190 



NEV/ ENGLAND FARMER. 



eration was performed a few days ago in one of 

 the great hospitals of Paris, upon a man labour- 

 ing under the dreadful malady, hydrophobia- 

 He had for some time manifested the utmost 

 horror for liquids, and showed a disposition to 

 bite whatever came in his way. — The sur- 

 geons of the hospital determined to fry «pon 

 Iiim an experiment which had been found suc- 

 cessful when applied to animals. — The opera- 

 tion consisted in the inlrodiiction of water in- 

 to the veins, by means of an incision above 

 the wrist. The experiment fully succeeded, 

 as the patient now lakes liquids without aver- 

 sion, betrays no inclination to bite, and is free 

 iVom fever. 



[Tim author of the following has laid us under great 

 oblig:itjons by his obliging communications. It is, 

 perh:\ps, an object of as great consequence to Agri- 

 culturists to state what plans and deviations from es- 

 tablished practices do nol succeed as to mention those 

 which do succeed. Such statements may save much 

 expense and trouble by preventing repetitions of use- 

 less experiments. Many supposed improvements 

 have been tried over and over again, with reiterated 

 failures, merely because those who have been engag- 

 ed in each repetition of a fruitless trial were ignorant 

 of the attempts of their predecessors. We hope Mr. 

 .tarvis will oblige us by a continuance of his corres- 

 pondence.] 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



T. G. Fessenden, Esq. 

 Sir, — In your N. E. Farmer of the 



-, 1 



observed an account of a Virginia Fence with 



upright posts, which being at an angle of * 



with each olher and connected with rails, 

 would be self supported. — As m^' experience 

 of the angle required for strength, has been dif- 

 ferent from that of your correspondent, and as 

 this difference probably resulted from the dif- 

 ferent exposures of the fences — I have thought 

 it might he well to communicate to you (he re- 

 salt of my experiment. In the spring of 1821, 

 having occasion to make a considerable length of 

 fence, 1 was induced from the recommendation 

 of an agricultural friend to try the Virginia 

 Fence with upright posts. The fence was made 

 with cedar posts about five inches diameter and 

 four feet six inches long, standing at an angle of 

 forty-five degrees, and connected by sawed 

 rails five and six inches wide, I| inches thick and 

 10 feet long,'=trongly nailed, spaces between r.ails 

 6 inches ; the fence was not sheltered from the 

 high winds, nor was it more exposed than in 

 any clear and level country; in less than a 

 week the whole length (one hundred rods on 

 each.side of a road) was completely overset, 

 the posts supported by the rails preserved their 

 relative situation, and made the same angles in 

 air that they had made on the ground. I was 

 then satistied that the angle adopted was not 

 sufficient, and had the fence new set on an an- 

 gle of ninety degrees, this has been found to 

 answer, and 1 believe a fence so built would 

 stand a gale equal to any common fence. — The 

 cost of lUO rods of tins fence is as follows : 



* This blank, together with that which precedes it, 

 the Editor was requested to fill with the date of the 

 paper and the degrees of the angle alluded to, buthav- 

 iug made diligent search we caunol, at present, turn 

 to the passage to which the author refers. 



243 Posts, Cedar, 4 feet 6 inches long, 5 



inches in diameter, at 4 cts. $9,72 



5467 feet, board measure. Rails 1 1-8 



inches thick, 6 inches wide, at $7 38, 27 



4 M. Cut Nails, 20 lbs. to the M. at 7 cts. 5, 60 



Setting the Fence, 10, 00 



$C3, 59 

 This cost might be greater or less according 

 to the price of the materials where the fence 

 was built. 



In consequence of the fires which ravaged a 

 great part of Maine, the past season, I avail my- 

 «elf of the medium of your very valuable pa- 

 per to suggest to the sufferers whetherit would 

 not be well to improve the land burnt over b}' 

 clearing it to the extent of their means, and by 

 sowing the remainder with the Dutch White 

 Clover, more commonly known by the name of 

 the white honeysuckle. — Last spring we sowed 

 about 400 lbs. of that seed on a tract of land 

 burnt over the preceding summer; the land 

 was in the same state as left by the fire, the 

 seed was sown at the rate of two pounds to the 

 acre just as the frost was coming out of the 

 ground ; notwithstanding the extreme drought 

 of last season the seed took well — by the mid- 

 dle of July the grass was in full bloom, and af- 

 forded a fine bite for cattle. This seed was 

 bought of Mr. Makepeace, of Cambridgeport, 

 in the fall of 1822; I have understood he has 

 a quantity of the same lot on hand, which 

 if not injured by age, 1 can recommend as of 

 the best quality. We also cleared up about 40 

 acres of the same kind of land ; twenty of 

 which were sown with oats and millet, six 

 with English turnips and laid down with herds 

 grass and clover, and fourteen acres sown with 

 grass seed alone. — The grass seed took well in 

 each case, best where sown alone, next best 

 where sown with turnips. — The oats and millet 

 being sown late, and having to contend against 

 a drought severer than has been known lor 

 twenty years, gave but a light crop, on 

 an average but little more than half a ton 

 to the acre, the turnips gave about two hun- 

 dred bushels to the acre, six hundred bushels 

 were harvested, and about as many more were 

 I'ed off by fatting cattle. With this last mode 

 of using the turnips 1 was much pleased, as the 

 whole expense of harvesting was saved — the 

 cattle throve faster than 1 ever knew them to 

 thrive in the barn, and the turnips were eaten 

 as ci>ean as they would have been harvested by 

 hand. The cost of an acre was as follows : — 



Clearing land, paid for by the job $5, 00 



1 ill. tum.'P seed, 50 



Harrowing tefore and after sowing, 4, 00 



10 lbs. clover seed, 1, 00 



e quarts herds gt^sa seed, 75 



Sit, 25 

 As an offset to this was the value of the crop 

 of turnips which couK^ not be estimated at less 

 than the above cost of ^11, Sb, and the land 

 was reclaimed from a staJe of waste to one 

 ])roductive either as mowing or pasturage. 



Encouraged by this success we intend im- 

 proving the land we have had burnt over the 

 past season in the same manner and lo a great- 

 er extent. We have now 1000 lbs, of the 

 white clover seed on hand which will be all 

 sowed in this vicinity as soon as the ground is 

 bare of snow — this besides insuring an abun- 

 dance of summer feed of the best quality will 



be a security against future fires, as the w 

 clover is always green and ivill prevent 

 growth of moss which in a dry time is higl 

 inflamable — by furnishing a covering for i 

 land, it will also prevent its deteriorating ai 

 the case when the land, stripped of its natui 

 covering, is left exposed to the sun. 



With respect, kc. CHARLES JARVIS 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEl 



SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1824. 



CATAr.ocrE OF agriccltural works. We 

 mised some time since to publish a catalogue of apprgi 

 ed agricultural works, together wilh information w 

 such books may be obtained. M e have not yet 

 able to complete our list, although we have made'! 

 peated " calls for information" on our principal bodl 

 sellers. Those gentlemen all promise to make out 

 catalogue of their agricultural works, but some of thei 

 have not yet found time to complete it. There is, hM 

 ever, a pretty fair prospect that our neit number mi 

 contain a list as complete as can be conveniently bi 

 nished. 



An example worthy of imitation. A gentls 

 man wiifes to us that " a few farmers in this town at 

 about forming themselves into a society, principally t 

 improvement in our wretched practice of farming, i 

 is our present intention to procure an apparatus lorit 

 alyziug soiU, and a library of some of the most vain 

 ble works we can get on scientific and practical ajri 

 culture, and domestic affairs." This contemplated is 

 sociation appears to accord with the Hon. T. Pid 

 ering's recommendation, expressed in his Address li 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, which as it cat 

 not be too often repeated, we will here repuhlith. 



^^ As we have no farmers who cannot read — in orf^ 

 lo give to all opportunities of reading, I suggest forc» 

 sideration, the expediency of forming in each towiisli] 

 in the State a farming society, of which the meniht 

 should meet monthly, to converse en farming atfairH 

 to make mutual communications of their practicejh 

 husbandry — to commit to writing every practice ad 

 in common use, which may be beneficially tnUudei- 

 and to read and examine modern publications on iMi 

 vocation ; particularly those of the State Society, whicli 

 the Trustees would gratuitously furnish. To ihest. 

 such township societies would find it agreeable aijd use 

 ful to add the best periodical publications, which issuf 

 from the presses of our own country, either through tbi 

 agency of agricultural societies, or of well infornud ii' 

 dividuals. With these and a few other beoks on tlii 

 subject, each township society would become posseR- 

 ed at a very small expense, of a pleasing and in-troc- 

 tive agricultural library." 



Fastening for window shutters. A frin 1 an 

 correspondent requests us to state that " there li:i- hta 

 in operation for about a year in Bradford, Mass. -indii' 

 neighborhood, a Fastening for Window Shutlir;, 

 Outward Doors, which operates by its own weight, 

 catching in little books, driven, one into the side of fli 

 house, and the other info the window stool ; itself r^ 

 sembling at the end the catch of a common fasteniDj 

 to a door, and which has been found from use altoge 

 ther sufficient. It is a convenience which any black' 

 smith can make, and, which, since it is not a patent- 

 ed thing, any person has a right to make. It can it 

 no case, properly cost more than 12 1-2 cents, and ii 

 made in numbers not more than half that sum." ThcK 

 fastenings are made by Mr. Bacon, of Bedford, MaS!. 



The inhabitants of this city hare chosen Commiltet! 

 in their respective Wards to ascertain the number ol 

 persons therein suljfct lo the Small I'ox, with a vie* 

 to a °;eneral Vaccination. 



