322 



the thrifty suckers or gormaiuls are dead quite to 

 the jjrouud, aud I liave examined a great inany 

 stocks which were grafted last spring and grew 

 well, hoth ill my own and neighboi's orchard, and 

 1 cannot find a single one that I think alive. — 

 Fears, apples, plums, and engrafted cherries, have 

 indiscriminately fallen victims to this destroying 

 augel, nor does thjs end the distressing catalogue ; 

 all the variety of raspberries, all my hardy roses 

 are dead almost to the ground. The old apple 

 trees which were never grafted, the connnon cher- 

 ri s and horse plums, 1 am in hopes are not so 

 universally injured ; while the gooseberry, the 

 crab apple, the currant and filbert, have escap- 

 ed with little or no damage. 



This is a inisfortuiie, sorrowful, indeed, and un- 

 heard of before in this country. Hitherto we have 

 always thought that the apple tree, and many of 

 the variety of plums, were as hardy and would 

 sustaiu the severities of our winter as well as any 

 of the forest trees ; and as we had only a small crop 

 of fruit last year, this disappointment will be se- 

 verely felt, although the destructive eflects should 

 not extend beyond the present season. 



Peach and quince trees have very frequently 

 suffered with me in the same manner, and 1 con- 

 chide from the same cause. The trees continue 

 to grow too long and until late in the autumn, and 

 the winter approaches before they fill or perfect 

 their buds, which are the vital parts and liyemal 

 lodge of these plants. 



Besides, if these vernal arborous flowers should 

 fail to any great extent, may we not anticipate a 

 famine among our honey-bees ; for last summer 

 the long and frequent rains very much impeded 

 the labors of these industrious insects ; their stores, 

 consequently, were not as abundant as usual and 

 must now be nearly expended. Ought we not 

 therefore to bear this in mind, and ufl'urd them 

 seasonable relief. In this way, we may atone for 

 some of the cruel robberies committed upon their 

 species last fall ; and perhaps convince them that 

 to live in the neighborhood of man, is not always 

 a iiusfortuiie. 



Our winter has been remarkably long and se- 

 vere. In November, before the ground was fro- 

 zen, there fell a great depth of snow, and grea" 

 and steady cold immediately followed. For more 

 tlian forty days in succession, previous to the 8th 

 of January, the mercury in Fahrenheit was at no 

 time above 39, and then for a few hours only. 

 On the 27th of that month it was depressed 25 

 below zero, and continued several days and nights 

 without rising 10 degrees. March has been a 

 tedious prolongation of winter, and our fields are 

 yet covered with snow. Yours, 



S. REYNOLDS. 



Florida, Montgomenj Co. A*. 1'. April, 1832. 



PEACH TREES. 



Mr Fesse.nde.n — Having sufiiered much from 

 the depredations of worms on fruit trees, and hav- 

 ing tried everything recommended in this section 

 of country, without destroying the worms or en- 

 tirely preventing their depredations, I had almost 

 despaired of ever succeeding in raising peach trees 

 to perfection, until accident throw me in a way of 

 acquiring some information, and learning a rem- 

 edy, at least new to me. On a recent visit to 

 Saybrook, I found T. Starkey, Esq. had applied 

 coal tar to his trees with the most decidedly ben- 

 eficial eflects. On examining the trees to which 

 tJiis application had been made, I found no ap- 



Ni:W EN GLAND I ARMER^ 



pcarauce of worms and every tree is healthy and 

 flourishing ; the old wounds have healed, and 1 

 should think run no danger of another attack. 



Mr Starkey procured his coal tar from Capt. 

 Champlain of the London packet ship President, 

 whose family reside in Saybrook. The flavor of 

 the tar is so strong, that the earth at the foot of 

 the tree on which the tar ran down during last 

 summer, appears to retain the strong flavor of the 

 tar itself. It is applied with a common paint 

 brush, about a foot in length on the lower jiart of 

 the tree. I believe the coal tar can be procured 

 at ship-chandlers, but whether as good as that 

 brought by Capt. Champlain, I have no means of 

 ascertaiiung. Yery respectfully. 



Your ob't serv't, J. ELLSWORTH, 



Kttch Mills, Conn. April, 1832. 



THE SEASON. 



Mr Russell — It may be interesting to some of 

 the readers" of your Journal, to know what intense 

 cold weather we have had to endure the jiast win- 

 ter, in Anson, Maine, latitude 44"^ 55' north. And 

 if you think this worth publishing you may give 

 it a place, when it will not exclude more valuable 

 matter. — The thermometer observed at sunrise, 



1831. Dec. 18, below zero 12 degrees ; 



20, " 27 



22, " 12 



23, " 28 

 28, « 2G 

 31, " 31 



1832. Jan. 2, « 25 



27, « 31 



28, « 2!) 

 Feb. C, « 27 



17, " 37 



24, " 12 



25, " 3!> 

 March 2, " 2U 



2.3, " 12 



April G, above zero 6 

 7, " 2 



Yesterday I examined my small apple orchard, 

 that contains sixty young thrifty trees, and founj 

 them all alive ; but among one hundred scions 

 from New York that were set last May, I fouid 

 sixty dead. I find my mulberry trees all aliv. 

 ROBERT DINSMORE. 

 Anson, Me. April, ] 832. 



CATTLE SHOW, 



And Agricultural Exhibition for the County of 

 Bristol. 

 This will be held at Taunton on Wednesday 

 Oct. 3d, 1839. The Committee stale, that tlic 

 Bristol County Agricultural Society, " having beei 

 encouraged by the success of their eflxirts heretofori 

 made, for the promotion of Agriculture and Man 

 ufactures in the County of Bristol, and by the pat 

 ronage of the Commonwealth," ofler certain Pre- 

 miums, of which the following is an abstract. 



STOCK. 



For the best fat Ox, (meaning the one having 

 the most flesh produced by the least expense,) $8 : 

 second do. 6 ; third do. 4. Best fat Cow $3 ; sec- 

 ond 2. Best Heifer or Steer, not less than two 

 nor more than three years, $3 ; second 2. Best 

 Bull, not less than one year old, having reference 

 to size, form and disposition, $10 ; second 7 ; third 

 5. Best Bull Calf, not less than four nor more 

 than twelve months old, $4 ; second 2. Five best 

 milch Cows, all owned by one person, having re- 



AprU 25, 1832. 



gard not only to their qualities for the dairy, but 

 all other essrntial qiudities in cattle, $8, &:,c. A 

 uuuiher of three dollar ])reminms for Merino and 

 Saxon Bucks, and of any imported Ram except 

 Merino and Saxon ; six best Merino or Saxon 

 Ewes, &c. For the best Boar, &c, .$3. 



A disposition to early maturity iu any of the 

 animals, [larticularly swine, will be a strong re- 

 commendation. 



WHITE MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 



To the person who shall produce satisfactory 

 evidence of having in a course of cultivation, and 

 iu the most thrifty condition, the greatest number 

 (not less than one hundred) of White Mulberry 

 Trees, standing in rows not less than three feet 

 a|)ar(, and not less than twelve inches ajiart in the 

 rows, and not less than five feet high, §10 ; second 

 do. .5. To the person who shall produce satisfac- 

 tory evidence of having in a course of cultivation, 

 and in the most thrifty condition, the greatest num- 

 ber (not less than onelmndred) of Wiiite Mulberry 

 Trees, $10 ; second do. 5. For the best raw silk 

 or sewing silk, pryduced from the White Mulberry 

 tree, not less than four ])ounds, $4 ; for the second 

 best, 3 ; for the third best, 2. A pr()])ortionably 

 increased premium for a greater quantity of silk, 

 not exceeding ten dollars. 



GRAIN AND VEGETABLE CROPS. 



Indian Corn on an acre, not less than eighty 

 bushels, §10; next best, averaging not less than 

 sixty bushels jier acre, raised on not less than two 

 acres, $7. Potatoes, not less than 550 bushels, $8 

 and 6. Summer Wheat on a quarter of an acre, not 

 less than six bushels, $3 and 2. Rye, not less 

 than twenty bushels on an acre, $6. Barley and 

 Oats, .$4 each. Hay, principally Herd's Grass, 

 Fine Top, and Red Top, $6 and 4. To any per- 

 son who shall introduce any Grass not before cul- 

 tivated in tliis country, aud prove after actual ex- 

 periment its superiority to any grass now cultiva- 

 ted, .«llO. Premiums are also ofl^ered on Ruta 

 Baga, Carrots, Mangel Wurtzel, Onions, English 

 Turnips, Cider and Apples. 



For the best cultivated Farm, $15. For the 

 second best, .filO. Competitors for the two last 

 jiremiums must give notice thereof to Roland 

 Green or Jacob Dean of Mansfield, or Alfred Bay- 

 lies of Taunton, (the committee on farms,) on or 

 before the first day of June next, that said com- 

 mittee may have time to view the same. 



The premiums on Butter are $10, 6, 4 ; o» 

 Cheese $8, 6, 4 ; on Honey $4, 2. 



With regard to domestic and household manu- 

 factures, premiums are oflered on cotton or linen 

 shirting, sattinet, carpeting, hearth rugs, flannels, 

 grass or straw bonnets, broadcloths, cassiniere, 

 woollen hose, blankets, broad lioes, narrow axes, 

 gentlemen's and ladies' palm leaf hats. 



A Ploughing Match and trial of Working Oxen 

 are likewise to be exhibited, and premiums award- 

 ed to the successful competitors. 



The notice of this exhibition (of which we could 

 find room for this abstract only,) appeared at 

 length in the Taunton Reporter of the ]8th inst. • 

 and is signed by James L. Hodges, Jacob Cliapin^ 

 and Wm. A. F. Sproat. 



HORTICULTURE. 



Mr Fesse.nden— As the season has now arrived 

 for those who delight in the business of gardening 

 to commence operations, I take the liberty of send- 

 ing you a few observations upon this pleasing 

 smployment. And here I will premise, that I 



