837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



745 



after they have spent tlie winter, and till the mid- 

 dle of March upon it, and generally conlining 

 then-iselves to a favorite part of the field. Fann- 

 ers n)ay make what they can of this information. 

 Does it not sanction closer <irazin^ with sheep? 

 A t all events it may serve in some measure to nio- 

 <lnlale the dissonant notes of the old sori<r, which 

 this mon)ent salu'es my ear, of ^'tuckey in tho 

 wheat patch.'- Adieu. 



Your friend, H. 



corn thrown (r-om his hand vviihin a few feet. It 

 is by the practice of that hospitality and kindness 

 which he is known to extend towards all God's 

 creatures, and of the most uniirinrr patience, that 

 he has accomplisiied a task scarcely less ditlii-ult 

 than "laminu; the shrew." This, it is not [)roha- 

 ble, he will ever run the risk of encounterinir. 

 He has allowed the ijeese tor many winters to feed 

 in his wheat fii-lds and roost upon his fish pond, 

 without molestation; not a gun has he fired at 

 them, and no friemi of his would fire one within 

 his Uoundaries; and even out of ihem they are 

 known, from their more gentle habits, as his flock. 

 Last winter, however, he determine J to try to 

 saure one. Not with the same motives, I assure 

 you, which actuate boys to catch hares; f{)r his 

 slip-knot was so contrived as not "to play with its 

 gentle throat and tickle it to death," as the dog did 

 with King George's rank nmtton; but simply with 

 the desiijn to ex|)eriment upon the domiiabilily of 

 this noble bird, and if successful, to endeavor to 

 raiseatamily of them to enliven a bachelor's home- 

 stead. He did succeed in capturing five in this 

 way: but finding this rather a slow process, he has 

 this winter, with the aid of the five tamed ones 

 which were winged, decoyed five more into a rail 



pen with a net spread over if, in a corner of his j Holes, 2 feet diameter, 20 inches deep, filled 1 

 yard. One of tl;e first captives, my friend thinks, I foot with garden rubbish and unrolted manures, 

 is the head of a family: the last five are the young | beat down hard, and watered, (two or three buck- 

 brood brought to visit the gander, by the mother, ! els full,) then filled to the top with rich soil: on 

 who has lieen since caught by w/i^hcA;//?/ placing j this s[)read an inch of fine com[)osi or well rotted 



DTIlLiCTIONS fOR THE CULTIVATION OF WA- 

 TCR;,rELONS AND CAKTEL.0 UPES IN LAT. 43^. 



To tlie Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



February 25th, 1837. 

 Enclosed I send you memoranda for the man- 

 airement of watermelons and canieloupes, by a gen- 

 tleman who, in 43 degrees of north latitude, (i-e- 

 quently raises melons weighing Irom thirty to for- 

 ty pounds. It" the same pains were taken in tho 

 south, iiow fine and huge we might grow our mel- 

 ons. Your obt. serv't. 



her foot within the circle of a noose whilst feedmg 



at the door, Mr. being prep.ared to give il a 



timely pull: this makes the stock eleven. They 

 are becoming (juite domiciliated, and often receive 

 visits floai their wilder brethren. I wish you 

 could see tliese beautiful and intelligent birds 

 marching up wiih measured step, their long and 

 glossy necks arched, and heads erect to receive the 

 accustomed bounty from their captor — the un- 

 tamed, in the rear, looking aroutid wiih suspicious 

 eye, and occasionally utterinsr that mellow irutlu- 

 ral note so well imitated by the deep tones of the 

 clarionet: wfietherihis is meant for a note of in- 

 terrogation, or of salistliclion, or is the watchword 

 of the [larty, I will not undertake to interpret. 



It is a received opinion, that in all congregations 

 of wild geese, when on their leet, one acts as sen- 

 tinel; and on the wing, that a particular goose 

 leads the flock. My Iriend, however, 'has observ- 

 ed, that in the former situation, there are many 

 guards, and thinks they are the heads of tribes, and 

 that each tribe recognizes no other leader. We 

 may suppose that in their flight the same distinc- 

 tion prevails, priority of rank among the chiefs 

 being accidental. This idea is countenanced by 

 the fi-equent changes of post which take place in 

 the line, and the different voices heard in musical 

 accordance, vvhich are the rallying cal's of the 

 chiels to their lagging tribes. Thus it would 

 seem, the patriarchal government prevails among 

 them, though their gregarious and peaceful dispo- 

 sition leads the difliirent tribes to seek each other's 

 Bociet)'. There is no doubt that the same flock re- 

 turns annually to the same place, in its migratory 

 journeys. 



There is one lact connected with the subject of 

 farming, which will give this little historical trea- 

 tise a farther claim upon your notice, viz: Mr. 



has perceived no injury to his wheat, at 



harvest time, from the depasturing of the geese, 



Vol. IV— 94 



manure, compact, but not hard. Stick the seeds — 

 (say twenty or thirty to a hill,) — the upper end of 

 the seed to be a little below the surliiceof the com- 

 post; brush over the hill with the hand so as to 

 fill the holes made by the fingers; then cover the 

 hill with an inch of clear sand, often watered. In 

 Alabama, I should think, grass turlj (the grass 

 side down,) would be a good filling li)r the 12 

 inches. 



Hills, 10 feet apart, 2, 3, and at most, 4 plants 

 only to remain in a hiil, and stand imi a|iart from 

 each other: thinned by the tinte the plants have 6 

 leaves. 



If the season be dry, dig down by the side ofthe 

 hills nearly as deep as the bottom ofthe holes, and 

 put in a bucket or two of water — filling the hole 

 after the water is absorbed: as soon as the yellow 

 bug is gone, talce away the sand and supply its 

 place with soil. This is all that caDilmdone in the 

 hill. ■" ■ 



When the plant has six leaves, take ofl^ the cen- 

 tre shoot with the [)oint of a sharp pen knife, and 

 when the lateral shoots are six inches lonij, take 

 off' all but three: when these begin to fallto the 

 ground, secure them down with cross sticks; and 

 as they advance, spade up the ground a foot deep 

 in advance of the vines. 



Once in every 3 or 4 feet, put a shovel full of 

 soil on a leaf joint of the vine, (no*'' covering up 

 the leaf,) and press it down gently vith the foot 

 on both sides of the leaf: if this is 'kept moist, it 

 will take roof. The ends of the vines to be kept 

 to the ground by cross slicks. 



Let the vines spread from the hills so as to cover 

 the whole ground. 



If the side branches of the main vines are in- 

 clined to head up, and not to keep to the ground, 

 take them off, say a foot from the main vine. 



All pruning to be done in the middle of the day 

 when the sun shines. 



