1G25.J 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



245 



judices are subsiding ;-ntu! Ihal -.ve mny in- 

 crease "ur exertions, and extend our operalious, 

 with extended utiliiy. 

 By Order, 



SAMUEL S. STEBr.lNS, 

 Chairman of the Fiewing Commilice. 

 Windsor, Oct. 8, 1024. 



To Win. B. EwiNC. Ksa. President of the Cumberland 

 County C^^- •'•) Agricultural Society. 



Sir : A "reat variety of implements of hus- 

 bandry have been invented to aid the husband- 

 man in preparing his ground for the reception 

 of » crop for tillage ; and for various other pur- 

 poses. The prudent farmer, however, in re- 

 o-ard to this as neil as every other l)ranch of 

 his art, must study economy ; he sliould there- 

 fore, not incur any iinnecess;iry expense in buy- 

 ing implements that cannot be prolitably used. 

 The plough, harrow, roller, and hoe, may per- 

 haps be considered the only essential articles 

 necessary to prepare our lands for a crop and 

 for the convenience of tillage. 



As land cannot be cultivated to any considera- 

 ble extent, or to much advantage wilhout the 

 plough, it is therel"ore considered the chief of 

 all instruments employed in agriculture. In 

 the formation of ploughs there is a great dif- 

 ference ; ditTerent kinds arc used in different 

 states and counties, and by individuals in the 

 same county. The plough drawn by two hor- 

 ses, most generally used amongst u=, having a ] 

 cast-iroo mould-board, with the coulter attached 

 to the point of the share, is, 1 believe, s\i(Iicient ; 

 to answer all purposes in our light soil, and is! 

 as durable and cheap as any otl;er. | 



It is an opinion too common amongst many ! 

 of our farmers, that the principal use of a har- 

 row is to cover the seed with earth after it is 

 sown ; but I conceive an important branch in 

 the art of farming is, to prepare the ground 

 properly for receiving a crop ; and for this pur- 

 pose, the harrow is an implement of much val- 

 ue, Knd one which cannot be dispensed with. 

 The harrows in common use in this country, 

 are generally made with the teeth too wide 

 apart, and do not break the clods sufficient for 

 producing fine tilth. 1 have the last spason, 

 had a h;uro\v constructed, similar to one which i 

 jshighiy recommended in the New En;:;land Far-i 

 mcr, invented by Mr Abbot of New Hampshire,*! 

 aid iVom experience I can say, it i« better | 

 adapted to our soil than any that I have yet I 

 seen. It is both strong and durable, and from 

 its shape, and the manner in which the teeth 

 nre placed, it is calculated to penetrate deeper 

 into the soil, and cut the ground liner, and is 

 not liable to choke up with weeds, grass or 

 stones, like those in common u'e. It puts the 

 ground in excellent order i"or a crop, by re- 

 ducing it to a^^jie tilth. A small harrow of this 

 kind used in our corn lields would, I lliiuk, be 

 very beneficial. 



The roller is an implement of husbandry of 

 much value, all hough but little used in this 

 country, which, I tteheve, is chiefly owing to 

 its being found a very unwieldly instrument ; 

 but from experience 1 can sny, that if made o( 

 wood, and rightly constructed, it is a very use- 

 ful and convenient implement. The best plan 



is that of having two rollers, each about three 

 feel in Icuglii, and both placed in one frame, 

 so as to roll clear clone another. When made 

 ill this way, it is le-'s straining to the frame, i.i 

 easily turned, and can be turned very short, 

 because one-half rolls back, whilst the other 

 moves forward ; it does not tear up the ground 

 in turning, and adapts itself better to the ine- 

 qualities of the ground. 



Rolling the ground is of great use, it breaks 

 up the clods, and makes our loose soil more 

 compact and solid ; it causes the seeds to vege- 

 tate quicker, by bringing the earlh in close con- 

 tact with them ; it causes the earth to retain 

 its moisture longer ; it is also of great benefit 

 to our grass lands. It should be used after sow- 

 ing most oi'our seeds, especially if the season 

 be dry. Rolling the ground whilst very wet is 

 injurious to vegetation. 



Among the number of instruments that have 

 been invented to lessen the labors of a faiiner, 

 ! consider the newly-invented revolving liorse- 

 rake as a useful and profitable instrument, be- 

 cause it saves much time and labor, and expe- 

 dites the saving of a crop of hay on the ap- 

 pearance of bad weather. It nn be used on 

 level ground without any ditlicully ; and with a 

 steady horse and careful hand, may be used on 

 uneven ground, and even among stumps, if 

 there be rootn to allow the rake to jpuss be- 

 tween them. It IS a machine well worthy the 

 I attention of many nfour farmers. 

 1 Another instrument which is useful and pro- 

 fitable to every farmer, is a chaff-cutler. I have 

 lately obtained one of Eastman's patent chafl- 

 culters, and I must coni" ss that, among all my 

 patent purchases, this has given the mo«t satis- 

 faction. It is siaiple and durable ; turns by 

 means of a crank, having two knives placed on 

 a cylinder, and thtse sufficiently strong to cut 

 sticks an inch in diameter without being in- 

 jured. It Is constructed for cutting hay, straw, 

 millet, or cornstalks ; feeds itself, and cuts ofi' 

 ditlerent lengths, at the option of the tender. 

 A man, with a boy to fiul the straw into the 

 box, may cut from seventy-five to eighty bush- 

 els per hour with it. Were it not that the price 

 is a great objection, [fifty-two dollars] I should 

 recommend it in stronger terms to our farmers. 

 But as it is a machine which is portable, by 

 taking off the fiy wheel, which can be readily 

 done, it may be carried in a wagon without 

 sustaining any injury : if three or more neigh- 

 boring I irmers were to join together in the pur- 

 chase of one, I would venture to- predict that 

 the increase of manure made I'rom it, by cut- 

 ting u() all their stalks, hay and straw, would 

 pay all the expenses incurred in one year and 

 satisfy them of its utility ; beside the benefits 

 lerived to their stock from the use of it. 

 i am, sir, yours respectfully, 



VVM. ELMER. 



* For a description of Mr. Abbot's Harrow, see 

 New Eiislaad i'anner, vol. 2, page 276. 



INDIAN RUBBER. 

 This clastic substance, which is used for little 

 else in this country but to takeout the marks of 

 black lead pencils, is used for various pur- 

 poses in South America, being formed into bot- 

 tles, boots, shoes, torches, &.C. Torches made of 

 this substance burn with great splendour.— -Any 

 person may satisfy himself of this by applying a 

 candle to a small piece of rubber. It is said to 

 be superior to leather for shoes, by reason of its 



j plasticity and im[icnetrability. Some of these 

 1 shoes have been imported into Philadelphia, and 

 I a [)aj]f.'r of that city advises females tosubstitnte 

 I thorn for the fashionable ladies' shoes now in use. 

 I Indian rubber, called also caowchoxic, is obtain- 

 j ed by the Indians from a tree that grows in Brazil 

 I and other parts of South America. This tree, 

 on being wounded, yields a milky juice, which 

 I becomes thick on exposure to the air. The juice 

 is spread on clay, moulded into the form of bot- 

 tles, sliocs, birds. Sic. in successive layers, until 

 it is sufficiently thick. The exterior is ornamen- 

 ted by various means, and then it is suspended 

 over smoke, which hardens and colours it. The 

 clay is afterwards broken to pieces and taken 

 out. Caoutchouc is used for varnish, and it is 

 said that cloth varnished with the fresh juice is 

 rendered perfectly impervious to water. When 

 this substance is exposed to heat it readily melts, 

 and loses its properties. By boiling it for some 

 time, and then pressing two pieces together, 

 they may be united as closely as if they formed 

 one piece. Several trees which grow in the 

 East Indies, yield ciioutchouc. 



WALNUTS — an excellent family medicine. 

 Every body eats walnuts ; every body knows 

 how to make a pickle of walnuts ; few, however, 

 know the medicinal virtue of walnuts. Now the 

 fact is, walnuts when prepared secundum arteni, 

 are an excellent opening medicine and alterative : 

 and this is the way to prepare thera. — Get the 

 green walnuts fit for pickling, put them in a 

 stone jar, fill it up with moist sugar, at the pro- 

 portion of about half a pound of sugar to twenty 

 walnuts ; place the jar in a sauce-pan of boiling 

 water for about three hours, taking care the 

 water does uo^ get iu, and keep it simraeringf 

 during the operation. The sugar, when dissolv- 

 ed, should cover the vvalnuts, if it does not, add 

 more. Cover it close, and in six monthsit will 

 be fit for use ; the older it grows the better it is. 

 One walnut is a dose for a child six years old, 

 as a purgative ; and it has this advantage over 

 drugs, that, whilst it is an excellent medicine, it 

 is at the same lime very pleasant to the palate, 

 j and will be esteemed by young folks as a great 

 treat. Who can say as much of salts, jalap, and 

 other doctor's stuff? and in a large family it will 

 abridge the doctor's bill ten pounds in a year. 



Wash Leather vndcr Waistcoats. — In several 

 instances, the best effects have occurred from 

 wearing washing leather over flannel, as a pre- 

 servative against the consequences of those ex- 

 |)osures to which all men are more or less liable. 

 A waistcoat of this material will, in many cases, 

 supersede the necessity of, and prove a more 

 eft'ective barrier against cold, than a great coat, 

 and often even after the establishment of a rheu- 

 matism which refuses to give way before the 

 most powerful medicine, clothing the parts af- 

 fected with leather, will almost immediately ef- 

 fect an easy cure. 



SUBSTITUTE FOR CASTOR OIL. 



M. Hufeland asserts, that by mixing one drop 

 of the oil of Croton with an ounce of syrup of 

 poppy, a preparation is obtained, resembling in 

 a great degree, the Castor oil, and of which one 

 spoonful produces analogous effects. Many suc- 

 cessful experiments have been made with this 

 preparation in the Polyclinic School at fierlin. 



