174 



NEW ENCLAIND FARMER, 



Dec. 14, 1831. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DEC. 14, 1831. 



' Knowledge for the Peo;>?e.'— Lilly niid Wait, 

 and Carter and Hendee, have just republished the 

 fourth number of tliis delightful little work. It is 

 devoted to zoology ; the modes and habits of life 

 of birds, explanations of the jihenomena of their 

 flight, migration, &c. We consider this one of the 

 most popular and truly useful publications of the 

 day. The following extract is taken from the pre- 

 sent No. 



Birds 

 Are extremely important creatures in the econ- 

 omy of Nature in general ; although their imme- 

 diate utility to mankind is infinitely less than that 

 of mammifera. They destroy innumerable in- 

 sects ; and the thoughtless extirpation of some 

 birds, supposed to be noxious, as sparrows, crows, 

 &c, in many districts, has generally given rise to 

 an infinitely more prejudicial multiplication of ver- 

 min. Other birds destroy larger animals, as 

 field-mice, snakes, frogs, lizards, or consume carri- 

 on. Many extirpate weeds. On the other hand, 

 they assist the increase and propaa;alion of animals 

 as well as plants. For instance, it is known that 

 wild-ducks, in their emigrations, carry impregnated 

 spawn into remote ponds, &c, and thus stock them 

 with fish.* Many birds swallow seeds, which are 

 subsequently expelled whole, and thus extensively 

 dispersed •. as the doves of Banda, with the nut- 

 meg. The e.vcrement of sea-birds manures bare 

 cliffs and coasts, so as to render them capable of 

 producing useful plants. Many species of falcons 

 may be taught for the chase, as well as the cormo- 

 rant for taking fish. Many birds, together with 

 their eggs, fat, &c, servB <r.;- food : tlin entire 

 skins ur-sca-oiras tor the clothmg ot many North- 

 ern nations ; the feathers for stuffing beds, for 

 writing, for various and often costly ornaments ; 

 in which respect, also, they form an important ar- 

 ticle of trade among many savage ])eople, partic- 

 ularly the islanders of the Pacific Ocean. — Dlu- 

 menbach. 



EXTRAORDINARY COW. HORTICULTURAL PREMIUMS 



Mb Fessenuem At a meeting of the committee of the Massacliu- 



SiK — I hove obieived in your Farmer frequent setts Horticultural Society on fruits on Saturday, 

 accounts of the celelnaled imported breeds of the 3d Dec. 1831, the following premiums were 

 cattle by J. H. Powel, Esq. particularly of a Cow, awarded : — 

 in No. 20 of the present volume. From that ( For the best summer pears (Dearborn's Seed 



K * Insects have also been known to stock ponds on hills 

 with fish. The large water-beetle, wliieh feeds upon the 

 spawn of fish, oceasioually, in the evening, climbs up the 

 stems of rushes, &c, out of the water, so as to take wing ; 

 in these circumstances it has been caught, and, on being 

 put into water, has been found to ^We out the spawn 

 with which it liad gorged itself previous to taking flight, 

 both in a digested and undigested state ; so that, ou trial, 

 it has been found to produce fish of various kinds. — Jame- 

 son. 



some might be led to suppose that we have no 

 native cows in the country, which can bear a com- 

 parison to those therein meiitioned. I5ut when 

 a person owns one, which evidently possesses equal 

 qualities, I think that the account of it, in your 

 journal, would be interesting if not useful to the 

 public ; especially if she be of entire native breed. 

 1 therefore give you an account of one owned by 

 Mr A. Curtis of Newton, Mass. from which has 

 been made over 12 lbs. of butter per week, week 

 after week, under the following circumstances, viz. 

 she was pastured in a very ordinary (Needham) 

 pasture, or I might say a very poor pasture, com- 

 pared to those in which farmers generally pasture 

 good cows. Besides the greatest quantity of 

 cream was not obtained, which might have been 

 under judicious dairy management. Her milk 

 was put into common tin milk pans filled nearly 

 full, and placed in a common cellar, and the milk 

 skimmed but once. The milk was better, (to use 

 Mrs Curtis' expression) after being skimmed than 

 many cows' milk is before >kmiming. As they use 

 the milk for the family they do not care to get the 

 greatest possible amount of cream from it. Now, 

 sir, I do not believe that there is a cow of the 

 imported breeds in the country from which can 

 be made more butter in one season, nor butter of 

 a bettor flavor or color, with the same keeping 

 and management with the milk, than can be made 

 with the cow I allude to. As to the richness and 

 color of this butter it is not surpassed by any 

 brought to Boston Maiket. 



ment is not made with a view to effect a sale of 

 the Cow ; for I saw Mr Curtis refuse $75 for her 

 last summer, and I do not believe that he would 

 part with her for twice that sum. But my 

 object is to convince the public that we have stock 

 equal to the imported breeds, and to induce farmers 

 to preserve their fine stock, and not kill the calves 

 for veal, as is the usual practice in the vicinity of 

 large towns ; as this is more frequently done with 

 a calf from a good cow than from a poor one. I 

 will give a description of the cow, as respects her 

 size, shape, &c, jf any one wishes it. 

 Respectfully, yours, 

 Bostor., Dec, 5, 1S31. ' E. C. 



Stale of Society in A'achitoches . — Anew paj)er 

 just started at Nachitoches in the Southwestern 

 part of Louisiana, gives us some curious informa- 

 tion on the holiday atnuseinents of the inhabitauts 

 of that remote section of the country. A foot race 

 is to be run on Christmas day between two old fools, 

 one aged 68, the other 72 ; large bets were pending 

 on the result. They had better prepare for anoth- 

 er and a final race. It is stated also that there is 

 'fine sport in the way of horse racing every Sun- 

 day. Jockeys would do well to attend, bets run 

 high,' &c, &c ; there is hut one church in the place 

 and that is Rovian Catholic. 



Capt. Mackay's Pigs. — Capt Mackay killed two 

 of his pigs, last week, 20 months old, which when 

 dressed weighed 1218 lbs. 



Poisonous Confectionary. — The Journal of 

 Health has an article which goes to show the dan- 

 ger of a too free use of colored confectionary 

 by children. The articles used in coloring are 

 sometimes poisonous — or, at least, medicinal — 

 such as red lead, gamboge, red precipitate of mer- 

 cury and even copper. Though the most diver- 

 sified colors for confectionary may be obtained 

 from the most harmless ingredients, yet such are 

 not always used. The deep colored paper used 

 in wrapping loaf sugar, has also been found upon 

 analysis to contain both arsenic and copper. 



Tennessee will soon have to buy land for its 

 teeming population. A law of that slate gives 

 200 acres to each child, where three or more are 



ling) to Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn, $4 00 



For the best Autumn pears {Beurre du Roi) 



to John Prince, Esq. Roxbury 4 00 



For the best native Pears, (Dix,) to Madam 

 Di.'c, 4 00 



This fruit appeared to great advantage the pre- 

 sent season, fully sustaining the high reputation it 

 had heretofore attained.* 

 For the best peaches (to Mrs Mackay of Wes- 

 ton) 4 00 

 For the best foreign grapes cultivated under 

 glass (Black Hamburg) to Mr Charles Se- 

 nior of Roxbury, 5 00 

 Mr Senior also presented some very large and 

 fine clusters of Black Hamburg of open culture 

 grown under his care in the garden of Mr Hayncs; 

 the latter not being a member of the society the 

 committee regret not being able to award u pr«- 

 tniuni. 



For the best foreign grapes of open culture 

 (Black Hamburg) to Mr Charles Lawrence, 

 Salem, 5 00 



For the same, to Mr C. Cowing of Roxbury 5 00 

 With regard to this fruit the largest clusters 

 presented by Rlr Lawrence and Mr Cowing were 

 of precisely the same weight, and the berries equal- 

 ly beautiful and although the product of Mr Law- 

 rence's vine (4 years old) was the largest, it having 

 produced this season -56 clusters of ripe fruit, 

 several of which exceeded a pound and the largest 

 a pound and a half in weight, yet so very similar 

 were these beautiful specimens, that the commit- 

 leo iicvrt ihr.i.elit it best to award the society's 

 premium to both. 

 For the best native grapes (Isabella) to Mr 



Samuel Pond of Carabridgeport, 3 00 



For the best gooseberries (five varieties of 

 Lancashire) to Mr Samuel Walker of Rox- 

 bury, 2 00 

 For the best strawberries (Keens' seedling) to 



Mr David Haggerston, Charlestown, 2 00 



For the best Raspberries, red and white Ant- 

 werp, to Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn, 2 00 

 In consequence of the season having been so 

 unfavorable for cherries, plums, apricots, and nec- 

 tarines, very few were exhibited and none which 

 were thought to be worthy of premium ; the same 

 remarks will apply to apples, although of the latter 

 fruit a few handsome specimens were presented. 

 By oriler of the committee, 



S. Downer, Chairman. 



*See New England Farmer, vol. viii. page 161. 



France, in iiOO years, constructed 900 miles of 

 canal ; England, in 70 years, 2752 miles ; and the 

 United States, in 14 years, 2500 miles, of which 

 there are in Pennsylvania 900. 



It was stated on Sunday last, in the pulpit, by 

 one of the clergy, that nearly 20,000 persons are 

 sick in Boston — this, though about one third of 

 our population, we think is no exaggeration. 



An English publication states that the annoy- 

 ance of grass or weeds springing up between the 

 produced at a birth, and the applications are not I stones of pavements and in gravel walks, &c, may 

 unfrequent. On the 1st inst. a man from Smith he got rid of for years, by watering with a solu- 

 County, applied for 600 acres. I tion of lime and sulphur in boiling water. 



