1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



253 



and not the ant, should be destroyed, for the ant 

 is a good friend ; indicating the presence of a real 

 enemy. The best way to dispose of caterpillars is 

 to put on leather mittens, and rub all the nests 

 from the limbs early and repeatedly. As to the 

 birds, Mr. AV. thought they were all benefactors of 

 the farmer, even the crow. Meadow moles and 

 meadow mice, also, though they do some harm, do 

 more good than enough to balance the account, by 

 destroying insects. He did not think it advisable 

 to attempt to teach entomology in schools. Nei- 

 ther did he think that if Fast Day was appointed 

 some weeks earlier than at present, the birds would 

 be much preserved, for the principal day for hunt- 

 ing by boys, has been that of the old election, ob- 

 served as a holiday. 



Mr. Brooks, the President, had had to contend 

 with borers a good deal, and he found no better 

 way to destroy them than to hunt them out. Cat 

 erpillars are easily destroyed by fixing a spiral 

 brush upon a light pole, and rubbing off the nests 

 early, and then repeating the process two or three 

 times. In that way, almost every nest may be de- 

 stroyed. He not only destroyed those in his own 

 orchard in that way, but went into the orchard of 

 his neighbor, who had neglected to destroy them, 

 as he found that was the only way to prevent their 

 depredations upon his own trees. The time for 

 rubbing off the nests is early in the morning, or 

 late toward night. 



The subject for the next evening will be — "Root 

 Culture." 



LIBERAL BEaUEST TO AGRICULTURE. 



It gives us pleasure to publish the record of one 

 bequest to Agriculture. Almost every day we hear 

 of some donation or bequest of generous persons, 

 who give money to some school or college, or to 

 some missionary enterprise ; but agriculture has re- 

 ceived but little aid in that way. 



We see it stated in Hovey's Magazine, that An- 

 dre Michaux, who many years ago travelled through 

 the United States, and was some time in Maine, 

 studying the botanical character of our forest trees, 

 as well as their economical uses, and who afterwards 

 published a valuable work upon them, recently died 

 at his residence at Vaurial, near Fontdise, in France. 

 Bj- his will he bequeathed to the Massachusetts Ag- 

 ricultural Society the sum of eight thousand dollars, 

 for the purpose of promoting sylvaculture (culture 

 of forest trees,) and horticulture, and of making ex 

 periments in the growth of trees in "sandy, rocky 

 and bog soils." It is also stated that the principal 

 portion of the bequest is to be invested, for increase, 

 in good farm land ; cheap and productive land is to 

 be purchased, with another portion, and the remain- 

 der to be appropriated to seeding and planting the 

 experimental plantations. 



Here is an example for some of our rich men to 

 follow. If some of them, when they have done with 

 their surplus money would give it to the Maine State 

 Agricultural society, for similar purposes, it would 

 be doing good in a cause where such aid is much 

 needed. 



For the New England Fanner. 



HOW TO RAISE ONIONS. 



I have seen several inquiries in the JVew Eng- 

 land Farmer how to raise onions — and not to raise 

 maggots and scullions — and have them bottom ; 

 now I will tell you how I manage. I sow them on 

 the same ground year after year; I think it the 

 best way. I never plow for onions, but spade the 

 ground about three inches deep, and rake in the 

 manure ; I use manure that is two years old, at 

 least, and very fine. I put on a good coating 

 yearly ; I sow the seed in the old of the moon, and 

 soak them twelve hours or more, before sowing, in 

 strong brine ; the maggot that eats the onion is in 

 the seed^ and the brine kills it. I cover the seed 

 about one inch deep, and then I press the earth as 

 hard as I can, by laying a board on the row and 

 jumping on it. The earth must be rolled to get 

 good onions. As soon as they begin to peep out 

 of the ground, I sow on a good coating of ashes, 

 and repeat it as often as once in eight or ten days, 

 until they begin to bottom, when I weed them. I 

 don't break the earth much until they begin to bot- 

 tom ; then I hoe the earth from the onions, and as 

 they bottom, they lay almost on the surface ; three 

 inches is near enough for them to stand. In this 

 way I never failed to raise good onions. 



Goshen, Hampshire Co., Mass. C. Brown. 



For the New England Farmer. 



SEED POTATOES. 



A few words in relation to potato raising. I was 

 somewhat amused, while reading your valuable pa- 

 per on the subject of potato raising. I see the wri- 

 ter's opinion is, that planting seed ends would pro- 

 duce small potatoes, which in my opinion is a sad 

 mistake. I have farmed it for twenty-four years, 

 and have in all cases planted seed ends. I began in 

 this way for the reason that I was short for pota- 

 toes, and found from experience that it was alto- 

 gether the best way. 1 would not have you think 

 that I have not tried any other way, for I have for 

 experiment planted them whole, and have cut them, 

 and I have in no case had better potatoes than when 

 I planted seed ends. 1 always get the largest po- 

 tatoes ; I do not say but I have had as many or 

 more in number, by planting in a different way, but 

 not so much by measure. I always put into each 

 hill one seed end, unless they are very small, and 

 then I put two, but that is seldom ; and I seldom 

 have more than three stalks in a hill, and some- 

 times but one, and I find as many potatoes in such 

 a hill as in any. In my opinion, it is a very great 

 mistake that seed ends produce the most stalks ; it 

 never has been so in any case where I have planted 

 seed ends. 



I will give an instance which occurred when I 

 first commenced farming; it may seem simple to 

 the reader. I had a piece of land that I wanted 

 to plant to potatoes ; it being sward land, and more 

 than I wanted for my own use, [ told my father 

 that if he would help me plant it, he might have 

 one-half of the piece for his own use; he accepting 

 the offer, helped to plow it, and according to con- 

 tract, planted one-half of it ; by the way, he was to 

 have his choice in the halves. He being one of the 

 old-fashioned farmers, who put into each hill two 

 or three potatoes, oftener three than two, and called 

 that a small amount of seed. I planted seed ends, 



