210 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JANUARY 16, 1833. 



affect to (licad, and wliicli/ormf c/i/ so many affected 

 to despise ; it possesses more advantages to recom- 

 mend it to the notice of man, than any other em- 

 ployment upon the wide earth. It is an occiijja- 

 tion admirably calculated to improve and exalt the 

 Immau mind, from the very circimistauco that the 

 mind is continually called upon, to study and ob- 

 serve and admire the works and providence of a 

 superior Being ; there is not a particle of earth, 

 nor an insect, nor an herb, but which affords food 

 for an intelligent mind to taste and enjoy. The 

 great phenomena of uatme, whicli have at differ- 

 ent times been discovered, and whosi; discovery 

 has brought about revolutions and effected changes, 

 (the thought of which would have before startled 

 the very soul of inMi,) have been first observed 

 and made known by those engaged in the pursuit 

 of Agricidture — ii fact which ought to excile love 

 and attention to the subject. 



In pursuing this avocation, man has opportuni- 

 ties to perfect his ac(iuaintance with many of the 

 sciences — which, if he was otherwise engaged, lie 

 might not so conveniently avail himself of. A 

 farm is a vast text book of chemistry, botany, &c. 

 j)roving their principles, and continually testing the 

 efficacy and value of the application of those prin- 

 ciples — and man in purchasing it pays nothing for 

 these treasures of knowledge it contains. He may 

 analyze soils, and discover the properties and use 

 of herbs and plants, and do this, as it were, in tlie 

 regular course of his business — without hardly 

 devoting an extra hour or bestowing an extra 

 tliought on the subject ; and moreover, a healthy 

 oystcm and a firm and vigorous mind bring to the 

 task that energy and devotion which insures suc- 

 cess. 



It is not the least recommendation of Agricul- 

 ture, that those engaged in it are the most inde- 

 jiendent class of men on the globe. They are sub- 

 servient to no one, on the contrary every other 

 Iiusiness is supported by them ; if the vessels of the 

 merchant were rotting at the wharves, the sound 

 of the hammer was no longer heard, and the lium 

 of factory machinery had ceased, the husbandman 

 might still go on. To be sure, the market for his 

 luoduce might be dull and the commodity of money 

 scarce, but he might still live comfortably, and 

 every article of clothing and diet could be had, 

 which ought to be found on the list of comfort 

 And convenience ; his schoolmaster and other firnc- 

 liouaries whom he must necessarily employ, might 

 be hired as in old times, on a salary of potatoes or 

 pumpkins. Take it in what light you will, tlie 

 independence of the farmer is a just and a noble 

 dispensation of Providence ; it is he, who bears 

 the " burden and heat of the day," and vidiose 

 mind by tlie nature and con.staucy of his eniploy- 

 nieut is raised above the little trickeries and mise- 

 rable evasions of trade, — aiul it is lie, therefore, 

 aWio should stand first on the roll of merit. 



I cannot better close these remarks than by ob- 

 serving, that at the present day tlie husbandman 

 is beginning to participate largely of the honors 

 and ofiiccs of his country. Men of thorough aca- 

 demic education, distiH^uished and wealthy indi- 

 viduals, are taking a personal interest in agricul- 

 ture — setting their own shoulder to the wheel, and 

 I'licouraging and assisting othere to do the same. 

 Jl is astonishing what a revolution has taken place 

 in rcgju'd to this subject within the last half cen- 

 tury ; formerly our public offices were held alto- 

 gether by professional men — now their seats are 

 pccupied by manual laborers, men who are an 



honor and a light to their country. This is right 

 and natural ; the farming community is the largest, 

 and it would be singular if they were obliged to 

 select their representatives from any other class. 

 It should be recollected then by every individual 

 entering iipoi; life, that a choice of Agriculture as 

 his avocation will by no means close the gates of 

 popular tavor against him, but on the contrary will 

 be a hearty and a warm recommendation wherever 

 he may go, L. L. 



Silver Hill, January \Qth, 1833. 



For the Neiv England Farmer 

 GRAPES. 



IMr. Ff.sse.\»f..n-, — I formerly made some in- 

 quiries through the medium of your journal, vol 

 9, p. 266, concerning a variety of Grapes, dis- 

 covered in Major Long's expedition to the Rocky 

 Mountains, and in p. 299, of the same vol. you 

 published a communication from Col. R. Carr, of 

 Philadelphia, stating that be bad some of the vines 

 growing from seeds •rathered in llio expedition by 

 Mr. J. Say. I wish, (and presume the information 

 would be acceptable to others as well as myself,) 

 Mr. Carr would inform us through the medium of 

 your Jounial whether they have yet produced 

 fruit, and if so what is tlie quality, and how it 

 compares with that of other native grapes. 



As there are so many varieties of native grajws 

 in cultivation, (amounting to probably one hundred 

 or more in all,) would it not be advisable to com- 

 municate the results of those cultivated in this 

 part of the country whose qualities are not well 

 known, for publication in your paper, stating the 

 quality of the fruit for the tJible or for wine, where 

 it has" been tried, the lian.'ihood ai-.U productive- 

 ness of the vines ? I am well satisfied, and believe 

 I have high authority in favor of i.iy o;'iuioii, that 

 if the vine is to become, in a short ptriod, an ob- 

 ject of exter.sive culture in this country for w;nc- 

 making, it must be cither with our native vines or 

 hybrids, although jierhaps the Vitis vinifera may in 

 time become suflicicntly acclimated to produce 

 good and regular crops. 



I have a native vine in bearing which I pur- 

 chased at New Haven in this State, under tlii^ 

 name of the Bland, supi>osing it to bi^ the true 

 Bland, pale red. It bears well, and the grapes 

 are to some persons of better flavor than the Isa- 

 bella. They are of an oval form, and moderate 

 size, of a black color, and remarkably sweet when 

 fully ripe. I consider it of about equal excellence 

 with the Isabella for cultivation, though neither 

 the berries nor clusters are so large. Among the 

 native kinds that I have seen, or seen described, I 

 do not find any answering to this kind. It has no 

 foxv taste, but considerable pulp. IM. S. 



Berlin, CI. Dec. 2Sth, 1832. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 AGRICULTURAIi ESSAYS, NO. XII. 



Apples, for winter, should be gathered by hand 

 — first of October — middle of the day, when fiiir 

 and dry weather — spread thin on a chamber floor, 

 till late in November, then barrelled up, and put in 

 a cool place in the cellar. 



Autumn. In this season cart out your summer 

 dung ; and plough all your land to be seeded the 

 next spring. One ploughing at this time, will an- 

 swer for one in the spring, when your team is 

 feeble, and save spring labor, which is very pre- 

 cious. 



Barley ground should bo ploughed twice, or 



three times — sowed early — two bushels to one 

 acre — ploughed in immediately after sowing — no 

 grain is harder to sprout ; and none requires more 

 ri]iening in the field. 



Bkes, Their house is too Well known to need 

 a description. In May and June they generally 

 send forth swarms ; and to manage them on thece 

 occasions, let your bee-house be made so tall as to 

 admit three tier of hives, one above another. Let 

 the hives be ten inches deep, and twelve or four- 

 teen broad. An under hive is mailo with a round 

 hole through the top, of three inches diameter, 

 covered with a sliding shutter. One of these 

 hives should be placed directly under ah inhabi- 

 ted hive, before they are disposed to send out u 

 new swarm. Instead of swarming they will de-i 

 scend into the hive below ; and when that is full, 

 let them find another beneath it ; they will take 

 possession of the lowermost. They begin at the 

 toj) and bnild dowaiwards. When a hive is taken 

 up, instead of destroying the bees, drive in the 

 shutter, ami run a long thin knife round, to part it 

 from that which is lielow it : slip (he hive otVupon 

 u smooth board, and carry it into your dwelling 

 lioHse, and open one of the windows of the room, 

 after the hive is laid ou its side. This must be 

 done in a cool morning, and when the sun gets 

 up and the air grows warmer, the bees will quit 

 the hive, and go into the liivc next to the place 

 whenre they were taken. Those bees which are 

 found among the honey, stift' and unable to fly, 

 may be thrown into a tub of water: they will soon 

 recover their activity and g» after their compan- 

 ions. 



BuR>'ETT grows well on rhe poorest of groinnJ, 

 One acre will yield three loads of hay — ?ut it 

 twice — forty bushels of seed to an acre — better 

 ijian oats for h-orses — the straw, when threshed, 

 better than common hay. Burnett keeps green 

 all the winter, and grows — no frost hurts it — may 

 l>c cut and given to cattle in the spring, as soon 

 as 'he snow is gone, they vvill eat it greedily. It 

 niav be used fall and spring as long, and as soon 

 as the ground is bare. It would be proper to 

 have pastures of if. 



Cabbages require moist, rich land. The later 

 taken up the better, in a dry and windy day — set 

 them heads down, till carried into the cellar, and 

 then heads up, and close together, where they 

 may have a little frost — warmth soon destroys 

 them. 



Calves for veal, should be kept from the cow 

 — suck only two tils the first week — three the sec- 

 ond, and the whole after the two following weelcs 

 — then kill them. Those to be reared, should 

 come as early as April — have more or less milk 

 for ten or twelve weeks. After the first fortnight, 

 mix in skimmed milk, or hay tea, or meal and wa- 

 ter. When they are a month old, place some 

 sweet hay in cleft sticks, and they will .soon learn 

 to eat it. As soon as grass is grown, turn them 

 out — give them milk and water lor a few days, 

 and house them fin- a few nights — they should be 

 housed ejirly in tlie fall and kept warm in the win- 

 ter. 



Cattle. If you must pinch them, do it in the 

 beginning, rather than in the close of winter. 

 They feel the first coming of cold weather severe- 

 ly; and the spring may open early. It hurts 

 them to graze in winter — should be confined to the 

 barn yard, and there watered — will save all their 

 dung. They should be housed iji cold rains, 

 which hurt them more than the severest dry cold 



