JNEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBI.TSHF.D BY JOHN B. RUSSELL, ROGKRP' i;UII.Pl.\GS. CONG«r:<^S STRIT.T, HOSTON.— THOMAS G. FKS$F,N'1)F.N, KDlTOf. 



VOL. 111. 



FKIDAY, JANUARY 21. 182.5. 



No. 2G. 



©n'simtl Communications. 



FOB THE KKW ENCl.A.VD yARJlFJl. 



Diirchesler, {Mass.) Jan. n, 182'.. 



IMPROVED OX-YOKE. 



Front and Eiid vicru of the Block Yoke. 



Scale of three-fourths ot an in. ii to a loot. 



"^o. 1. represents a block of Elm or other 



^suilaMe wood, on uhinh is the furui of the yolip 



"■and-{>osition ot'thp bow«, as inserted in the bed 



and ti|)S. The lenafih I'rom a to 6 4 feet 2 



/inches. Tlip depth tVom i to c 9 inches, and 



from e to /" 10 inches. 



A 1? liie end of (lie hlocl<, in which is seen the 

 cross section of the lip on the neck. 



No. 2. is the top of the block, shonin.j th • 

 im of ilie lips, position of ilse bow-ii-..lps, tit'- 

 ets, Sic. Distance between bows frbm centre to 

 centre 2 t'eet — between how-holes 8.7 -nches; 

 the rivets pa-s through the lied of the yoke into 

 a plate on the under sidr, thereby preventing 

 lilting and splittinsf. 



Tlie Report of liie Committee of the Mnssn- 

 chusetls Agricultural Society on the subjei-t ol 

 Agricultural Implements and Inventions, at the 

 l;ist anniversary of that Society, contains the 

 following notice of the above improvement. 



•■ .\n improvement on the O.f-Yoke was en- 

 tered by John Mkars, of Dorchester, Mass. with 

 certiticales of its being used and approved by 

 piaclical i'armers. The improvement consists 

 in a better adaptation of the form of the yoke 

 to the neck of the beast, giving it a greater 

 bearing by a sort of lip, on the back of the yoke, 

 which can only work one way ; — and also a 

 greater extension of the bed and tips of the yoke, 

 so as to receive the bow info a bearing of six 

 inches instead of two, as in common yokes. — 

 Although the alteration is very simple, yet in 

 ;he opinion of your Committee, it is very im- 

 jiortanl, considering it the incumbent duly of 

 every farmer to consult the ease and conven- 

 ience of this useful animal in performing it.^ 

 work. The Committee therefore recommend 

 a premium of j55." . 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



AMERICAN BUCKTHORN. 



Foiler, (il. /.) January 13, 1825. 

 Mr Fessenden, — In your valuable paper of 

 Dec. 17th, is mentioned the wish of a friend, 



'•for information relative lo the culture of the 

 shriib called Buckthorn, {R/utmmis, L.) for the 

 purpose of forn)ing hejges." This de-ire was 

 excited, no doubt, by that part of the excellent 

 Report of ',1)6 Committee on Farms in Essej, 

 which stales, that " Mr Derby has cultivated a 

 most beautiful hedge of buckthorn, which prom- 

 ises to lie a valuable article for fences," &c. — 

 Probably the buckthorn mentioned by the Com- 

 mittee, is the American species of Hippopliitc, 

 Seo-Iinckihcrn. There are only two species of 

 Hipjiophae known to botanists ; I]. RhainnoiJcs, 

 of Europe ; and H. Cmiademis of this country. 

 Tde first is said to be a native of sandy banks 

 .in 1 marshes near the sea, in various parts of 

 Europe, from the south of France to Finland ; 

 and Linnseus remarks that in sunny sandy situa- 

 tions it is planted for hedges. The celebrated 

 J/imarck also observes, that it is a thorny shrub, 

 very branchy, and when cultivated rises to 12 

 iir 15 feet in heii;-ht. Its leaves, of a silvery 

 ivhito beneath, give it a singular and agreeable 

 air. lis long thorns render it proper to make 

 good enclosures ; and its branches cut and dried 

 have the same advanlage, for they continue 

 many yeiirs un'dera\'ed. 



The Ilipp.-iphae Canadensis I have not seen, 

 but from it-:* descrrption it muf^t be very similar 

 to the European species, and equally suilalde 

 for hedges. New York is the only locality 

 menlionediu Miihlen'iurg's Catalogue ; l.'Ul, tVom 

 is specific name, we may safely conclude Ihese 

 .:>'■.••? [loriherM states .ire rrfr'tlly iu b. me. [hn- 

 I'italio.) I am induced fnsuj'pose this Sca-buck- 

 I'lcrn is th'^ elegnnt shrub mentioned bv the 

 Commlllee. — frnni lhcir«aving, " it is an Amer- 

 ican plant, and native of New En2:iand." Their 

 able Report evinces such scienlilick .Tcciiracy, 

 that I presume they were correcfiu this par- 

 ticular also.. 



The Rhamnus calhariiciis Buckthorn is an ex- 

 otic ; (in some places it seems to be naturalized ) 

 lis beriies have each about four seeds. The 

 berries of Sea Bncktiiorn haxg each only one 

 seed. Should a berry or tivo remain on or about 

 the he ]ge at Mr Derby's farm, it may easily be 

 ascertained to which genus it belongs. 



Joining you in ardent wishes to promote the 

 great interests of Agriculture, ! am 

 Respectlully youis, 



SOLOMON DROWN. 



P.S. M'Mahon mentions Sea buckthorn among 

 shrubs which may be propagatail by cuttings in 

 the Spring. Probably he had the European 

 species in his garden, for both species are noted 

 in his calalogu" of hardy deciduous trees and 

 shrubs. Should the hedge at Mr Derby's farm 

 not prove 16 be of sea buckthorn, still this shrub 

 may merit attention, — being a maritime plant, 

 proper for hedges in sandy lands bordering on 

 the sea. S. D. 



TO TRE EDITOR OF TI.'E NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SWEET AND SOUR APPLE. 



Weslborough, (Mass.) Jan. 17, 1825. 

 Mr Fes3enden, — In Thacher's American Or- 

 chardist, page 22, is an account of a very singu- 



lar apple, communiculed by the Rev. P. Whit" 

 ney to the American Academy of Arl.s and Sci" 

 etices. Alter giving Mr Whitney's description 

 of the apple, the writer ob.serves, " (he above 

 singular phenomenon may now be solved, since 

 it 13 ascertained that the nowcr.i may be im- 

 pregnated by (he pollen tVom other trees, and 

 fruit of varioi-.s quallilies is thus obtained. The 

 tree descr-ihed by llie Rev. Gentleman, stooit 

 altftost in the middle of a large orchard. Will 

 it be rieemod an exlravagaut conjecture, that 

 this tree had acquired a peculiar attachment, or 

 attractive power, by which this curious kind of 

 fecundity was effected ?'' 1 think it would be 

 " an extravagant conjecture ;" and 1 will state 

 why. 



The Doctor appears not to be informed that 

 there are trees producing fruit of the same des- 

 cription, HOW in the country. 1 have one com- 

 pletely answering Mr Whitney's description. — 



I oblaineil my scions of one DeSne, Esq. 



of Upton, about thirly years ago. He informed 

 me that he obtained his from the Cape, as he 

 expressed it, of,some (<iuakers,,nho belonged 

 to that part of the country. There have been 

 many trees engrafted with scions from Deane's 

 tree and from mine, and they have uniformly 

 produced apples of the same mixed taste, whe- 

 ther liie tree on n hich they were engrailed 

 -lands in " ll;o middle of a large orchard or a- 

 lonc." Mine stands alone, and in its shape and 

 foliage resembles the greening ; and such of the 

 "•-i I'-"\ i"^ -ire aH -our, are comjilcte greenings 

 in ap])iearance and taste. So far as 1 can ieato, 

 this apple is a natural production. 



Lest your incredulity should be as great as 

 that of many others, I herewith present you 

 with some of the apples, to remove your doubts, 

 if you have any, as to the fact. Now, Sir, is it 

 not an '• extravagant conjecture," that two trees 

 should love each other so iiard as to impregnate 

 their very wood, so that when a twig is taken 

 from one, and engrafted on another tree, it 

 should uniformly prodtice fruit of the same mix- 

 ed taste ; besides, if ajiples of a mixed taste ever 

 were produced by the pollen, why do we not 

 find frequent iustances of it, as sweet and sour 

 apples of'len grow side by side. 



1 will inform you of another apple, as great- 

 a curiosity as the other, and as little known, and 

 Its existence as much doubled. It is an apple 

 without any core, and the tree which produces 

 it, never blossoms. 1 know of but two trees of 

 this kind ; one is in the orchard of Capt. Wm. 

 Ci.ark of Medfield, the other is on the farm of 

 Thomas W. Ward, Esq. of Shrewsbury The 

 apples of both are alike. Capt. Clark's father 

 obtained his from a tree of natural growth, in 

 the town of Sudbury, as I am informed, many 

 years ago, perhaps forty. I give you this infor- 

 mation, that you may give it a place in your pa- 

 per, if you think it worth it, that those wh« 

 doubt the existence of two such kinds of applei, 

 may know where to apply and have their doubto 

 removed, and their curiosity gratified. 

 Verv truly yours, 



' LOVETT PETERS. 

 {Set next pag^e-X 



