542 



NEW ENGLAND F.\EMER. 



Dec. 



ganic action of the stomachs of birds, and are thus 

 conveyed and voided by them, Avithout experiencing 

 any detriment therefrom. Plants indigenous to 

 one section are thus frequently fomid in places far 

 remote — on promontories and the distant islands 

 of the sea. Water, also, furnishes to many a vehi- 

 cle of transportation, as well as the feathery coats 

 of bu'ds of passage, and the hair of graminivorous 

 and carnivorous animals. 



A YOUNG FARMER. 



The old adage, "JVever too old to learn," has been 

 thrown a century behind the 2)resent age, by the 

 following letter, received by the editors of the JVeiv 

 England Farmer : 



"Gent. : — I am six 3-ears old ; I send you $1.00 

 for the N. E. Farmer, Monthly. 



"Yours, J. s. 



J^eiD Market, JV. H., Jan. 13, 1855." 



If we could hope to receive one such letter du- 

 ring the year, we would labor with redoubled ener- 

 gy in the cause of agriculture. Where are the boys 

 and girls of the South, who intend to be happy and 

 prosperous m the exliibition of a life of industrious 

 thrift, enterprise and frugal enjoyment? Where 

 are the young men who are to fill the jolaces of om- 

 staunch, planting population, who are now enrich- 

 ing the country by their labors ? Labor, prepara- 

 tion, study, and an acquaintance with the details of 

 practical life, must all be learned properly, before 

 you are worthy to step into their shoes. It requires 

 years of patient observance to fit you for the task. 

 The operation of plowing, alone, will repuire ex- 

 p^ience and practice, to enable the planter to excel 

 in it ; ■ and, unfortunately, where to plow, ivhen to 

 plow, and how to ploio, are matters not to be learned 

 in our high schools and colleges. So with all other 

 departments of agricultual life. A young man of 

 good education, when he commences agriculture as 

 a calling, finds that he has to commence the study 

 also, and his after Hfe is spent in acquiring what he 

 ■might have profitably learned under a proper system 

 of agricultural education. If nine-tenths of our sons 

 are to be planters, let them have primary educations 

 to fit them for the pursuit. If planting is to be a 

 lottery of practice — as it has ever been at the South 

 — we might as well desist from our recommenda- 

 tions. But it must not be. We must still strive 

 on, and if there is no proper system of Agricultural 

 education provided for the ])eople, we must make 

 our journals travelling schoolmasters of the great 

 science which feeds the hungry and clothes the na- 

 ked. 1__ 



F^ir the New England Farmer. 



A THRIFTY PIG. 



■ Mr, Editor:— Mr. George H. Floyd, of this 

 town, purchased a pig on the 7th of July "last, whose 

 live weight was 173 lbs. He slaughtered it on the 

 16th ot October. It weighed M'hen dressed 342 

 lbs. Now suppose we deduct 2-5 of the live weight 

 when bought, (2-5 I believe is the usual amount al- 

 lowed to waste in dressing,) it would leave 103 lbs. 

 which would have been dead weight when bought. 

 Now for the gain, which is 239 lbs., or 2J lbs. per 

 dav. . . c. 



Fremont, JV. H., Oct. 20, 1855. 



For the New England Farmer 



HAWAIIAN AGRICULTURE. 



I MjIza.wao Maui, Hawaii.uj Islands, 

 I March 20, 1855. 



Editors of New England Farmer : — Gentle- 

 men, — Till you shall have some other and an abler 

 correspondent at the islands, I may not neglect to 

 give you the news of the day. 



You see, gentlemen, that the Sandwich Islands 

 are not yet annexed to the United States, and I 

 may add there is no likelihood that they will soon 

 be annexed. I mention this as an item of news, 

 Avhich I think you may rely upon, and which I 

 hope may exclude from nearly all the papers Avhich 

 from the United States reach the islands, items re- 

 specting the islands to this amount, that they are 

 about to be annexed — ^negotiations all finished — the 

 king ready, merely waiting the return of the Prince 

 Liholiho from the windM'ard in order to sign the 

 treaty of annexation. I took the liberty of doubt- 

 ing the correctness of these statements when I first 

 saw them ; who made them is not exactly known, 

 and there is now no need of inquiring. Whatever 

 the late king, Kamehameha III., might have said 

 encouragingly on the subject, he did not affix his 

 name to a treaty of annexation, and death put a stop 

 to his design of so doing, if he had such design. He 

 died about the middle of December, and the same 

 day LihoHho was proclaimed king, under the title 

 of Kamehameha IV. and m a few days he was 

 crowned, mth much display of loyalty. The address 

 of the young King, both to his own people and to 

 foreigners, was sensible and good. Of course, no 

 one expects annexation at present. No one speaks 

 of it. No doubt many are greatly disappointed 

 that the plan has failed, and the more so on account 

 of the high hopes which have been raised by read- 

 ing what they regarded as official statements on the 

 subject of annexation. Do you inquire who would 

 be benefited by such a scheme ? No one M'ould 

 really be so, in my opinion, though a small class, I 

 admit, would make money faster somewhat than they 

 now do. The sugar planters compose this class. 

 The duties which they now pay at California on 

 their sugar and syrup, causes them to complain, and 

 they are earnest advocates for annexation. Ten for- 

 eigners, however, would be injured, in my opinion, 

 by the measure, where one would be benefited. 

 I learn lately that about the time of the king's 

 death, there were several gentlemen at Honolulu 

 from California, who came down, it is thought, ex- 

 pecting that annexation was about to take place. 

 The death of the king put an end to their expecta- 

 tions of this sort, and they have returned to San 

 Francisco. 



I claim, gentlemen, to be a cordial friend of my 

 own native country, and none the less so because I 

 am a friend of this my adopted one. I \rish well 

 to foreigners on these shores. I pray for their high- 

 est prosperity. As many of them as desire to set- 

 tle on the islands, and are willing to become peace- 

 ful and law-abiding citizens, I rejoice to see among 

 us ; especially should I rejoice to see an increasing 

 number of agriculturists, practical farmers, who 

 should fence their lands, build barns, corn-houses, 

 raise wheat, oats, corn, beans, barley, garden vege- 

 tal)les ; feed stock, cattle, sheep, swine, &c., and fill 

 their gardens with fruit trees of all kinds. They 

 might not become rich in a year ; they might not 

 in five or in ten, but they M'ould obtain a comforta- 

 ble Uviiig, and their gains would be sw'c though 



