1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



333 



tellect. Such would seem to be the legitimate 

 course of things with the tiller of an unfertile 

 soil. 



The Illinois farmer need not, and therefore 

 will not, trouble his brain about the chemical 

 properties of the soil or those of manures, nor 

 about the proper method of bringing the two to- 

 gether so that the heaviest crop may be obtained. 

 He can get heavier crops from his luxuriant prai- 

 rie land, without the knowledge of these things, 

 than we, in New England, with the aid of the 

 whole circle of sciences, from our stubborn soil. 

 So long as this is the case, New England will 

 furnish the most intellectual farmers. Here will 

 be the birth-place of the best ideas upon the sub- 

 ject of agriculture. J. B. R. 



May 19, 1858. 



Remarks. — Excellent, and ought to be well 

 considered by every reader. 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 STICK TO YOUR BUSINESS. 



"Gentlemen, we are about to separate — you to 

 enter the arena of a hard profession ; a large part 

 of you I may never see again, and you will par- 

 don me for the freedom of speech I have used ir 

 giving you my parting advice. Allow me to sum 

 up the whole matter in a few short words which 

 have passed into a maxim. Short, it is true, but 

 of vast import — Stick to your business. Let come 

 what will, be true to your profession and stick to 

 it — let no consideration whatever divert you from 

 it — give to it all the energy of your nature." 

 These were the parting words of Prof. Sewell, 

 now dead, of Washington, D. C, to a graduating 

 class of medical students, in the spring of 1842. 

 He went on further to say, that if any of the class 

 present had any doubts in regard to their future 

 success in business, if they would follow the 

 maxim to the best of their ability for ten years 

 and did not succeed equal to their expectations, 

 if they would come to him, or acquaint him with 

 the fact, he would set them up in business with a 

 competent income. About one-half of that class 

 the writer of this has kept the run of, and they 

 have no occasion to avail themselves of the doc- 

 tor's offer, even if he were living. Thus it is in 

 every department of life. I have yet to learn that 

 one occupation of life is more honorable than 

 another ; it is the man who honors the business, 

 and not the business the man. At the present 

 day, there is great need of the application of oui 

 text — Stick to your business, and if in connection 

 with this, John Randolph's motto be put in force 

 — Pay as you go, success is morally certain — fail- 

 ure would be impossible. 



It is said a rolling stone gathers no moss, and 

 if the setting hen does not grow fat, she does not 

 wear herself out in fruitless changes. So, young 

 man, farmer it may be. Stick to the farm, work 

 on, do not be allured from it by the fine stories 

 which come to every one's ears, about the West, 

 California, and particularly of city life. Pay no 

 attention to what that nice young cousin of yours 

 has been pouring into your ears. He has only 

 returned to the old farm to rusticate a few weeks, 

 so he says. If he would only tell you the whole 

 truth, you can well afford to let him "spread him- 



self" during that time ; but I am fearful he will 

 not initiate you into the whole of his city life. 



There is probably no other business where the 

 same amount of capital is invested and tact re- 

 quired, so free from anxiety and care as*that of 

 farming, and by general consent, none that pays 

 better in the long run ; there may be exceptions, 

 of course. No matter what one's business may 

 be, if he sticks to it, success is almost certain, 

 but if there is a rule without an exception this is 

 one. It is related that a certain person undertook 

 to insult Billy Gray by telling him he remembered 

 when he was only a drummer. "Ah ! yes," said 

 Billy, but didn't I drum well T' Billy stuck to 

 it, and succeeded. So will you, farmer, mechanic, 

 boot-black, merchant, factory girl, et omnia, &c., 

 only flick — stick to it — that's all. NORFOLK. 



King Oak Hill, 1858. 



EXTBACTS AND BEPLIES. 



RULE IN PRUNING TRi:;ES. 



This is my rule in pruning trees : — "Every 

 branch that beareth not fruit is cut off, and every 

 branch that beareth is purged that it may bring 

 forth more fruit." 



After the fruit is set is the time to prune and 

 purge, that the risk which is incurred by pruning 

 earlier or later than this season — the risk of cut- 

 ting off fruitful and leaving unfruitful branches, 

 — may be avoided. 



Nature has given every tree the most advanta- 

 geous form, and man can gain nothing by alter- 

 ing that form ; his business is to remove the un- 

 fruitful, and so feed and purge the fruitful 

 branches of the bearing tree, that it may be a 

 profitable bearer of food and enjoyment to him 

 and his. c. C. 



WincJiester, June, 1858. 



Remarks. — Very well, friend "C," we are glad 

 of your opinion on this important subject. But 

 branches on which no fruit is set this year, would 

 be quite likely to bear abundantly next year, if 

 they were permitted to remain. 



PEAR TREE BLIGHT, 



Will you inform me of the cause of the blight 

 which is upon my pear trees, and also the reme- 

 dy ? I have six young trees which are more or 

 less afi'ected, and I am fearful I shall lose them ; 

 they all appear to be in a healthy condition other- 

 wise. I send you two of the leaves, that you may 

 see how it works. 



I send you, also, a leaf from an oleander, which 

 has something on the back of it which is sapping 

 the life from the plant ; if you can tell what they 

 are, and the cause and remedy, you will oblige 

 my wife, who is a constant reader of your valua- 

 ble paper, J. F. RAYMOND. 



Hopkinton, May, 1858. 



Remarks. — There is considerable of the blight 

 in pear trees : the subject of cure and remedy ha,s 

 often been discussed with little or no benefit ta 

 the pear grower. We know of no remedy. 



The only safe remedy for the oleander is to 

 brush off the insects carefully into a saucer, and 



