8G 



NFAV ENGLAND FARMER, 



Oct. 2, lS-29. 



to .l..-votc himself to liorliculiural i.iir»uii^ uml ^ 

 the .h.proveiiieiil of ngricuUurc. T!ie picMUscs j 

 uttaclic.l to liis situation, consist of TOO urrrsol I 

 .l.oicc hin.l. For tlir purpose of iniprovn.g tlio 

 lireed of stock in Dntcliess county, lie lias iin- 

 porte.1 Saxon an.l .-Merino sheep, nn.l Muck cattle 

 of the Bukrwill lirceil. 



As a profes,ional man, lliere are but few in this 

 countrv, vvlio have attained a higher reputation 

 than l)r llosaek ; nnd his name is not undi.slin- 

 guislicd as a patron and successful cultivator of 

 science and iitcraliire. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1829. 



A GOOD SUGGESTION. 



The Editor of the Middlcbury Slandard, after 

 noticin;,' the iiuidahle etVorts that arc now ninkiiiK 

 to improve the science of liorticullure, and the at- 

 tention that is paid to selecting the best varieties 

 of fruits and v.gclables, as well as stock, recom- 

 inciids the formation, in all large towns in the in- 

 terior, of horticultural as.sociations, for the pur- 

 jiosc of procuring trees, scions, and buds of the 

 most valuable fruits, and seeds of the most es- 

 teemed garden vegetables, and the purcliase of 

 periodical publications devoted to the science of 

 Asriculturo. The writer suggests that twenty- 

 five or thirty imhlic spirited individuals in each 

 town shoul.l unite and pay one dollar each,— the 

 money to he expended in purchasing those arti- 

 cles that should be thought advisable, the fruit 

 trees, grape vines, and seeds to be equally divided 

 among the subscribers. If a little exertion was 

 made in this way, by public spirited individuals, 

 New England would be filled, in ten years, with 

 the best varieties of fruits and garden vegetables. 



gaii about the middle of the last century (l.oO.) 

 Indi"o is mentioned as an article of product of 

 the t^outheru States, by Guthrie and others, who 

 niiblished about this time. 



But 1 submit to vour inspection a letter, from 

 which an extract fallows, addressed to an ances- 

 tor of mine, which gives probably a fair account 

 [of its early stages. It may he well to observe 

 I that the writer became an emmciit ship master. 

 '■ Himmw, (S. a.) March '.JO, 17S5. 

 "SiK-This serves to inform you thai the wind 

 not favoring us with an opportunity to go to Charlw- 

 ton, wo remain still here. I have liad an offer lor 

 many articles of my cargo, [those are of no conse- 

 Znce to report.] 'fiut I think they cannot be lower, 

 and shall try the market at Charleston. 



"There is no trade here but with the merchants, 

 theptaulers an so eTtraord{mml;)bus;j preparing their 

 IndiL'o works, that few come to town. ,„„„„,, 



" The groat success laxl near, and great demand 

 for that commodity, has engrossed the attention of 

 all the planters; so that there is httlc going forward 

 but huiifco. Upwards of 200,000 pounds were made 

 last year It is supposed from the great prepara- 

 t on/ma^le this year!?hat there will be .^00,000 pounds 

 made. The price has been 'JJo... per pound, (being 

 about 78 cents,) for the best sort, ot which iione is 

 now to be had." ARer prices, prospects, &.c he 

 concludes, " [ shall omit nothing to give you satisfac- 

 tion, and am, respectfully, &c.^^^ fRAZIER." 



HISTORY OF THE CULTURE OF INDIGO 

 Mr FF.ssK>nKN— In your i)aper of the 4th ult 

 it is stated that " the culture of Indigo is again 

 briuglit up in Carorma." The increased con- 

 sumption of this article may make some notice of 

 it iu a degree interesting. 



*It is staled that there was so little knowledge 

 of this dye (amongst the ancients called " iii(/i- 

 cum") that I'liuy, wh^ii be wrote, was not justly 

 informed as to the l)liiMt il-f-lf.* 



It was not till after the settlement of this coun- 

 try, say IHSO to 10 JO, that it began in Europe to 

 he much spoken of. 



In 16SS, says the same nntliority, it was not 

 agreed amongst Botanists what jdant Indigo was 

 made from. 



Some few experiments were made in Europe 

 about the middle of the last century to rear the 

 plant. B'.ii it is only since 1800 that both in 

 France and It^dy great cflorts have been made, 

 anil with some success, in its culture. There w.is 

 prolmbly iiioro of sriontific experiment than of 

 praciiciil good contemplated in those efforts. 



It i* woiMl.rful lo lo.ik back and perceive how 

 recent our knowledge is of many of the most im 

 porlaiit articles <d' use and production in ngricul 

 turn ! 



Ill our country it would seem that the sucress 

 that atli-iided the ciihiiic of Indigo in the French 

 and Spanish West Indies imhiccd efforts to be 

 fliad<' for its culture in the Carolinas. These bc- 



The culture of nidijio continual in Carolina 

 from that period for some years after the revolu- 

 tionary war, and large and frequent importations 

 were, for some years, made to this place and else- 

 where. Its quality was ordinary in general, and 

 its price about 75 cents. When its culture was 

 left off, we cannot precisely say. But presume it 

 was after our great trade with India openc.l, and 

 the finer .pialities raised there were so abundantly 

 introduced and so much more approved. At any 

 rate it has for many successive years been seen in 

 their price currents, " This article is wholly im- 

 ported from abroad," or in words to that eftect. 



1 close with ob.serviiig, that ellorts to increase 

 the products of the earth, must, in general, be 

 considered as highly praiseworthy in our country 

 at this time especially, as tending to quicken in- 

 dustry, lessen importations, &e. To the effort in 

 this particular, therefon:, at the South we wish 

 success. . . 



There can he no doubt that their intelligent 

 planters will learn from experience how far it is 

 for their iiuorest to go. I ain, yours, ^^ 



■ ]Onnyc:!o|ierlia. 



Cost of Green Houses.—X correspondent wishes 

 to know the probable cost of a small green house, 

 say \r, feet long, coir.'sponding width, and the 

 animal cost for find, &c. and thinks it wmild be 

 well for the Horticultural Society lo n.sk for ap- 

 proved plans of cottages, green houses, farni 

 houses, and other buildings connected wiih rural 

 econoniv, to he hung up in their Hall. An article 

 on Green llouseJ will be fouml in the N. England 

 Farmer, vol. vi. page 329. 



Silk in Maine.— Ur Jacoii Patch, of Camden, 

 I\lc. has sent us a .specimen of sewing silk manu- 

 nicturcd by him,— being the first ever made in 

 that part of tin- State. He is planting more of 

 the While Mnlhcriy S.-od ns a preparatory step to 

 an rnlargement of the business. 



The Rhode Island Catlle Show lakes place in 

 Puwtuxcl, on the Mill inst. 



Massachmells Horticultural Society.— AmoDg t vM 



fruiu left for examination at the Hall, Saturdoy,a! «^ 



ult. were the following : — ^,. 



From Mr N. Seavek, of Roxbury,very fine spe |gpoi 



mens of Bland's Virginia Grape. The fruit » 



hardly ripe,bul ^till it^ flavor was good,— the bum |-«t 



es, with shoulders, very thickly set, with berries _ 



a pale red color. The fruit compares pretty w 



with good foreign crapes, and will make a gooci w 



or table grape. Ifhas a tJiin skin, very little pi 



and decidedly surpasses all the native grapes t 



have been exhibited. It will be a most desirable 



quisition to our gardens in the city as wel! i; 



country, where it can be raised with almost n- 



certainty and abundance as the Isabella. Ti.' i 



acter of the Bland Grape agrees very ac. uial 



with the description given by Mr Pbi.-sce, in \n^ • 



uable Treatise on Horticulture, page .W. Mr .S 



VKB also exhibited some of his Alexander or.Mus- 



del grapes ; good sized bunches, with large should. 



The' identity of this fruit is disputed, some consii 



ing it the same as the Isabella, which the fruit i 



exhibited closely resembled. 



From E.PHi>.NEr, Esq. of Lexington, a baskt 

 hi^ native wild grapes, from a rine cultivated by 

 some time— the bunches are of good size, the ber 

 very large, light colored, and of agreeable flavor 

 a native grape. . „ , , , 



From Mr Z. Cook, Jr. of Dorchester, a baskt 

 very fine Isabella grapes,— the bunches remark; 

 large, one of them weighing 11 ounces— the o 

 nearly as large. 



From Mr Dow.neb, of Dorchester, a spccimc 

 a beautiful pear, the scions of which were sent to .>• 

 Perkins, Esq. by the London Horticultural Soci 

 The pear was ot a bright yellow, melting, and 

 ' flavored, name unknown, the label having been 

 when received by Mr Pebklns. 



From Dr. Green, of Mansfield, specimens of 

 sorts of native grapes, purple and white, goo.l s 

 bunches, very large berries, (particularly the w 

 kind) and of good flavor for a native grape. 

 Gree.n has oflered lo give the Society a panic 

 account of the habits and character of the gi 

 with some of the cuttings. , ,, , , 



From Mr Joseph W. Newell, of Maiden, sj 

 mens of a very large red Apple, firom the larm o 

 Alios Sargeant, of Maiden,- lo ascertain its 

 name. (It is thought to be the same as the G 

 Sachem Apjile cultivated at tlie Messrs. \\ i.nsi 

 Nursery, at Brighton.) 



Froiii Col. Harris, of Boston, a specimen 

 scedlin;: pcarfrom"the garden of Madam Dix.ol 

 city. The lower limbs of the tree are aimed 

 thorns the middle, upright, bearing branches arc 

 The tree is a great bearer, the fruit ripens ear 

 October, and is meltin?. 



From Col. Jacjies, of Charlestown, speciniei 

 a very beautiful peach, flesh yellow, and of 'lelii 

 flavor, raised from the stone, in tlie garden ot ! 

 Etiik.rii>c;e, of Charlestown. 



From John Pui.nce, Esq. of Jamaica Plains, 

 mens of very superb Mexican Gcorginns, an 

 new vecclable introduced by him called the 

 Pumpkin, seeds of which will soon be ready to 

 livery to members. 



From Mr Sami el C. Gray, of tins cilv. s 

 mens of the fruit of the singular tree in Saleii 

 scribed by the Hon. Stephen White, in the 

 volume ot the New England Farmer, page.'-!', 

 tree is a seedling, and always bears two kinds ot i 

 promi.scuoiislv on the same branches. 



From Mr K. SiiAni-, of Dorihesler, spcciin. 

 a fine autuiiiiml apple (name unknown,) and o 

 Brown Beurrc and other pears. 



From .losEPH Head, of this city, specunons 

 very fine naluial cling-stone jieach, raised in his 

 don in this city. 



(ly'Biids nnd .scions of any of tJic above frui 

 be ilislributcd among incmbcrs of llie Society, n 

 proper season. 



Specimens of oilier fruits were left by Mr C 



It 



