214 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



8ures, and humanity, venerable with age. Here 

 are papers, and books, and pictures, on almost every 

 table, and shelf, and wall. Here are social firesides, 

 and j)!easant companions, and happy homes. Here, 

 too, are "fair women and brave men." 



It is true that we have some narrow valleys, and 

 long hills, and everlasting mountains. It is true 

 that there are some intractable soils, and rocky 

 ledges, and icy winters ; but as an offset to all this, 

 we raise real men, and export this commodity to 

 every market in the world. Go where you will, 

 from the frosty Arctic to the fiery equator, and 

 some Yankee has, preceded you. There is not a 

 clime or country where their voice is not heard. 

 Wherever conquest can be made, or discovery 

 gained, or daring adventure rewarded ; wherever 

 enterprise can be gratified, or fame acquired, or 

 wealth secured, there you can find New England- 

 ers. But this emigration of her sons is the very 

 bane of New England. In giving her treasures to 

 others, she has robbed herself. Of her 41,500,000 

 acres, only 11,000,000 are improved, and the aver- 

 age value of her lands is not far from $20 per acre. 

 Not one-third of the agricultural or mechanical 

 resources of New England are developed. Here 

 are lands rivalling the West in cheapness. Here 

 are "valleys to be clothed with corn, and hills to be 

 covered with flocks." Here are crooked things to 

 be made straight, and rough places to be made 

 plam. Here are rivers and winds waiting to be 

 tamed and used. Here is steam and electricity 

 asking to be harnessed and driven. 



Here, in short, are privileges unequalled, every- 

 thing, except her rmst enterprising sons. New- 

 England will not become perfect till she retains 

 these. Let others talk of the savannas of the 

 South, and the prairies of the West, my theme and 

 home are the JVeio England hills. I had rather 

 be called a New England farmer, than by any oth- 

 er name under heaven— except Christian. 



J. N. B. 



For the A'etc England Fanner. 



LITTLE THINGS. 



Or a Walk about the House— No. 10. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CULTIVATION OF FOREST TREES. 



Mr. Fay, whose judgment and experience is well 

 affirmed, is represented at the late Farmer's meet- 

 ing as saying, "that the only way to realize good 

 trees was to sow the seeds in a nice plat of ground, 

 and after two years transplant them to properly 

 prepared soil." i^ i j 



If Mr. Fay made such a declaration, I beg leave 

 to demur to the propriety thereof. I respect- 

 fully say, that the seed should be planted in the 

 vmj spot where it is intended the tree shall con- 

 tmue to grow until it arrives at maturity; and that 

 any removal or disturbance of the roots materially 

 mars and prejudices the power and force of its 

 growth. 



I know this to be so in relation to fruit trees, 

 such as the apple, pear, and peach— and believe it 

 to be so m an especial manner in relation to forest 

 trees of every description. Who ever saw in any 

 transplanted plantation, oaks so healthy and vigor- 

 orous as they have seen in groves, where the hand 

 ot man never ventured ? I believe the natural cov- 

 ering that accumulates in the shade of the forest, 

 and softens and ameliorates the soil, is peculiarly 

 favorable to the advance of the young trees; and 

 that there is no artificial application that will begin I 

 to compare with it. JuvEXisf I 



March i), 1857. i 



If the lower box in your copper pump sticks 

 fast, throw some hot water on to the outside and 

 expand the tube, when it will easily be removed. 



If the top of your fluid lamp cannot be started, 

 hold the outer portion in the steam of the tea- 

 kettle and it will start. 



_ If you wish to make the labors of your domes- 

 tics easy, have a large scuttle with a trap-door in 

 your back room down which they can throw their 

 dirty water on washing days, and let it pass off, if 

 possible, into your barn-cellar through a covered 

 drain. 



If you are building a new house, be sure and cov- 

 er the upper part of the sill with a solid bed of 

 mortar after it is boarded and the under floor laid. 

 This will prevent the air from coming in beneath 

 the boarding into the cellar, and more effectually 

 produce dead air within the walls. It will also pre- 

 vent the rats and mice from ascending between the 

 walls. 



If you are a farmer, when you set a boiler for 

 washing purposes, set another by its side of iron 

 forother purposes. It will cost but a trifle more 

 while you are about it. 



If you feel nervous and sleepless on a bright 

 moonlight night, shut out the light entirely. 



If you wish to keep the female domestics happy, 

 cut up two or three cords of wood into kindlings in 

 the spring for summer use. They love something 

 that will blaze well, but in small quantities. 



If the plaster on your rooms has shrunk so as 

 to show_ large cracks, before you paper your rooms, 

 take a little plaster of paris, put it in a kettle and 

 heat over the fire to drive off the water ; or, which 

 is the same thing, take calcined plaster, put in 

 equal portions of that and quick-lime and a little 

 molasses with water, and with a case-knife fill up 

 every crack ; an astonishing difference may often 

 be noticed in the warmth of a room. 



Can you tell for what purpose the eye of a sew- 

 ing needle is grooved? 



If you wish your wife to repeat poetry fashion- 

 ably, let her have this line : 



A bo-ee'3 weel, ees the weend's weell. 

 (A boy's will is the wind's will.) 



If you wish your daughter to speak in the height 

 of fashion, let her repeat this sentence : "Ees eet 

 pawseeble that thdt ees a caow ?" 



Yours in the bonds of littleness, n. t. t. 



Bethel^Feh. 25, 1857. 



Remarks. — Capital I 



_ Gapes in Chickens.— An Ohio correspondent 

 gives the following remedy : "Feed little or none 

 on corn-dough — but feed plentifully on cheese 

 made of lobbed milk or clabber, crums of wheat 

 and corn-bread. We also keep clabber in a trough 

 always within reach of the young chickens. This 

 we believe has been a perfect remedy in our hands 

 for gapes, for the past seventeen years." 



Value of a Single Tree.— The bark of an oak 

 tree felled in 1810, in Monmouthshire, England, 

 was sold for $1,000 and its timber for $3,350. Who 

 planted that acorn ? 



