1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



67 



view a picture, a landscape, that has not trees and 

 shrubbery upon it ? The private residence, the 

 village, and all public grounds, have their appear- 

 ance as well as value enhanced a hundred per cent, 

 by the addition of trees ornamental. 



If all these considerations are not sufficient to 

 induce the public to attend to the subject and prac- 

 tically improve the opportunity and privilege of do- 

 ing honor to themselves, and likewise secure the 

 gratitude of every wayside traveller, they must be 

 blind to their best interests. If we have any de- 

 sire to live in grateful remembrance by our pos- 

 terity, and those who shall come after us, noth- 

 ing can be more suitable and more lasting than a 

 plantation of forest trees beside the road adjoining 

 the homestead, or on the public squares, of which 

 there are more or less in every town. The rail- 

 roads are well adapted to fruit trees, as they are so 

 perfectly protected from cattle, who are the great- 

 est enemies that fruit trees have to contend with. 



Now let the county of Essex have the honor of 

 taking the initiatory movement in this project ; let 

 some generous and high-minded individual make a 

 donation for the purpose, and live, at least, a him- 

 dred years after he is dead in the grateful remem- 

 brance of all those who are endowed with wisdom 

 and good taste, who can appreciate the pleasures, 

 not less than the pecuniary interests of those who 

 are to come after us. M. 



Essex Co., Dec, 1856. 



drinking, and other gambling ; and where these 

 things are, there must be corruption, to some ex- 

 tent, at least. Tell of restraining these thing by a 

 supervisory committee. Three chances out of four, 

 such committees will be the very ones to encourage 

 them. 



I am glad to see that the Board of Agriculture 

 has taken up this subject, and appointed a commit- 

 tee to report thereon. Who they are, I know not. 

 But this I do know, if they do not take a full view 

 of the subject, and report truly, as things come to 

 their knowledge, they will be in danger of knock- 

 ing away the stool on which they stand. The pub- 

 lic attention is fully awake to the subject — from 

 •Maine to Michigan the alarm has been sounded ; 

 there is scarcely an editor that does not pass the 

 word ; and none with more grace and propriety 

 than yourself. Almost SE^^ENTY. 



December, 1856. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE HORSE aUESTION. 



Prove all things, hold on upon that which has 

 proved good, is a sentiment worthy to be regarded 

 at all times. I was pleased to see in your last pa- 

 per, Mr. Editor, your intelligent friend from the 

 Empire City coming forward as a volunteer in sup- 

 port of the horse on the "trotting course," at our 

 shows ; though I must say he has been treated 

 rather shabbily in your columns — you having burst 

 every bubble that he inflated. I was not a Httle 

 surprised that he should use as witnesses in his case, 

 "Gmeral Lection" and "Gineral Muster," two char- 

 acters that I well knew fifty years ago, as they an- 

 nually appeared oil BuUard's Plain, Andover West, 

 and Porter's Plain, Danvers North, and in many 

 other localites. Their character is too well known 

 to be entitled to much regard. As your correspond- 

 ent derived his first impressions of the horse from 

 "moose country," it is not surprising that he should 

 look upon a fast nag with admiration ; and be 

 struck with astonishment at the speed of the an- 

 imal that carried Adjutant Lawrence so quick, to 

 sound the alarm when the "Regulars were coming." 

 Let those things pass ; they happened when fast 

 nags and fast men veered round at the same point, 

 and little was done, until the beer was handed 

 round, "When wine is in, wit is out," is as true 

 now, as it ever has been. Neither fast horses nor 

 prancing girls are wanted in the villages of New 

 England. No modest female can be quite satisfied 

 with herself, after she has been making a display 

 on a race-course, in the presence of a motley group 

 of men, coarse in speech and behaviour. The deli- 

 cacy of tlieir nature forbids this. It is impossible 

 that they should not feel humiliated by such expo- 

 sure. 



Where there is racing, there will be letting, and 



For the New England Farmer. 



USE AND RESULTS OF GUANO. 



Mr. Editor : — The introduction of guano into 

 Maryland, and the tide-water region of the lower 

 States, has produced effects which entitle it to rank 

 as an era in their domestic and agricultural history. 

 But few years have elapsed, since the first cargo 

 was stacked on the wharf at Baltimore, and made 

 the subject of timid and incredulous experiments 

 upon plots of vegetables, in the truck fields of the 

 market gardeners. The wise ones shook their 

 heads ; but here knd there, a venturous villa-resi- 

 dent scattered a few hundred pounds as a top-dress- 

 ing on his lawns. Now and then, some con amore 

 citizen farmer varied the course of his experiments, 

 by drilling in a small quantity with his wheat. 



The new fertilizer was found to possess remarka- 

 ble power. The lawns of one experimenter were 

 a wonder of fresh luxuriance, and his grain crops 

 were doubled in their yield, while his neighbor ac- 

 complished but the scorching of his grass, and the 

 killing of his seed. Meanwhile, the conflicting re- 

 ports ran from mouth to mouth, and tales of won- 

 der, no-wise cooled or sobered in the transmission, 

 found their way to the interior. The country pa- 

 pers began to herald surprising accounts of vegeta- 

 ble growth, and the dimensions of guanoed beets 

 and turnips verged closely upon the fabulous. — 

 Quiet old planters, as they disposed of their crops, 

 and made their purchases, in the market towns, 

 listened, with incredulous wonder, to the strange 

 tales which merchants and clerks took waggish 

 pleasure in relating. 



More guano was brought, more experiments 

 were made; parcels were scattered among the 

 commission houses of the interior towns, and next 

 year, the old planter not only listened to tales 

 more marvellous and mythical than those of the 

 preceding season, but was enabled to see and han- 

 dle the mysterious stuff. Curiosity was thoroughly 

 aroused ; and while the merchant retailed his stock 

 of marvels, the planter examined anew. He looked, 

 felt, and tasted, (smelling he could not well avoid,) 

 and finished by purchasing a sack, to take out to 

 the old farm, and there settle the matter for him- 

 self. Once at home, the treasure was exhibited. 

 Wife and daughters, sons and servants, gathered 

 about the brown sack, to gratify their curiosity by 

 a careful investigation. Wife and daughters re- 



