1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



261 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CHOPS AUD STOCK IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



In your April number you noticed my address 

 delivered at Fitchburg, before the Worcester 

 North Society, last fall, and made a quotation in 

 relation to the depreciation of grain and the re- 

 duction of stock in Massachusetts, and ask, "Can 

 it be so? We wish Mr. T.. would show us how 

 the fact is obtained." 



I would refer you to the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Transactions and Returns, by Secretary 

 Amasa WalivEK, for 1851, page 440, from a re- 

 solve of the Board of Agriculture, founded upon 

 a report of the Valuation Committee to the Leg- 

 islature in 1851, and the report of that Commit- 

 tee, which may be found at the Library at the 

 State House. 



You will also find it in Secretary Flint's re- 

 port for 1854, page 480, it being an extract fi'om 

 the most excellent address of Hon. Increase 

 Sumner, before the Berkshire Agricultural Soci- 

 ety. I supposed it had been generally known 

 and proclaimed by the agricultural journals in 

 Massachusetts, as a fact so important to the ag- 

 ricultural interest of Massachusetts should be 

 sounded in thundering tones in every newspaper 

 within our borders, that there may be a waking 

 up to her greatest interest. 



That thei-e should be an increase of 40,000 acres 

 of tillage land since 1840, and still a deprecia- 

 tion of grain crops of 600,000 bushels, and also 

 an increase of pasture lands to the amount of 

 100,000 acres, and a reduction of 160,000 sheep 

 and 17,000 swine, and a very little augmentation 

 in neat cattle, are facts that the citizens of our 

 State are not prepared to believe, without proof 

 the most reliable, — yet it is too true for the credit 

 of our ancient and far-famed Commonwealth. 



At the meeting of delegates from the agricul- 

 tural societies throughout the State, in Conven- 

 tion at Boston, March 20th, 1851, for the promo- 

 tion of agriculture and agricultural science, the 

 Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, from the Norfolk 

 Society, who has ever been the great champion 

 of agricultural and horticultural science, and who 

 has spent great energy of mind and much money 

 for their promotion, was chosen President of the 

 Convention. On taking the chair, he set forth 

 the waning condition of the agriculturist, as a 

 whole, in the Commonwealth, and brought up 

 these very fjcts with great fidelity, urging upon 

 the Convention the importance of their consider- 

 ation. Since the formation of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, the great aim in their delibera- 

 tion and action has been to wake up the drowsy 

 energies of the farmer to the fact of the depre- 

 ciating crop-producing value of their fai-ms un- 

 der the old system of culture. The reports that 

 have been issued under the patronage of the 

 Board by their talented Secretary, are among the 

 most valuable documents that have been placed 

 before the American farmer. 



Justus Tower. 



Laneshoroiigli, April 16, 1858. 



Live Braces for Fruit Trees. — Every fruit 

 culturist knows that crotched trees arc frecjuent- 

 ly split apart and nearly ruined when loaded with 

 fruit. I have found by experience that this can 



easily be prevented by putting in a live brace or 

 stay when the tree is young, to fasten the tAVo 

 prongs or stems of the tree together. It is done 

 in tlie following manner : Take a small branch of 

 one of the main stems, growing between the two, 

 and cut ofl" the top end slanting, similar to a scion 

 prepared for lap grafting ; then make an incision 

 on the opposite stem with a sharp-pointed knife 

 or small chisel ; then insert the toj) end of said 

 branch, and tie it down firmly with a woolen 

 string ; then cover tlie wound with grafting wax, 

 and the work is completed ; remembering to cut 

 the string as soon as the brace has grown fast, to 

 prevent it from girdling the tree. This is the best 

 operation for crotched trees that I have ever seen 

 tried. — Elihu Cross. 



The Shakers at Niskayuna have practised a 

 system of connecting the branches of fruit trees, 

 something like that described above, for years, 

 and we should be greatly obliged if some one of 

 them would furnish us with a description of their 

 process, with the benefits derived from it. — 

 Country Gentleman. 



FOOD OF THE KOBIN. 



At the January meeting of the MassachusettJ 

 Horticultural Society, an interesting discussion 

 took place upon the habits and food of the robin, 

 {Turdus migratorius,) and more especially the 

 useful or injurious relation which this bird bears 

 to horticulture. The law prohibiting the destruc- 

 tion of the robin was severely commented upon 

 by many fruit growers, who were disposed to 

 consider the bird as a perfect nuisance to the 

 horticulturist. The other side of the question 

 also found able advocates, till finally, after a long 

 discussion, the result was the appointment of a 

 committee with full powers to investigate the 

 matter thoroughly during every season of the 

 year 1858, to ascertain the habits of the bird as 

 fully as possible ; to find out the nature of its 

 food during each month, by examination of the 

 crops of specimens killed at all seasons and on 

 different hours of the same day ; and to report 

 from time to time at regular meetings of the so- 

 ciety. In accordance with the duty imposed on 

 them, the Committee have made their report for 

 the months of January, February and March, and 

 as the question respecting the utility of the bird 

 has been long mooted and is of general interest, 

 we copy the substance of it. It was drawn up 

 by J. W. P. Jenks, Esq., of Middleboro', and, it 

 will be observed, is decidedly favorable to tlie 

 robin, though it is possible that the report of the 

 next three months will turn the scales the other 

 way : 



"First. No robins were seen in this region, not 

 even in our extensive cedar swamps, during the 

 months of January and February, they being 

 thoroughly explored by my direction every few 

 days. Early in Marcli, however, numbers made 

 their appearance, l)ut until the second week in 

 April c ■ \y the male bii'ds. 



