VOL. XXI. NO. 33 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



277 



m a handsome reward. Tlie committeo rccoiii- 

 end that the fourth premium of $7.5 be awarded 



Mr Abbot. 



The farm of Mr Harrison, of North Adams, pos- 

 (sses great natural advantages, and is well culti- 

 ited. His buildings are convenient and well lo- 

 tted. The preparations for making manure arc 

 Etensive, and so calculated as to enable him to 

 leserve its whole energies. The objection raised 

 I' him against irrigating his grass lands, is with- 

 it foundation. If tlie water be taken ofT at a 

 litable length of time before mowing, ho may be 

 sured that no injury will result to his grass. It 



II not be made sour by the water. The com- 

 ittue recommend that the fifth premium of ,$50 

 awarded to Mr Harrison. 



To Mr Sexton, of Stockbridge, who appears to 

 a devoted friend to the cause of agriculture, 

 lose system of husbandry is generally good, 

 ough defective in some of its parts, the comniit- 

 e recommend that the si.xth premium of $^5 be 



warded. 



Respectfully submitted by the Committee. 



E. PHINNEY, Chairman. 



[The statements of the successful competitors 

 • the State Society's premiums we have not room 

 r in this number. They will be given in our 

 xt.l 



For the New England Farmer. 



YANKEE OXEN AND OX-DRIVERS. 



Mr Editor — We often hear of the skill of the 

 aniard in catching, by the use of the lasso, the 

 ild liorse, and easily breaking and taming him; 

 I the Arab's noble horsemanship ; the power and 

 I etness of his steed, and his attachment to him — 

 id again of those Jehus who drive four, six or 

 f jht in hand. 



' The Yankee ox-driver is no less a character 

 I in any of these, and his oxen not less remarkable 

 I their performance, it is believed, than the horse, 

 j ley often pet and almost caress them while 

 I Ives — yoke them when yearlings — at two years 

 |1 they will work on the lead — at three, can man- 

 |e a cart — at four, will canter into a barn with a 

 j .d of hay. From this on, a yoke of them is a 

 j !tty good team for almost any purpose. But 



Inerally they do not break them so young. 

 It is interesting to see these teams coming down 

 (.untains, or rough, precipitous winding roads — 

 ! descent often equal to ten degrees — with a 

 avy load, drawn by three or four yokes. The 

 id cattle are not heavy, perhaps, but " hold well." 

 le moment the wheels reach the summit, the dri- 

 r, placing himself at the head of the hind near 

 , gives them the word for holding back. With 

 I long whip or long whip-stock, his leaders are 

 pt in line. Down they go, the hind cattle hold- 

 T their noses up, or out, and half the time seated 

 nost on their very haunches. The load presses 

 the driver's voice is heard, calling out louder 



d louder, " Back-whoa — back-whoa — back 



iwly, slowly — hold-hard." There is a sudden 

 •n — a precipice, perhaps, on the opposite side, 

 .ver down. The load pushes them hard — the 

 iver now hits them slightly over the head, with 

 S butt of his whip, loudly calling to them to 

 lold-back." The cattle brace themselves with 

 ir fore legs ; and now fairly seated on their 

 tunches, hold on. It is in vain — they cannot 

 lid it ; the load slides them rapidly along. Now 



it is that the driver shows his skill, and the good 

 training of his team; for without both, all is lost. 



His long whip is flourished in the direction of 

 his leaders : " Comc-whoa, come-whoa-haw, go- 

 long." They, have straightened their chain — are 

 in full trot; bringing the cart fearfully and rapid- 

 ly around the turn of the road. Again, at the 

 word, the leaders' chain is slacked ; the hind cat- 

 tle are doing their best — and between sliding and 

 running, come safe to the bottom of the hill. 



On one occasion, a team coming down one of 

 these hills, the near ox unyoked. Still the driver 

 managed, by keeping the leaders on the " haw," 

 their chain straightened, and heads partly across 

 the road, to let his load down in safety. 



It is interesting to see an old pair of hind or 

 wheel cattle, used to jl, descending hills with a 

 sled. If unable to hold the load in the snow path, 

 at the word of the driver, the near ox will immedi- 

 ately spring out of the patii, pulling the near run- 

 ner after him, though the crust through which he 

 plunges, cuts his legs at every step. 



Have you ever seen fifty or an hundred yokes of 

 these oxen with their drivers, drawing ia large 

 building? How they will go down to their work ! 

 Scratching, pulling, down on their knees, and up, 

 and down again — knocking their horns, and tear- 

 ing the very earth beneath them, as if they would 

 go through their yokes. I "guess" the building 

 has to come. 



A real Yankee always likes to see a good pair 

 of oxen pull. A Yankee friend of mine, not long 

 since remarked on such an occasion, whore we 

 were lookers on, " Well, I had rather see such a 

 pull as those oxen made, than to see Fanny Ellsler 

 dance !" 



The breed of New England working oxen have 

 had a good deal of practice. The Puritan follow- 

 ed them two hundred years ago. Attached to his 

 plow, they broke the virgin soil ; they hauled his 

 wood from the forest and his harvests from the 

 field. They have always been the principal and 

 almost only team for the farm, in New England. 

 Hence the great docility of the present race — their 

 fine action, their power of endurance, and their 

 faithfulness at their work. 



They are undoubtedly the finest race of working 

 oxen in the world. But the committee on working 

 cattle at Albany, last fall, I see by the Cultivator, 

 seem to think it necessary to cross them with for- 

 tign slock. Of course — ijy all means ! Nothing 

 purely American would do — at least it would seem 

 so, in the meridian of Albany. Daniel Webster 

 stated that he saw but one yoke of working oxen 

 in travelling through England and Scotland. There 

 are some worked, however. A neighbor of mine, 

 an Englishman, tells me he saw nine yokes of ox- 

 en, belonging to Lord Middleton, stalled with 

 eighty bushels of barley ! 



But I have spoken more of Yankee oxen than of 



their drivers. I will say something more of the 



latter hereafter. So look out for a story of the 



"Yankee Ox-Driver" — and a true story it shall be. 



Feb. 15, 1643. P. 



JX7='Send it along. — Ed. 



DISEASES IN PEACH TREES. 



Forinorly, pcaclifs were raised in abundance in 

 this county ; but of late years they are very rarely 

 found, 'i'ho peach trees in this region become 

 diseased, and soon decay and die. 



In one of our exchange papers, we find the fol- 

 lowing application recommended by a gentleman 

 in Maryliuul, who has successfully used the eamc. 

 The application to the trees consists of salt and 

 saltpetre combined, in the proportion of one part of 

 saltpetre to eight parts of salt ; one half pound of 

 this mixture to a tree seven years old and upward, 

 to be applied upon the surface of the ground 

 around, and in immediate contact with the trunk of 

 the tree ; this will destroy the worm ; but, to more 

 efiectually preserve the trees, I also sow this mix- 

 ture over my orchard, at the rate of two bushels to 

 the acre. 'J'he size of the fruit is increased, and 

 the flavor very greatly improved, the worm destroy, 

 ed, and the yellows prevented. This is a remedy 

 in the reach of every farmer, who has trees, and \a 

 well worthy of a trial. — Southern J)gricull. 



From the Albany Cultivator. 



USEFUL RECIPES. 



To Make Brilliant Paint tvithout Oil or Lead. — 

 Take clean lumps of well burnt lime, about six 

 quarts — slack tlie same in hot water. After the 

 lime has become well slacked, add one pound of 

 whiting, one pound sugar, three pints rice flour 

 made into a jelly, and one pound of clean glue dis- 

 solved. Have over the fire five gallons of water, 

 into which put five quarts rock salt. The same 

 should be dissolved entirely, by boiling and skim- 

 ming clean. Pour a suflloient quantity of this up- 

 on the lime and other ingredients, to make it the 

 proper thickness to spread well with a paint brush. 

 If made entirely free from lumps, it will look near- 

 ly as well as oil paint. 



Another. — To make a paint for roofs of buildings 

 which will render them fire-proof, slack your lime 

 as before directed, and the same quantity ; then 

 add to the same one pound of alum, halt pound 

 of copperas, and three and a quarter pounds pot- 

 ash ; the last to be added gradually. Then add 

 four quarts fine sand or hard wood ashes, and col-, 

 oring matter to suit the fancy. Its look will be 

 better than paint, and be nearly as lasting as slate, 

 and fire-proof. It must be put on hot. It should 

 be made the proper consistency by adding the salt 

 water, as above directed. Old shingles must be 

 first cleaned with a stiff broom, when this compo- 

 sition may be applied. It will stop leaks, prevent 

 moss from growing, render wood incombustible, 

 and last many years. A Reader. 



Clinton, Mich. 



Poisoned Sheep. — It is said that a gill of melted 

 lard poured down the throat of a sheep poisoned 

 by eating laurel, a shrub that retains its foliage in 

 winter, and grows abundantly on the margin of 

 some of our streams and mountainous districts, will 

 efi'ect a certain cure. 



Town of Hull. — Since the stupendous influence 

 of this place upon the politics of our State has 

 given it a renown as wide-spread as the political 

 papers, every thing pertaining to it is regarded 

 with absorbing interest. The following chronologi- 

 cal item records an important event in its history: 



"1G44. Nantasket, having now nearly twenty 

 houses and a minister, was, by the General Court, 

 named Hull." — Gov. fVinlhrop^s Journal. 



It appears by this date that Hull is 199 years 

 old — and if it has gained but little, it has not, like 

 other empires, suflTered much, from the lapse of two 

 hundred years. It now turns out, in cases of 

 strongly contested elections, about 14 voters. 



