1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



79 



whore will farmers get the money to pay for the 

 amount that will be required when the vote of 

 Rockingl-am County shall deeide that guano may 

 " be usL'd to advantage by our farmers in New 

 England."' 



"■How long it takes to get Apples.'''' — Just two 

 years, according to tliis article ; which, to me, 

 has something of the ring of "Book-farming." 

 Five years ago, next spring, I set out something 

 over one hundred apple trees. I did not suppose 

 my trees or my soil wore good-for-nothing, and I 

 have tried to give the trees a chance to grow, but 

 I have seen only a few apples as yet, — probably 

 not over forty or fifty in all. Part of my trees 

 were large ; a part small. The smallest have 

 done the best ; indeed the largest tree in the or- 

 chard now, was one of the smallest when planted. 



"A Home in the Country. ''' — IIow to buy a 



portunity .ifforded the cultivator to train accord- 

 ing to liis particular "taste.'''' Now that is very 

 kind in Nature, certainly ; but it would save me 

 much doubt and liositation if she had labelled 

 these "superabundant limbs" respectively, as the 

 case might be, "jackkniil-," "handsaw,'" "axe,'' 

 &c. If Mr. Brown is disposed to be offended by 

 these remarks he must give th(! editor lialf the 

 blame, for attaching that article on page 3(S to hia 

 recommendations on "Beautifying the Farm." 



"Fall P loin ng.'" — On this subject we have 

 three or lour articles. 



Illustrations. — Ciale's Straw Cutter, the Ilurl- 

 but Apple, Bracketed Cottage, and improved 

 Short Horn Bull. 



Among the many articles which 1 have passed 

 over, I must at least name "Turnips and Salt 

 n ,, p /. ., - T , ,, r Hay," "Agricultural Implements," "Organic and 



farm worth four or five thousand dollars, and t0| inorganic Matter," "Grain Crops," "Brief Prac- 

 eecure to yourfamdy the income of five thousand tical Hints," "Winter Care of Cattle," &c. &c. 

 dollars beside, with a capital of only $2,200, 



(two thousand two hundred dollars!) If the 

 writer of this article had been President of the 

 United States Bank, I think he would not have 

 cared a snap for the removal of the dejDosits. 



" On Beautifying the Farm.'''' — An exhortation 

 by the editor, to plant trees so as to produce some- 

 thing of the tasteful and beautiful around our 

 homes ; in connection with which we might al- 



Winchester, Jan., 1855. 



A Reader. 



xi Feat in Chemistry. — During the recent lec- 

 ture delivered by Professor B. Silliman. Jr., in 

 New York, he solidified carbonic gas. This was 

 effected by bringing sulijhurie acid in contact 

 with carbonate of soda, in a strong iron vessel, 

 capable of resisting an expansive pressure of thir- 

 lude to the " enthusiasm" which the littlegroves ly-four atmospheres, or 510 pounds to an inch ! 

 and shade trees about Philadelphia inspired ourjl'i'of. S. stated that this experiment has been 

 usually calm and practical friend. Dr. Brown, of given up entirely in France, in consequence of 



Wilmington. He thinks many farms in Massa- 

 chusetts would realize in a few years from the in- 

 creased value of their farms, at least ten dollars 

 a day by planting trees now. 



"Cycle of Good and Bad Crops. ^^ — The desi^'n 

 of this article is to show that there has been for 

 many years a pretty regular succession of periods 



the bursting of several iron vessels, by which 

 several persons had been killed. But he stated 

 that the iron vessel used on this occasion, had 

 never been known to burst, and the experiment 

 was considered not at all dangerous. As the li- 

 quid (it being in a liquid state in the vessel) was 

 drawn off, a lar<rer portion instantly evaporated. 



of four or five years of alternate good and bad {and by the evaporation reduced the remainder to 

 crops, and that we have at this time just entered the freezing point. In this wa^-, several pounds 

 upon aserics of poor crops. Rather discouraging, [of solid carbonic acid were obtained. It had the 

 "Home-made Furniture.''^ — Such articles are too appearance of the whitest snow, and was so cold 

 scarce in agricultural papers. The very word, 'that by holding it only three seconds the hand 

 "home-made," has become antiquated. Not onlv would be frozen. He placed a portion of it 

 is our clothing ready-made, but every implement, around a long vessel containing mercury, and 

 from the mowing machine to the hand-sled, must froze the mercury solid ! The mercury was then 

 pass through the hands of mechanics. This is taken out and hammered like lead. — Albany 



well enough, if Ave can afford it. But there is an 

 old adage that says, " the gods help those who 

 help themselves." 



Barns. — We have descriptions of a twenty- 

 thousand-dollar barn, in Great Barrington, 

 Mass., and of a Concord barn, 125 feet by 54. 



"A Good Move,^'' is what the Country Gentle- 

 man calls a proj)osition recently made in Con- 

 gress for the estaldishment of a National Agricul- 

 tural S(;ho(d. But if Uncle Sam should make as 

 bad work in teachhig the science of agricultur 



Register. 



The Way to Build up a State. — Governor 

 Grimes, of Iowa, in his inaugural address, thus 

 describes the wants of the thriving State over 

 which he pi-esides : — 



" She wants educated farmers and mechanics, 

 engineers, architects, metallurgists and geologists. 

 Slie needs men engaged in tlie practical duties of 

 life, wlio have couipieivd tlicir jjvofessions, and 

 as he did in estimating the value of "home manu-j who are able to imiiart tlieir knowledge to others, 

 facturcs" up -in New Hampshire, as appears byiSlie wants farmers wlio sliall lii* familiar with the 

 Mr. French's article on "Other People's Busi-'princijiles of chemistry as ajijilicd to agriculture; 

 ness," he had much better leave tliat businossi architects and mechanics who will adorn her with 

 with the schoolmasters that arc already abroad. [ edifices worthy of so fair a land; and engineers 

 "Pruning Apple Trees.''' — As I am unsettled: and geologists who will develop her resources, 

 in opinion on this subject, I read everything re- and thus augment the wealtli and hnppiness of 

 lating to it, with interest. Foi'cst trees get along her citizens. This want can only be supplied by 

 comfortalily without trimming, and so do 8had(>jthe establishment of a school of applied sciences, 

 trees generally. But, says Mr. Brown, "apple 1 1 have no licsitation, therefore, in recimimending 

 trees grow with a supera))undance of limbs that' that a University fund Ijc appropriated to estab- 

 provision may be made for casualties, and an op-ilish a practical scientific or p(dytechnic school." 



