1825.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



387 



the order of publication, was the silver cup, 



cffiToil l>v lh;it lUiePiil and pulilic ^pirilcd citi- 

 zen Roliert Oliver, l>q. " to the author of the 

 best essay on tlio natural iiistory of thn mule, 

 and its value for the general purpose? of agricul- 

 ture, in comparison with horses." For this pre- 

 mium there were six competitors, and several 

 essays of great merit; giving a mature consid- 

 eration to them respectively, and observing ex- 

 actly the terms on which the premium is ofler- 

 ed, the committee award the premium for the 

 best essay on this subject, to Samuel VVyllys 

 Pomeroy, of Brighton, in Massachusetts. It 

 might be deemed invidious to other competitors 

 lor this prize, to speak of them by name. For 

 the purpose of this communication, it is suffi- 

 cient to state, that, at least one of the other es- 

 says contained matter which would have added 

 to the practical value of that of Mr Pomeroy, 

 though inferior to it in other respects, and par- 

 ticularly in what relates to the natural history 

 of the animal, which it appears to have been 

 an important part of the object of the donor to 

 draw forth. 



For the other essay, " on the value and use 

 of oxen, in comparison with horses, in the mid- 

 dle and southern states, accompanied by a de- 

 scription of the best method of gearing and break- 

 ing them," the committee alter a mature and 

 deliberate examination of a number of able and 

 practical essays en the subject, do award the 

 premium of a silver cup of the value of ^25, 

 patriotically presented by the venerable Charles 

 Carroll, of Carrolltnn, to Thomas P. Stabler, of 

 Montgomery county, Maryland. His essay is 

 considered entitled to the premium, as conform- 

 ing to the intention of the donor, which doubt- 

 less was, to elicit the best practical information 

 on the Subject. 



The committee take much pleasure instating 

 to the friends of the agricultural society, that 

 the compositions on both the above subjects de- 

 monstrated the growing interest which is felt in 

 the improvement of agriculture, and the advan- 

 tages which result to the community by the la- 

 bours and contributions of the association. So 

 much merit was evinced in the various commu- 

 nications on both the subjects proposed, that, if 

 the terms on which they are received would al- 

 low of it, each might be entitled to particular 

 mention. They hope yet to see some ot them 

 uselully occupying the columns of the American 

 Farmer. JOSEPH GALES, Jr., Chairman. 



[The following article was originally publish- 

 «d in the Essex Register for May 1802.] 



In my Garden is an Apple tree, which about 

 the year 1763 sprouted from the root of a form- 

 er tree ; it now girts three feet and six inches. 

 From 1784 to 1790 I observed it to be barren, 

 and a cumberer of the ground; year after year 

 being the piey of caterpillars, and exhibiting 

 the constant appearance of innumerable warts 

 within the oqtside bark, which at the time 1 sus- 

 pected was the effect of natural instinct in the 

 insect for the propagation of its kind. 



The garden, &c. did not fall under my partic- 

 ular care and cognisance until 1792. In the 

 spring of 1793 I tried an experiment for giving 

 it new life, as fallows. Very early in the seas- 

 on I directed my gardener with a hoe to cleanse 

 the outside of the bark of such excrescences as 

 might bow to the operation with little difficul- 



ty : In the next place I directed him to raise a 

 wall of small stones around the tree at the dis- 

 tance of one foot, and perhaps nine inches high; 

 and tlien to fill the cavity with horse manure. 



The effect the succeeding season was truly 

 worthy of notice ; the warts disappeared, the 

 bark clean and tliriily, and the tree so loaded 

 with fruit as that about one third of the boughs 

 broke and came to the ground with the cum- 

 bersome weight. Comparatively no catei|)illars 

 since, and on an average, a very plentiful pro- 

 duce offruit, yearly. I have not yet renewed 

 my experiment, and think it would be well not 

 to neglect it. 



I was led to the experiment by faking notice 

 of a pear-tree that had been in a very similar 

 situation, and had been resuscitated in the same 

 manner. AGRICOLA. 



WINE AND BRANDY. 

 Too much dependence must not he placed on 

 the reports from France, of the failure of the 

 grape crops. We have such reports every year 

 from injuries done to the crops in particular 

 districts. 



According to Arthur Young, five million acres 



are devoted to the cultivation of the vine. This 



is one twenty-sixth part of the whole surface of 



France, and when the culture of an article ex- 



I tends so far and wide the chances of a general 



; failure are very small. 



WHEAT. 

 Such is the luxuriance of wheat in some parts 

 of Tennessee, that great waste occurs from the 

 grain dropping from the burr belore it is reap- 

 ed. Dr Thomas Walkins, with a view of seek- 

 ing a remedy, if there be any, states — " that a 

 crop of wheat that will yield fifteen bushels to 

 : the acre, in East Tennessee, will fall more than 

 la crop in some other parts of the United States 

 yielding from thirty to forty bushels." 



MULBERRY TREE. 

 The report of proceedings in the New Hamp- 

 shire Legislature contains a notice of a petition 

 for an act of incorporation to cultivate the mul- 

 berry tree. 



VERMONT STATE CANAL. 

 An adjourned meeting on the important sub- 

 ject of a Canal from Lake Champlain to Con- 

 necticut River, is to be held in Montpelier, Ver- 

 mont, on Thursday next. Three routes have 

 been examined, and declared practicable. The 

 whole distance is about 70 miles. 



DEAF AND DUMB. 

 It is calculated that there is about one deaf 

 and dumb person to every 2000 of the popula 

 tion of the U. S. or 6000 in the whole. 600 of 

 these are estimated to be in the State of New 

 York ; and a greater proportion in the city than 

 out of it. The school there has 53 pupils — for 

 5 vacancies there are 74 candidates. 



there exists a j»reat degree of alarm in the 



minds of the lower classr? residing in the loun- 

 Iry on the boivlers of Dorset and Devon. Il has 

 gone forth that a "flying =crpent'" will poison 

 the air, which, becoming impure, will cause the 

 death of nineteen persons out of twenty ; and 

 that the time will be known by this particular ap- 

 pearance on the leaves of the blackberry, which 

 the pseudo-prophet calls the reflection of the 

 serpent.- Another version of the story has its 

 origin from a different reailing, promulgated by 

 some " wise men," (of whom there are not a 

 few practising in this and the adjoining Coun- 

 ties.) that the serpent, whose pestilential influ- 

 ence is to be felt, is no other than Satan, whose 

 period of bondage is expired. A third account 

 describes, that the deaths will take place prm- 

 cipally among- persons under thirty years of age. 

 This impudent imiosilion upon credulity and 

 ignorance gains credit in the 19th century, and 

 hundreds of individuals have paid for charms to 

 secure themselves from danger and infection. -- 

 Sherborne {Eng.) Paper. 



PRICES OF COUNTRY PRODUCE, &c. 

 [Revi5ed and corrected every Friday.] 



Lamentable Superstition. — A species of blight 

 or grub, has rested on the blackberry leaves, 

 gnawing them in a serpentine manner, so that 

 the dead fibre shows through the remaining 

 green. It will hardly be credited by many per- 

 sons, that in consequence of a certain prophecy, 



APPLES, best, 



ASHES, pot, 1st sort, - - - 



pearl do. . . - - 



BEANS, white. 



BEEF, mess, 200 lbs. new, 



car»o. No 1, new, - - 



" No 2, new, - - 

 BUTTER, iiifpect. No. 1. new, 

 CHEESE, new milk, . - - - 



skimed milk, - - . 



FLAX 



FLAX SEED 



FLOUR, Cakimore, HoTvard St 



Genesee, - . - 



Rye, best, . . - 

 GRAm,Rye 



Corn - - ... 



Barley - ... 



Oats - - . - . 

 HOGS' LARD, 1st sort, new, - 

 HOPS, No 1, Inspection - - 

 LIME, . - - - - 

 OIL, Linseed, Phil, and Northen 

 PLAISTER PARIS retails at 

 PORK, BoneMiddlin=rs, new, 

 navy, mess, do. 

 Cargo, No 1, do. - - 

 SEEDS, Herd's Grass, - 



Clover ..... 

 WOOL, Merino, full blood.wash 



do do unwashed 



do 3-4 washed 



do 1-2 do 



Native - - - do 



Pulled, Lamb's, 1st sort 



do Spinning, 1st sort 



PROVISION MARKET. 

 BEE!', best pieces - - . . 

 PORK, fresh, best pieces, - 



" whole hogs, - - ■ 



VEAL, 



MUTTON, 



POULTRY, ...... 



BUTTER, keg & tub, - 



lump, best, - . ■ 



EGGS, 



MEAL, Rye, retail, .... 

 Indian, do. - . - ■ 

 POTATOES, .... 



CIDER, liquor, .... 



HAY, according to quality, 



