374 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY at, 1813, 



ANI> HORTICULTURAL BFGISTER. ^ 



Boston, Wednesday, May 24, 1843. 



STUDY ON THE FARM. 



More exercise of llie mind in observing nnd reflecting 

 upon the course of nature and the processes of cuUiva- 

 tion, would be of vast benefit to most farmers and to 

 their sons. Some few among tliem do pass over their 

 grounds and aU)ng ihe roads witli the eyes open. They 

 notice the adaptation of different crops to the difl'erent 

 soils ; they observe the effects of the different processes 

 of cultivation. Such farmers find work for the mind as 

 well as the body; they thus keep tliemselves bright 

 and contented. The lediousness of hard labor is lessen- 

 ed by the activity of the mind. Nor is the good result 

 confined to tliemselves alone ; their sons and their hired 

 laborers catch the same spirit of dbservalion and reflec- 

 tion, (if they have been cteated capable of such things,) 

 and thus they become more intelligent nnd more efE- 

 cient laborers. The sons are more contented with 

 home and with the work upon the farm. 



Where the various crops in the field are made matters 

 of study, they possess an interest and a value distinct 

 from the amount of money they may bring in. They 

 become one's teachers; they give him lessons lu be 

 treasured up and to be used. And it is those only wlio 

 seek to learn and to profit by these lessons, which are 

 furnished by the growini; corn and potatoes and fruits 

 of various kinds, who really are intelligent and exem- 

 plary farmers. A few; by dint of unwearied toil from 

 year to year, and by a soul pinching parsimony, may 

 get money; — and this too, without observing any les- 

 sons, excepiing a fev/ brief ones which were inculc4ti,d 

 by others while Ihey were your^g. But those wj.io 

 stick to the old way in every tliinir, through thick and 

 thin, and for no other reason than because it is the old 

 tcay, are not mm, and are not good farmers ; — tliey are 

 litUe more than brute laborers, who by dint of perseve- 

 rance get some money, but get Utile else tliat is worth 

 having. We are nut ridiculing the old wmjs, but are 

 only Siiying that they should be compared with new 

 ones, before one can with any propriety maintain that 

 they certainly must be the best. That the old are in 

 very many cases the best, is undoubtedly true ; that 

 new ways are sometimes better than old, is also as un- 

 doubtedly true. It is only by comparing them that one 

 can satisfy himself fairly and properly which path will 

 lead him most directly to the desired object. 



The matters upon which farmers, and good farmers, 

 differ, are so numerous that no one can expect to settle 

 them all for himself in one year, or even in one life 

 This is matter of rejoicing, for every farmer may be as- 

 sured that he can never exhaust liis opportunities for 

 learning something new. The pleasure of acquiring 

 knowledge— and this is one of our lii<;hest pleasures— is 

 always to be possible with the tiller of the soil. 



Is your corn best when planted deep in the soil, or 

 when put near the surface .' Does the cornfield yiitid a 

 better crop when you spread all your manure, or when 

 you put it wholly, or in part, in the hill ? Is this crop 

 best when you make no hill, or when you earth up 

 around ii? How many hills, or how many stalks upon 

 the acre give the largest amount of grain ? Is it best 

 to plant in hill!i or in drills? 



For potatoes— is it best to spread all the manure ? or 

 will vou put it in the hill .' If in the hill, will you have 

 it above or below the seed ? Are hills or drills best.' 

 Do you cut the seed, or plant it whole? Do you put 

 the seed deep in the earth or keep it near the surface ? 



Is grass seed best sowed with grain in the spring? or 

 will you plow up the stubble and sow in August and 

 September? Or will you seed down to grass with the 

 corn crop ? Or will you simply invert your bound-out 

 fields, lop-dress, and put on tlie grass-seed immediately ? 

 Which of all is ihe safest or most profitable? 



Sliall your manure be plowed down under the sod, or 

 will you, after plowing, put it on the surface and harrow 

 it in ? Do you find the most benefit from it when you 

 use it fresh from the barn, or when you let it ferment 

 and pulverize before it goes upon the land ? 



These and a thousand similar questions are disputa- 

 ble; and the coirect answer to most of them you must 

 learn by obseiviitions upon your oicn lands, and the lands 

 of your neighbors. Books and papers upon agriculture 

 are valuable ; — ihey give many correct general princi- 

 ples and many useful hints ; but they were not written 

 with especial reference to the soil and subsoil of t/our own 

 farm ; and their teachings need modifications which 

 your own observations and experience must point out. 

 If you will but use your experience and your common 

 sense in connection with books, you will find the books 

 valuable aids; but it is only when you let what you 

 have seen, qualify and explain what you read, that you 

 can profit much by reading. 



We come then to the point from which we ought to 

 have started — that the farm, Tjour own farm, is a place 

 for siurfi/ and observation; and that in order to learn 

 with correctness and satisf.iction, you must keep some- 

 thing like a regular journal in which your doings and 

 observations must be noted down. Most men are apt to 

 forget. The daily record will at all times enable you 

 to recal past observations, and to bring them up to bear 

 upon your future practice. 



CATERPILLARS. 



These are numerous upon the apple trees this season. 

 Go to work and kill them. Where the nests are within 

 reach, pull them off while the worms are in, and put 

 them under your foot. Early in the morning, for two or 

 three hours at midday usually, and perhaps often at oth- 

 er hours, you may find them all in the nest; — those are 

 the times to work. It is almost labor lost to strip off' 

 the nest at Ihe times when most of the worms are oal 

 upon the limbs and leaves; for those that are out feed- 

 ing, will build up the nest immediately upon their re- 

 turn to the spot where the nest was. Make their de- 

 struction a regular business ; take not those only that 

 are on the apple trees, but those also that are on the 

 wild cherry and other bushes. 



Those that you cannot reach, may be destroyed by 

 making a bucket or half bucket of strong soap. suds, of 

 potash water, lye of ashes, suds of whale-oil soap, &c.; 

 any of these will answer. Then get a light pole — longer 

 or less long, according to the lieighl of your trees. 

 Around the end oi the pole, wind some old rags — fasten 

 them on well — then, dipping this swab in your suds, ap- 

 ply it to the nest in such a way as to bring the liquor on 

 to the worms as much as possible. Brush the nest 

 away entirely, and wash the limbs around where it was. 



AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY IN HARVARD UNI- 

 VERSITY.. 



We are happy to learn that "a meeting of a few stu- 

 dents of our University to take into consideration the 

 expediency of founding a society for the promotion of 

 soieniific agriculture," has been held. The result, we 

 believe, is, that those " few" will commence the forma- 

 tion of an agricultural library, and will hold meetings 

 from time to time. We gladly give them our approba- 

 tion, and it will aflord us pleasure to aid them in the 

 accomplishment of their object-. Should any of the 

 alumni or other persons, have agricultural works which 

 it would be pleasant to themselves to bestow for the in- 

 crease of this library, we presume tlie gift of them will 

 be very gratifying to the students who are moving in 

 this matter. 



The beginning is small and modest. It is all the bet- 

 ter for being so. The little seed has been planted : in 

 time a tree may grow from it, that will add beauty and 

 value to cur Alma Mater. 



PRESERVATION OF ISABELLA GRAPES. 



At the Horticultural rooms on Saturday, we saw a 

 bunch or two of Isabella grapes of last year's growth, in 

 a very tolerable state of preservation. They were exhi- 

 bited by Mr J. L. L. F. Warren. He had packed them 

 in cotton, last autumn, and placed them in a closet, 

 where they had been left forgotten, until the time of 

 spring house cleaning. 



[p=The initials of the worthy Chairman of the Com- 

 mittee on Flowers, afiixed to a paragraph in the Horti- 

 cultural report in our last paper, was done by the type- 

 setter through mistake. Tlie paragraph referred to 

 should have been credited to the Transcript. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS. 



Saturday, May 20, 1843. 



By J. F. Allen, Salem — Roses : var. Agrippina, Bon- 

 ne Silene, Lady Byron (a perfect nonpareil,) and very 

 good specimens of the Hoya, or wax plant. 



By J. A. Kenrick, Newton — Miignolia conspicua, and 

 M. soulangiaiia ; Pyrus Japonica, var. scarlet and pink, 

 very prolific, the stock being almost covered by the 

 flowers; and Azalea pontica. 



By .1. L. L F. Warren, Brighton— Cactus Ackerma- 

 ni, Hoya carnosa, Geraniums in var. and several Bou- 

 quets. 



By S. Sweetser, Woburn — a fine Fuchsia Gracillis, ir 

 pot, in bloom. Geraniums, var. Fanny Garih, Ophelia, 

 Conservative, Portia, Annette Roseum elegans, Victory 

 and Erectum. 



By Miss Sumner, Dorchester — Bouquets. 



From the Public Consei vatory, by J. E. TescheniB 

 cher, Esq.— Two seedlings of the Acacia Li phantha 

 One of these plants had been watered v\ith a solution n 

 Nitrate of Soda, one ounce to a gallon of water, threi 

 times a week for six weeks past. The other was truatet 

 in the ordinary way, both being of a size on the 5th Nov 

 last. The one watered with the Nitrate of Soda beinj 

 a third larger than the other, Ihe joints much shorter am 

 thicker, and appeared in a very healthy and growinj 

 state. We hope these plants will be presented for exam 

 ination at a future day, to test the durability of the stimn 

 lant applied. 



Geraniums. — Mr Wm. Mcller, of Roxbury, exhibitei 

 five stands of Geraniums for the Society's premiuir 

 The principal portion of the trusses offered, were cu 

 from seedling plants , many of which were really beau 

 tiful. They were not named, and it would be difEcul 

 to describe them. Some were boldly marked, other 

 finely feathered and pencilled, the petals delicately col 

 ored, of good form and opening finely. They wer 

 well grown, as was seen by the specimens of foliag« 

 Were a comparison instituted with varieties imported i 

 great cost, the result, we are confident, would be favc 

 rable to Air Meller's seedlings. These were the onl 

 stands presented for premium, as will be seen by the r( 

 port of tfie judges subjoined. 



A Dahlia (Countess of Liverpool,) was exhibited b 

 Mr Meller, the first shown for the season. 

 For the Committee, 



H. W. DUTTON. 



The Committee appointed to examine the Gcraniun 

 exhibited for premium, having attended to that dutj 

 award the premium of $5 for the best display of ci 

 flowers, with foliage, in single trusses, to Mr Wm. Mo 

 ler, of Roxbury. JMany of the flowers were seedlingi 

 and very beautiful. C W. Hovev, ) , . 



^ H. W. DUTTON,^-^"''^"- 



