PUBLlSHEDJiY^ j^_Rt^SELL^ATNa5.: NOR TH MARKET STREET,Ja-.^tu e^k.culturalWareho»se.)-T. G.^^E^S^^^^T^^^li^^ 



VOL. X. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 1831. 



NO. 2S. 



iS (Q SS Sl~~if A? X 'S il S a © ST Sa 



LEAVES OF Tin: WILD CHERIIY. 



T.illli- Eilit .r ofllK! N.nv Enjla.i.l Farjncr. 



Sir — ! noiiceil in your useful paper of the lltli 

 two coiniiiuriic:iii>ii3 r^:i|)!!clin^ the poisonous 

 quality ol' the liraves of lliu WrLD CtiruiiY, and 

 flit a ileijrse of alarm at l!ic ileleriiiinatiou of oni- 

 of iho gentlem;,'n to ciit down anil i.'xterniinate 

 every tree and hush vimler that naine, wliil« I was 

 carefully preserving sciine in tny garden for its val- 

 uable medicinal virtues. I have given a stronj: 

 dfccoelion o\' the twin's of tiie wild cherry tree 

 egain and again, to men, women, and children, 

 with the happiest effects, according to the indica- 

 tions. Nevertheless Mr' Prince r.ndMr Tully 

 may he right in their denunciation of the wild 

 cherry tree as it roganls .^heep, especially if they 

 mean the Pruiius lauro cerasns, while I mean the 

 Prunus virginirina. The fruit of both of iheni 

 are used indiscriminately, in making that conunoii 

 sleigh{n!;-dr(im,chern/ rum, wiuch imm and women 

 may partake of at this cold season without risk 

 of dying the death of a sheep, and that as a rare 

 aad innocent luxury. [?] 



For diarrhoeas, and in certain stages of pro- 

 tracted dysenteries. I have never found a better 

 remedy than a decoction of the branches of the 

 Willi cherry tree in summer, and of its roots in the 

 winter. I am therefore anxious that it should not 

 be condeiimed ai-d executed wilhouta fair trial. 



It is true tijat the twigs, leaves, and roots of tlie 

 same tree have often differing cpialiiies, and give 

 out their quiiilessenrc, or essential nieilicinal qual- 

 ities, some more to hot water, some to spirit and 

 some when taken in substance imo the stomach in 

 form of powder; the last ot" which may be dele- 

 terious, and the others not. Again, some quadru- 

 peds can feed on some plants, that other.^ Imn from 

 with aversion; as the goals will e;it hellebore which 

 scarce any other animal will touch. All eschew 

 tobacco except man. 



I wish some gentlemen of leisure and scientific 

 discrimination w<inlil make a series of experiir.ents 

 to determine facts respecting the two species or 

 rather varieties of the wild or indigenous cherry 

 tree. I say indigenous, bee.iuse if you burn ilown a 

 lot of trees of any sort, the wild cherry most fn?- 

 qucnlly grows up from out the ashes. Besides 

 the native cherry tree is next to our maple the 

 handsomest wood for the cabinet maker; it is the 

 New England mahogany. 



Mr Tidly speaks in commendation of tiie com- 

 mon plantain as a speedy remedy in sheep poisoned 

 by Ihe wild cherry. If by common plantain he means 

 the Plantain Uuiccoliila, there is not in the whole 

 materia medica a more universal eilexipkuniiic or 

 counter poison, than the common | lantain, grow- 

 ing everywhere about our yards and barns: if ap- 

 plied to the poisoned sores made by the stings of 

 Ihe bee, wasp, or liornel, it surprisingly soothes the 

 anguish and dini!;;i.-,hes the angry swelling. Snme 

 have said in print, that where the toad is bitten by 

 atiy venoirious reptile or inrect, he straightway has 

 recnm-se to the leaf ofilie cotnmon plantain. 

 ' Make experimtiil.'!, ai\i\ observe nature,'' KtiyH Lord 

 Bico.v, anil'80 says your bumblo correspondent, 

 Cambridge, Dec. 17, 1831. B. VV. 



AGKICULTURAL PltEMlU.MS. 



Mr FessiiNDE.v — 



•Sir — The subject of .•igriculliual premiii 

 of 



1 ordina 



men receive tl 



of great imi.oriance. The amount of n,oney dis- 1 preminn.s, the public mi. 

 trihuted m this w.-iy by the State and County soci-jthe rmans of ih-ir euc 

 elhs is consideralde. It has alwavs proved a i iIpI,..,-.„.i ,i, ; .'. 



consideralde. I 

 powerful means of e\iiting competition atid en- 

 terprise and care ; and these are the great instiii 

 menis of public improieinent. It is on every 

 account desirable that this public homity, 

 able to the State and to individuals, should not 

 be abused, nor improperly applied ; and that it 

 shoidd be rendered in the highest degree possible 

 available to the public siiirited objects for which 

 it is bestowed. 



I have nothing to say of the abuses of the 

 bounty, for I know of none ; but there are condi- 

 lions of its bestowment, which the Societies have 

 a right to make, and which, if they do not make 

 and ligidly exact, the imblic fail of some of the prin- 

 cipal advantages of these bounties, which they 

 might expect. 



There are two objects to which these premi- 

 mns are adapted ; fiist to ascertain what can be 

 done ; and second, when anything valuable is 

 done, how it was done ; to induce individuals to 

 make expenmenis. inventions, and discoveries in 

 agricultura/ science or practice ; and to secure for 

 the agricu.iural public the advantage of such ex- 

 periments, inventioiLs and discoveries, by a full 

 I'etail, not only of the results, but the means and 

 |)roces? by which such result>i were obtained. 

 !f the public ptiy a Iiounty or rev/ard furany aitri- 

 cuitural experiment or produce, they have a ri"ht 

 to know bow they themselves mtiy realize a simi- 

 lar prciduce. The mere facts that a man has raised 

 so loaay bushels of corn to an acre ; or exhibit- 

 ed an iniinal weighing so many pounds ; or pro- 

 duced liutter which is a.ljudgod, and with perfect 

 justice, deserving of the splendid premium of one 

 htindred dollars, are of little consequence to the 

 public, compared with knowing in respect to 

 the crop, what was the nature of the soil, the ma- 

 nure applied, the kind planted, the distance of 

 the plants, and the time of planting aiid gathering ; 

 in respect to the animal, the stock from which he 

 is derived, the manner in which he has been reared 

 the quiiljty and quantity of the food which he has 

 consumeil, the general mode of attendance and the 

 balance of loss or gain in the experiment ; and in 

 respect lo the butter, from how many cows it has 

 been produced, the nature of their pasture and 

 keep, the mode of setting the milk, the time of 

 taking the cream, the manner of churning, the 

 quantity and kind of salt used, and the way of 

 pultiiif! it ilowii for maiket. 



In the Medical .'Society of .Ma.ss., I believe it 

 is a standing rule that if a member makes any for- 

 tunate discovery in medicine, or composes a pill or 

 di-aughi (,r cataplasm of extraordinary effica- 

 cy, he is required to make it known to his brethren 

 under penalty of expulsion. I do not know that 

 there is any disposition on the part of the agri- 

 cultural community to keep anything secret 

 in any of their operations ; though the celebrated 

 Bakewell, the famous breeder of stock in England, 

 IS said to have concealed until his .leatli the princi- 

 ples of the art by which he efJected such extra- 



iry improvements in his live stock, and ob- 



such immense profits. But eei taiiily where 



public bounty i„ the form of 



t justly claim to know 



, ,.„., I i , , . •■*■"' '"'"^^'■"■ise thev are 



pio;eil a [ debarred the most important advaiilages,wh!cli' they 



expect from these preiniuiiis. 



I liuve been led to these remarks by the charac- 

 t^;r of the agricultural reports with which we are 

 generally furnished, and which contain little else 

 than a siring of names, the article exhibited, and 

 the amount of premium awarded. 



These are about as interesting, excepting to the 

 successful compctiLors and their friends, as a col- 

 uinii in a spelling book or a list of names of towna 

 or representatives in the Register. 



These suggestions are offered with perfect re- 

 spect to those gentlemen upon whom devolves 

 oftentimes the didicult task of awarding these 

 premiums. In cases of crops, the Mass. Society 

 have always and very properly required a particu- 

 alar account of the cultivation. This with every 

 Society and in every practicable case shoul.l be 

 an invariable rule. 



In respect to animals, which have been honor- 

 ed with premiuni'j this year, whether milch cows, 

 lat animals, or others, scarcely in any of the reports 

 with which your paper has been filled, has there 

 been any .-pecification of their produce, valuable 

 pr .perties, descent, mode of keep or feed, and 

 other circiimsi.iiice.s, which it is desirable to know. 

 In ibe report of the Uf.anl of the liberal premi- 

 ums for the pr.x!uce of the .lairy recently bestow, 

 ed, we have none of those particulars in regard to 

 the (laiiy tnanagement, which we greatly want, and 

 which v.onid be of essential service to the commu- 

 nity. Perhaps they are hereafter to be given. But 

 whether now to be given or not, is it not desira- 

 ble that in all future awards the successful com- 

 petitors should be required, before the premium ia 

 paid, to give a detailed accimnt of their dairies, 

 their covvs, feed, management of their cream and 

 milk, and mode of churning or cheesemaking ; 

 and that these details shoulil be fully laid before 

 the public .' 



Salem, Dec. 15, ISSl. H. C. 



EXACTNESS. ' 



Actual experiment is certainly the best of al 

 teachers in agriculture as well as in every other 

 art or science. Here facts are infinitely better 

 than theories. But experiments to be relied ou 

 cannot be too accurately performed ; and in order 

 to be made beneficial to others must be most exact- 

 ly and completely detailed. Nothing can be further 

 from exactness than the habits of our common 

 farmers. They seldom weigh or measure any- 

 thing, and in nine liundred and ninetynine casea 

 in a thousand you will find them satisfied with 

 ' guessing that a thing is about so.' They guess 

 that a certain cow gives about so inucb 



nilk ; that they cut about so many tons of hay ; 

 that they have about so many bushels of corn 



r potatoes to an acre : without ever taking any 

 pains to ascertain the facts. Now all these things 

 are susceptible of exact measurement, ami conjec- 

 ture ill these cases is perfectly vague and decep- 

 tive. It often does much injury, for the coufi- 



