14 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



England, for manure ; and the quantity which is 

 every season caiTied away from difi'ercnt parts of the 

 coast, for the piaxpose of mauiuc, almost exceeds 

 behef." 



From "Budc," in the parish of Stratton, it has 

 been ascertained that in one day as many as four 

 thousand horse-loads have been taken ; and from the 

 harbor of Padstow, it has been computed that fifty- 

 four thousand cart-loads are annually carried. Mar- 

 tin Doyle says, " I have knoAvn tliis manure in the 

 county of Cork to be carried in bags ten or fifteen, 

 ay, twenty miles from the coast, on the backs of 

 mules." The expense of land carriage for this mate- 

 rial as a manure, in Cornwall alone, (as stated by Dr. 

 Paris,) amounts at least to thirty thousand pounds 

 annually. Mr. Colman, in his European Agricul- 

 ture, sjieaking of the immense quantities taken up 

 on the coast of Ireland, says, " The number of one- 

 horse carts, especially near Cork, which I found 

 engaged in the transportation of it, was remarkable. 

 To the largo proportion of phosphate of lime con- 

 tained in the crustaceous remains, and the nitrogen- 

 ized matter of the fish, much of its importance, 

 doubtless, is due. In Cornwall, England, vast 

 amounts are found near the sea-shore, and carried 

 into the country. In examining this sand, which is 

 obtained in inexhaastible quantities near parts of the 

 coast, it ai^peared in an extraordinary degree to 

 abound in broken shells. — A company has been 

 formed for calcining this sand, which serves to make 

 it more soluble, and rendei-s its action upon the soil 

 more speedy. It is called the ' Cornwall Patent Ma- 

 nure.' These sands (continues Mr. Colman) are full 

 of comminuted shells, and very rich in animal mat- 

 ter. They are applied at the rate of ninety bushels, 

 or even double that quantity of bushels, to the acre." 



J. M. IVES. 



Salem, Jan. 1, 1850. 



For the New England Fanner. 

 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE. NO. f[l. 



Mr. Editor : Agriculture engaged the attention 

 of the Romans, theoretically as well as practically. 

 Their time was divided between husbandry and war. 

 In the early days of the republic, their greatest men 

 employed themselves alternately in the one and the 

 other. Cincinnatus was called from the plough to 

 fill the office of dictator. 



Among the Romans, tlie ox was the principal beast 

 of burden ; and there arc many directions for breed- 

 ing, working, and feeding this animal, to be found in 

 the writings of Pliny, Cato, and others. Bees were 

 also held in high estim^ation among the Romans, and 

 directions for their management may be found among 

 the writers above mentioned. With regard to the 

 implements of husbandry used by the Romans, we 

 cannot speak very definitely ; but it is certain they 

 used ploughs of some sort, both with movild-boards 

 and colters and without them. Pliny speaks of a 

 reaping machine, that was propelled by an ox. Their 

 grain was beaten out by flails, or trodden by cattle. 

 Haying was performed much in the same manner- as 

 at present. 



On the decline of the Roman empire, agriculture 

 shared the fate of all other arts, and during the long 

 ages of anarchy and barbarism v.-hich succeeded the 

 fall of this empire, agriculture was almost wholly 

 abandoned, and contmued to be neglected till the 

 introduction of the feudal system, in the fifteenth 

 century. This gave every man a distinction and 

 rank according to the quantity of land he occupied. 

 Notliing contributed more to give an importance to 

 agricultural pursuits than the introduction of this 

 system, which gave the tenant, that cultivated the 

 Boil, as well as the landlord, who owned the land, 



political privileges that Avere enjoyed by no other 

 members of the community. 



England has, for the last fifty years, done much for 

 the advancement of agriculture ; and her efibrts have 

 been crowned with success, as her agTicultural pro- 

 ductions have more than doubled during this period. 



The agriculture of the French sufibrs in common 

 with every other sjsecies of industry, from the eff'ects 

 of bad government. Since the revolution, they have 

 made some advancement, but are still far behind 

 Great Britain, notwithstanduig they have a climate 

 and soU. adajjted to every variety of vegetable growth. 

 In all parts of the continent of Europe, increosmg 

 attention is being paid to this subject. In Lombardy 

 and Flanders, it is carried to the highest state of im- 

 provement. ROCKINGHAM. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PROFIT OF HENS. 



Mr. Editor: I have kept, since January last, 

 about forty hens. They have had their full liberty 

 over my premises, from day to day ; and though, at 

 times, they have been rather inclined to mischief, j-et, 

 upon the whole, I am very well satisfied with then- 

 product, since they began to lay, which was abo-.it 

 the middle of February ; and, though I have lost 

 seven of them by disease and accident, they have 

 produced up to this time about four thousand eggs, 

 and raised me about sixty chickens — being an aA^er- 

 age of oA-er one huLiidred eggs per hen, besides rais- 

 ing the chickens. ■ 



The eggs Avhich I have sold amount to nearly $4:5, 

 at fourteen cents per dozen, the average price for the 

 tune in our market ; and the chickens are Avorth, on 

 an average, twenty-five cents each, Avhich is $15. 

 Total product, to this time, $60. They have been fed 

 but A'ery Uttle grain, since the opening of spring ; but 

 have picked and scratched for a living about the farm. 

 I have kept a good heap of pounded oyster shells in 

 their Avalks, of Avhich they daily avail themselves — 

 frequently several times in a day. A part of my 

 hens, during the Avarm weather, haA'c roosted on the 

 trees, near the house ; part of them in an open shed ; 

 and a part of them in the barn. I haA'e no hen or 

 " poultry house," as they are called, nor any thing of 

 the kincl. Now, what I Avish to knoAV is this : Hoav 

 should I manage with my hens, in order to haA-e them 

 continue laying through the cold season ? as I haA^e 

 observed that, as hens are generally managed in this 

 part of the countiy, they lay but A-ery fcAV eggs from 

 the first of December to the middle of February, or 

 later. I should like to knoAV hoAV my hens should 

 be fed, where I should make them roost, and also 

 Avhat quantity of eggs hens, that are well taken care 

 of, Avill produce, compared Avith Avarm Aveather. I 

 should Avish to have the du'cctions in a plain, familiar 

 style, and in as economical a form as Avill ansAvor the 

 purpose intended. Yours, &c., 



C. B. AYER. 



Preston, Conn., Nov. 24:, 1849. 



THE LATE REV. HENRY COLMAN. 



To the Editor arid rahlisher of the New Engkiyid 

 Farmer. 



Gentlemex : Holding the responsible position of 

 sentinels on the envii-ons of agricultiu-e in Neav Exg- 

 LAND, as you do, I venture to ask your attention to 

 the enclosed notice of one who spent the latter part 

 of his life in laboring to adA-ance the cause in Avhich 

 Ave all feel a common interest. The trustees of the 

 Essex Society felt it to be their duty distinctly to 

 take notice of the services of Mr. Coi.man. When a 

 man generously offers his life for the good of others, 

 it is right that his name and memory should have the 



