204 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 





A NEW WORK ON INSECTS. 



We are much pleased with Dr. Asa Fitch's first 

 and second report on the "Noxious Insects of the 

 State of New York." The particular object of the 

 Secretary's Reports will be best understood by a 

 reference to the author's preface. We are here 

 informed "that the insects infesting our fruit trees 

 are to be first considered. Commencing with those 

 which affect the root, the trunk, the twigs, the 

 leaves, the flowers and the. fruit. In the same or- 

 der, insects which occur upon the pear, the peach, 

 the plum, and the cherry, are successively taken 

 up." From our fruit trees, our author passes to 

 "noxious insects infesting our forest trees, field 

 crops, and garden vegetables." We like the ar- 

 rangement of the Secretary's reports upon insects 

 injurious to vegetation, it being easily understood 

 by the general reader, and, at the same time, suffi- 

 ciently scientific. With an insect in your hand, by 

 the specific descriptions to be found in the work, 

 you can soon ascertain its name. The dimensions 

 of the several insects, larva, &c., are given in inches 

 and fractional parts of inches. We are of the opin^ 

 ion, however, that the size of insects can be belter 

 given by lines. The work is furnished with many 

 figures of insects in their several periods of trans- 

 formation, which adds greatly to its value. The 

 Secretary's report, when finished, will doubtless be 

 very valuable to farmers and horticulturists, and 

 highly creditable to the author ; and with such aids 

 to our knowledge of economic entomology as we 

 have received from the late Dr. Harris, Dr. Fitch, 

 Baron Kollar, and several English writers, we may 

 reasonably hope for the future, to be able more 

 successfully to combat the hosts of noxious insects 

 that surround us. The Hon. B. P. Johnson 

 Secretary of the N'w York Agricultural Society, 

 will please accept our thanks for an early copy of 

 this work. 



NEW IMPROVEMENT DJ WELLS. 



An important improvement upon the u.'iual 

 method of obtaining water for irrigation and do- 

 mestic purposes, has recently been introduced into 

 the city of Stockton, by means of which a constant 

 and inexhaustible supply of pure water may be ob 

 tained at very trifling expense. It consists, simplj', 

 in the sinking of a shaft by means of a two-inch 

 augur, attached to light bars of iron, with other ap 

 paratus for pumping, drilling, etc., similar to that 

 employed in boring the artesian well upon the pub 

 lie square. It requires but the labor of a few hours, 

 with this apparatus, to reach a depth of fifty feet, 

 whence can be obtained a supply of water that can 

 not be exhausted by constant pumping. There 

 are seven of these wells in that city in successful 

 operation, one of which is in the garden of Dr, 

 Holden, and reaches a depth of thirty feet. It af- 

 fords an abundance of soft, clear water, such as is 

 not usually obtained from the shallow wells from 

 which the greater part of the water used in th 

 City is obtained. This new mode of procuring wa- 



ter, by simple means and at trifling expense, was 

 first brought into public notice in Stockton by Mr. 

 Jesse A. Austin, who has constructed all wells of 

 this kind now in operation. They are, no doubt, 

 destined to become universally adopted as the 

 cheapest and the most certain means of obtaining 

 water at all seasons. We have examined a num- 

 ber of these wells, and from the evidence we have 

 of their capacity, and the quality of the water they 

 furnish, we believe they can be made of greater 

 value to the farmer than the artesian wells, with 

 the uncertainty of obtaining water, which must 

 ever render them unavailable in the San Joaquin 

 valley. 



Mr. Austin first constructed one of these wells 

 on his own place ; from the success of which, he 

 was induced to experiment upon them in various 

 parts of the city, and in every instance has succeed- 

 ed in obtaining water in sufficient quantity for all 

 the purposes of irrigation. — California Farmer. 



For the New England Fanner. 



DAIRY PROFITS. 



Mr. Editor : — In a late number of the Farmer, 

 your correspondent, "Worcester," shows the cost of 

 raising milk near the city, and proves that it can 

 be made to pay a small profit at least. Thinking 

 a few items in regard to making butter would be 

 interesting to those who live so far from market 

 as to prevent sending in their milk, I send you a 

 few facts. My father keeps a small dairy, of from 

 ten to twelve cows, and like many other farmers, 

 keeps but little account of his profits or expenses. 



Now I am one that likes to see things come 

 round square, or, in other words, I like to see what 

 stock or crops pay, and have for the last two years 

 kept an account of income, losses, &c. Moat far- 

 mers say that they should never dare to keep ac- 

 count of their farm expenses and profits for fear 

 that they should see that they were running down 

 stream, instead of improving their fortunes, or that 

 they should see how foolishly some of their funds 

 had been expended. I have had no experience in 

 farming for myself, but it seems to me if I was 

 going down hill 1 should want to have my eyes 

 open in order to know when I got there. But they 

 go upon the principle that "the blind horse travels 

 best." 



But I was about to give you a few facts in rais- 

 ing butter in the northern part of Vermont, for 

 the Boston market. The cost of keeping cows is 

 much less here than near the city. Good English 

 hay is worth $8 per ton ; oats 33 cts. per bu.; corn 

 $1, and other things in proportion. 



Income for 1856 op Twelte Cotvs. 



1670 lbs. butter, at 24 eta. per lb $400,80 



270 " 18 " .48,60 



225 " used in the family, at 24 cts. per lb 54, CO 



12 calves 40,00 



150 lbs. cheese, at 11 cts. per lb 16,50 



300 lbs. pork, at S.^ cts. per lb 25,50 



Total $585,40 



Income from each cow $48,78 



Cost of Keeping. 



24 tons of hay, at .$8 per ton $192.00 



Pasturing, at $5 per cow 60,00 



4 bushels of meal apiece in the spring, at 50 cts. per bu..24,00 

 Interest per cow, $2 24,00 



Total $300i00 



Cost per cow 825,00 



Profit from each cow $23,78 



