18.57. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



215 



For the New England Farmer. 



TRANSACTIONS OF MIDDLESEX AGRI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY FOR 1856. 



This, the oldest of the Massachusetts family, now 

 numbering not less than twenty, appears in all the 

 pprightliness and energy of youth. Profiting by 

 the short-comings of others in following the beaten 

 paths of usage, without attempt at improvement, 

 she has cast off all useless formalities, and given 

 the i)ublic a pamphlet of 84 pages, of readable and 

 instructive matter. First comes the historical rem- 

 iniscences, showing who of our fathers had inquir- 

 ing minds, and with what obstacles they contended 

 Then we find that much of the "head work" in old- 

 en lime, as well as the present, has been done by 

 the clergy. I have long been of the opinion that 

 it was in the power of this class to benefit their peo- 

 ple by attention to the labors of the field, as well as 

 their exhortations from the pulpit. In so doing, 

 they will, themselv. s, be in less danger of bron- 

 chitis, and other clerical infirmities. 



Shorn as this society has been of two-thirds of 

 its strength, we are quite astonished to find the 

 recuperative power that remains. Had it not been 

 for the ill-judged arrangement that crowds the ex- 

 hibition of adjoining counties on the same day, I 

 intended to have witnessed their doings. I am 

 particularly pleased that my old friend Sheldon 

 has proved his faith by his works, in the manage- 

 ment of his dairy. His energetic perseverance is 

 worthy of all commendation. I hope his brother 

 legislators will profit by his example — close up their 

 jobs in tinkering upon the laws, and be at home 

 to attend to their spring icork. Essex. 



For the New Engfand Fqn'ifr, 



FAMEUSE APPLE. 



PojfME DE i<iEOE.—Dotvning. 

 Chimney Apple, of Lake C/iamplain. 

 Snow Apple, of Ogdensburg, Detruit, %c. 



Mr. Farmer : — In your paper of January 27th, 

 you have a very accurate and beautiful drawing and 

 correct description of a seedling apple, growing in 

 President Wheeler's garden, in this place, which is 

 from seeds of the Fameuse, planted by himself; of 

 course it is one of his special pets. I at once recog- 

 nized the drawing, and description of the tree as the 

 President's favorite, and on inquiring of him, found 

 you had taken your specimen from his seedling, 

 which is a little more round in form, and the tree 

 more pendent in growth than its parent, the Fa- 

 meuse. 



The Fameuse is an apple which may be called 

 the parent of a class, as much as the Rliode Island 

 Greening or the Esopus Spitzenbe^-g. It is a fine 

 grower when young, of an upright, irregular habit, 

 and a great bearer in alternate years ; requires a 

 deep, moist soil, and succeeds well in a high lati- 

 tude. There is not the slightest reason for calling 

 it a Canadian apple. As well might we call the 

 summer Bon Chretien a Canadian pear. Both 

 were unquestionably introduced from France at 

 the same time, and the last holds the same rank in 

 Montreal for pears as the Fameuse does for apples, 

 both being more extensively cultivated than all 

 others. 



The first apple trees planted in this valley were 

 at Chimney Point, opposite Crown Point, or Fort 

 Frederick, more than one hundred years eince, by 



the French. From these trees scions were exten- 

 sively scattered, and called the "Chimney apple." 

 The first French settlers at Ogdensburg, Oswego, 

 Detroit and Kaskaskia, planted the same apple, 

 where it was called the "Snow apple." An intelli- 

 gent French Siegneur, living eighty miles below 

 Quebec, told me the only apple they had was the 

 Fameuse, and that the trees were brought from 

 France by the first settlers. The same apple may 

 be found in London, imported from France. 



Now Mr. Farmer, with all these facts, and many 

 more, as lawyers say, tending to prove that where- 

 ever the first French settlers on this continent 

 went, they planted this apple ; can we suppose at 

 that early day, a seedling with such a wide reputa- 

 tion had been produced in Canada ? and before 

 claimin<, it as such, ought not our Canadian cousins 

 to give us some proof of it ? It deserves a place in 

 the smallest fruit garden, but is too delicate and 

 juicy to be a proper market apple, as without great 

 care they become spoiled by bruises and fermenta- 

 tion. C. GOODRICU. 



Burlington, VL, February, 1857. 



For the New England Farmer. 



MANAGEMENT OF STOCK. 



Mr. Editor : — Having spoken to you before on 

 this subject, I now propose to look at the other side 

 of the matter, and state how stock should be man- 

 aged, and not how it is. As this is the season of 

 the year when cattle are confined to the barn, (or 

 should be,) I will state a few things which should 

 govern farmers in the care of them. First, great 

 regularity should be observed throughout in man- 

 agement. They should, an able writer says, be fed 

 but little at a time, and often ; because that expe- 

 rience has shown that animals that eat much in a 

 short time do not fatten so well as those which eat 

 less but more frequently. No more should be given 

 than they will eat up clean, and with a good relish. 

 Thirty-five or forty pounds should not be given a 

 cow when twenty-five is all she will eat. If this 

 course is pursued she will soon become dainty, and 

 will not eat her proper allowance. Any one who 

 will use a little observation, can very soon judge 

 correctly how much each animal will consume daily, 

 without the trou!)le of weighing. Change of feed 

 is very essential. The common practice is to com- 

 mence with the winter to use the poorest hay, and 

 continue to do so until it is al! consumed. This, in 

 my opinion, is wrong. My method is, if I have 

 poor hay, strav.-, oLc., pass thera through my cutting 

 machine and mix them thoroughly, and in tliis way 

 all are readily eaten; when, if either were fed .-ep- 

 arately, it would be very uninviung to their tastes. 

 This is also the proj.'er time to feed such roots as 

 one may have to spare, for while they are bein<^ fed 

 upon ])oor fodder, they need something to keep 

 their bowels loose and active. Roots should be fed 

 v.'ith the j)OGrest liay, and while the cows are dry, 

 but meal reserved until after thev commence giving 

 milk. 



The tastes of cows must be consulted by the per- 

 son who has them in charge, (which should oe the 

 owner,) for it will be found that they differ very 

 much. To illustrate my point, if I never eat any 

 fat meat, and my brother is fond of it, then why 

 should I be compelled to pine away, because that 

 is given me which is oifensive, while he is made no 



