560 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



roost in during the -n-inter ; the latter roosted in 

 a stable where the Avind blew in. The former hadi 

 a fine place in an open cellar for scratching among 

 ashes, lime and earth ; the latter scratched in the 

 manure heap, or in the stable M'hen the cows, 

 were put out. The former had plenty of good 

 water, with milk, etc., the others had no drink 

 except what they could find. — Prairie Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 CULTURE OF FOBEST TREES. 



The Legislature of Massachusetts made it a 

 condition precedent, in granting funds to agri- 

 cultural societies, that something should be done 

 to encourage the growth of forest trees. Accord- 

 ingly we find more or le?s of these premiums of- 

 fered by all of the societies. But we have looked 

 in vain for the award of such premiums, and 

 more for the forests, the growth of which was 

 encouraged by such oifers. 



These reflections were brought to mind on a 

 recent visit to the grounds of Sir. Fay, of Lynn, 

 where are growing many thousand of the Scotch 

 Larch, the English Oak, and other trees of like 

 character, all of which were imported and planted 

 by him, about ten years since. I never witness- 

 ed any growth that awakened my admiration 

 more. Notwithstanding the injuries sustained 

 by fires, and other wanton encroachments, the 

 whole region about the beautiful sheet of water 

 long known as Spring Pond, whose waters sup 

 ply the city of Salcra with the elixer of life, is 

 made beautiful by their verdure. On many of 

 the larch trees, I witnessed a gror/th of two feet 

 in extent, the present season, and some of them 

 have already risen to a height of thirty feet. I 

 forbear to say more, as nothing short of an actu- 

 al view, will afford an adequate idea, of what can 

 be done by the application of scientific culture, 

 even in a forest, on a forbidding soil. 



I was assured by the proprietor, that the prob- 

 able value of the timber on these grounds, if its 

 growth could go on unimpeded, for thirty years, 

 would be not less than $300 an acre. He said 

 he had visited an estate in Scotland, where there 

 grew, within the life of the owner, from his own 

 planting, timber enough of the Scotch larch vari- 

 ety, to build one of the largest ships in the Brit- 

 ish Navy. What ])etter service could a man do 

 for his country ? If we had more men like Mr. 

 Fay, we should never be in want of Essex fri- 

 gates, to sustain the honor and glory of our 

 noble country. * 



Jrine 18, 1858. 



each, while in the centre of this vast building is 

 an arena w^here an army of 5,000 head of tht 

 finest horses in the world are broke, trained and 

 exercised daily by another army of the most skil- 

 ful trainers, jockies, ^'c, in the Emperor's do- 

 minions. By an imperial decree, sales are per- 

 mitted to be made when a certain number of an- 

 imals are in the stables, of which Captain Lane 

 has taken advantage, as of the advantage of his 

 relations with the Government — thus making an 

 invaluable addition to the American stud, for 

 which he deserves, and will doubtless receive 

 the thanks of the country at large. They cost 

 $18,000, which was much below their value, and 

 are pairs of grey, dark bay and black. They are 

 stabled at Tattersall's, Thirty-ninth Street and 

 Sixth Avenue, where all who wish to see these 

 matcliless creatures will no doubt have every fa- 

 cility aff'orded by the courteous proprietor. They 

 stand about fifteen hands high, and exhibit all 

 the fine points to be expected from their descent. 



—N. r. Post. 



IMPORTATION OF PURE ARABIAN 

 BliOOD HOBSES, 



We were shown six head of pure Arabian 

 blood stallions, brought to this city by Captain 

 Lane, late of the combined American and Eng- 

 lish companies engaged in raising the sunken 

 vessels of war in the harbor of Sevastopol. These 

 noble animals are direct from the Czar's cav- 

 alry stables, and were raised expressly for the Im- 

 perial stud. These stables are the wonder and 

 astonishment of all who have obtained admission 

 to them. The inclosure of stone walls and iron 

 frames covers an area of ten miles in length by 

 five in width. The stables are twelve feet square 



For tlio New England Farmer. 

 FOOD AND HABITS OF THE ROBIN. 



Mr. Editor : — The report of the food and 

 habits of the robin, so far as published by you, 

 for the months of January, February and INIarch, 

 drawn up by J. W. P. Jenks, Esq , of Middlebo- 

 ro', one of the committee appointed by the. Mas- 

 sachusetts Horticultural Society, strikes me with 

 much surprise. Mr. Jenks says, the fourth fact, 

 "To the present date I have not discovered the 

 first particle of vegetable matter in the crop of a 

 single bird." Now this would lead us to infer, 

 without other testimony, that the robin at this 

 season of the year, and for two months past, hav 

 ing first made its appearance the first of March 

 in the latitude of Massachusetts, subsists wholly 

 on insects, grasshoppers, spiders and the larvte 

 belonging to the curculio family. 



I was teaching school in St. Mary's County, 

 Md., during the years 1843 to 1848, inclusive, 

 and I was curious to observe the difference of 

 time that the robin and other birds made their 

 appearance in their migi-ation from south to north. 

 The robin made its first appearance in Maryland, 

 generally about the last week in Februarj-. 

 Sometimes as late as the first week in March, 

 and often they would retreat south to be gone a 

 week, or till the weather became mild again. 

 They often came in flocks, numbering many thou- 

 sands, covering large fields, or acres, which I 

 never observed in the latitude of New Hampshire 

 or Vermont, in my boyhood days. Now there is a 

 tree quite common in the forest in Maryland, an 

 evergreen called the Holly ; this tree is usually 

 loaded Avith a berry or fruit about the size of a 

 marrow fat pea, as red as a cherry, and it re- 

 mains on the tree, (a beautiful sight) till the rob- 

 ins make their appearance, and during the short 

 time, say two weeks, the robins remain during 

 their migration, they strip these Holly trees of 

 every berry to be seen. They are as ravenous as 

 locusts. Now, provided there Avas a fruit, or ber- 

 ry in Massachusetts, like the Holly, or wer*^ 

 cherries ripe at their first coming, undoubtedly 

 they would spend little time in hunting after 

 such small fry a3 Mr. Jenks reports only to be 

 found in their crops. I used to think that the 



