230 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JAN. 18,1S43. 



ANn HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, Januakv 18/ 1843. 



PRICKS OF LABOR. 



Every man of truly good feelings, will always rejoice 

 when the great mass of hired laborers receive such wa- I 

 ges as will supply themselves and their fiimihes abun- 

 danlly with the necessi.ries and ciHiiforts of life, and 

 such as enable the prudent and industrious among them 

 to lay u)) a handsome sum yearly. " The laborer is 

 worthy of his hire"— or at least he should be so faithful 

 to his employer as to be worthy of it. The o.^ that 

 treadf out the corn is not to be muzzled. But if one 

 chooses to do his threshing with his own hands, he is not 

 bound to feed the ox. If a farmer thinks that he cannot 

 get back, by the sale of his productions, the costof latori 

 he is under no obligations to hire. 



Our view of the business prospects of ihe country, 

 which was presented last week, led us to advise com- 

 mon farmers, of limited means, to be cautious about their 

 outlays for the next season. This, with many of them, 

 will be only duty to themselves and their familits. We 

 are sorry that it is so. For should all the farmers of 

 limited means— and such make up the great mass of far- 

 mers— should all these curtail thfir operations and hire 

 as little help as they can possibly get alotig with, the 

 consequence must inevitably be, that many who seek for 

 employment as hired laborers, will he unable to find it 



young men who make U[> Ihe great mass of the hired 



men on the farms. If the prices of farming produce do 



not rise, and we see nothing but short crops that is at 



all likely to cause a rise— then, in all equity, we see not 



a particle of reason why the laborers should be unwill- 



in» to work for wages so low as shall put lliem and their 



employeis on the same rtliitim fooling that they slood 



upon two or three yiars ago. Wages, fur many kinds means of her whose " heart 's unincu 

 i of service, have not yet come down in proportion to the 

 I (all in mosi of the common articles of consumption. Car- 

 penters, masons, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, dsctors, 



ministers — all, nearly, who work by the day or who are 

 supported by salaries or fees — charge, in this vicinity, as 

 much now, generally, as in times when money was plen- 

 ty and when the expenses of living were at their great- 

 est height. But changes here must soon take place — 

 competition will make a change in ihe rales. 



Those employed in the various branches of manufac- 

 ture for distant markets, do, this winter, work much 

 cheaper than in years past. The reduction must extend 

 we think, to the wages of laborers on the farm as soon 

 as the spring shall open. We regret this, but it seems 

 inevitable. That is, we regret that farmers can have no 

 prospect of being able to sell their beef and pork and 

 butter, at prices which will justify them in offering good 

 wages for help. 



THE BREAKING UP OF WINTER. 

 Is the winter gone? We had not thought so; but o 

 day or two since, a very intelligent gentleman, of un- 

 commonly minute and accurate observation, whose opin- 

 If last year's prices for work shall be demamled, and if j^^ ^^^^ ^|^g weather we value highly, remarked to us, 

 the majority offarmers shall judge themselves unable to ^^^^ ,„ually about the last of February or early in March, 



THE "HEART TO LET" NOT TAKtN. 

 We are sorry to inform the poor bachelor who adver- 

 tised his " Heart," that a fail one is not sati.-^fi-d with 

 the place itself, or with the terms. If he will read the 

 following, he will be satisfied that some repairs are 

 needed, and that his terms are hard. We hope he will 

 yet be able to fit the place and the terms to the taste and 

 bered and free as 

 his own." The poetical adverlisemetit to which the 

 subjoined is a reply, was copied into our paper two or 

 three weeks ago. 



For the N. E. Fanner. 



THE MAIUKN'S REPLY. 

 I 've noticed a Bachelor's Heart 's to be let — 

 But who can comply with the price he has set ? 

 And besides, it does not its value enhance, 

 That he should employ such an agent, as " Chance." 

 How can he require that *' true title" be shown 

 " By prudence," when he has got none of his own ? 

 'Tis said that affection is lit at a glance — 

 But can ne'er, by a lady, be " paid in advance." 

 Would he with gallanlry mailers arrange, 

 Instead of a " tax," he should say an exchange. 

 And ne'er, as he values his hopes, should he say 

 That obsolete word, the much dreaded "obey." 

 With such rigid terms I ne'er can comply ; 

 So 1 'II bid the bachelor a friendly good-bye. 

 Though my " heart 's unincumbered and free as his 



pay as mucii as heretofore, then hundreds and thousand. < 

 of laborers will seek for places in vain. The change 

 which would be best for all parties would be one which 

 shall bring wages to 'such rates as will enable all the 

 the owners of the soil to employ as many hands as here- 

 tofore. This would cause that the productions of the 

 country shall be kept up to their present abundance, and 

 it would cause the prices of all articles of consumption 

 that are grown here, to keep down at their present low 

 rates. 



Whenever living is cheap, all laborers not in debt, 

 can afford— truly they can ,ifford—U> work cheaper, than 

 when prices are high. To such men, reduction of wa- 

 ges is no hardship, provided the expenses of living have 

 a corresponding rfduction. 



If for eight dollais one can row buy as much to cat 

 and to wear, as he could obtain for twelve dollars two 

 years ago ; and if, too, his savings will procure for him 

 as much real estate, and as much slock as his savings 

 then would procure, he will do as well at eight dollars 

 now, as at twelve then. Most of the articles of living 

 have come down, (particularly the agricultural products) 

 mftre than .'iO per cent. The farmer's taxes and his bills 

 to the blacksmith, wheelwright, &c. &c., are about as 

 high as ever. He therefore cannot afford to pay more 

 than two-thirds the former prices for labor. 



If all farmers were rich, there might be a sort of poet- 

 ical justice in urging them not to ask men to work for 

 much less than former wages. But, in fact, the great 

 mass offarmers who have occasion to hire, are not rich 

 Many of ihem— (it has been s«id, we know not how 

 justly, that /m//of them in ihe Commonwealth)— have 

 incumbrances, more or less heavy, on iheir farms. All 

 this numerous class ofemployc'rs cannot afford, and can- 

 not reasonably be asked, to pay more for labor than that 

 labor will bring them in, when they make their autumn 

 sales. This class of farmers, as n whole, taking their 

 a^es and the size of their families into account, arc not 

 richer are not not more able lo lose— than are the 



He must still in his " snug liule house'' 



ive alone. 

 SALLY. 



something in the altnosphere givei lo light, just before 

 Ihe rising and just afler the setting of the sun, a peculiar 

 tint— saffron colored— or what painters would call a 

 warm tint. This appearance is soon followed by a thaw 

 which is the breaking up of winter. This softened light 

 is " the aurora of spring." Such a light was observed 

 this winter on the 2'tth of December, and the following 

 davs. On Dec. 26, this peculiar appearance led the 

 gentleman tdiove referred lo, to say that " the winter is 

 broken," although we had then, and for several days 

 following, no other sign of the nine days Ihaw that has 

 since occurred. After the weather cleared up, we had 

 agiin on Saturday a.nd also on Sun. lay last, the same pe- 

 culiar, spring-promiiing light. 



AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT THE STATE 

 HOUSE. 



On Monday evening we went to the Rppresenlalives' 

 Hall, which had been opened for a meeting cf farmers- 

 But our legislators were too much engaged about their 

 own business, lo attend lo other matters. There was no 

 meeting. We presume there will be one on Monday 

 next. 



WHITE CARROT. 



MrBreck— Sir; Please accept a white carrot which 

 I have selected from the many large ones 1 have raised 

 the past season from seed which i purchased at your 

 store last spring. 



1 have cullivaled the white and the orange carrot, in 

 alternate rows. The while produced 7 1-2 bushels to a 

 row, and the orange bul 5 bushels. 



1 cultivated them in the same manner in 1841, with 

 precisely the same result. 



S.AMUEL F. HERSEY. 



//(■«^/mm,./«n. 16, 1843. 



The carrot mentioned above, is said to have weighed 

 4 Ihs. 15 oz. when dug — its weight now is 4 lbs. 4 oz 

 It is 13 inches in circumference and 18 long. Mr Her- 

 sey has made a very fair trial for ascertaining the compa- 

 rative productiveness of Ihe yellow and the white, and 

 finds the while yielding three bushels where the others 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



To the Committee on Fruits : 



Gektieihen — The contents of this boi jire submitted 

 to your iiispeclion and disposal, as perhaps worthy. My 

 own acquaintance with apples is too limned to justify 

 me in saying more ihan thai I have not happened 

 to meet with a better sweeting than this. It is a nativo 

 of Hartford, in this county— raised from the seed by my 

 father, the late Joseph Tracy, of that town. The tree 

 is of vigorous and very handsome growth — a constant 

 and good, though not prolllic bearer. 



Should yt>u think Ihe fruit worth altentlon, you will 

 oblige me by sending specimens and some of the scions, 

 in my name, to Mr Manning, of Salem, lo whom I am 

 under obligalions. 



I am, Gentlemen, very respectfully, yours, 



Windsor, Vt., Dec. 1, 1842. E. C. TRACY. 



The kind letter of Mr Tracy, for which he will p!e.i.-;e 

 accept our thanks, was received some time since, but 

 mislaid. The apples sent give evidence that they will 

 be an acquisition to our variety of sweet ones, in which 

 we are more deficient than in any other variety. The 

 scions were put into good hands, and we trust will an- 

 swer the donor's expectations. 



B. V. FRENCH, 

 Chairman Committee on Fruits. 



P. S. — Mr Tracy probably had not been advised of the 

 death of Mr Manning, when he wrote to have scions 

 sent to him. 



Mr Jesse Scott, of South Barre, Vt., killed the present 

 season, ten hogs of the common breed, whose average 

 weight was oO'z lbs. 



THE BROOKLYN COW. 



Many persons in this vicinity are curious to see a full 

 account of Mayor Smith's cow, of Brooklyn, N Y, 

 which was exhibited at the Fair of •the American Insti- 

 tute, and which gave 27 qts of milk per day for ten 

 months. Mr Allen, of the American Agriculturist, "ill 

 oblige us if he will obtain and publish the particulars in 

 relation to keep, &c. 



