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Published by Joh.n U. Rcssell, at J^'i. 52 J\/'orih Marktt Sired, (at the Jlgncullural Warehouse). — Thomas G. Fessenden, Editor. 



VOL. VIII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1830. 



No. 35. 



ORIGINAIj commumc ations. 



FOR TUf: NEW ENGLASD FARMER. 



FACTS WORTH REM EMBIE RING. 



Too ra|iid growili and jdciiiature decay seem 

 invariably connected in organized structures; 

 [that is, in animals and vogct.ables.] — Davy. 



One cause of the unproductiveness cf cold, clay- 

 ey, adhesive soils, is, that the seed is coated Vfith 

 matter im|)ernieable to air. Seeds should be sown 

 so as to be fully e.\i)Osed to the iii'fiuence of the 

 air. — lb. 



To cure hoven in cattle. — A|)])ly a dose of train 

 oil, [iroportioned to the age and size of the animal. 

 Give to an ox or cow a pint, from a bottle, 

 and rub the stomach well in order to make it go 

 down, and give the animal e-xercise. — Farmer'.^ 



Crush tlie corn given to fowls in winter, and soak 

 it in water. This helps digestion ; and fowls will 

 lay in winter when so fed that would not other- 

 wise. — .Monthly Mag. 



To cure measles in swine. — Put into the food of 

 each hog, once or twice a week, as much of 

 crude pounded antimony as will lie on a shilling. 

 — .Mackenzie. ♦ 



Effects of temperance. — The Friends or Qua- 1 

 kers, wholly abstain from the use of spirituoii*s li- 

 quors. It appears from their registers that ono 

 half of those that are born live to -the age of 47, 

 years. According to Dr Price, of the other pop- 

 ulation, half that are born live only two years an:: | 

 three quarters. Among the Quakers cue in ->ri> 

 live to 80 years of age ; of the general population 

 of London only one in 40. 



To protect persons from the pernicious effects of 

 Charcoal. — Place a flat vessel, filled with lime- 

 water near the stove or vessel in which the char- 

 coal is burning, and change it as often as it be- 

 comes covered with a film or pellickle. The !iu.ie 

 strongly attracts the mephitic gas evolved by the 

 Ijurning charcoal, and preserves the purity of the 



Bung. — As soon as dung begins to decompose 

 [ferment or rot] it throws off its volatile parts, 

 which are the most valuable and most efficient. 

 Dmig which has fermented, so as to become a 

 mere soft ailliesive mass, has generally lost from 

 one half to one third of its most useful constitu- 

 ent elements. It evidently should be applied as 

 oon as fermentation begins, that it may exert its 

 free action upon the plant, and lose none of its 

 jutrilive powers. — Davy. 



Ripening fruit. — The instances are numerous, 

 of fruit keeping better, when gathered early, or 

 before it was considered ripe, than when snflcred 

 to hang late. And it is believed that winter ap- 

 ples and pears should always be gathered in 

 Sept. In the transactions of the Caledonian Hor- 

 ticultural Society, James Howison, Esq. state?, 

 that he gathered pears some weeks before they 

 were ripe, and placed them in drawers in a room 

 where fire was constantly kept, temperature 58° 

 to 60°. After ten days the jargonelle, and after 

 ^a month the moorfowl egg, were found ri|)e, and 

 better flavored, than if ripened in the open air. 

 Unripe melons gathered in October, treated in the 



.same way, ripened and acquired a puod flavor. 

 The inference he, draws, and which undoubtedly 

 lis correct, is, that the organic elaborations of the 

 ' constituent [larts of fruit are all finished in the 

 early stage of their growth, of when arrived at their 

 full size, ixnA lha\ their ripening is a process of 

 chemical changes, similar to fermentation, which, 

 with a suflicient and regular application of heat 

 goes on, in some degree, indepOndent of the living 

 princi|)le. My opinion if, thj.t winter fruit is pre- 

 judiced by being left on the trees after they have 

 attained their fidl size, as after that time, the Dat- 

 ura] temiieraturc is generally too low for chcmi- 

 cai "changes which give perfection to flavor. 



The Cockchnffer. M. Colvert has suffered 



extensively from the ravages of this insect, and 

 therefore no longer stirs the soil in the months of 

 May, June and July, among his roses, hut pulls 

 out the weeds by hand, leaving the surface as 

 hard as a gravel walk, in order to prevent the in- 

 sect depositing its eggs there. This mode is 

 found successful, as is that of covering the ground 

 with wheat straw, at Vibut's rose garden at St 

 Dennis, and other ])laces where the soil is too 

 loose to become hard. — Loudon, 



M. Colvert shortens the shoots of the young 

 rose acacia in July, by which means they tnake 

 new shoots in August, and are kept flowering all 

 the fall till stopped by the frost. — lb. ! 



The cultivation of fruit trees is a branch of edu- 

 cation in Mecklenburg, Sweden. No school- I 

 master is permitted to cxerciie that function ivith- 1 

 out a certificate of his capacity to teach the manage- 

 ment of fruit trees. The same masters are obli- 

 ged to take care of fruit gardens. — lb. Nothing 

 constitutes so many healthy and economical dish- 

 es, as good fruit, if raised by the consumer. 



To destroy animal and vegetable enemies of fruit 

 trees. — Wash with a strong ley \u April. To de- 

 stroy the bark louse on the apple — wash with a 

 strong ley the last of May or first of June. No 

 one who tries this remedy once will relinquish it. 

 unless he is indolent or very indigent. Most of 

 our insect enemies are repelled by vegetable odors. 

 Hence the elder, sassafras, mint, &c, generally es- 

 cape their depredations. Tar, mixed with lime, 

 ashes, or earth, at the base of the peach, is saiil 

 to repel the worm. And I lately saw hundreds 

 of clam shells tied to cherry trees, on which tar 

 had been daubed in summpr, to keep off the 

 aphis and other insects. It produced the desired 

 effect. Respectfully, J. BUEL. 



CONSTRUCTION AND USES OF THE 

 ROLLER. 



Mr Fessenden, — Living in a part of the 

 country far behind Massachusetts in agriculture, 

 I have never had an opportunity of seeing a Field 

 Roller, but am determined to have one, though I 

 suppose my neighbors will think I am spending 

 my money very foolishly. If you or any of your 

 correspondents will inform me, through the medi- 

 um of your paper, of the best way of making one 

 (i. e. if there arc various ways of making them) 

 you will much oblige, A Subscriber. 



Remarks by the Editor. — Those rollers which 

 are cut out of free stone, being heavier than 

 wooden ones are best to smooth, and harden 



I alleys in gnrd<-ns,walks,&c. lint wooden ones an- 

 swer better in tillage, when they are sufiiciently 

 I large. A roller for field husbandry, according to 

 ' Dr Deanc, shoulil be five or six feet long ; so it 

 may perform much in a .short time, being drawn 

 by a horse cr a yoke of oxen, for either. of which 

 it may be easily harnessed. It should be made per- 

 fectly round and .smooth, that it may be drawn the 

 more easily and press the ground more equally 

 in all parts, ^i Arid it should be from eighteen to 

 twentyfour inches diameter. Being large the 

 pressure will be greater; and the surface will be 

 left the more hvel. 



Sir John Sinclair says, ' Rollers are made of 

 various substances ; as wood, free-stone, granite 

 or cast iron ; !:nt on the whole the two latter are 

 to bo prefer; ed. It is of importance that the 

 weight of the roller should be in proportion to the 

 surface on wIulIi it is to he employed. The best 

 plan i? that uf having two rollers, each about two 

 feet and a half in length, and both placed in one 

 frame, so us to roll clear of one another. This is 

 the most siti'abli; both for grain crops and 'sown 

 grass, as i' iieither tears up the tender soil, nor in- 

 jures the you!;g plants. Besides the labor in 

 turning is much less severe on the frame and to the 

 cattle. Every farm ought to be jirovided with 

 rollers of different diameters and weight, so as to 

 suit the several pnr;)Oses to which they are desti- 

 ned ; thos? of a small diameter are generally ap- 

 plied to land in tillage ; and those of a large di- 

 ameter, with double shafts, to grass lands. Hea- 

 vy rollers are of great use for destroying worm 

 slugs and -"iiher vesraiin in the soil.' 



In a'vcnuablc papei- ' On the uses and value of 

 the Roller,' by John Lowell, Esq. published in 

 the JV. E. Farmer, vol. 0, page 147, the writer ob- 

 serves ' On grain and grass lands I apply the 

 roller in the spring after the sowing, but not until 

 the surface has become so hsird and dry that the 

 horse's hoof shall not penetrate the soil too deep- 

 ly. I jirecede the rolling v.ilh a I'lsjlit harrow un- 

 loaded, never fearing the occasional dislodgment 

 of the plants. I theti follow with the roller, 

 though the plants are often four or five inches 

 high. The roller then settles the roots firmly in 

 the ground, which had been raised by the prece- 

 ding winter's frost, and in one week I perceive the 

 beneficial effects of the roller, though its first and 

 immediate effect seems to those unaccustomed to 

 its use, pernicious and destructive. The roller 1 

 have used has been of free-stone, 18 inclies in 

 diameterand 3 1-2 feet in length; its weight I 

 should suppose could not be less than 500 lbs. at 

 the least ; but as such rollers canfiot be easily 

 procured, a smooth log of 18 inches in diameter, 

 or a plank one of two feet will answer equally 

 well, having directly over the axis a box filled 

 with stones to such a weight as a common horse 

 can conveniently drag over an undulating sur- 

 face. This can oidy be settled, by each individu- 

 al, according to the strength of his horse and the 

 inequality of the ground of which every man on 

 the .spot, can alone be the competent judge. 



' I have no hesitation to say that among all the 

 improvements of modern husbandry the roller 

 holds an important and almost indispensable 

 place.' 



