198 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JANUARY 3, 1833. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, \VEDNESDAY EVENIXC., JAN. 2, 1R33. 



As a means to give uotice of the intentions of 

 the conductors of the N. E. Farmer in relation to 

 its future character, we have inserted our Pros- 

 pectus in the advertising column, and shall take 

 the liberty of sending this as a specimen number 

 to gentlemen whose names may occur to us. 

 The volume previous to the current one, is Vol. I. 

 New Series, and will be found a valuable and in- 

 teresting one ; those who desire can be furnished 

 with it. 



If you intend your domestic animals shall be 

 profitably kept, you will attend to their comfort 

 as well as their sustenance. They must be well 

 lodged as well as well fed, or they will consume 

 much hay and provender to little purpose. If they 

 are well littered they will not only be rendered the 

 more comfortable, butthe materials with which they 

 are accommodated will make good manure. It is 

 of great consequence that the floors of your cow- 

 houses and stables be water tight, so that none of 

 the stale of the animals be lost, but it should be 

 conducted to some reservoir of liquid manure, to 

 be disposed of as we have often directed, or mixed 

 with earth previously provided. 



Lorain says, " As it is far better under any 

 system of management for the cattle to riui at large 

 though the day, unless the weather be bad, move- 

 able hay-savers, or racks for holding the hay, 

 corn, fodder, &c. should be constructed, 4iat the 

 rich droppings from the cattle may be regularly 

 spread over the yard ; unless they be fed Under 

 open sheds." | 



Arthur Young says, " The great points inlfeed- 

 ing cattle are regularity, and a ])articular care of 

 the wealier individtials. On this account there 

 ' ought ever to be plenty of trough and rack-riom, 

 that too many may not feed together ; in wnich 

 very common case the weaker are not Inly 

 trampled down by the stronger, but they are wor- 

 ried, and become cowed and spiritless, than wnch 

 there cannot be a more unfavorable state for thrl't ; 

 besides, these are ever compelled to shift amcmg 

 the worst part of the food. This domineerilg 

 spirit is so remarkably prevalent among hornil 

 cattle, that he has a hundred times observed tit 

 master-beast running from crib to crib, and absa 

 lutely neglecting his own provender for the sakl 

 of driving the weaker animals from theirs. This 

 is, much oftener than suspected, the chief reason 



Poland, TnimhuU County, O.Dec. 13th, 1832. 

 Thomas G. Fessenden, Esq. 



Sir, — The vegetable kingdom of this western 

 region contains many species, not indigenous to 

 the New-England States. Among them, several 

 are interesting on account of eitlier their ornamen- 

 tal or useful properties; and in a few, both are 

 combined, as in the case of the Anona or Porcelia 

 triloba, of botanists, or in common language the 

 papaw, or custard apple. The tree is small, of 

 regular growth, not exceeding twenty feet in height, 

 the leaves are luxuri.ant, smooth and handsome, 

 and the general habit is peculiarly rich. Early in 

 May numerous dark, brownish, purple flowers put 

 forth, and are succeeded by clusters of fruit, which, 

 when fully grown, resemble the jaigonellc pear in 

 color, size and form. It ripens in October, and 

 has a flavor somewhat like that of the banapas of 

 the island of Cuba, or perhaps more like that of a 

 custard ; hence it receives one of its appellations. 

 To some people it is sickish, to others palatable 

 and delicious ; and to many birds and wild ani- 

 mals, it affords for a time a su])ply of food. — It 

 contains six or eight seeds of the size and appear- 

 ance of the English kidney bean. 



As tlie tree is hardy it would doubtless flourish 

 in any climate congenial to the ])each, jirovided it 

 were set in a suitable soil and exposure. It de- 

 lights in shaded situations upon the rich alluvial 

 and diluvial formations along our streams of water. 



The seeds, when left to themselves, will not 

 vegetate until the second year ; it is however pro- 

 bable, if treated with hot water, after the method 

 rcconunended for accelerating vegetation with the 

 seeds of the locust, they might be caused to sprout 

 the first season. 



If art and cultivation have produced from the 

 wild-crab the highly flavored spitzenberg ajjple, 

 from the woolly almond the melting rareripe peach, 

 and from the bitter mazzard the rich, black Tar 

 tarian cherry, what valuable varieties of fruit might' 

 not in proc(^ss of lime be obtained by similai' 

 means from the papaw ? 



The magnolia acuminata or cucumber is a 

 showy an<l ornamental tree, that, had it been a 

 native only of China or Van Diemau's land, would, 

 without a doubt, long since have been introduced 

 under some imposing name into pleasure grounds, 

 and placed alongside of the " ailauthus, or tree of 

 heaven." 



Two years since I forwarded to you some re- 

 marks ui)on the different methods of protecting 

 plums against the attacks of the curculio, and also 

 a description of the plan adopted at Economy, for 

 arrestuig the insect, in its course U]) the trees, by 

 means of tarred-boards.* Having afterwards tested 

 the latter, I found it entrapped comiiaratively few. 

 While observing their movements I discovered 

 that they ascended indiscriminately every tree 

 about my orchard, and after waiting a day or two, 

 apparently to gain strength after their transform- 

 ation, they flew to such of my plum trees as were 

 bearing. By the time the }'oung fruit of the red 



and very shameful sight, in a dairy of cows, to see 

 several of them gored and wounded in a dozen 

 places, merely from the inattention of the owner, 



butt. The weaker animals should be dra^vn and 



tar and all other protection about the roots were 

 of little use, as were also every plan that 1 could 

 devise to ditilodge them from the trees. 



I at Icuglh cuiumcncod jarriug the limbs while 

 a sheet was (wtcudcd beneath, and had the satis- 

 faction to find that the insects would roll them- 

 sdves into a ball, drop upon the cloth and feign 

 c jath, till I coidd secure them in an empty phial. 

 Three persons are required to perform it suc- 

 cissfully, two to hold the sheet and one to jar the 

 li nbs ; and it must be done early in the morning, 

 f( r if delayed till the sun has enlivened them, they 

 vill fly away at the first alarm. 



IBy repeating this operation every morning, for 

 aUnut three weeks, which was the time they occu- 

 pitd in dej)ositing their eggs; and by carefully 

 ditroying the dro)(pings, and injured fruit, I suc- 

 celded in saving a fine crop of plums for the two 

 seasons. 



[)uring a more recent visit to Economy I found 



thi t the tarred boards were applied to all or nearly 



of the trees in the diflierent gardens, and as 



th(ie were few trees besides in that village, the 



pli 1 would of course be more effectual ; especially 



hey are careful to pick up the droppings, which 



committed to the fire. 



I am, sir, respectfully yours, 



.I.VRED P. KIRTLAND. 



A sensible: porker. 



SE Thomaston Journal relates the following" 

 stoh : — 



A pig weighing about eighty attempted to cross 

 Mill River (so called) on the ice ; after proceeding 

 a slort distance he came to a place in the ice 

 neiJi<r than the rest and broke through ; when 



E.tcad of drowning, as a lubberly boy assuredly 

 )uld, he very deliberately commenced swimming 

 ider the ice in a straight line for the shore he was 

 aiming at. The ice was about an inch thick, and 

 being transparent, all his motions could be ob- 

 served, and in this manner he swam to the shore, 

 four rods, and when arrived there braced himself 

 on the bottom and with his back burst up through 

 the ice, and got out without the least assistance. 



of the difference so visible in a lot of beasts afle: 



a winter's keep. It is, likewise, a very common imperial had attained tlie size of a large pea, these 



depredators commenced making their impressions. 

 It was evident from day to day that theu- numbers 

 increased, and occasionally I saw them alighting 

 upon the tree, though I believe they carry on their 



and the neglect of tipping the horns of those that operations most acUvely in the fore part of the 



evening, especially if the weather be warm and 



fed apart ; and in feeding in the yard it is a good! e'ear. It now became evident, that pavements, 

 method to tie up the master-beasts at their meals." 



See N. England Fanner, vol. ix. p. 160. 



MJ1S.4NCES IN LONDON. 



Blythe, an old English writer on agriculture, 

 who wrote a book called " Improver Improved," 

 published in 1749, says, " It was not many years 

 ^ince the famous city of London petitioned the 

 Parliament of Englajid, against two nuisances, or 

 offensive conmiodities, which were likely to come 

 nto great use and esteem ; and that was New- 

 'astle coals, in regard to their stench, &c. and 

 lops in regard tlu^y would spoylethe taste of drink 

 ind endanger the people." 



The value of race horses in England may be 

 Duderstood from the following passage of a recent 

 ac;ount of the Doncaster races. 



" At two years old, Fang was purchased for 

 3,300 guineas, with conditions which made the 

 prco equal to 4,000 ; at the same age, Conrad 

 was bought for 2,000 guineas ; and Fraucesca for 

 1,200 gumeas, half the Champagne stakes and 

 other provisos favorable to the seller. Margrave 

 cost 2,500 guineas. Trustee 2,000, and Gratis 

 1,000 guineas! The on dils are that Lord E.\eter 

 refused 5,000 guineas for Belram, before it was 

 decided not to send him to the north — that 4,000 

 were oflfered for Nitocris, 4,000 for Ludlow, and 

 6,000 for Retainer! And yet people talk of the 

 badness of the times." 



