350 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



May IC, 1832, 



Boston, AVednesday Ef ening, May 16, 1832. 



MUNIFICENCE. 



Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart, a native of 

 Massachusetts, now in London, to wlionithis coun- 

 try luis been oftentimes heretofore indebted for 

 valuable donations of cattle, horses, &c, presented 

 through the medium of the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Society, has recently exhibited new proof 

 of his patriotism and liberality. He has forward- 

 ed to Jonathan Witiship, Esq. of Brigliton, Mass. 

 two large boxes of scarce and estimable plants, in- 

 cluding several hundreds of the choicest produc- 

 tions of English gardens. These are accompanied 

 by a letter, requesting Mr Winship to " please to 

 accept them as a mark of my regard for my native 

 land, and respect for you." We wisli this bene- 

 factor of his country may long continue to enjoy 

 life, health, and the hajipiness which results from 

 having contributed to the happiness of others, and 

 recei\ing the merited acknowledgments of respect 

 and gratitude, from his fellow citizens ou this side 

 of the Atlantic. 



planting, if it follow sward, to |)revent grub larvie 

 from destroying it. The same application will 

 have a similar effect, if applied to the top of jjotato 

 hills. But neither unleached ashes, nor lime in 

 its caustic slate, should in any case come in con- 

 tact with the seed corn or the young plants. 



j)letely dry, they are painted over with Verdigris 

 paint, which entirely preserves them, as it com- 

 pletely prevents any wet from possibly penetra- 

 ting." A similar process, no doubt would preserve 

 wooden in)plements of any kind. 



THE SEASON. 



Extract from a letter, dated Ketch Mills, Conn, Miiy U, 1833. 



Ai)ple and pear trees are now putting forth 

 blossoms, and appear tolerably promising. Peach 

 trees have been much killed. Cherries show some 

 blossoms ; but the winter or something else has 

 killed and injured very many fruit trees in this 

 vicinity. Apricots have not blossomed. Vege- 

 tation lias come forward rapidly within 'three or 

 four days, and we trust are all putting forth their 

 foliage. O. E. 



To preserve vegetables from degenerating. — Many 



persons experience 



reat disadvantage from tlie 



LIME FOR INDIAN CORN. 



Mr Fessende.n — Will you or some of your 

 correspondents inform me, through the medium 

 of your paper, the method of applying lime in 

 growing Indian corn? If placed under the corn 

 at planting, how much may with safety be placed 

 under each hill, when slacked ? To this query an 

 answer is of importance. Or is it better to apply 

 it at the first or second hoeing ? 



In the present volume of the New England 

 Farmer, pages 186, 187, there is a communieation 

 from Charles Bugbee, of his methotl of growing 

 Indian corn, by spreading his manure and placing 

 in the hill, lime, plaster of Paris, and ashes. He 

 does not say, but I conclude they were mixed 

 together, being in the whole thirty bushels. 



N. B. As planting time is at the door, an an- 

 swer is solicited. A FARMER. 

 May 7, 18:J3. 



B;i the Editor. — Mr Bugbee says, " Last spring 

 I ploughed up a piece of green sward, measuring 

 about five acres, and prepared it for corn as well 

 as the means would permit. After ploughing, 

 thirty loads of manure to the acre were spread 

 over the ground, and thoroughly mixed with the 

 earth by the harrow, without disturbing or break- 

 up the sward. The ground being now prepared, 

 on the 30th of May I planted my corn. A small 

 quantity of ashes, lime, and plaster of Paris, 

 mixed together and prepared for the purpose, was 

 introduced at the time of planting, or put in the hill. 

 Of this mixture or composition, there were two 

 and a half bushels of lime, the like quantity ol' 

 plaster, and twentytive bushels of ashes, for the 

 whole five acres." 



It should seem, then, that thirty bushels of ma- 

 nure, probably from the barn-yard, was spread 

 over the whole surface of five acres; and two and 

 a half bushels of hme, two and a half bushels of 

 plaster of Paris, and twentyfive bushels of ashes, 

 making a mixture of thirty bushels more, was jnit 

 in the hills. Thus the whole quantity applied 

 was sixty bushels — thirty from the baru-yard, and 

 thirty of lime, ashes and plaster, mixed as above. 

 The farmers of Rensallaer County, New York, 

 say, that ashes or quick lime ought always to be 

 applied to the top of a corn-hill immediately after 



changing of their garden seeds and other seeds 

 into a worse kind, or into those of a quite differ- 

 ent sort. In this way, pumpkins and squashes, 

 cabbages and turnips, gourds, and even cucumbers 

 and musk-melons, _ have injured one another, and 

 produced a mingled sort unfit for use. 



To preserve the purity of seeds, the following 

 rules are recommended : — Never plant gourds near 

 squashes, lest you make the squashes bitter. Nev- 

 er plant squashes near pumpkins, lest you cause 

 both sorts to degenerate. Never place different 

 sorts of seed cal>bages near each otiier, lest you 

 create a mixture, nameless and not worth nameing. 

 Never plant seed turnips near seed cabbages, lest 

 both should be spoiled. Never plant different 

 sorts of seed beets, seed radishes, &c, near each 

 other; and as a general rule, never plant near one 

 another vegetables which resemble each other in 

 some respects, but having quahties which should 

 be kept distinct. 



Loudon says, the great art of the seed garden- 

 er is to grow seeds true to their kind, for which 

 purpose, one grower must not attempt too many 

 varieties of the same species ; but he may grow 

 a number of different species, and of varietjes of 

 the same species, provided they do not come into 

 flower at the same time. 



..icclimating Plants, or accoihmodating half- 

 hardy exotics to climates colder tlian those to 

 which they naturally belong. — II. Groom, in the 

 Gardener's Magazine, states, that " From the ob- 

 servations I have made on early-flowering plants 

 placed against south walls, I am decidedly of opin- 

 ion, (where the fruit is not the object,) that we are 

 in an error; and that, instead of being planted 

 against a south wall with the idea of their receiv- 

 ing the sun in the winter and spring- months, 

 thereby forwarding them unduly, all early-flower- 

 ing plants should be placed against north walls ; 

 as it must be quite clear to persons acquainted 

 witli such plants, that the grand object is to retard 

 their blooming, as much as possible, until the sea- 

 son is sufficiently advanced to enable them to ex- 

 pand, without the hability of being destroyed by 

 frost. 



Preserving Seeds, Sfc. — Mr Thomas Short, in 

 the Hnrticuhural Register, says in substance, su- 

 gar, salt, and paper have been used for the pur- 

 pose of preserving seeds, but ha^'e proved insuffi- 

 cient ; but the following method will answer per- 

 fectly well : — Let the seeds which are to be pre- 

 served be immersed in a strong solution of gum 

 Arabic ; then let them be carefully dried, and 

 without any further preparation, they will become 

 perfectly secured against the injurious consequen- 

 ces of a humid and variable atmosphere, and not 

 subject to mildew, and therefore enabled to retain 

 their vitality after the most protracted voyage. 



Roofs of Buildings. — It is stated in Brewster's 

 Journal, that Zinc, rolled into large plates, is now 

 a good deal employed as a substitute for lead and 

 slates, in the roofing of buildings, both iii Britain 

 and on the Continent. The great advantage of 

 these plates of lead, is their lightness, being only 

 one sixth part of the weight of lead. They do not 

 rust, which is another great advantage, and has led 

 to the employment of zine pipes, both for cold and 

 hot water. 



To preserve Hood from decay. — W. Claughtou, 

 of Chesterfield, Eug. gives the following method 

 of rendering garden sticks secure from rotting: — 

 " First, they are made of red deal, they are then 

 placed in a situation in which they become very 

 dry ; when in this condition they are soaked in a 

 quantity of linseed oil, allowing them to remain in 

 it some time ; when removed from this they are 

 again dried for a week or two, or at least as long 

 as is necessary to dry up all moisture occasioned 

 by the soaking in of the oil. When they are com- 



jT/ie IVeevil. — Salt is said to be a complete pre- 

 ventative against the destruction of wheat by the 

 weevil. Mix a pint of salt with a barrel of wheat, 

 or put the grain in old salt barrels, and the weevil 

 will not attack it. In stacking wheat, four or five 

 quarts of salt to every hundred sheaves, sprinkled 

 among them, will entirely secure them from the 

 depredations of this insect and render the straw 



more valuable as food for cattle Horticultural 



Register. 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



Mr Ilovey, of Cambridge, exhibited the follow- 

 ing fine Hyacinths, on Saturday, May 12, 1832: — 



Don Gratuit, (white.) 



Gold of Ophir, (yellow.) 



La Bien Aimee, (blue.) 



Staaten General, (single blue.) 



Lord Wellington, (single red.) 



Velout Poupre, (dark blue.) 

 The following letter was received from General 



Wingate, and the scions of pear, (the fruit of 



which was exhibited last season,) distributed among 

 the members of the Society. 



PuETLAND, May7, !832. 



Dear Sir — Accompanying tliis, I have sent a 

 small bundle of scions from the pear trees of Mr 

 William McLaughlin, of Scarborough. Some of 

 the fruit of the trees from which these scions were 

 taken, was exhibited last autumn at the rooms of I 

 the Horticultural Soc'ety in Boston. You will I 

 please to i)rescnt these scions to the Society, for ' 

 the purpose of being distributed ainbng its mem- 

 bers. I am, very respectfullv, vour ob'tserv't,, 

 J. WINGATE, Jb. 



Mr Zeeedee Cook, Ja, 



