390 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JUNE 19, 1833. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRJER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 19, 1833. 



Mode of Destroying Insects in Gardens. 

 Make a small coop for each hen that has chickens, 

 so that the brood can run in and out ; place it near 

 your squash or cucumber beds, and the chickens 

 ofc three or four weeks old will be very active in 

 picking up worms and bugs, without scratching 

 and doing mischief among the vegetables. Ducks, 

 likewise, placed in gardens, are active and useful 

 vermin-pickers. They will, however, need look- 

 in"' to, as they will devour ripe strawberries and 

 gooseberries, and in wet weather will patter dovv-n 

 and harden the surface of the soil, and injure small 

 crops and sprouting seeds. They should not in 

 general be permitted to run in a garden longer 

 than two or three days at a time, lest they become 

 satiated with their diet, and too lazy to seek for il. 

 While in a garden they should be allowed no food, 

 but may have a little water set down for them, un- 

 less there is a stream or pond to which they can 

 have access. 



Protecting Plants from Bug Worms, i{C. The 

 method which Judge Buel adopts to protect his 

 young plants that are liable to be injured by in- 

 sects, is to nail four pieces of thin boards or shin- 

 gles in the form of a square oblong, and of conve- 

 nient breadth ; these arc covered with cheap niil- 

 linet. Thus made, it is pirt over the plant, and 

 by being pressed into the soil, serves not only to 

 keep off winged insects from the leaves, but also 

 those worms or grubs that crawl under the sur- 

 face. If one side of the frame is lower, or pressed 

 down into the soil deeper than the other, and 

 placed towards the south, more sun is admitted. 

 The millinet is taken off the frames, washed, and 

 put away for another season. 



Protect Birds. " Instead of being regaled by 

 the whistling robin and chirping blue-bird, busily 

 employed in guarding us from that, which no hu- 

 man foresight or labor is enabled to avert, our ears 

 are assailed, our persons are endangered, our 

 fences are broken, our crops are tro<lden down, 

 our cattle are lacerated, and our flocks are dis- 

 turbed by the idle shooter, regardless alike of the 

 expensive attempts of the experimental farmer, or 

 of the stores of the laboring husbandman ; whilst 

 all the energies of his frame, and the aim of his 

 skill are directe<l towards the murder of a few 

 little birds, worthless when obtained. The inju- 

 ries which are inmiediately committed by himself 

 and his dogs are small compared with the multi- 

 plied effects of the myriads of insects, which would 

 be destroyed by the animals whereof they are the 

 natural prey." — Col. Powell. 



Rose Bugs. Dr. Green of Mansfield, Mass. in 

 an article, written for the N. E. F. and published, 

 vol. vii. p. 332, observed that " The best antidote 

 against the rose-bug and the small yellow bug, 

 that has yet come under my inspection is s/acA-f(/ 

 lime applied with a dredging box, while the fruits 

 or plants are wet with dew. If the fruits or plants 

 are wet with a weak solution of gum arable, pre- 

 viously to the application of the lime, it will re- 

 main on them niucii longer, and no injury will he 

 sustained by it. If applied to young cucumber 

 plants the seed leaves umst be carefully turned up 

 wet, and the lime applied as aforesaid. The lime 

 used had been nicely slacked with a little water, 

 one year for the purposes of the garden. 



It was found, that if rose bugs while on plants 

 be thoroughly wet with very strong soapsuds (one 

 ;ill of strong soft soap to one quart of water) they 

 oon die. This strength did not injure the plants 

 on which it was tried. This experiment was 

 made when the bugs were on the decline, and 

 whether the mixture would have the same effect 



the beginning of their race, while in their ut- 

 most vigor, or prevent them preying on plants wet 

 with it,further experiments may determine. It is 

 needless to say any thing in this paper, as to the 

 fertilizing power of this application or that of lime. 



In strong soap suds (one gill of soap and two 

 quarts of water) rose bugs will die in a short time, 

 and this mixture supersedes the necessity of scald- 

 ing them, as is the case when caught in simple 

 water. 



Destruction of Insects hy Tobacco Water. In the 

 process of preparing tobacco for use, a liquid is 

 expressed from it, which is very cheap and highly 

 destructive to animal life. This when mixed with 

 three to five parts of water is very effectual for 

 destroying insects on plants, fruit trees, &c. 

 Strong decoctions from tobacco leaves, or stems, 

 will also prove fatal to insects. 



Liquid Manure. An English Gardener says, "We 

 have the concurring testimony of thousands of 

 eminent men, connected with as many practical 

 experiments, that no plant can take in its food ex- 

 cept in a fluid state, and the more this food is 

 impregnated with animal or vegetable matter, the 

 more it will act as a stimulant on the plant alisorb- 

 ing it. It has long been a maxim with Ilorticul- 

 tinists to ajiply this liquid to the roots of such 

 plants as they wished should excel, but the effects 

 |)roduced on these individual plants have never 

 yet acted as an inducement to bring the practice 

 into general use. 



" Having an abundance of peat earth at com- 

 mand I subjected about seventy cart load.s to satur- 

 ation in liquiil manure for twelve months — at the 

 expiration of which time an eminent farmer ofler- 

 ed me £20 lor it. In my second experiment I 

 put down a pump for a dung yard in which not 

 less than thirty head of cattle were kept. This 

 pump had not been in use more than twelve 

 months before I found myself independent as re- 

 spects manure, although I had four acres of garden 

 ground. 



" I would not advise its application in the sum- 

 mer, except to the lirassica [cabbage] family. 

 Winter [in England] is, without exception, the 

 best time to apply it to advantage ; and although 

 it has been doul)ted whether its fertilizing proper- 

 ties may not be carried off by heavy rains, I am 

 confident that is not the case ; upon the principle 

 of tiltiation we may rest this point. I have often 

 been sorry to see farmer's teams driving up and 

 dowu the country for lime to apply to old tilled 

 land, and at the same time this liquid manure was 

 running at waste and was called a nuisance. 



" As a proof of the benefit of this manure I will 

 introduce another experiment ; I took in the month 

 of March about twenty cauliflower plants, cleaned 

 their roots, and weighed them separately to adjust 

 their size. I collected as many kinds of compost 

 from the best earth to the most sterile gravel, 

 sand, &c. and by a proper selection of equal sized 

 and shaped pots, they were all placed under simi- 

 lar circumstances excepting the roots ; I applied 

 the liquid food to those in the most barren soil, 

 which enabled them to make as good progress, 



and become as fine plants as those in the most 

 fertile earth that had been well manured and other- 

 wise suitably prepared. 



" I would recommend a pmiip to be put down 

 for the purpose because it draws the liquid at the 

 lowest level, and of course supplies us with the 

 most concentrated parts. The carriage for convey- 

 ing the liquid need be nothing more than a skeleton 

 barrow, with a cask to hold about thirty-five gal- 

 lons placed upon it : an old wine iii|)e is a good 

 thing for the purpose, where it can be drawn by 

 an ox." 



ITEMS OP INTEI.LIGEKCE. 



Throughout the month of May, the weallier was gen- 

 erally warm and pl<^asant, and vegetation came forward 

 rapidly. But since June came in, it has been raw and 

 cold, and every thing excepting the grain has come to a 

 dead stand. Indeed so cold has it been for more than a 

 week ]iast that we have had to build fires as mucli as in 

 the middle of Autumn, in order to keep ourselves com- 

 fortable. Wheat and grain of all kinds look well, but 

 Indian corn appears weak and siclily, and will probably 

 return from whence it came. If this weather should 

 continue the prospects of tlie farmer will be entirely de- 

 stroyed. — Shcrbrooke, L. C. 



The Seasotis. The weather, some days past, has re- 

 minded us of any season but summer. Cold northerly 

 andeaslerly winds, and a clouded sky, convey a chill 

 and uncomfortable sensation not at all in keeping with 

 the " sun's perpendicular rays." The growth of the 

 crops, must of course be materially retarded. The can- 

 ker-worm has committed sad ravages among the apple 

 trees — wliole orchards looking as if a fire had passed 

 throujh them. This worm does not confine its attacks to 

 to tJiosc trees. Several elms have suffered e.xccedingiy ; 

 liaving lost their foliage. — Kcwburxjport Herald. 



Mw Orleans. The cholera was prevailing at this 

 place on the 18th ult. The city was represented to be 

 in a horrible situation on account of the filthiness of the 

 streets and public houses. The Catholic burial ground 

 was so full that, in digging new graves, the remains of 

 those who have not been long interred are frequently dis- 

 interred. 



Cork Mattresses. A mattress conslriictcd of cork was ex- 

 liibitcd last week at the City Hall, made by Mr. Henry Knapp 

 of this city, which .so far as we arc able lo judge, is an improve- 

 nienl on those generally in use for several reasons. Cork in 

 ihe first place is a non-conduclor of heat, and probably of con- 

 ia"-ion. Secondly, a mallress of cork may be the means of 

 saviiiff life in cases of shipwreck, as a mauress of common size 

 li;is been found by actual experiment lo suslaijl the weight of 

 ihree full grown persons from sinking. Thirdly, ils elasticity 

 ami pliability arc sufficient to secure it from becoming matted 

 and preserve it from decay. — B. Courier. 



Virginia Live Stock. Al a late sale of caule, belonging to 

 the eslalc of Richard K. Mead, Escj. deceased,^ in Frederick 

 f^o. about g2300 worth were disposed of. One gentleman, 

 belonging lo Richmond, who intends lo slock his farm with the 

 best breeds, purchased al auction, an 18 month bull for §55, 

 a cow and a calf al glOT, two other cows al gl02, four heifers 

 at SllG, a ram and two ewes $36 — Total g'l66. 



To Protect Cucumbers. A writer in the Genesee Farmer 

 gives an instance of applying with complete success collon over 

 \hc hills of Cucumbers, lo prevent insects from eating off th« 

 colyledonous leaves. 



The N. Y. Advertiser stales, that strawberries are selling 

 (here for fourpence a basket. Some individuals have five. 

 acres and more laid oul in strawberry beds, and devote all their 

 altenlion lo the business. Lasl year Ihe sales of one individual 

 amounted lo upwards of g2000. 



The Wandering Piper has presented ;glO lo the Bunker-Hill 

 Monument Association. 



