1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



557 



of Wilmington, Natives, A. S. Lewis, Framingham, 

 6 pigs, Sufiblk and Mackay, C. R. Damon, Cochit- 

 uate, a boar 2 years old, weighing 500 pounds, and 

 Leonard Hoar, Lincoln, Suffolk and Middlesex, all 

 of which were excellent. 



In the evening of the third day of the exhibition, 

 there was a gathering of the people at the State 

 House, where a general agricultural discussion took 

 place, embracing several topics. The first was up- 

 on the Chinese Sugar Cane; Mr. Hyde, of New- 

 ton, and Mr. Lake, of Topsfield, Mass., each related 

 their mode of culture, of expressing the juice and 

 of obtaining syrup. They stated, as their opinion, 

 that the cane can be profitably cultivated among 

 us ; that good syrup may be obtained at a cost, 

 Mr. Lake thought, not exceeding nineteen cents a 

 gallon ; Mr. Hyde placed it a little higher. Judge 

 French, of N. H., who had just returned from a 

 visit to England, being called upon, spoke of the 

 reciprocal advantages which may be derived by 

 giving oui attention to some of the English practi- 

 ces In husbandry, and contrasted our skill in plow- 

 ing with that of their plowmen, and their huge and 

 cumbersome implements with our light, and grace- 

 ful, but sufficiently strong ones, used for the same 

 purpose. Other gentlemen continued the discus- 

 sion until past ten o'clock. Col. Moses Newell, 

 of West Newbury, presided, pleasing all by his 

 impartiality, his genial manner and applicable re- 

 marks. . 



We should be glad to indulge in a general sum- 

 ming up of this rare occurrence, if we had not al- 

 ready transcended our usual limits. The whole oc- 

 casion has such an intimate and important applica- 

 tion to the interests of our people, that we shall 

 fail to do it justice, even in these lengthened re- 

 marks. For instance, what would induce us to re- 

 linquish the Fan Mill, stand in the sharp current 

 to winnow, catch rheumatisms and catarrhs, and 

 lose a fourth of the value of the product in time 

 and waste grain ? What would compensate us if 

 the Mower and Reaper were withdrawn from our 

 fields, even in their imperfect state, and we were 

 compelled to depend entirely upon the hand scythe? 

 So with the apple parer,. the hand corn mill, the 

 drill barrow, and wheel hoe. Seeing this vast col- 

 lection of articles has multiplied the wants of the 

 farmer ; that is, he did not before know, how many 

 easy modes there are of averting foiZ, and at the same 

 time of securing good results. He saw before him 

 at the Fair, Crafts' Draining Tile, inquired into 

 their uses, learned the construction of drains, how 

 they improve the soil and lengthen the season, and 

 determines to make early experiments of them. 

 So of many things. We are glad there has been a 

 State Show, and hope there may be one every 

 year. The unanimous opinion, as far as we have 

 beard any expressions of it, is, that the Fair should 

 become an institution. 



For the New England Fanner. 



A GOOD POTATO CKOP. 



Friend Brown : — An ounce of fact is worth a 

 pound of theory, in farming matters as well as oth- 

 er things. Below, I propose giving you the Dr. and 

 Cr. account of a field containing three-fourths of 

 an acre, for the year lSo4 — the season of the se- 

 vere drought. I have charged ten cents an hour 

 for the labor of a man or horse, and $1 per load 

 for one-half of the manure; the reraaing half being 

 for the benefit of future crops. No charge is made 

 for harvesting the crop, and no credit given for any 

 planting size or small potatoes, as I estimated that 

 they would balance each other. 



FIELD NO. 1. Cr. 



45 bu. potatoes sold in Boston market, 20 miles distant. $53.62 



15 bu. potatoes sold in Lexington 18.00 



835 ^'^- P'^tatoes sold in town 25.65 



60 bu. potatoes put in cellar, worth 80 cents 48.C0 



Total $146.27 



FIELD NO. 1. Dr. 



Plowing, spreading on manure, &c $3.70 



One-half the value of 30 loads of manure 15.00 



6^ bushels seed potatoes 6.50 



Planting, &c 1.50 



Plaster and guano 85 



Hoei ng three times 4.35 



Marketing 45 bushels of potatoes, at 20 cents 9.00 



Marketing 15 bushels at Lexington, at 18 cents 2.40 



Total $43.30 



Net gain .$102.97 



The above is a large profit, much larger than it 

 is usual to obtain, but I think it clearly shows tha* 

 potatoes under some circumstances may be grown 

 with success. It also demonstrates, in my opinion, 

 the advantage of keeping a correct account with 

 each of the crops we raise. In this way every one 

 may determine what crops pay the largest profit, 

 and all may judge very nearly whether they are 

 going up hill or down. J. B. B. 



Concord, Oct. 5, 1857. 



For the New Ungland Farmer. 



GATHIEIKG AND PEESSEYING WIN- 

 TER FRUIT. 

 Mr. Editor : — I have noticed a striking differ^ 

 ence in different barrels of our winter fruit, on 

 opening them in the spring of the year. One bar- 

 rel will be very much rotted, and another almost 

 perfectly free from rot. I have observed the same 

 difference in those barrels which had been gathered 

 from the ground, and the fruit more or less bruised. 

 In one barrel every bruise would seem to dry 

 up and scar over, and the apple remain sound, while 

 in another every bruise would turn into a soft rot 

 and extend to the whole apple. Now why this 

 difference? There must be some cause for it. 

 That cause I wish to learn, and perhaps the ques- 

 tion i.s already settled in the minds of some of your 

 contributors to the columns of the Farmer. If it 

 is not, I hope attention will be turned to it, I 

 ara aware that some would hastily reply, the dif- 

 ference is owing to the dryness or moistness of the 

 apples when barreled up, or to the weather at the 

 time, or immediately succeeding the picking and 

 barreling. Others, still, attribute the difference 

 to the tightness or openness of the barrel ; the 

 one retaining all the moisture which arises from 

 the sweating of the fruit, the other gives free ven- 



