226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Feb. 11, 



pears to us very rational to suppose that some activity 

 in the sap, at the time of pruning, would facilitate the 

 healing of the wounds made by the pruning knife ; and 

 that frost, together with the consequent stagnation of 

 the juices of the tree, must have a tendency to cause a 

 degree of rot or gangrene, which cannot but prove in- 

 jurious if not ruinous to the hopes of the orchardist. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



QUERY. , 



Read field, {Me.) Feb. 2, 1826. 

 Mr Fessenden, — Several subscribers to your 

 valuable agricultural paper would be pleased to 

 see a more particular description of the Baldwin 

 Apple, whicli is so highly recommended in the 

 Report on the state of Farms in Essex, page 147. 

 We are wholly unacquainted with it in this part 

 of the country. Perhaps the intelligent gentle- 

 man, who framed that Reporl, can give some 

 information on this subject. D. F. S. 



BWotccstcr Slgvttultuval .Sonctw. 



COMMITTEE ON SWINE. \ 



John Davis, of Worcester, Chairinan — John Gleason, 



Jr. of Worcester — Charles Brigham, of Grafton. 

 < — 



The Committee on swine having attended to 

 the service assigned them, submit the following 

 report : 



They are much gratified in being able to 

 state that they found Ihe exhibition of this kind 

 of animal furnishing strong proofs ot improve- 

 ment. They do not recollect having seen al 

 any former Show so many or so valuable swine. 

 The number of boars found in the pens were 

 seven ; and the Committee have awarded to 

 Capt. l.pwie Eigelow, of Worcester, Ihe fust 

 premium, of g7, for a fine animal rf his, which 

 they understand is of the Bedford breed, des- 

 cended from the stock of Dr. Fiske, and was 

 decidedly superior to any other exhibited. 



The second preniiuri) the Committee are of 

 opinion (i( awarded at all) should be given for 

 an animal entered by Maj. Samuel Graves, but 

 belonging (o the town of Worcester, and raised 

 tipon the farm on which the poor of the town 

 are supported. As two of the Committee, how- 

 ever, are inhabitants of Worcester, they have 

 declined assigning this premium to the town, 

 and have not awarded it to any other compe- 

 titor, because the third member of the Com- 

 mittee was decidedly in favor of giving it to 

 the town. The Committee found in the peps 

 nine breeding sows, six of which were oH'cred 

 lor premium ; and they have awarded the first 

 premium of gf;, to Messrs. Ward and Rice, of 

 Worcester ; and Ihe second, of gl, to Mr. Na- 

 thaniel Stowell of Worcester. 



The Committee would here observe, that 

 the duty assigned them was diflicull, because 

 all the animals of this description are superior, 

 and in almost any other competition than that 

 to which they were subjected would have car- 

 ried premiums. Those entered bv Mr. John 

 F. Clark, Mr. Nahum Williugtm," Mr. Clark 

 Whiltemore, and Mr. William Eaton, jun. all of 

 Worcester, particularly attracted the attention 

 of the Committee, either on account of their 

 obvious superiority to most animals of their 

 kind, or on account of the remarkable progeny 

 which surrounded them ; and the Cowmiitee 



only regretted that they had it not in their pow- 

 er »o award more fully a competition so well 

 sustained. 



The Committee found several persons com- 

 petitors for the premium of ^4 upon pigs, and 

 they have awarded it to Messrs. Ward and Rice, 

 of Worcester, not however without some doubts 

 as to whose lot the preference should be given. 

 The pigs offered were, without exception, such 

 as the Committee considered as furnishing strong 

 proofs of improvement in the breed of swine. 

 Those of Mr. Dudley, of Sutton, and Mr. 

 Stowell, of Worcester, very justly rendered the 

 claim of Messrs. Ward and Rice to the pre- 

 mium doubtful. 



These were all Ihe premiums the Committee 

 had it in their power to award; but they cannot 

 pass from this subject without particularly no- 

 ticing the swine otTered for Exhibition only., by 

 the Hon. Oliver Fiske and Stephen Salisbury, 

 Esq. of Worcester. The sow, barrow, and pig 

 belonging to the former gentleman, and the 

 sow and pigs belonging to the latter, did not fail 

 of atlracimg the particular atieniion ot the 

 Committee ; and they take the liberty to ob- 

 serve that they have rarely, if ever, seen so fine 

 an exhibition ofanimals of this kind. Thoseof 

 Dr. Fiske fully sustained the account he ha< 

 given of them in the New England Farmer; 

 and it is some proof of the good qualities of this 

 breed, that the swine of Messrs. Ward and Rice, 

 and Mr. Stowell, as well as Capt. Bigelow's, 

 are from the stock of Dr. Fiske. Sir. Salis- 

 bury's sow and pigs, which are said to be a 

 cross of the same breed, were not excelled by 

 any at the Show. 



Inasmuch as Ihe second premium for boars is 

 urdispoaed o(, Ihe Committee take the liberty 

 of proposing that it be awarded to Mr. Silas 

 Dudley, of Sutton, for his extraordinary pigs, 

 which v^ere very large and fat, and are said to 

 be of the Grass-breed, so called. 



The Committee have thus, not without diffi- 

 culty and embarrassment, disposed of the se- 

 veral premiums as a just reward to' the enter- 

 prize, skill, and agricultural attainments oflhose 

 who entered the lists as competitors. Tiiey 

 cannot however close Iheir labors without ex- 

 pressing a wish lliat Ihe attention of farmers 

 may iiereafter be effectually directed to a fur- 

 ther improvement of this kind of animal. Tlic 

 premiums offered are intended to direct public 

 attention (o this branch of agricultural economy ; 

 and if they produce the intended result, it may 

 safely bo said that no money can be much more 

 beneficially expended. Our oivn experience 

 and that of our lathers has long since established 

 the fad thai swine are essential to a good sys- 

 tem of agriculture. The pork is consiilered as 

 almost indispensable lo tlie family of the far- 

 mer, and is a productive source of income in 

 the market. The hams are destined to a con- 

 spicuous place on the tables of the rich — while 

 the sailed meat furnishes a healthy and grateful 

 food to our fishermen and sailors. Though the 

 bog is not formed by his nature or his habits 

 to fill so large a space in our alTections as many 

 otht»r anim:ils ; yet for most of the useful and 

 economical purposes of lite, he is scarcely sur- 

 passed. He is uncommonly hardy — lives at 

 his ease in almost any condition — sleeps, and 

 grows fat upon the oris and ends of the farm. 

 He demands littls else (till the process of fat- 

 tening commences) than the waste of the house 



and faim. The wash of the dairy is to him an 

 excellent beverage ; while the leaves of beets 

 and turnips, and even weeds themselves, afford 

 him a rich repast. Indeed, his appetite is so 

 well adapted to the consumption of what we 

 have no other means of disposing of, that the 

 poor and the rich keep him as a sort of family 

 companion ; nay, even populous cities permit 

 him to parade their streets, with beaux and 

 belles, believing him to be the hesi oi scavengers, 

 and necessary to the preservation of- health. 

 His industry also in the pen contributes largely, 

 by enriching the fields of his master, lo give to 

 them that beautiful, luxniiant aspect, which 

 delights the beholder, and raises the song of 

 the poet in praise of good cultivation. In so 

 many ways is the hog allied lo us — in so many 

 ivays is he useful, and in so many wavs is he 

 protilable ; and should we neglect to imtirove 

 his condition, we certainly shall fail lo ajpre- 

 ciale his worth. 



All which is respectfully submitted. 



JOHN DAVIS. 



JOHN GLE.\S0N, ir. 



CHARLES BRIGHAM. - 



DISCOVERY OF. GALVANISM. 



The discovery of the effects of electricity on 

 animals, took place from something like an ac- 

 cident. The wife of Galvani, then professor of 

 anatomy in the University of Bologna, being in 

 a declining slate of health, employed as a resto- 

 rative, according lo the custom of Ihe countrv, a 

 soup made offrogs. A number ot these animals, 

 ready skinned lor cooking, were lying (with that 

 negligence common lo French and Italians which 

 allows them to do every thing in every place 

 tiuit is at the moment most expedieniN in the 

 professor's laboratory, near an electrical machine 

 It being probably the intention of Ihe lady lo 

 cooklhem there. While the machine was inac- 

 tion, an allendaat happened lo touch wilh Ihe 

 point of the scalpel the crural nerve of one of 

 the Irogs, that was not far from Ihe prime con- 

 ductor, w hen the limbs were instantly convulsed. 

 This experiment was perl'ormed in the absence 

 of the professor, but was noticed by the lady, 

 who was struck by the appearance, and commu- 

 nicated it to her husband. He repeated iheex- 

 jieriment, varied it in different ways, and per- 

 ceived that Ihe convulsions only took place when 

 a spark was drawn from the prime conductor, 

 while the nerve was at the same time touched 

 with a substance which via a conductor of elec- 

 tricity. ' 



TItc use of Charcoal in preventing the putre- 

 faction of animal mailer has ol'leu been com- 

 mended, and the application of this interesting 

 properly of charcoal, lo Ihe preservation pf 

 provisions I'or shifts at sea, cannot be loo often 

 insisted upon. We have another pleasing con- 

 firnittlion of this fact in the statement "• that Ihe 

 crews of Ihe two Russian ships which lately 

 s.niled round Ihe world, were extremely heal- 

 thy — during the whole three years of their voy- 

 age, only tvvo men died oflhe crew ofihe J^eva, 

 and Ihe JW'vashada did not lose a single man — 

 not only their fresh water was preserved in 

 charred cask*, but the same precaution was 

 applied to the preservation of Iheir salted pro- 

 visions. The bcefthey carried out with them 

 lasted as pleasantly upon their return, as it did 

 three years before, when first salted," 



