158 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



fall, may be stall fed for the market, in February, 

 March, and April, and sold at remunerating prices. 



Tliat lean cattle, obtained in the sj)ring and fed on 

 grass, green fodder, and an allowance of grain, would 

 come into market profitably before the grass-fed cattle 

 ■would arrive from the north. 



That shotes purchased in the fall, for butcher's 

 meat in the spring, then to weigh short of two hun- 

 dred pounds, and let them be replaced in the spring 

 for the fall market, would be a profitable operation. 



That poultry can be reared to the most advantage 

 near our seaports. 



That nciu: our great markets, persons who keep 

 teams, cows for milk, stall-fed cattle and sheep, fat- 

 ten swine and poultry, enrich their farms by the con- 

 sumption of grain, that exhausted the land on which 

 it grew, to the soutli and west. 



Qiiert/. "Will fifty bushels of corn given to twenty 

 dollars' worth of lean hogs, make more meat or 

 manure, than if fed to twenty dollars' worth of 

 wethers, attentively stall fed ? Docs not fat mutton 

 generally sell higher than pork, exclusive of the 

 pelt ? 



Will not some of your subscribers experiment 

 upon the subject, by occasionally weighing the live 

 animals, and give the result to the public, through 

 your paper ? 



Is there no way by which June butter can be kept 

 sweet till October ? May it not be done by laying it 

 down in small, strong white oak kegs, from twenty- 

 five to fifty pounds each ; place these kegs in a tight 

 cask, and fill round them either salt or a strong brine, 

 and if possible, place the cask in an ice-house ? 



Whoever succeeds in placing June butter, in all its 

 freshness of favor, into the Boston, Providence, and 

 New York markets in the months of October and 

 November, may be assured that it will readily com- 

 mand twenty-five cents and upwards, a pound, for 

 any quantity. 



If any of the above suggestions meet your views, 

 and are considered worth publication, they are at 

 your service for that purpose. 



A SUBSCRIBER. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE POTATO DISEASE. 



^Ir. Editor : I perceive by a late number of the 

 Farmer, that " Dr. Richardson, of IMaryland, flatters 

 himself that he has discovered the cause of the 

 potato rot." lie says, " The rot is produced by the 

 deposition of the egg, and the destruction of the 

 pith or heart of the vine, (by consequence of the cir- 

 culating capillaries,) by the larvae of an insect. This 

 insect is of the curculio or weevil genus." 



This may be the case, and it may not. If this is 

 really the cause of the disease in the potato, why, I 

 would ask, is not the disease as prevalent and fatal 

 on dr)', sandy land, as on loamy, moist land ? I have 

 observed of late years, that potatoes grown on moist 

 lands were affected earlier, and the disease was more 

 fatal, than among those grown on dry land. I have 

 proved this from experience on my own premises. 

 I.ast year, for instance, I broke up a piece of worn- 

 out pasture land, on the highest part of my farm, 

 and spread on the surface, before plouglung, a light 

 coat of winter manure, a good share of which was 

 horse manure. I planted my potatoes about the 

 middle of May, on this piece of ground. I also 

 planted a small piece of ground with the same kind 

 of potatoes, which was a deep, sandy loam, rather 

 moist, without any manure, (although there was a 

 light coat the year previous.) This piece was planted 

 four or five days later, and received the same care as 

 the other. In the fall the vines on the lii-st planted 



piece decayed earlier, and still there were but little 

 signs of disease among the potatoes ; while the vines 

 on the moist land retained their greenness much 

 later, and on harvesting them, pretty much all the 

 potatoes were diseased ; by actual measurement, not 

 one fifth part were fit to put into the cellar. Those 

 on the dry ground were but little affected ; not one 

 bushel in twenty but that were sound. I do not 

 ground my experience on this last year alone, but 

 previous years have shown similar results ; thus 

 proving, so far as my knowledge and observation 

 go, that Dr. Richardson's "cause" is incorrect, 

 especially in growing potatoes on my premises. It 

 looks evident to me, that if the disease in the potato 

 is caused by this insect in question, all fields wordd 

 be alike affected, especially when joining each other. 



Many farmers lose a good share of their potatoes 

 after having cellared them in the fall. To me it 

 seems this might be avoided. If potatoes are per- 

 fectly sound and dry when carried into the cellar, 

 (say the last of October) little danger need be appre- 

 hended from the rot. If potatoes are the least dis- 

 eased when put into bins or barrels in the cellar, 

 rotten potatoes sooner or later may be expected. 

 Rot oftentimes proceeds from bruises received while 

 digging. It needs a great deal of caution, in digging 

 potatoes, to preserve them sound. Careless boys 

 ought not to be allowed to dig potatoes intended for 

 winter use. 



A lady at my elbow wishes to know if there is any 

 remedy to destroy lice on snow-ball bushes. They 

 completely cover the bushes just before blossoming. 



A. TODD. 



Smithfield, R. I., April, 1850. 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 MAHOGANY. 



"Mr. EorroR : Though the mahogany is a native 

 of too warm a climate to allow of its cultivation as a 

 timber-tree in this country, yet it is applied to so 

 many uses, and is so well adapted for most of them, 

 that some notice of it is required. 



There are three species of mahogany : common 

 mahogany, (Sioietcnia mahogani,^ Swietenia fehrifugay 

 and Swietenia chhroxylon ; the iirst being a native of 

 the West India Islands and the central parts of 

 America, and the second and third, natives of the 

 East Indies. They all grow to be trees of considera- 

 ble magnitude, the first and second being among the 

 largest trees knowii. They are all excellent timber. 



Swietenia mahogani is, perhaps, the most majestic 

 of trees ; for though some rise to a greater height, 

 this tree, like the oak and cedar, impresses the spec- 

 tator with the strongest feelings of its firmness and 

 duration. In the rich valleys among the mountains 

 of Cuba, and those that open upon the Bay of Hon- 

 duras, the mahogany expands to so giant a trunk, 

 divides into so many massive arms, the shade of its 

 shining green leaves, spotted with tufts of pearly 

 flowers, over so vast an extent of surface, that it is 

 difficult to imagine a vegetable production, combin- 

 ing, in such a degree, the qualities of elegance and 

 strength, of beauty and sublimity. The jjrecise 

 period of its growth is not accurately known ; but, 

 as when large, it changes but little during the life of 

 a maa, the time of its arriving at maturity is jDrob- 

 ably not less than two hundred years. Some idea 

 of its size, and also of its commercial value, may be 

 formed from the fact, that a single log weighed 

 nearly seven tons, was, in the first instance, sold in 

 Trinidad de Cuba, for $1512, and resold for $2100. 



Mahogany of remarkable fineness is the most 

 costly of fancy woods. As is the case with much 

 other timber, the finest mahogany-trees, both for size 



