e 



PUBLISHED UY J. B. UUSSELL, AT NO. 02 SORTli MAKKET STKEET, 



V01>. X. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 21, 1831. 



HE Agkicultukal Wakehouse.)— T. G. FEbSENDE.N, EUITUU 



NO. 10. 



i©aisiwsyj:^ii^ii©srs<» 



To the Editor of the New Englnnd Fdrmec. 



Sir — At the request of one ol your subscribers, I sentl 

 you a skelcli of the iinpioveiiieiits in Agriculture al- 

 tempted by Felleuheig, at Hofwyl, in the liope that they 

 m.iy be interestins; to your rearlers, ami wiili the earnest 

 wisb that some one of tbem, at Ica^i, may imitate Ihi.i 

 noble example, by combining his efforts for the promo- 

 tion of agriculture, with the improvement of the beings 

 for whose sake alone agriculture i- valuible. I have in 

 my possession a number of documents on ibis sulyect in 

 the German, vvliich my occupations do not allow me to 

 tran-ldte. If any of your correspondents will underiak 

 the task, they are entirely at your service. 

 Yours, respectfully, 



WM. C. W00DI3RIDGE. 

 Boston, Sept. 13, 1831. 



He regiirJed it as tho eiii|il.iyriiriit li 'st of nil 

 a(l;i|ite.l to iiivip-oniii! ilie lindy ; but he alsi. I.e. 

 lievc.l thill, by elevaiiiig agriculture from a mere 

 haiidici-aft to ail art foiiiideil upon scieiitilie priii- 

 ci|ile.s, ami lei^dim; direcily to iNcj operations of 

 tlie gioat First Cause, it would liccniiie a pursuit 

 peeuliaily fiitrd to i;l.-vaie aud purif;v the iiiiud, 

 and serve a.s the hasis of improveiuent to the la- 

 lioring cla-^.>ieR, am! to s.;,-icty at larj;e. He select- 

 leil Hofwyl oij aiTouiit of its situation ; so iiisula- 

 ! to scciu-B it (Voiii the iufluenee of bad exaiii- 

 yet surroniided by villages whiidi would 

 funiisb laborers, aud only si.x miles from the riiy 

 of Berne. It was an ertate of about 200 acres 

 under poor ciiliivaiioii, lying on a bill tilled with 

 spring's, and surrounded on three sides by a vallev 



generally snpi.osed. H.pfwyl has furnished expe- 

 nui.nital (ariners to a umnlMTof priu.-es and noble- 

 uien, of vario.is parts of Europe : and its pupiKi 

 have been employed in ibe formation aud direetioii 

 'f some imporiaut agi-ienliural iusiiiutions. Au 

 estahlishnieiit was also fonned for the nianufarlure 

 of his improved iustnmients of agrii-idture, wbicli 

 have been sent to every part of Kun pe. At sue- 

 i-essive periods, additions have been made to the 

 louiain of Hofwyl, increasing it to about 600 aeres , 

 which have lurnislied all the varieiies of soil and 

 situation neccessary to render the whole a completH 

 experimental and model farm. But Kolleuberir 

 icciipied himself in improving agriculture onlv as 

 I means to the more important end of imn™iin.f 



AGKICUI.TUKE OF HOFWVL. 



Among the men who have been most distinguish- 

 ed for devising and execnliug plans of itn- 

 proveinent in agriculture, with an inmiediaio it;. 

 I'ereiice to the improvements of mm himself, none 

 lias been more remarkable than Fclienberg, ot 

 Hofwyl. 



lie arrived at maturity, in the midst of the 

 French revolmion. His attention bad early at>l 

 constantly been devoted to the iiifpiiries and o/i- 

 servations coiiceruing the state of society, and the 

 means of improving it ; and he had travelled ovir 

 Switzerland on foot, to make himself familiar wih 

 the Slate aiid condition of the inhabitants. Eis 

 investigations of the state of the common peop*'. 

 bis inten-ourse «illi piildie. men, and ihe tn- 



.,.,,,,, , ■, ■ , -1 "'''"''^elf; aud (luring the whole period that liu 



fe.l >u depth. He eouimenced with employing | was thus actively engaged in this siibj-ct, he wan 



not less engag.-d in organizing the iusiilii ions ot" 

 education, whi.di form tiie great ohj>-et .d' his life, 

 and the chief glory of Hofwyl. 



a l.irge number of labr 

 every direction, smue i-v 

 which completely free 

 nater, and at the same 



rs III digging drams ir 

 ito lhede|,lh(.f 30 feel, 

 the arable land (i-oni 

 •le, were formed into a 



^andet round the hill, which serveii to irrio-ate 

 its borders and the level below, aud convert them 

 into rich meailows. His next plan was to luni 

 lip the whole soil to the depth of two or three 

 feet, and then replace ii, putting the stones and 

 gravel at the bottom, and reserving the richest 

 portions for the surface. 



Another object of importance was to convert the 

 swampy ground around into meadows, by coverini' 

 it about a fo..| in depth with sand and soil from the 

 upland. This was effected in pail by means of the 

 stream we have ineiilioneil, which was made to 

 wash down successive banks of earth placed before 

 it, and in part, (luring the'winler, liy sleds descend. 



ing and raising each other alternately, by means 

 if pulleys, as is smiielimes done in coal beds. In 

 ioiiiiexion with these operations, be erected exien. 

 five additions to the granaries (then more than snf- 

 fi'ient for the aciual produce,) to provide for the 

 aliindant crops he amicipated. All this excited 

 riiicnle among his enemies, and alarm and remoii- 



mendous convulsions he had witnessed, hat 

 ail conspired to impress upon bis mind the 

 same conviciicm — that the only resource for meli 

 orating the state of his own and other countries, 

 and for preventing a repetition of the horrors of 

 revolution he had witnessed, was to be found in 

 early edncaiion ; and be resolved henceforth to 

 devote himself to this us the object of bis life. 

 He was at one lime a member of the council nf 

 education of Berne, but was soon convinced that 

 nothing adequate could be accomplished on this 

 eubject, through the medium of legislative com- 

 missions; and having come into possession of an 

 ample fortune, he resolved to devote this to his 

 great object, and to fVinii on bis own estate, and 

 on an independent brisis, a model institution, in 

 which it should be proved what education could 

 accomplish for the benefit of himianiiy. In piir- 



jsiiance of bis great design, be soon after pur- iiventiou of superior machines for breaking up lb 

 chased the estate culled W(5/>c^?, and his life, hence- i »il, weeding and sowing, insured him success 



YKLLOW SP.ANl.SH CHERRY. 



To Ilie F,d,n„ of the iNpw Englaort Farmer. 



Dear Sir — It is now above a year since some 

 eommuuicatious were inserted in your paper by 

 Adams Foster. Esq. aud mys. If on ihe suhject oV 

 Ihe Yellow Spanish cherr,-, I did not fully under- 

 stand that gentleman's first commiiiiicaiion, but 

 supposed he was impressed with tho idea that no 

 fruit of that name had b-en long known in Europe, 

 and answered it accrdingly. This second com- 

 munication being more exjdicit I have made the 

 question of synonom;/ a subject of investigation 

 and I am now coiivinceil that the Yello.v Spanish* 

 the Gri-.ffi;in;the Bigarreaii ofForsylh aud of Eii"- 

 lish colleciions generally, and the Cerise Ambr^^e 

 of Duhamel are the same fruit. It will be noticed 

 as a matter of particular surprise that the cherry, 

 iiniver.sally known by English writers for a very 

 long period as ihe Higarreau, has no one of the 

 peculiar chttradertislics which disiinguish that idass 

 of fruits, and is 



P, . ^ ., I even „e K dif erf nl species. I will 



stances among his friends ; and those ofliis familv now conclude my remarks (ui the subject by -ti 

 wio were C(miiected with him, left him, by his ad', ting it as my belief that the orjg-i/io/ Yellow Span. 

 vi-e, to sustain the burden al.me. In order to ( ish Cherry of Tou, neforl. Miller, etc no longer 

 oilain ample supplies of manure, he commenced I exists, as I do not find It in any imideru cataloi'ue 

 tie system of .stallfeeding, with a large number of not even in thai of the London Horticultm-il "so- 

 cittle, which were constantly supplied with fresh (dety. The cherry hereioliue called in inv eata. 

 ga,ss, instead of being snITered to feed in the pas- logue Yellow Spanish, I received in the year 1802 

 ml erected ample reservoirs for solid midlbi/that name from the Nursery of Mr Thompson 



tires 



Iqiiid manure of eveiy kind, the care of whic 

 ircupied a part of every day's labor. .\ system of 

 fiiir years' cropping, with deep ploughing, and Ihe 



forward, forms au important page in the record 

 lieiievolent enterprise. His great object was to 

 elevate all clusses of society, by fitting them bet- 

 ter for their respective eta'ions, und to render 



li»d the lauds of Hofwyl have been made to yield 

 furfuld their former ■produce, with nn imintermitted 

 s'ccession of crops. The labors of the plough 

 rqiiire only half the number of animals formerly 



of London, which was then considered the most 

 worthy of confidence. 



Your obedient servant. Win. Trince 



Lin. liot. Gar.lHM, V. V , ) 

 Sept. 1.1. ls:il. j 



ithem happy and united, without destroying thati ued, and the fields of grain produce nineteen fold 

 order which Providence had appointed, und which 1 1 e amount of the seed sown. The system of agri- 

 the governments of Europe preserved with so ollure has been fully tested, by repeated visilSvpf 

 niuchjealoiisy. He believed it important to collect (Istinguished men of science, and the coinmisl 

 in one institiitimi the poor and the rich, each with njiiers of various governments of Switzerland and 

 their appropriate means of improvement, and thus (ennany, and ils ocoiiomical results fiillv ascer- 

 to establish proper und friendly relalions between Uined, as exhibiting, in a striking manner, how 

 them. He considered it of high importance to inch larger an amount of noiirisbment may be 

 make agriculture the basis of such an institution. 'aawn from a given portion of soil than has been 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



QUERIES. 



1. Are there any varieties of Pears, of whi.h the 

 most of the seeds are not abortive .' 



2. What kinds produce good seed in the great- 

 est abundance ? 



3. Will not the present di.sease in St Michael pear 

 trees ufTect the scions, and the fruit, of oilier sorts 

 graftediuioSi Michael slocks.' This is an important 

 question, as thousands are grafting over their St 

 Michael trees .' New Hampshire. 



September 17, 1831. 



