1825.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



327 



a few ."heep, (and there are many farmers of 

 ihis descriplion) if he wonhl liisrrg-anl custom 

 iiiiH coiT^ult his romfort ;iiiil interest, he would 

 sell his oxen and purchase three inoi-e cows; they 

 »vould not consume more hay and u;riiss ihan tiie 

 oxen. Let him train all his cows to the yoke 

 and harness; ihey would form a docile and val- 

 uable team, possessingf power sufficient for 

 ploiiijlim^, harrowing, and removing manure, 

 wood, h:iy, grain, &.C. Three cows kept in lien 

 of a yoke of oxen would prohalily produce thref 

 calves, worth six dollars — would atTord milk 

 sutlicient for GOOlbs. of cheese, at 56 per hundred 

 would amount to oli dollars ; and enable him to 

 keep ihroui^h the summer 3 pigs, which may 

 be estimated at 3 dollars ; the profit at a mod- 

 erate calculation would amount to 15 or 50 dol- 

 lars annually. This is no small sum to gain by | 

 milking three cows and makinij their milk into 

 cheese. With this, the farmer would be en- 

 abled to pay all his taxes, purchase new gowns 

 for his wife and daughters, procure a few books 

 upon the subject of agriculture, and become a 

 subscriber for the New Engl.ind Farmer, pub- 

 lished weekly at Boston, by Mr John I>. llussell 

 and edited by Thomas G. Fesseiidcn, Esi]. who 

 is well acquainted both with the science and 

 practice oftarmma;. Every man in this section 

 ot the country, who cuUivates more than ten 

 acres of land, and is a triend to Bible and Mis- 

 sionary Societies, ought to read and patronise 

 this excellent pafier. What do you think of the 

 economy of that farmer, who keeps two old 

 horses and but one cow ? who is continually 

 complaining of" hard limes, the weight of tax- 

 es, and the want of money." Do you believe 

 that he calculates well, that he will become 

 rickl if he has no other resource, for support 

 than his farm, and pursue? his present plan of 

 conducting it, 1 will venture to predict, that he 

 wdl Soon become /)or</-. It is generally acknowl- 

 edged, that lor the business of a farm, oxen are 

 cheaper and beiler than horses. Though con- 

 venient and u^el'ul, horses are expensive crea- 

 tures. They make ihe least return (or their 

 keeping ot any animal on a farm. And, when 

 fiy age or acciilent they become unable to la- 

 bour, they are worthless. Three times as many 

 o! these animals are raised and kept as are real- 

 ly wanlori. Could t'armers be persuaded to sub- 

 stitute the labour oi' cows fur that of oxen and 

 horses, an immense saving might be made. Let 

 the practice be introduced ; it can be done with 

 very Utile expense; any man who has two cows 

 can make Ihe experiment. And, if it tie found 

 on trial, that cows can perform all the business 

 of a farm — that their labour is not half so ex- 

 pensive as that of oven, it is hoped, the t'armers 

 of New England uill be induced to adopt a prac- 

 tice which has been sanctioned by the example 

 of Mr Bakewell, one of the most celebrated far- 

 mers of Great Britain. To encourage the in- 

 troduction of training cows to labour \vonld be 

 warthy the attention of Agricultural Socielies. 

 Let Ihe Trustees offer premiums for the best 

 pair of workiBg cows. Let them be brought 

 forward at the annual ploughing matches, be 

 placed in competition with oxen in trials of 

 strength and activity, and be permitted to re- 

 ceive the Slime honours and rewards^ 



REMARKS BY THE EEITOR. 



Ill a work written by the famous Arthur Youd», en- 

 "itled " I'owng'j JEaj/ern Tour" vol. 1, page 122, it is 



remarked that " Mr Eakewell Ufed to draw with oxen, 

 hat now draws all with cows. Mr 13. finds Ih^^m full 

 as lianHy as oxcii, and that thty draw just as will as 

 oxen ot" the same size.^^ Indeed we can see no reason 

 why cows should be exempted from laliour any more 

 thanm.ires; unless it be some high and honourable 

 r;iee of the '^ Improved Short-Horns," whose pedio;ree 

 entitles them to peculiar pri\'ile»cs, and confei's a sort 

 of nobiiiiv on the animals, which mi=;ht be thought in- 

 compiitihle with servile or.rnpations. The only ol'jec 

 tion to cows beln^ trained to the yoke of which we are 

 awnre is that for some time before and after calvine^ 

 tluy will not be in a condition to labour. 'I'liis ohjec- 

 ti'tn, however, applies with equal force to females of 

 the horse kind. The farmer mi;;lit so manage that his 

 cows should calve at a time of the year, when ti an 

 work is least wanted, or he mi^ht keep a yoke of wlnt 

 are called farrow cows ; or if he had a lar*e stock, 

 mi^jht so regulate the times of their breeding that so;ne 

 of his cows might always be lit for the yoke. And we 

 believe that working^ cows, moderately, would add 

 strengtli to their constitutions, like exercise to the 

 human species, and mijht thus improve the breed of 

 eatlle by imparting vigour to their offspring. i 



FOR THE NEW ENCT.AND FARMER. 



TO PRESERVE SUET. • 



Cambridge; April 30, 1 825. 

 IMr Fessenden, — The following recipe is at 

 your disposal : — Suet may he preserved perfect- 

 ly fresh and good for any length of time by the 

 following method. Prepare and chop yoursuet 

 til to mix into puddings — pack it down inn stone 

 jar or firkin — pour on molasses till Ihe whole is 

 covered — let the vessel he closed to keep out 

 flies; and von have nothing to do hut to dip out 

 and drain iho suet, if you iJo not wish to sweeten 

 with niol.isses. By ihis simple method the sailor 

 may enjoy a luxury in every climate ; and the 

 farmer w !io is I'md of Ihe article may have fresh 

 suet for puddings or pies the year round. 



i'ours, Sic. J. 



FOR THE NEW E.\GLAKD FARMER. 



BORERS. 



Roxbiinj, May 2, 1825. 

 Mr Fessenden, — Now is the time to search 

 trees for those destructive insects called 5orcre. 

 The sap being in vigorous circulation, the 

 wounds occasioned in culling them from the 

 trees, will heal very speedily. I have just been 

 inlormeil by a friend, that hy placing common j 

 catlle's hair (to lie obtained from tanners) on the ! 

 ground, round the bodies of trees, will entirely j 

 prevent the ravages of these destroyers. He! 

 thinks, (hat the lime contained in this hair is so j 

 obnoxious to the insect, which deposits Ihe egg, 

 they will never visit a tree that is Ihus guarded, j 

 If this be true the discovery is of immense im- 1 

 portance ; at any rate there can be no harna in 

 trying the experiment ; which the writer intends 

 to do ; and ho[ies yon will give this publicity, 

 that others may do the same if they think prop- 

 er. AGRICOLA. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEVir ENGLAND FARMER. 



IV^st Briih^cxtHttcr, Maij 3, 1825. 

 CANKER WORM. 

 Mr Fessenden — \ fact has been communicated 

 to tne, by a young man of my acquaintance, rel- 

 ative to the supposed eHicacy of the Locust Tree 

 in preventing Ihe attacks of the Canker Worm, 

 on apple orchards. 



He states, that there is now an orchard in a 

 neighbouring town which was never known to 

 have suffered from Ihe de()rcdations of this des- 

 Iructive insect. That he has knnivn it for many 

 years, it having been (he property of his late 

 father: that when other orchards, within a few 

 rods of it, have been repeatedly al lacked, and 

 the prospect of fruit entirely cut off, this has 

 uniformly escaped the ravages of this destroyer : 

 and that ils preservation has always been attri- 

 buted, by those who have witnessed the fact, (o 

 the circumstance of there ever having been 

 growing- in it a large number of Locust Trees; 

 equal to about double that of apple trees. 



Although few perhaps would be willing to ad- 

 mit, that the fact here stated is alone sufficient 

 to authorize any general conclusion on the sub- 

 ject, yet it may nevertheless, if made known, 

 lead either to Ihe exposition of an idle notion, 

 or the establishment of an important truth. 



To me, this suggestion is a new one ; but (here 

 is nothing in it, that I know of, absurd or ir- 

 rational. For, as there are some kinds of trees 

 that are peculiarly atlractive to certain kinds 

 of inserts, furnishing them with food and shelter, 

 and with all the conveniencies for the propaga- 

 tion and preservation of their species ; where- 

 fore is it not reasonable to suppose, that there 

 may he other kinds of trees for which the same 

 insects entertain an insuperable aversion ; and 

 that to i!.e canker wotm, for instance, the locust 

 tree niiy tic as obnoxious and repulsive, as the 

 apple is agreeable and attractive ? (he effect 

 therefore, here ascribed to (he locust tree, would 

 seem, o prior!, not only no( impossible, bu( very 

 probable; at least sufficiently so, (o render (he 

 subject not unworthy of a satisfactory investiga- 

 tion. • H. 



Errata.— \a Col. Pickering's Essay No. III. p. 316, 

 1st column, 11th line from the bottom, {ot without , 

 read wilhal. In page 317, 2d column, 9th line from the 

 bottom, for left read lost. 



In the communication on " Sheep Hacks," page 289 

 2d column, 5th line from the top, after the word eight- 

 een, add inches. 



New Garden and Flowers Seed. 



JUST received, per ship London Packet, and for sale 

 by JOSEPH CALLENDER, No. 166 Washington 

 street, near the Old South, a general assortment of the 

 above SEEDS, amongst which are- 



FOtl THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



REMARKABLE FECUNDITY. 



JVest Bridgwater, j3pril2e, 1825. 

 A cow owned by Mr Willis Alger of West 

 Bridgewaler, brought, on (he 27th of January, 

 1824, three, and on the 17th of April instant, two 

 bull calves ; making five in fourteen months and 

 twenty days ! The wJtole team is now living, 

 and some of it well broken lo the yoke. 



Early Hotspur Peas 

 Dwarf iVIarrowfat do. 

 Dwarf bordering do. 

 Green Prolitic do. 

 Scarlet Raddish Seed. 

 White aud Red Turnip 



do. 

 Early Cauliflower, 

 Early Head Lcttire, 

 White Field Turnips, 

 White Dutch do. 



Large Blood Beet 

 Orange Carrot 

 Mangel Wurtzel, 

 Swedish Turnip, 

 White Celery, 

 Globe Savoy Cabbaj;e. 

 Dwarf CablJage, 

 Sweet Marjorum, 

 Summer Savory, 

 Lemon Balm, 



A great variety of FLOWER .SEEDS ; with a large 

 assortment of American SEEDS, of last year's growth i 

 BIRD SEEDS, of all kinds ; white stone Flower Pots ; 

 common do ; Flower Boxes, neatly painted. 



