INEW E NGLAND FAR MEll. 



VOL. Ill/ 



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1824. 



No. 6. 



gorr csjionnnicr. 



To //le £rfi/o)- of Ihe ^'ew England Fanner, 



SiR—Notwithslanding I have he rotofore com- 

 municated some remnrUs on llie eflects of Ihe 

 iVost on the 1 jlh of June hist, yet as I have since 

 taUen an excursion south-west of this phice in 

 onler to view the situation of tlie new farms in 

 ivhat is called the Berch F.nnds, it majf n'it be 

 improper to make some further observations. 



The frost appears to iiave fallen very uneven 

 and spotted. On some of the highest ridges, 

 tiie vegetation showed no marks of frost, while 

 it tell very heavy and destructive in the valleys, 

 particularly along the large streams of water, 

 that probably attracted it. And perhaps as there 

 was a high north wind that night, it blow it off 

 the high ridges to settle in the valleys, or it was 

 repelled by Ihe effluvia arising from the hem- 

 lock timber, and wherever there was pitch pine 

 timber, it attracted the frost very severely. It 

 appears that white oak and chestnut also attract 

 the frost, as it killed all the leaves on such tim- 

 ber, and no other, except the sumac. 



Some apparent advantages were derived from 

 the frost. It killed all the caterpillars and grass- 

 hoppers, so that there are none to be^seen, and 

 very few flies or gnats in the woods, compared 

 with other summers. 



As to Indian corn, all such as the leaves 

 showing touches of the frost, remained sta- 

 tionary for some time, is yet very small and 

 backward ; and, what is remarkable, a very 

 great proportion of the stalks and some whole 

 hills have no signs of ears. All such crops, 

 where the frost nipped the ends of the leaves 

 will be very slight and poor indeed. 



I saw several pieces of excellent, stout, for- 

 ward corn growing amongst the logs, that have 

 never been hoed nor any labour bestowed upon 

 them after planting. That mode of farming is 

 so worthy of pursuit in all new settlements, that 



I will describe it. — Fall all the timber in the 

 month of June, or as soon as the leaves are fully 

 grown. Lop down all the limbs, and spread 

 them as even over the ground as may be done. 

 In the latter part of April, or first of May, when 

 dry enough for what they call a good burn, such 

 as to warm the ground and kill the seeds of all 

 wild stuff, turn the lire through it; about 10 or 



I I o'clock the fire will burn best. Then as 

 soon as the fire is burned down, and the land 

 cooled, plant it amongst the logs, — the hills near 

 together, and but a lew grains in a hill. The 

 ground being warmed with the fire, it may be 

 planted much earlier than on ploughed land, 

 and the logs being black attract the rays of the 

 sun in a manner so agreeable to corn, that it 

 will exceed any cleared land. 



Several farmers told me that when they could 

 get a good burn at a proper time to plant, such 

 corn was by lar the most profitable crop they 

 could possibly raise. And on such crops the late 

 frost had no apparent effect 



Oats, buck wheat, and potatoes appeared very 

 stout and good ; but pumpkins or any kind of! 

 vines will be very poor 



very good, as also beets, parsnips, carrots, on- 1 aingy holds good between the animal and veget- 

 ions, cabbage.^, and such beans as survived the able creation. Trees, raised on poor land, are 

 fi-opl ; but tew applc.-^, and those small and ' small and weak in their infancy, and would con- 

 knotty. 1 have cndeavoureil to discover what 



nds of apples withstood the frost best, but so 

 far in vain. I think there will be neither chest- 

 nuts, acorns, or beach nuts. 

 Slockporl, Pa. Aug. 'S^, 1 S2 1. SAM'L PRESTON. 



The. subject of the Essay from which the following 

 is extracted is of great importance to some parts of the 

 Uniteci States, where wood for timber and fuel is be- 

 coming scarce and dear. The Trustees of the Massa- 

 cJuisetts Agricultural Society have offered a premium 

 of $100, and three premiums of $.50 each for the best 

 plantation of \^'hite Oak Trees to be raised from the 

 acorn, not less than 1000 trees per acre ; $50 for the 

 best do. of White Ash and I..arch Trees, raised from 

 the seeds, not less than 1000 per acre. Several other 

 Agricultural Societies in Xew-England have likewise 

 offered premiums for similar purposes. [Ed. N.E.Farm. 



ON PLANTING FOREST TREES. 

 From a paper covimunicaled to ihe Balh and West of 

 England Society ; by Mr Davis, sleicard to the Mar- 

 quis of Balk. — 



Kind of Trees proper to plant. 

 As to the kinds of trees proper for planting, 

 ■itlle need be said. The soil, the situation, and 

 the aptitude of the country for producing any 

 particular kind of frees or underwood, will point 

 out the kinds which are fittest for the country. 

 .■Wilurc shows us 'ji'ltal she li/:cs best in every situa- 

 tion, in every country ; and if we follow her dic- 

 tates, we shall seldom err. The principal ob- 

 ject of a planter's attention is to consider what 

 kinds of wood grow best in the poorest land ; and 

 if he can find land worth only 2 shillings and 

 6 pence per acre can be made as productive as 

 that worth 20 shillings, l«e will prefer planting 

 the former. He thereby not only improves 

 those parts of his estate which could be im- 

 proved in no other way, but ornaments and 

 shelters the rest. 



If he choose to adorn his lowest and best 

 meadows by planting elms, limes, chestnuts, or 

 other ornamental trees, he will do well ; but no 

 man of sense (to say nothing of taste) would 

 cover a rich meadow with Scotch firs, while he 

 has lands on the hills of not one-tenth of the 

 value, tliat will produce them equally as well. 

 Age and condition of Young Trees ft for planting. 

 Mr. Miller, who has justly been. styled the 

 father of English gardening, was of opinion 

 that young trees should be raised on good land ; 

 and that it was necessary they should carry a 

 stock of health and strength with them into the 

 nurser}', to enable them to live on poor land. — 

 But some years since a contrary opinion pre- 

 vailed ; and it has been argued, that all nurse- 

 ries should be made on land similar to that pro- 

 posed to be planted. 



Fortunately that opinion is now generally ex- 

 ploded. It has been proved that a plant, 

 once weak, is for a long time, if not always 

 weak. A breeder of cattle would be laughed 

 Some early oats andLj^ if he attempted to make large healthy ani- 

 *priDg rye are damaged. Flax and grass arejinals by starving them the first year ; and the an- 



tinue so for years, if not removed from the nur- 

 sery; and if removed weak, unless it were 

 into much bolter land, they would never be 

 otherwise. No tree can thrive without its due 

 proportion ol' roots. A plant raised in poor 

 land has never that proportion ; and transplant- 

 ing it into similar land is not likely lo increase 

 it. Whereas flic same plant, if raised in strong 

 land, would have twice as much root ; and when 

 transplanted, those roofs will be able to find 

 nourishment even I'rom poor land, because they 

 have more mouths to collect it. 



Let those, who doubt this, view the Marquis 

 of Bath's nursery at Longleat, and then view 

 the condition of his frees, and the soil on which 

 they are (danted. The former is a stilT loamy 

 clay, worth 25 shillings per acre, and a great 

 part of the latter was a barren gravel, which 

 produced nothing but heath, and was not worth 

 2 shillings and 6 pence per acre. 



Rules for Planting. — Whether Sotving or Trans- 

 planting be preferable. 

 If has been argued that frees should not be 

 transplanted at all, but raised fiom seed on the 

 land where they are intended to remain. In 

 answer to this, if if be allowed that frees rais- 

 ed in a poor nursery are weak, they will also 

 be so, if sown where they are to remain ; and 

 as they will require to be kept clean from weeds 

 for many years, until they are able to keep 

 them down themselves, that expense will be a 

 serious one : — after all they will not make 

 strong and healthy trees. But it is argued that 

 «ome trees should not be transplanted at all, 

 particularly oaks. This I deny. 1 will allow 

 that the tap root of an oak is given if to. enable 

 if to fake deep hold in the land, and that if sel- 

 dom makes sulBcient lateral roots to keep the 

 tree steady, when transplanted into an exposed 

 situation. That would certainly be the case, if 

 oaks twelve or fifteen I'eet high were dug up in 

 a thick wood, and planted in an exposed situa- 

 tion ; but such is not the right way of trans- 

 planting an oak. Let the acorns be planted in 

 a nursery, on good land. Let them be remov- 

 ed at three or four years old, and the tap root 

 cut otT. Let the plant also be cut down at the 

 same time to within two or three inches of the 

 crown of the roof ; and when it shoots the next 

 spring, cut off all except one principal shoot, 

 which may be fiained to a tree, and removed 

 with equal safety with any other kind of tree.; 

 and an oak so cut off will be bigger and taller 

 at seven years old, than one uncut will be at fen. 

 But whether transplanted or sown from the 

 acorn, oak is not a proper tree to be planted 

 single, unless in countries particularly favoura- 

 ble^'to its growth, as many of the poor heaths 

 in Hampshire are ; but even then they thrive 

 hest where they are most sheltered. As to 

 the propriety of transplanting every other kind 

 of free, it will not even bear an argument.* 



* By the Editor. Tlie opinion of this writer is 

 entitled to respcrt, as he appears to havt had much 

 experience relative to the subject of bis essay 



It 



