78 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



SEPT. r, 1848 



ANJl HORTICULTURAL RKGI3TER. 



Boston, Weunesday, Seft. 7, 1842. 



TRIAL OF PLOWS AT C.'VTTLE SHOWS 



Several ugriculLurnI socit ties in the country offer pre- 

 miums fur llie best plows tliat sliall be presented for trial. 

 This is well : — the importance iif the plow in husbandry 

 entitles it to this marked attention. Ail farmers wish to 

 bo able to Inrn their grounds well, and this with as little 

 draft upot) the strength of the team as possible. 



The importance of correct decisions in regard to these 

 implements, is perhaps greater than in regard to almost 

 any thing else that is submitted for trial or inspection. 

 The best animal has not his like precisely, and one far- 

 mer only can possess the best at any given time. But 

 the plows from our best manufacturers are so much 

 alike, that each of an hundred or a thousand plowmen 

 niuy at one and the same lime be using implements that 

 are scarcely distinguishable from each other. 



Most of our farmers loo have no good opportunity to 

 compare the plows from one factory with those fiom 

 another, and are greatly influenced in their choice by 

 the judgmenis ofcommitlees. Probably no other imple- 

 ment can be named, to which this last remark so fully 

 applies as to the plow. 



We have made these remarks, hoping that they may 

 influence those who are to puss jmigment upon plows, 

 to try such as are presented, with es much care as possi- 

 ble. A fair trial cannot be made wilLout much time, 

 nor without attention to many parliculai..i. Large plows 

 that cut a wide and deep furrow, have as. advantage over 

 small ones in draft, if you measure by (he number of 

 square inches turned over. The power required to 

 force the cutter or coulter through, is little if any greater 

 where the furrow is 15 inches wide tli;m where it is only 

 10 inches. In most soils the resistance of grass loots is 

 greater at G inrhis below the surface than at 8 inches. 

 The weight of the plow itself is the same, and the f^^rce 

 required to draw that weigli), thcaame, whether the fur. 

 row be wide and deep or narrow and shoal. The plow- 

 man, too, may make a very considerable difference in 

 the power required hy the team. By shovingand throw- 

 ing the pressure much upon the wheel, he mav cause 

 the plow to move easier; — by bearing upon the handles 

 and holding back, he may increase the libor of tlie team 

 The texture of the swani often varies much in a field 

 that is apparently uniform Where the grass roots are 

 most abundant, especially where there are patches of 

 couch grass, the dynamometer will instantly show that 

 the team exerts a greater force than in other spots. 

 Some plows which work well at the depth of six or seven 

 inches, Uiough large, are so constructed as to work but 

 poorly at a greater depth. • 



Committees should examine well the ground lo be 

 plowed, and take proper account of its variations in 

 texture; they should try every plow at various depths; 

 lliey will do right by the owners of the plows in lettin;; 

 thetn furnish plowmen of their own choosin", for a lew 

 furrows ; but they can but very unsaiisficloiily judge 

 of the ins;ru!nent if ihey do not also put their own 

 hands to it. We should be reluctant to pass Judgment 

 upon a plow until we had seen it turn nearly one-ei"hlh 

 of an acre — a strip f) rods by 4. Kach plow should liave 

 its separate land ; its work should not be mixed up with 

 the work of others. And thai the trial may he fair, a 

 field should be chosen that is as uniform in soil and tex- 

 ture as can be any where found. To make the trial 

 perfect, each plow should be used on level land, free 

 from obstructions, and al-o un land that is uneven and 



rocky. But all the labor that this would require, will 

 be attended to by few committees. The best that can 

 be ho]>ed for, under such arrangements as are usually 

 made, is an approximaiion to a fair and full trial Cut 

 no effort should bo spared to make the approximaiion as 

 near us possible 



CUTTING CORN-STALKS. 



The usual time for taking the lops from llii' corn-field 

 has arrived. We believe it a well established point that 

 very early cutting is unfavorable lo the corn. Whether 

 the enhanced value of the stalks counterbalances the in- 

 jury lo the corn, is not so well settled. Our opinion is 

 against early topping, where that procesn is resorted to. 



The boys must be careful, when doing this work, not 

 to let the knife pass through the husks; for if it does, 

 the corn where it is cut often moulds, and is much in- 

 jured. In stocking the stalks, do not put them where 

 the grass is thick, for such grass obstructs the circulation 

 of air and is unfavorable to curing the stalks well. The 

 decaying grass loo, sends up into tlie stock unfavorable 

 gases. 



Our preference is to let the corn stand untopped until 

 eight or ten days later than the usual time of topping, 

 and ihen put the knife at the bottom. Wo shall treat 

 our own in this way, because we have compared the 

 two proct'Bses several years, and believe that we get 

 more corn and better stover. As far as we remember 

 published accounts, all fair trials have shown that the 

 corn is larger when thus cured than when topped at the 

 usual time. But this point is not established to the sat- 

 isfaction of farmers generally, and we are not disposed 

 to speak harshly of the old way. We hope those who 

 can, will make some limited trials, and ascertain which 

 is tlio more economical process. 



We have no fears from storms, fogs or frosts, after the 

 corn is once stooked. We do not say that these cannot 

 injure it then ; but we have for years seen the corn es- 

 cape harm entirely from these causes. We have never 

 seen it injured by them after it was well stooked. The 

 process of curing in this way, we gave last year, and it 

 is unnecessary to repeat it now. 



NITRATE OF SODA. 



This article which is now coming much into use in 

 England as a fertilizHr of the soil there, we have tried 

 on a limited s;ale. In 1841, we sowed a little of it up 

 on various crops and found that timothy, redlop, couch 

 grass and June grass, i. e. the upland spear grasses, 

 were all benefited by its application. But upon clover, 

 grain, and the wet meadow grasses, it seemed lo be in- 

 ert. The present season we applied it, and obtained, 

 as far as the eye could determine, the same results. 

 Wherever it was used upon the spear grasses, they verv 

 soon put on a deeper green, and shot up more vigorous, 

 ly- We sowed, about the first of June, quarts upon 

 about oO square rods of land, or at the rate of one bushel 

 per acre. About the middle of July, we cut one swath 

 of timothy 43 feet long and 7 12 feet v\'ide, where the 

 nitrate bad been applied. The hay from this, when 

 well dried, weighed 37 1-2 lbs., or 5137 lbs. per acre. 

 Wc cut an adjacent swath of the same length and width, 

 and the hay weighed 2!) lbs , or 3973 lbs. per acre. The 

 increase was llGl lbs. per acre. On other spear grasses 

 the effect was apparently quite as great as here; but up- 

 on clover and b.-irley it did no good. 



This nitrate of soda, bought in 1841, cost about $4 

 per cwt. A bushel probably would weigh near 100 lbs. 

 At this rate it wou'd be a cheap application, were re- 

 sults to be siK'h as we obtained on the measured piece. 

 But we apparently lost so much by putting it whore it 

 did no good, that the purchase was not on the \VhoIe a 



very profitable one. We have corn, carrots, beets, po- 

 tatoes and ruta bagas upon it, and expect to be able to 

 give the results in a few weeks. These we think now 

 will be rather favorable ihan otherwise. 



The present price of nitrate of soda is 5 or $7 per 

 cwt , if it can be had at any price. Report says it has 

 been bought up for the English market, where it is murli 

 sought after for manure. Others in this vicinity hav<; 

 used the nilratn of soda, and we hope by this account to 

 induce them to give the results. More experiments arc 

 needed before the article can be either recommended or 

 discarded. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FROiTS. 



Saturday, Sept 3, 1842. 



Belle Lucrative and Beurre d' Amonlis Pears, from 

 Col. Wilder— giving evidence of their rank with our 

 best pears. 



Tomatoes, of extra size and quality, from S. Butter- 

 field, West Cambridge. 



Haitletl Pears, Siberian Crab Apples and Tomatoes, 

 from J. F. Trull, Dorchester. 



Egg Plants, from A. C. Hall, Roxbury. 



Chelmsford Pears, Black Hamburg Urapee, and Bart- 

 lett Pears, from A. Bowditch, Roxbury. 



Bnrtlett and Andrews Pears, from Wm. Mcller, Rox- 

 bury. 



Surpasse Virgalieu and Van Mons' Kenrick Pears ; 

 Hawthorndean and four other kinds of Apples, names 

 unknov\'H, from Dr. S. A. Sliurtleff, Brookline. 



Long Blue French Plum, Diamond and Lombard 

 Plums and Cushing Pears, from Samuel Pond, Cam- 

 bridgeport. 



Gravenstein, Early Bough and a Scedline ApDle 

 from Rev. G. B. Perry, Bradford. 



Long Blue Phim and a fine Muskmelon, from J. Lov- 

 ett, 2d, Beverly. 



Belle d' Viiry and Gross Hignonne Peaches, open 

 culture ; Henry Van INlons Pears and Early Violet Nec- 

 tarine—all fine specimens— from Dr. J. C. Howard, 

 Brookline. 



Fine large Peaches, from Mrs Bigelow, Medford. 



Early Crawford Peaches— very fine— from Nathan D. 

 Chase, Lynn. 



Summer Thorn, Bartlett, Julienne, Summer Frank 

 Real, Dearbo.-n's Seeilling, and Russet Pears, name un- 

 known, and fruit of the Podephela Peltatum, or May 

 Apple — fine specimens — from Otis Johnson, Lynn. 



Bon Chretien Pears, Black Figs, and a specimen of 

 beautiful Peaclies.from J. F. Allen, Salem. 



Black Hamburg Crapes, from John Cummini', ir.. 

 Woburn. n «■ i. J • 



Porter Apples, Julienne Pears, Plums, and the Corne- 

 lian Cherry— from J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton. 



While and Green Gago Plums, from Gcoree Walsh. 

 Charlestown. ^ ' 



Bartlett, Deaiborn's Seedling, Hampden's Bergamot, 

 Domina Dall, C.-ibot and Beurre d' Amonlis Pears ; Early 

 York and Waters' Early Peaches — fine specimens — from 

 R Manning, Salern. 



Devonshire Quarrenden, Garden Roval and a largo 

 Red Apple, name unknown, from B. V. French. 



Blue Gage, Purple and White Magnum Bnnum, Green 

 Gage and Bolmer Washington Plums — a fine specimen 

 from Mr A. P. Hearlt, of Troy, N. Y., for which he has 

 the Society's thanks. 



Tyson Pears, from Wm. Oliver, Porchester. The 

 specimen was fine— promising in its early bearing, to 

 take high rank. A typographical error in the last re- 

 port, gave credit lo its introduclion into this Common- 

 wealth, to Dr Pease ;— it should have been to that emi- 

 nent patron of agriculture and horticulture, Dr. Mease, 

 of Philadelphia, who associated himself early in life with 

 the first agricultural society in this country, and who has 

 ever since been constant in promoting lis best interests. 

 He sent it to the subscriber in the spring of 183G. The 

 scions were distributed, and arc now giving evidence of 

 a strong and thrifty growth of wood. 



For the Committee, B. V. FRENCH. 



NOTICE. 



Contributors of Fruit lo the coming Annual Exhibi- 

 tion, will please forward their contributions to the rooms 

 early on 'I'uesday morning next, Sept. 13lh. 



B. V.FRENCH, Chairmnn. 



