222 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JA.N 11, 18-13. 



ANn HORTICULTUKAL REG13TEB. 



Boston, Weuhesday, Jakuary 11, 1843. 



The times 



BUSINESS PROSPECTS. 

 ire hard ; business is dull. Is th 



prospec 



I of better days 



any 

 We would gladly say, yes, 



sure that has been upon us, the rich will find themselves 

 richer and the poor poorer. 



Our defence if him thus fur is hardly such as will ex- 

 pose us to the charge of trying to screen these guilty of 

 enormous crimes, from the punishment they deserve, 



_,, . , . „„, „„;_, rvp I enormous crimes, Irom the punishment iney aeserve, 



TliK, however, was not our proposed point. We. ' r ■■ 



,,_,• .-., r„,.„„r= i,.,op 1 and which the safety of society r. quires. Pray do not 



meant to end bv asliins what inducements fanners liave I ■' ., , , , .u u 



were we able to do so in good failh. Better business 

 limes than exist jws( nojp, we do hipe fir and expect. 

 But such brisk times as we had a few years ago, give no 

 signs of their coming— ihey cast no "shadows before." 

 A"o!c, many and many are failing ; loss after loss comes 

 to this man and to that, and the courses of business are 

 all interrupted perpelually. The time must come ere 

 long, when the obligations assumed in the recent years 

 of expansion in business aud in speculation, will be 

 thrown off, either by discharging them in full, or by 

 calling in the aid of law to wipe them out. We are fast 

 learning who can stand the pressure, and who must bow 

 before it. When this shall be fully l!nov\'n— when the 

 business men shall know who may be trusted, with some 

 degree of safely, then business will brighten up a little. 

 The necessities of the country will absolutely require 

 some more traffic soon than is now carried on. 



But there is nothing in the stale of the civilized world 

 at large, or in our country in particular, which indicates 

 to us any very great change, such ai will make business 

 very brisk. The world is at peace : every nation is 

 producing nearly or quite enough to supply its own 

 wants. All the countries have at present a large supply 

 of the principal productions of agriculture and of 

 the mechanic arts. Neither the euliivalion of the soil 

 nor manufactures seems to promise much profit, unless 

 markets shall become better. But better markets can 

 hardly be expccled, because the producers are scarcely 

 lessening, while the consumers do nut increase. 



We have spoken of peace— peace among the nations — 

 as one reason why business will not be brisk : — let us 

 not be undeistiiod to express sorrow for the cause. 



We can name another cause of the present low prices; 

 we mean the Temperance Reformation. While iliou- 

 eands upon tliousands ofbuslmls of grain were every day 

 consumed in the distilleries, the effect was to keep up 

 the price of grain, and with that tlie prices of other ag- 

 ricultural products. Also, while thousands of men made 

 themselves unfit for labor by their intemperance, the 

 number of good laborers was less, and wages were high- 

 er. The cause of this change we are glad to see. We 

 are no advocates for the re-opening of distilleries, and 

 re-hoisting o( the flood-gates of intemperance. If the 

 good reformation has had some small paralyzing action 



to cultivate extensively the coming year. We think 

 prices will be so low as not to remunerate one for hired 

 labor and f .r purchasing manure. Those who are abun- 

 dantly able, may consult their pleasure as lo what they 

 will do — but common farmers, whose whole properly is 

 the farm, must consult their means- and such we can. 

 not advise to incur any considerable expenses next 

 spring; — it will be wisest f.-r them to be themselves, 

 with their boys, very industrious — but to avoid hiring 

 as far as possible, without letting ihings run to waste. 



We ere sorry lobe obliged to hold the views that we 

 do— but we are not able to. persuade ourself that any 

 brighter ones are correct. 



murderer or mutineer, lecuuse he pvlUvp corn. Do not 

 class us with those of a sickly, if not of a wicked sym 

 pnthy with the awfully guilty. Remember that the only 

 crime for which poor crow has been arraigned at ovt 

 bar heretofore, is that of pilfering corn— as instinct bids 

 him do. But now— now the case is aliered. Now you 

 " An Essex Farmer," accuse him of mMrf/cr.' This is 

 a grave charge, and we suppose him guilty. What is 

 his plea why sentence of death should not be pronounced 

 against him ? Hear what he says : — " Haw, haw, haw" 

 this is his plea; and being translated from crow lan- 

 guage into plain English, it means this :— " He who 

 made me, gave me an appetite for young rohins, and the 

 instinct in me which impels me to eat them, is but the 

 ON EDITORS AND CROWS. i^^ ^f ,,in, ^..^o made me : in eating them 1 oi.ly obey 

 Mr EniTOR— In your paper of the 21st of Dee., there I i,jg commands. If the robins, whose instincts tell them 

 was an inquiry respbcting your "Crow Experiment." I to seek the protection of man, and build their nests where 

 In reading yiiur reply to the inquiry, I lliought you man- j j j^re not go, disregard those instincts, and hatch ll 

 ifested too much of that disposition so common among | young within my range, then, by our common Maker's 

 editors of newspapers of late. I refer to the practice of I Ja^v^ t^ey are my legitimate food. I am guilty of the 



upon the business of the country, noiwithstanding this 

 effect, we are heartily glad tliat the reformation has oc- 

 curred. But our joy at that ne< d not blind our eyes lo 

 its consequences. 



The currency of the country is much less abundant 

 than it was a few years ago. Let politicians dispute 

 about the questions as to the wisdom or folly of the ex- 

 pansion of the currency then, and ol the tul.sequenl con- 

 traction : — we leave these points lo them. 



But a contraction has taken place: consequently pri- 

 ces have come down. We see no reason to expect that 

 the currency will soon be more abundant than now : we 

 have therefore no reason to suppo-e that prices g( neral- 

 ly will be much higher. Indeed we doubt whether they 

 have yet reached their lowest point. Those who are in 

 debt'will fare hard ; those who have loaned money se- 

 eurdy, will find ihemselves much enriched by the chang- 

 es which have taken place, lii coming out of the pres 



defending the guilty from punishment, and of accu-ing 

 all those who inflict that punishment which justice de- 

 mands, of being hard-hearted and cruel. Who can read 

 what has appeared in some of the papers respecting Colt 

 and Spencer, and not see that they are endeavoiing lo 

 awaken sympathy in behalf of the guilty, instead of hold- 

 ing them np as examples to deter others from crime.' 



Mercy to the guiliy is often cruelly to the rest of so- 

 ciety ; — and your reply to the communication of your 

 correspondent, of " Hull," shows that there is no char- 

 acter so black but what it may find an advocate among 

 the editors of newspapers. 



Now it appears to me that your mercy for the crow is 

 cruelty to the rest of the feathered tribe. Although by 

 feeding him we may protect our cornfields against his 

 depredations, yet will he not go directly from the field 

 where he has been fed, and murder a wliide family of 

 young robins.' Did you never, Mr Edilor, hear the 

 heart-rending cry of the robin and other birds, us this 

 cruel, blood-thirsty monster flew near iheir nest? Did 

 vou ever see the King-bird fly around him for houis lo 

 keep him away from her young? Did you ever think 

 that the reason why the robin builds her nest so near our 

 dwellings was, to be 'protected from the crow? And 

 can we feed and protect him, without betraying that 

 confidence which the innocent birds repose in us? 



You tell us in one paper to "spare the birds," and 

 then ill another that you will feed and protect llie crow, 

 who will destroy the eggs and the young of all he can 

 find. 



You may feed and protect the crow and lisien to liis 

 continual and most unmusical cry of haw, haw, haw — 

 but you must be careful to keep him on your own pre, 

 miscs, and not lo permit him to prowl about the neigh- 

 borhood, killing those useliil birds which protect our 

 orchards fr(mi insects, and make the air vocal with ttieir 

 melodious songs. 



AN ESSEX FARMER. 



[fT=I'ere we have a hard nut to crack. While we 

 were concerned with the protection of the Cfirnfield 

 alone, we felt that we stood on firm ground. While the 

 hlack crow was charged only with the crime of pulling 

 up corn, WR were bold in his defence, as we could show 

 that hn would save himself the trouble of pulling up 

 what had been planted, provided he found enough on 

 the surface of the ground to satisfy his wants. It was 

 the crime of eating corn for which «e begged he mi»ht 

 not be destroyed, but left to eat the noxious]^ worms also- 



deed — but necessity was laid upon me. I did only my 

 duty; and black as my outside is, in heart I am much 

 more of a Mackenzie than of a Coll or a Spenci r." 



Such is the interpretation nf his speech. This is his 

 defence. And has he not defended us too? He has 

 cracked the nut. 



MR COLMAN'S ADDRESS. 



Mr Colman, our late .Agricultural Commissioner, has 

 our thanks for a copy of liis Address before the Monroe 

 County Agricultural Society, in Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 

 26, 1842. 



The author opens his address by saying ihat "The 

 improvement of agriculture may be said to comprise two 

 objects : first, the improvement of the ait of cultivation, 

 and second, the improvement of the condition and char- 

 acter of the cultivators." To these two poinis he eon- 

 fines his remarks, and in the discussion his pen shows 

 its usual spirit and polish. The address is higlily appro- 

 priate, and of more than common excellence. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



KXHIBITION OF Fr.llTS. ■ 



Saturday, Dec. 31, 1843. 

 From B. 'V. French, the following Apples — Pennock's 

 Red Winter, Baldwin, Bellflower, Flusliiiig Seek-no 

 farilier, and one variety without name — all fine speei- 

 mens — the Flushing Seek-no-farther considered by the 

 coinmiltee one of the best apfdes cultivated. 



From Elbridge Tufis, Coinbridge— Baldwin and Rox- 

 bury Ru.^set Apples — large aud fine, 

 Foi the Committee, 



P. B. IIOVEY, Jr. 



EXHIBITIO.if OF FRDITS. 



'iatnrday, Jan. 7, 1843. 

 The specimens of fruits exhibited today were very fine 

 in size and flavor, viz ; 



By tlie President of the Society — Pears : var. Easier 

 Beurre. Also, specimens of the Braiiwell Apple, a na- 

 tive sweet fruit, from A. H. Ernst, Esq , Cincinnati. 



By Josiali Lovelt, 2d, Esq., of Beveilj — Pears: var. 

 Beurre Diel, (jlout Morceau, and Passe Colinar. 



By J. F. Pierce, Dorchester — Ram's Horn ? and Sca- 

 ver Sweeting Apples, and Catilluc Pears. 

 For the Committee, 



S. WALKER. 



God will excuse our prayers for ourselves, whenever 

 we are prevciiled from offoring them by being engaged 

 in such good works as to entitle us to ihe prayers of oth- 

 ers. — Lacon. 



