132 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



March 



For the New England Farmer. 



LARGE APPLES. 



I notice in the Farmer of Dec. 27th an article 

 under the above caption, in which the writer states; 

 that he weighed three apples, which averaged 4 

 pounds and 2 ounces each. Now I have a tree of 

 Pound Sweetings which produces what are called, 

 about here, very large apples ; and indeed I think 

 they are at least among the largest that grow in 

 this section of country, (Western Vermont) and the 

 largest specimen I ever could find measured 13^ 

 inches in circumference, and weighed 14 ounces. 



Now, to imagine an apple over four and a half 

 times as large, with a diameter of over 7 inches, it 

 seems as though we had better call them pump- 

 kins. However, as he seems to write with the frank- 

 ness of an honest man, I have no disposition to sus- 

 pect his sincerity ; but a thought struck me that 

 perhaps there might be a mistake in writing the 

 article or in setting the type. I am sorry he did not 

 give us the name and residence of the man of whom 

 he bought the apples, but only said he lived within 

 20 miles of Harrisburg, Pa. Now I should like to 

 hear from S. D.Thompson, again, through the Far- 

 mer if he will be good enough to tell us a little near- 

 er, where those big apples may be obtained ? 



Fairhaven, Ft. H. Briggs. 



SNOW STORM. 



'Tis a fearful night in the winter time. 



As cold as it ever can be ; 

 The roar of the storm is heard like the chime 



Of the waves on an angry sea. 

 The moon is full, but her silvery light, 

 The storm dashes out with his wings to-night ; 

 And over the sky, from south to north, 

 Not a star is seen as the winds come forth 



In the strength of a mighty glee. 



All day the snow came down — all day 



As it never came down before> 

 And over the earth at night there lay 



Some two or three feet more. 

 The fence was lost, and the wall of stone ; 

 The windows blocked and the well-curb gone ; 

 The haystack grown to a mountain life ; 

 And the wood-pile looked like a monster- drift 



As it lay at the farmer's door. 



As the night set in, came hail and snow. 

 And the air grew sharp and chill. 



And the warning roar of a sudden blow 

 Was heard on the distant hill ; 



And the Norther ! see ! on the mountain peak, 



In his breath how the eld trees writhe and shriek 1 



He shouts along the plain, ho ! ho ! 



He drives from his nostrils the blinding snow. 

 And growls with a savage will t 



For the New England Farmer, 



WORCESTER AGRICULTURAL TRANS- 

 ACTIONS. 



Mr. Editor : — Seeing the notice of the Essex 

 Transactions in your paper of this date, (January 3,) 

 has led me to compare the Worcester pamphlet 

 with that of Essex. I find it about one quarter 

 part as large ; but I did not shut it up because it 

 was so small — presuming it was multum in -parvo, 

 from our general recollection of the management 

 of this societj-, when the Lincolns, Levi, John and 

 William, were in the ascendant. I looked through 



the book, and found no Lincolns there, and nothing 

 to remind me of them, except the carefully pre- 

 pared report on swine. Time was, when I looked 

 to Worcester as a model to be imitated in every- 

 thing that is good. I will not say that there is not 

 much in their book that is good, but I will say 

 there is much less than there should be. Why is 

 it that the State has advanced nearly $20,000 for 

 the sustenance of this society, snd no apparent ad- 

 vance or improvement has been made ? Have 

 they buried their talent in the earth, and shall not 

 the master say when hecometh, as was said in old- 

 en time ? These were my reflections — perhaps I 

 am wrong. I would not intentionally do wrong 

 to any one ; certainly not to those whom I have re- 

 spected so highly, and loved so well. I forbear to 

 say more. Verbum Sat Sapienti. 



January 3, 1857. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



GR.\PE CULTiniE. 



I have been much interested in the Farmir dur- 

 ing the past year, in learning the culture of grapes 

 and other plants. I have nine sweet-water grape 

 plants in my garden, which I brought from Califor- 

 nia. Last year they died nearly to the ground — 

 this year they have grown two feet high. How can 

 I make them come to maturity ? In their native 

 soil it is nothing strange for one cluster to weigh 

 7 pounds. Thin pulp and very delicious ; the grape 

 is about the size of our native grape, and thickly 

 coated with sugar. 



I have also the Isabella grape, which sent out 

 one shoot last summer 19 feet long. I have the 

 Charter Oak grape, which bore several fine clusters 

 last year for the first time, which were very large, 

 and worth the farmer's note. 



Will the grape answer to be pruned early in the 

 spring P If so, you will do me a favor to publish it 

 in your journal. S. Kibbe. 



Remarks. — All grape vines should be pruned in 

 the autumn, as early as November. If not done 

 then, do it now. 



WHAT killed my CUCUMBER VINES? 



They were planted in a keg with a hole in the 

 side — this was set in a half barrel tub, filled within 

 six inches of the top of the keg with soap suds and 

 other wash. They grew finely, until, like Samuel, 

 they were head and shoulders above all their neigh- 

 bors, when they came to a stand still, began to die 

 out, and I got not one cucumber from the lot. 



Reading, Mass., 1857. 



Mr. Editor : — In the spring of 1853 I picked 

 up two peas on board of a vessel that had just ar- 

 rived from the river Gambia, Africa. The product 

 from those peas is four quarts (planting what has 

 been produced every year.) There is one singular- 

 ity about them that I never noticed in any other 

 peas. Last year I did not plant them until May 

 26, and on the Fourth of July there were ripe 

 peas upon them, and they were also in blow, and 

 not out of blow until the frost came. Is that unu- 

 sual ? S. P. Mayberry. 



Cape Elizabeth, Jan., 1857. 



