1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



259 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NEW BNQIiAND AND THE "WEST. 

 . How the New England farmer can successfully 

 compete with the Western planter, is a serious 

 question. Upon its truthful answer depend the 

 enterprise and thrift of many New England men. 

 Let it once be settled, that the prairie farmer 

 has the pecuniary advantage in the agricultural 

 yoke, and the right arm of New England indus- 

 try is paralized. On the contrary, let it be proved 

 by facts, that economy, industry and intelligence 

 are all that is requisite to make the Eastern 

 States the equal of other sections of the country, 

 and New England will become what she of right 

 ought to be, the garden of America, the Eden of 

 the world. Her roxigh and sterile soil will be- 

 come polished and fruitful. Her unsightly rocks 

 will either sink into her bosom, or rise in palaces 

 of marble. Her frozen lakes, so useless at home, 

 "will equalize both the temperature and the com- 

 merce of other zones. "Her hills will be covered 

 vith flocks and her valleys clothed with corn." 

 Success is ever the key of enterprise. I pro- 

 pose to suggest some of the ways of obtaining 

 this success. 



1. The New England farmer should carefully 

 save his fertilizers. Circumstances alter cases, is 

 an old adage. In New England, land is compar- 

 atively scarce and sterile. At the West, it is 

 abundant and fruitful. Here, crops are only 

 raised with care and toil. There, with ease and 

 negligence. Here, manure is bought with money. 

 There, they pay something to get rid of it. If it 

 shall ever prove true, that the more manure, the 

 greater the crop, then it will be easy to show 

 that the more manure, the more successful the 

 farmer. Indeed, experience proves, that without 

 manures, the New England farmer can do noth- 

 ing. They constitute not only the body, but the 

 soul, of our farming. Therefore I repeat it, care- 

 fully save all yotir fertilizers. 



2. Be ready to adopt the improved methods of 

 cultivation. We hear much said about high cul- 

 tivation and improved implements, but the pro- 

 gressive farmer, should know their meaning by 

 sight and feeling as well as sound. Faith Avith- 

 out works is as contemptible in agriculture as in 

 religion. He that makes two spires of grass 

 grow where one grew before, is accounted a pub- 

 lic benefactor. No man of common intelligence 

 will say that the capabilities of our soil have been 

 fully tested. Neither is it literally true, that land 

 is scarce in New England. Not one-third of her 

 ground has been cultivated or improved. If all 

 the land in the six Eastern States was equally dis- 

 tributed to its inhabitants, every man, woman 

 and child would possess nearly forty acres. In 

 the good time coming, when every acre shall sus- 

 tain its man, a vast amount of produce will be 

 sold to somebody. Our position gives us the ad- 

 vantage of our Western brethren. We are nearer 

 the sea-board and the great marts of trade. It 

 will cost us less for the transportation of our 

 produce. This transportation will always be a 

 cash article. This cash must necessarily be de- 

 ducted from the profits of agriculture. This profit, 

 saved by the New England farmer, will purchase 

 many of the luxuries of life, that the Western 

 farmer cannot afford to enjoy. Rye, corn, pota- 

 toes, butter, eggs, beef, pork, veal and poultry. 



things which almost every fai'm can spare, are 

 here usually cashed at sight. 



There are some men that affect to pity the 

 eastern farmer, because he has to contend with a 

 rugged soil, in a vigorous climate. Such men 

 seem to forget the old proverb, "that nothing 

 valuable is obtained without labor." It is glory 

 enough to live in New England, even if we work 

 hard for it. Besides, no man can expect success 

 in any business without industry. "Employment 

 makes a people happy," said the immortal Web- 

 ster. To attain the highest success the farmer 

 must attend closely to his business. He must 

 use caution on the one hand, and energy on the 

 other. He must never put off till to-morrow, that 

 which should be done to-day. He must be pro- 

 phet enough to anticipate, at least, one day's work 

 ahead. In short he must be icide awaJce. 



3. Be intelligent. The time was, when the 

 strongest man was the best farmer. To knock 

 down a bullock with the fist was a crowning qual- 

 ification. But times are changed. Brains are 

 fast taking the place of brute force, and mind is 

 displacing matter, otherwise the ox would be 

 more skilful than the man. To sustain the well- 

 earned reputation of our ancestors, we must in- 

 crease our intelligence. New England is fore« 

 most in all things else — let her be in this. We 

 must read more, attend farmer's clubs, exchange 

 opinions, compare notes, learn different practices, 

 ask counsel, take advice, draw conclusions, but 

 finally trust in our own judgment. There are 

 some men who condemn book farming indiscrim- 

 inately. They try a single theory, and if it does 

 not work well, they reject all other theories. 

 With a serious air, they tell us, that ^^practice 

 alone brings success." Such reasoning answers 

 for old men better than for young America. The 

 fault is not so much in the theory, as in the judg- 

 ment. All the theories in the world will not 

 hurt men who use judgment. The mind must 

 work. Intelligence is the price of the highest 

 agricultural success. J^uiEs Newton Bagg. 



West Springfield, 1858. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 ON KILLING KOBINS. 



Mr. Editor : — We have a good many cherry 

 trees on our place ; among them is one whose 

 fruit ripens very early. For the last two years 

 we have had hardly a cherry from this tret-, on 

 account of the ravages made by the robins. As 

 soon as one began to ripen it was sure to be 

 pecked. This work went on, until every one 

 worth pecking was pecked ; doubtless, greatly to 

 the delight of the birds, but very little to us. So 

 with the later kinds ; the largest and fairest of 

 the fruit was plucked or mangled so as to be un- 

 fit for use. 



I think it will be justifiable, on the gi-ound of 

 self-defence, to use a little shot among our trou- 

 blesome visitors this year. 



It is doubtless true, as Mr. Flagg says, that 

 the robins destroy vast numbers of earth-worms 

 before the fruits are ripe enough to furnish them 

 food ; but if it appears that they are of less ben- 

 efit in this respect, than they are of injury in des- 

 troying our fruit, shall we not be justified in cai-- 

 rying the war into the enemy's country ? By vir- 



