1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



509 



I beg to assure Mr. Underwood that I knve sev- 

 eral times harvested ray "pop corn" in the same way, 

 and have found no difficulty in making it "pop." j 

 have some ears plucked and dried before they were 

 fairly out of the milk. The kernels are somewhat f^^'ednesday, Sept 



MIDDLESEX SOUTH AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The Annual Fair of this Society commenced on 

 19th, at Framingham Centre. 



smaller, Iiut I fancy, that, when the popping time The first day was devoted entirely to business, the 

 comes, Mr. Underwood will be able to hear the re- -arranging of stock, and to examinations bv the 



S/?'''"^°^' '^ ^"^ ''^^^" """ "^'^'^ ^'''" ^''''''"^' '*^'""" '•i'"^^'""- '^^^ ^veather was as agi-eeable as could be 



imagined. The rain of the prececUng day liad laid 

 the dust, washed the grass and leaves, and imparted 

 to the air a delicious freshness and elasticity which 

 seemed to animate all. So men, matrons and maid- 

 ens thronged to the delightful scene from every 

 possible avenue — from over the roads, through the 

 green lanes, down the pleasant slopes and along 

 the grassy vallej-s of this beautiful town of Framing- 

 ham. 



This was the second Show of this young and vig- 

 orous Society, and was successful, we believe, in 

 every department. There are few towns in the 

 Commonwealth affording so many facilities for im- 

 proved husbandry, and containing so many indi^^d- 

 uals possessing a taste for it, and the means of grat- 

 ifying it. Mr. BucKMixsTER, the editor of the 

 .Massachusetts Ploughman, has long resided there, 

 and has given an impulse to the region around in. 

 his numerous good examples in almost every de- 

 partment of the farm. Major Wheeler has also 

 done much in his practice as well as precejjts for 

 thorough cultivation, and towards ornamenting the 

 town with fruit and shade trees. Messrs. H. G. and 

 A. S. Lewis are both doing a good work, particu- 

 larly in stock. Messrs. J. S. Wheeler, Abner Ha- 

 ven, James W. Clark, J. "\^''. Bro^nl, and others in 

 the town, are actively engaged in promoting the 

 noble art. Below we give a more particular account 

 from the Boston Journal. 



For t/ie yi'tc England Farmer. 



LITTLE THINGS : 

 Or, a Walk ix My Garden No. 4. 



Walking in my garden is almost a passion with 

 me. If I want to digest my dinner in a quiet way, 

 a walk and a survey of what is growing in the gar- 

 den, I find to be much betier than a nap. Besides, 

 it is an excellent place for meditation. To-day I 

 was looking at some 



cabbages, 

 which I set out in the sprmg for greens and for 

 seed. I have, for several years past, had the curios- 

 ity to raise some heads from the stumjjs, simplv by 

 pulKng off all the shorts, save one or two, and they 

 Avill head out without any trouble, and earlier than 

 from the seed. I think that next spring I shall 

 take the stumps of the Early York cabbage, set 

 them in a soil well manured with old compost, and 

 have cabl)ages earlier than the doctor, or anybody 

 else. Another thing I have done. I commence in 

 August to pull oft' an armful of the outer leaves 

 every day, and give them to the pigs, which eat 

 them greedily ; and I never could perceive that it 

 prevented the cal)l)ages in the least from heading. 



But I want to tell you what I do with my 



ri-UM TREES. 

 Instead of budding, in wliich I have not been very 

 successful, I graft up every shoot, which should be 

 done near the ground, though I do not always prac- 

 tise it, and as early in spring as possil^le. Stocks 

 of the common damson and Canada ])lum are good 

 for tliis purpose. I find they usually commence 

 bearing the third year. One stock has made a 

 growth of nearly six feet the present year. Almost 

 wherever I go, I see plum trees raised from suckers 

 of the common damson, which never bore, and nev- 

 er will, that might l)e easily grafted with improved 

 kinds, and immediately brought into bearing. — 

 There is in this village a large tree of the Canada 

 plum, whose top seemed too old to graft ; and yet 

 it was grafted, a few years since, and has the pre- 

 sent year a heavy Inirden of the Washington plum. 

 Such a crop of ])lums I have never before seen on 

 one tree. I noticed that the curculio did not toucli 

 my McLaughlin j)lmns at all, this year. But I 

 want to ask a word about my 



asparagus. 

 Is it any injiury to keep the stocks cut during the 

 season, so that it shall not go to seed ? I have giv- 

 en al)out twenty crops of it to the pigs, this season, 

 and they love it as well as I do ; but does it not 

 have the tendency to throw out many small shoots, 

 at the expense of larger ones ? A word more about 

 the 



BARBERRY. 



Several persons in this vicinity have cultivated 

 clumj)s of this shrul), but it never fruits. What is I 

 the reason ? Is the ground too rich P 

 Bethtl, Me., Sept. 20, 1855. N. T. T. 



EXHIBITION OF STOCK. 



The stock was arranged in some one hundred and 

 t\vent}--five pens. The sho\v of neat stock was large 

 and of fine quality. We noticed in one pen a De- 

 von cow and heifer belonging to J. Burnett, Esq., 

 Southboro', which, if as good at the j^ail as in ap- 

 pearance, must indeed be valuable stock. 



Mr. Buckminster, of the Ploughman, had twenty- 

 nine head of stock of vtmous ages in one pen, nearly 

 all of which was Devon blood, bred from a bull 

 owned by him for several years. Some of the cows 

 and heifers were very symmetrical and beautiful in 

 form and color. Mr. Buckminster has given much 

 attention to 1 )evon stock, and is laboring with much 

 assiduity to introduce it in New England, as well 

 suited to the climate and soil. 



We noticed one "full blood Jersey cow," "Snow- 

 drojj," owned by J. Burnett, Southboro', also a Jer- 

 sey heifer and calf in tlie same jicn, all of which are 

 fine animals. A fine Durham cow owned by Al)ra- 

 hani S. Taber, HoUiston, attracted much attention 

 lor her fair proportions. Some good native cows were 

 to be seen ; we noticed one belonging to Ohed Win- 

 ter, Framingham, which though small, had all the 

 marks of being a superior cow. 



A large quantity of calves and heifers were in the 

 pens, also several bulls. One belonging to W. G. 



