelanchiers by 

 the sides of fences in all pasture lands within five 

 miles of the city ; and after the work is accom- 

 plished we shall hear no more complaints of the 

 robin and the cedar-bird. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 MUD FHOM THE MARSHES. 

 From the salt marshes I mean — for every one 

 knows, that the mud from swamps and fresh 

 meadows is more or less valuable as material for 

 compost, according to the position in which it 

 is found, and the time it has been accumulating. 

 When I heard a distinguished gentleman inquire, 

 at a late farmers' meeting in the State House, 

 as to the value of this marsh mud, many cords of 

 which he had seen thrown into piles from the 

 ' ditches cut to drain the marshes, I Avas disposed 

 to answer his inquiry, and sa) it was little ivorth. 

 Such was my impression at the time. And such 

 I have since found is the estimate of it by those 

 who own marshes, and have handled this sub- 

 stance. They compare it with the sods gathered 

 from peat meadows— it helps to fill up — but has 

 very little of fertilizing material about it. It is 

 not every substance that is carried to the pig- 

 pen or the barn-yard, that helps to increase the 

 pile of manure, but it is those substances only, 

 that have in them the right kind of material. P. 



For the jSew England Farmer- 

 CBANBEREIES. 



Friend Brown : — I catch up my pen to say a 

 hasty word upon the culture of this berry. 



I have seen inquiries frequently made through 

 the Farmer, in reference to the best modes of 

 cultivation, &c. My own experience teaches me 

 a few facts. 



L Get rid of all stagnant water by shallow 

 draining. 



2. Destroy all vegetation by taking off the 

 turf, or by cultivation. 



3. Cover two inches deep with sand, if it is 

 handy ; if not, put in the vines, and let them take 

 their chance with grass and weeds. 



4. The large round berry is much the best. 



5. So arrange your ditches, that a smart show- 

 er in summer will flood the vines for a day or so. 



6. The vines should be flowed before it is cold 

 enough to freeze the roots in autumn, and be 

 kept flowed till mild weather in the spring. 



I flow mine immediately after raking in the 

 fall. By so doing I get all the scattering berries. 

 I keep the water over and among my vines, till 

 frosty nights have mostly disappeared in the 

 spring. The water should be drawn oS' gradu- 

 ally, so that the vines may not be all exposed to 

 the sun at once. A dressing of sand may, be ap- 

 plied by spreading it on the ice in winter — say 

 an inch deep — which will be of great benefit. 

 Eight years ago last fall, I laid out some fifteen 

 dollars in preparing ground, setting vines and 

 fencing a worthless frog pond, containing one 

 acre. Three-fourths of the ground is covered 

 with vines ; last fall, I raked twenty bushels of 

 berries, for which I was oft'ered three dollars per 

 bushel, but declined the off'er. The price de- 

 clined also, and I wintered them over. 



Please give me a few facts in your next paper, 

 in reference to the milk business of Boston. 

 Please give us the names of the companies run- 

 ning milk-cars into Boston — the names of the 

 agents — what they pay — -what they get, and a 

 few of the milk-men's names who buy most large- 

 ly of them. A particular and full history of the 

 business would be exceedingly interesting, but a 

 few facts just at this time will be thankfully re- 

 ceived. 



FEEDING HENS, ETC. 



I have twenty-five hens. I get on an aA'Brage 

 twelve eggs a day. They roost in a warm place. 

 I keep oats and ears of corn by them all the 

 time, and pound up raw bones, clam-shells, oyster- 

 shells and old white crockery once a week ; give 

 them drink every day, and occasionally give them 

 buckwheat and sunflower seeds. Do they lay as 

 well as they should, or can I feed them differently 

 and make them lay better ? Gr.u^ite Quill. 



Weave, N. H. 



Remarks. — We will try to collect the facts 

 about the milk business, and will publish if we 

 obtain them. Your hens are very considerate and 

 liberal. An egg every other day is quite liberal. 

 From 140 to 150 eggs in a year from a good hen, 

 and one well fed, is as many as you ought to ex- 

 pect, and is probably rather more than you will 

 get. 



