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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



purposes ; and after stripping, a further growth 

 of eight years produces a second crop ; and so on 

 at intervals, for ten or twelve crops. The bark is 

 stripped from the tree, in pieces two inches in 

 thickness, of considerable length, and of such 

 width as to retain the curved form of the trunk 

 when it has been stripped. The bark pealer or 

 cutter, makes a slit in the bark perpendicularly 

 from the top of the trunk to the bottom; he 

 makes another incision parallel to it, and at some 

 distance from the former ; and two shorter hori- 

 zontal cuts at the top and bottom. For stripping 

 off the piece thus isolated, he uses a kind of knife 

 with two handles and a curved blade. Sometimes 

 after the cuts have been made, he leaves the tree 

 to throw off the bark by the s^jontaneous action 

 of the vegetation within the trunk. The detached 

 pieces are soaked in water, and are placed over 

 a fire when nearly dry ; they are, in fact, scorched 

 a little on both sides, and acquire a somewhat 

 more compact texture by this scorching. In or- 

 der to get rid of the curvature, and bring them 

 flat, they are pressed down with weights while 

 yet hot. 



SPARE THE BIRDS! 



We have received the following circular from 

 the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, and 

 heartily commend it to the attention of our read- 

 ers. The wanton and indiscriminate slaughter 

 of birds, at this season of the year, is becoming a 

 serious evil, and if not speedily checked, the con- 

 sequences will weigh heavily upon the farmers of 

 the commonwealth. The laws of Massachusetts 

 provide that a penalty of one dollar be paid for 

 the destruction of every robin killed between the 

 first day of March and the first day of Sejitember; 

 and every person shooting at or JciUing any birds 

 "upon lands not owned or occupied by himself, 

 and without license from the owner or occupant 

 thereof, at any time between the first day of 

 March and the fourth of July, shall forfeit and 

 •pay to the occupant or owner of such lands the sum 

 of ten dollars in addition to the actual damages 

 sustained, to be recovered by such owner or oc- 

 cupant in an action of trespass." We hope the 

 penalties of the law will be rigorously enforced, 

 and that a stop will be put to this wholesale 

 murder of the joyous, innocent and useful deni- 

 zens of the woods. The circular alluded to is as 

 follows : 



C Agricultural Dep,uitment, 



( State House, Boston, March 26, 1855. 



Dear Sir, — There is a custom, very prevalent in 

 many sections of the State, of regarding the Annual 

 Fast as a holiday, and using it for gunning and shoot- 

 ing. Many thousands of our most useful and beauti- 

 ful birds, to none more usefid than to the farmer, 

 since they destroy innumerable insects injurious to 

 vegetation, are thus sacrificed to the wantonness and 

 cruelty of those who know not what they do.. Many 

 painful instances of this came to my knowledge a year 

 ago, when robins, blue-birds, sparrows, and other va- 

 rieties of birds, which occasionally visit us in the ear- 

 ly spring, were shot down without distinction or 

 mercy. 



I need not say that apart from the pleasure and de- 



light which these innocent creatures afford, the inju- 

 ry done to the farmer, and to the community at 

 large, by their destruction, is almost incalculable. 

 I take this occasion, therefore, to entreat every far- 

 mer, and every man who has any regard for the pub- 

 lic good, to use his influence to put a stop to this prac- 

 tice, not only on his own premises, where he has an 

 undisputed right, but throughout his neighborhood 

 and town. Stringent laws already exist against the de- 

 struction of ibirds. Let every man see too it that these 

 laws are rigidly enforced, and rest assured that he 

 will be richly rewarded, not only by the consciousness 

 of an act of mercy in preventing their annual and 

 rapid diminution, but also by the fulness of joy and 

 song with which these sweet messengers of heaven 

 will surround his dwelling, and testify to every passer- 

 by that there is practical Christianity enough in its 

 owner to protect and save them. 



I will thank any man, in any section of the State, 

 to inform me of the extent of the violation of the laws 

 of mercy and of the Commonwealth, in order that, if 

 necessary, more effectual measures may be taken to 

 protect the birds, and thus invite them and encour- 

 age them to live among us. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 CnARLES L. Flint, 

 Secretary of the Board of Agriculture. 



WHAT VEGETABLES ARE BEST FOE 

 STOCK? 



Mr. Dewey is a careful farmer. He watches 

 carefully the effect of his own methods of cultivor- 

 tion, and the value of his crops, and tries to im- 

 prove every year by his own experience. He can- 

 not fail to be emulous of improvement, for he is a 

 constant and interested reader of the Granite 

 Farmer, and some other agricultural papers. A 

 few observations of Mr. D., on the business of 

 the farm, showed so much exact and valuable 

 knowledge, that we have not been satisfied without 

 longer and more minitte inquiries on various 

 matters, of which the following is one : 



Speaking of raising vegetables for stock, Mr. 

 Dewey took us into his cellar, where was heaped" 

 up nearly 206 bushels of beets, the large kind for 

 stock, called the Mangel Wurzel, and not far off 

 an ample store of turnips, carrots, potatoes, &c. 

 The beet yields bountifully, and after five years' 

 experience, Mr. D. is satisfied that the Mangel 

 Wurzel is by far the best vegetable to raise for 

 stock. To satisfy our curiosity, he allowed us to 

 measure the ground where the beets were grown 

 this year, and ascertain the quantity produced. 

 The piece of ground is about eight rods long by 

 five in width, containing almost one quarter of 

 an acre. The rows run across and v.-ere about 

 two and a half feet apart. Fvery other row was 

 carrots nearly all the way, there lx;ing 30 rows of 

 beets and 24 rows of carrots in all. Every four 

 rows of beets filled a 25 bushel cart, giving in all 

 seven loads, good 175 bushels to the quarter acre, 

 (or 700 bushels per acre.) Besides, the 24 rows 

 of carrots gave 1,700 lbs. or about 32 bushels to 

 the same quarter acre, (or 128 bushels or three 

 and a half tons of carrots to the same acre.) 



Mr. D. has planted the same piece of land with 

 beets and alternate rows of turnips or carrots for 

 six years, and with constantly increasing success. 

 The land is a clayey loam. Sand is added where 

 it is too heavy. It is plowed as deep as can }>e 

 conveniently done, say from eight to ten inches, 

 and barn -yard manure put on and plowed in_ 



