100 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ApRit 



Man is the only animal tliat impoverishes the land 

 that feeds him. If you take a million bushels of 

 wheat from Ohio and consurao it here in Massa- 

 diuBctts, no equivalent is returned to the soil of 

 Ohio for the matter taken from it, and the land 

 is impoverished to that extent. The Erie canal 

 conveys a million tons of nutritive matter from the 

 lands of the AVest, Avhere it carries one ton back to 

 i-estore fertility. We arc converting the most for 

 tile lands in tlic world into a barren desert by this 

 means ; this is our wisdom . 



Dr. Lee concluded his highly interesting lecture 

 by asking why farmers, altliough in a majority in 

 the country, did not do anything to elevate and 

 improve their jirofession? His remarks were lis- 

 tened to witli earnest attention, and at the close, 

 Mr. Proctor, of Danvers.movcd that the thanks of 

 the Society be presented to Dr. Lee for his able 

 lecture, which was seconded by Mr. Spkagve, ol 

 Duxbury, and unanimously carried. 



The subject for the evening's discussion — Farm 

 Slock, — was, on motion of Mr. Proctor, postponed 

 until next Tuesday evening,wlien a lecture will be 

 delivered ther?on liy Mr. Howard, of the Boston 

 CuUivator, and the time of the meeting was taken 

 up until the adjournment by a discussion of the 

 subject of experimental farms, and agriculture 

 generally', which Avas participated in by ^Icssrs. 

 Proctor, Spragie, Brooks, Dodge, Buckminster 

 and Col. Newell, the Chairman. Dr. Lee also 

 took occasion to say that by his remarks in regard 

 to agricultural science in this country, he meant 

 that we did not do anything to advance it, did not 

 cultivate it as we cultivate the soil. 



THE CULTURE OE ONIONS. 



Mr. Edikir : — My success in raising onions has 

 led many to ask "how it is done." They say the 

 mao-"^ot and the large brown worm have been so 

 destructive that they iiavc done trying to raise that 

 valuable vegetable. In answer to such inquiries 

 permit me to reply. 



There are at least six kinds of onions. But 

 they are of the same species. The leek, the giir- 

 licli, the hill-ouions, the top-onions, the bod and 

 the silver onions. From the fact, that wlicnever 

 irtiions haveljeen found growing wild, they are al- 

 ways found most plentifully and most flourishing 

 in muck soil, 1 liave taken the hint to prepare my 

 anion bed with a plentiful sup}ily of muck first put 

 into the hog-yard, and then well mixed with com- 

 mon soil. It 1 plow the ground, I take care not 

 to have the ground too light. As the roots of 

 anions do not go down deep, they will not stand 

 drought 80 well in light as in more common soil, 

 liesides, onions bottom better where tlie ground 

 has been rotted ur hard trodden. 



1 cultivati'. tiic" top-onion," for several reasons. 

 .Ail black seed onions are slow to come up. 'I.'hc 

 weeds get tlie start of them and tlien you are 

 r>l)ligcd to get down on your hands and knees and 

 weed with your fingers. Then warm weather has 

 come on and the maggot fly commences with the 

 young plant and destroys it. And the black seed 



onion is so late that the black worm is just in sea- 

 son to bite off the tender stalk and so devours the 

 onion. 



But plant the "top-onion" seed, which is al- 

 ready a little onion, you may get them well growing 

 in April. They come up immediately, so that you 

 may lioe them twice or more before Aveeds appear. 

 And before maggot or worm time, the onion has 

 got the ground by possession. "When the weeds 

 appear, you may march right along with your hoe 

 and go over with a bed large enougli for twenty 

 l)ushels, before breakfast. 



The reason why maggots have ever destroyed 

 the top-onion is, that they were planted too late. 

 They should be planted as soon as the snow and 

 frost disappears. Some put out in the fall and do 

 well. I have never tried it. The top-onions on 

 good ground are large as any. They arc sweeter 

 and more juicy than other varieties, and can be 

 raised almost as easy as potatoes. 



I have given away and sold seed for several 

 years ; and when the exjjeriment has been fair, all 

 have been satisfied. I intend to give away and sell 

 before April, ^jcc/re bushels of seed. S. Morgan. 



Bristol, Jan. 13, 1854. 



P. S. — Perhaps there is no vegetable more agi'ee- 

 able to the stomach of a dyspeptic, than fried or 

 boiled onions. — Middlebiiry Register. 



CONCORD FARMSaS' CLUB. 



TucESDAT Kyenikg, Fkbruaky 9, 1854. 



Reports being called for, an excellent one on 

 Root Crops was made by Elijah Wood, Jr., and 

 another by one of the members, which, being 

 much shorter, we give in this connection, on 

 Farm Buildings. 



The first difficulty, and one which cannot ordi- 

 narily be overcome, in the arrangement and con- 

 venience of Farm Buildings, is the fact, that most 

 persons enter upon the farm where the buildings 

 are already constructed. They ai-e too good, per- 

 haps, to be pulled down, wliile tliey arc not con- 

 venient in their location or arrangement. 



He who enters upon a farm entirely free from 

 buildings, ought to regard as the first thing, the 

 convenience of their situation ; and to this end 

 must be considered the best shelter, feeding and 

 watering of live stock ; the carriage of the crop, 

 and of manure, and the preservation of the pro- 

 duce, lie will not, probably, be able to combine 

 all these advantages, but must seek to obtain as 

 many of them as possible. 



The relative location of the several buildings to 

 each other, is the second important consideration. 

 I would not have them connected witli each other, 

 for several reasons : first, on account of health, ae 

 it is always difficult to prevent the odors arising 

 from the styes, sink drainage and barn cellars 

 from penetrating the dwelling. Second, on account 

 of the liability of the loss of the whole by fire, if 

 it chances to originate in any one of them. And 

 thirdly, the imjiossibility of giving the dwelling 

 that air of neatness, order and licalth, in all its 



