154 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



APEIfi 



Fences. — AYeak fences are something like weak 

 resolutions — the former will not keep off vicious 

 cattle, nor the latter vicious propensities. See that 

 they arc all stout and strong, in good season, be- 

 fore the animals have found out a weak spot. 



Fruit Trees. — All that are intended to be 

 transplanted should be taken up before a bud or leaf 

 starts, set in by the heels, and kept until the ground 

 is ready to receive them. Great care must be ob- 

 served not to injure the roots, stem or branches. 

 Set no more than you can put down in the most 

 thorough manner, and find time to take care of 

 afterwards. 



The Garden. — Clean up the strawberry-beds ; 

 cut out the old wood from the raspberry bushes, 

 and tie those which remain to stakes or trellises, 

 and look after the curi-ant and gooseberry bushes. 



TuE Floaver Garden. — A few — if only a very 

 few — should be about every farm-house. They are 

 pleasant to the children, and to the traveller as he 

 passes ; and it will promote your own good nature 

 to see others happy. 



The Door Yard. — It is always a bad sign to 

 see the wood pile scattered about the yard, min- 

 gled with old wheels, worn-out baskets, bones, 

 liorns,parts of wagons, and wrecks of old carriages. 

 A green, clean, smooth lawn is always attractive 

 and pleasant, and is highly suggestive of the same 

 good order in-doors. 



April is]a most important month to the farmer, 

 and all its duties should be performed with fideli- 

 ty and promptness. 



condition of agriculture in the town given, with 

 such manifestations of a decided interest in the 

 cause as will rapidly promote its interests. About 

 two-thirds of all the towns in the State were 

 heard from, and it is mainly from these materials 

 that he has given us the interesting details of the 

 condition of agriculture in the several counties. 



It was our intention to extract freely from this 

 report, which we shall hereafter do, in relation to 

 particular subjects ; but on recurring to the first 

 part of the report in which the Secretary reviews 

 the past and present condition of the agriculture 

 of Massachusetts, we find the whole so full of in- 

 terest and so applicable to all New England, as 

 well as Massachusetts, that we shall give the first 

 fifteen or twenty pages, entire. We believe wc 

 have no reader but would be glad to see the whole, 

 and as only a comparatively small number of cop- 

 ies of the report is printed by the State, we shall 

 draw upon its pages more liberally for that reason. 



Aside, however, from the aid afforded by these 

 returns, it will l)e evident to the reader that the 

 Secretary has given all the subjects which he has 

 discussed much earnest thought and investigation. 

 Indulging in no crotchets or fanciful speculations 

 of his own, lie has given a mass of valuable and 

 reliable facts which will strongly tend to increase 

 the products of the State and thereby add materi- 

 ally to its wealth. We wish a copy of the report 

 could be placed in the hands of eaeh farmer of the 

 State. 



FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 



OF THE SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 

 BY C. L. FLINT. 



Last week we briefly alluded to this report, and 

 said wc thought it a document of more value than 

 any that has pi-eceded it in this State , on agricul- 

 tural subjects. A more careful examination fully 

 sustains the opinion then expressed. No other 

 State publication has ever attempted to collate 

 from the several towns important information 

 in relation to the stock, the grass and grain 

 crops, pasturage, woodland, the fruit crojDS 

 renovation of lands, manures, farm labor, profits 

 of farming, points of excellence in the different 

 breeds of cattle, &c. &c. 



In order to draw out the information desired on 

 these several subjects, together with many others 

 which we have not enumerated, the Secretary pre- 

 pared a circular, containing some 28 questions, a 

 copy of which he sent to every town in the State 

 on the first of September last, and to such individu- 

 al as he supposed was interested in the subjectand 

 would give full and correct answers to the ques- 

 tions propounded. In many instances his antici 

 pations were fully realized ; his questions not 

 only being answered, but a brief sketch of the 



For the New England Farmer. 



REMEDY FOR POTATO ROT. 



Mr. Editor : — The best remedy I have ever 

 found for the disease that has proved so injurious 

 to the potato crop, is to plant a kind of potato 

 that is never affected with the disease. This I 

 have done successfully for the last ten years, not 

 losing a single crop, nor a single bushel, during 

 the whole time. The kind T used was introduced 

 into this town by my father, some 20 or 30 years 

 ago. It is a black potato, much- like the black 

 chenango. It is of a good quality, take the sea- 

 son through, especially from April to August. 

 It is very productive, and has given me at the rate 

 of some 350 bushels to the acre. I plant several 

 kinds for the sake of variety, but all have been 

 more or less^Bulyect to the rot, some entirely de- 

 stroyed by at, except this. I have, therefore, 

 come to regard it as the only reliable kind ; and 

 therefore plant the principal part of this sort, 

 so as to be sure of a crop, whatever may be the 

 fate of other varieties. I have now about 200 

 bushels on hand, perfectly sound and good. 



I make this communication because many far- 

 mers may not know that there is a kind of pota- 

 to, and that a very good one, which they can al- 

 ways safely and profitably raise. No one can say, 

 of course, that they never will rot, but my own 

 experience is, they never have. 



I am yours truly, Amasa Walkjbr. 



North Broohfield, March 1, 1854. 



