382 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY 31, 1843. 



• AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, May 31, 1843. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH CONCENTRATED MA- 

 NURES ON CORN, &c. 



We asit tlie special sttentiiin of furmerg to an articlu 

 on another page, from' Dr. C. T. .laclison. We liope 

 that many, vcrij many of them will try the simple expe- 

 riments there recommended ; or if they cannot try all 

 of the articles, they can iry a part at least. Nothing 

 more is needed than to go to an apothecary's shop and 

 get an ounce or two of the several articles, (and the 

 apothecary if he knows to what purpose Ihey are to be 

 applied, should, and probably will, sell them cheap,) 

 tlien mix each of them well with two or three qts. of 

 soil or meadow-mud — go to your cornfield, select a spot 

 where llie soil is unifcirm, and then taking ten liills in 

 one row, apply your compost on the surface, spreading 

 it round evenly so as to sprinkle the ground for 8 or 10 

 inches around the corn. Then on ten hills in the adja- 

 cent row, put another compost — and so on, until you 

 have used the whole. Perhaps, if you will take the 

 trouble, it may be well to put on one-half of it early in 

 June, and the other half early in July. At harvest 

 time, go to the field with a basket and the spring balan- 

 ces, and husk each row, and weigh ihe product and 

 rnmute it down. There is the end of the whole matter. 



This business should be attended to hy hundreds; — 

 for Dr. Jackson is one of the farmers' best, most devo- 

 ted and most serviceable friends. He labors most per- 

 severingly and skilfully to promote agricultural science. 

 He is doing all that is possible in the laboratory, and he 

 now comes and asks us to put lo the test the results of 

 his researches. It is our duty both to him and lo the 

 cause of agriculture, to make the trials— and this should 

 be done by many, not one alone. A single e-xperiment 

 is never satisfactory. 



As to the quantity to be applied, we know not how 

 to give specific directions — but the qnantitj, should gen- 

 erally be small. If your acre of land has^ipon it 4000 

 hills, then 100 lbs. will allow you about an ounce to 

 three hills. 1'his is probably more than it is safe to ap- 

 ply in ease of such articles as Dr. Jackson says must be 

 used sparingly. We would say, lake 2 oz. and apply 

 them to 10 hillj, and that will give about GO lbs. per 

 acre. 



A NEW AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT. 



We were invited last week to ride to Dorchester and 

 witness the operation of a new agricultural implement. 

 This is a combination of the roller and harrow. Ex- 

 cepting that instead of common harrow teeth, there are 

 knives like the common cullers of our cast iron plows. 

 With this tool we were highly ;pleased. More so ihan 

 with any thing else that we have seen in the way of in- 

 vention or improvement for years. We propose giving 

 as good a description of this as we can. 



Take a common field roller ; then take a beam of hard 

 wood, five or six inches square, and a few inrhes longer 

 than the roller. Into this insert the knives, about six 

 inches apart. On to the beam fix two handles, to work 

 like f\ov/ handles. Then at the ends of your beam and 

 on the frame of your roller, make such gearing as will 

 let you fasten the beam to the roller, in the way in 

 which the sleigh shafts are usually fastennd to the sleigh. 

 Let them be fastened in such position that when the 

 handles are pressed down, the knives shall work under 

 within four or five inches of where the roller rests upon 

 the ground. 



With such a loot as this, you cut the sods with the 

 knives, while the roller holds them from pushing for- 

 ward. You may put the knives in deep, if you have 

 made them of good length, and will press upon the 

 handles ; and in case the teeth clog, you have only to 

 lift the handles, and you leave the slone, or roots, or 

 grass that have collecled ; especially do you clear the 

 teeth well, if you let ihe handles come up suddenly and 

 strike against the cross-bar of your roller frame. 



With this tool, sward land that has just been turned 

 with ihe (ilow, and all lumpy grounds may be thorough- 

 ly pulverized much more cheaply than with any thing 

 else that wo have seen. And while we pulverize, we. 

 may keep all the sods down in their place, and thus 

 make the cultivation more easy, and benefit the crop. 

 This will be especially true on all hard soils, where the 

 teeth of the common harrow will noi go down. Where 

 grounds are very rocky, the tool will not do well — nor 

 will any other one. But where the roller can be drawn 

 with any comfort, the knives may be used too. 



One great advantage of this combination ol roller and 

 harrow is, that wherever it shall be used it will oblige 

 farmers to put their grounds into a much better state 

 than is usual with them. These knives make much 

 more effectual work in loosening the soil, than one 

 would have supposed. Let this tool be passed twice 

 over the ground in difi'erent directions, and the land 

 will be very mellow. 



We anticipate as an objection, the supposition that the 

 draft of this will be very heavy. But while seeing it 

 work in a hard soil, that had been plowed for weeks, 

 and rained upon, so that a common harrow would have 

 made but little impression, we judged that the two 

 horses carried it as easy as ihey would have carried a 

 heavy harrow on soil where the teeth would have set- 

 tled deep. Alter thinking much upon the subject, we 

 are inclined lo think that the line of draft is so much 

 more favorable, and the form and position of the knives 

 so much better than those of the common harrow, 

 that a team can carry this double lool with as much ease 

 as they will carry the harrow aloi.e. 



The inventor of this combination is Mr Isaac Clapp, 

 of Dorchester. He would be glad, (should farmers find 

 bis invention prove as valuable as ho thinks il will be, 

 and as we think it will be,J lo receive some remunera- 

 tion. But he does not think to debar others from a free 

 use of his invention, by taking out a patent. We sug- 

 gest, therefore, that those who shall avail themselves of 

 his principle, and shall find the tool to work well, shall 

 be as generous to him as he is lo the public, and send 

 him two, three or five dollars, as a remuneration for the 

 good he has done. This we know will be acceptable 

 to him. We hope he will take his CLAPP PULVERI- 

 ZER, (so we christen il,) to the various cattle shows in 

 the autumn, and that opportunity will be afforded him 

 to put it on to the grounds that may be plowed at the 

 plowing matches, aud thus give the farmers an opportu- 

 nity to see it work. 



The instrument is simple, but there is some difficulty 

 in getting the right hang to it. Mr C. has had to vary 

 the hang of his several times, and has been at conside- 

 rable expense. Tliis, we hope, will be returned lo 

 him in premiums or in gratuities, should the instrument 

 prove as valuable as we anticipate. For the free lands 

 of the South and West, where they raise grain exten- 

 sively, this must bo even mora valuable Ihan in New 

 England. 



THE SEASON. 



The trees are a few days later in blossoming than in 

 the average of years, but they look well. The blossom 

 is sufficiently abundant, and the conl weather is favnra- . 

 ble to the selling of ihe fruit. Warm soulh-west winds-; 

 while trees are in blossom, by drying up the farina, in- > 

 tcrrupt the impregnation, and do more harm lo the fruit| 

 than is done by the cold. Last si'ason we had a severe 

 frost in June, and much harm to fruit was expected, but 

 wo are nut aware that any kind was injured, unliss that 

 frost was the reason why we had no cranberries in this 

 vicinity last year. We have known several seasons 

 when frosts were severe, while the trees weie in blos- 

 som and even when the fruit was formed, but we have 

 not had reason to suppose that the frosts did harm. 



Grass is well set, but its growth it slow. This in 

 many places last week, might have been owing to a lack 

 of moislure. But generally the wanl of warmth imped- 

 ed its advancement. The hay crop must turn upon the 

 rains yet to come. Should they be seasonable and suf- 

 ficiently copious to maiure all the stalks that have start- 

 ed, the yield will be abundant. 



The cold and wet of March and April, caused farmers 

 to be late about their planting. The corn and potatoes 

 were not put in as early as last year, by ten to fourteen 

 days. But this is not against the prospects for an am- 

 ple harvest. 



THE FARMER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA, &c. 



The first seven numbers of the American edition of 

 this work by C. W. Johnson, have come to us from the 

 publishers, Carey & Hart, of Philadelphia. The whole 

 is to be comprised in Iti numbers, and sold at 25 cts. per 

 No. Here is a large amount of agricultural informaiion 

 for four dollars; and Ihe work, as far as we have exam- 

 ined it seems lo be well worth its cost. 



b 



Cement for Glass. — Common white-lead paint applied 

 to the broken edges, and the pieces then tied closely to- 

 gether. After remaining a month or two, they will be 

 lound to have firmly adhered. 



Tulips. — Sam'l Walker, Esq., of Roxbury, has a fine 

 collection ofinore than 300 varieties of Tulips, which he 

 has generously invited all lovers of flowers to visit dur- 

 ing the last ten days. His tulips and his generous con- 

 tribution to the pleasure of his friends deserve more 

 praise than we have space to give this week. 



MASS. HORTICULTURA L SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS. 



Saturday, May 27, 1843. 



From J, A. Kenriek, Newton — Pffiony Moutan Banksii, 

 P. Papaveracea, P. Tenuifolia, P. Laiifolia, P. Prjecox ; 

 red Tartarian Honeysuckle; white do. do.; Double 

 Flowering Almond ; yf.sculus rubicundi, A. carnescens ; 

 M. Soulangiana ; Azalia nudiflora, A. Pontica; Pyrua 

 Japonica, &c. These were all very fine specimens of 

 their respective tribes. 



From J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton— trusses of Gera- 

 niums (good,) and a Dahlia. 



From Miss Sumner, Dorchester — Bouquets. 



Ejchibition of Tulips. — Three stands were presented 

 for the Society's premium, by Messrs. S. Walker, S. R. 

 Johnson, and J. L. L. F. Warren. The report of the 

 judges was as follows : 



The committee appointed to examine the Tulips ex- 

 hibited for premium, having attended to that duly, 

 award ihe first premium of $4, for the best specimen, 

 to Samuel Walker. For the second best, a premium of 

 $2, to Samuel II. Johnson. 



Joseph Breck, ' 

 C. M. IIOVEY, 

 H. W. DuTTON, ' 



The weather being unpropilious, the blooms did not 

 show to good advantage, but many fine flowers were 

 found in all the stands. One hundred were shown by 

 Mr Johnson, and the requisite number (30 blooms,) on-.'- 

 Iv bv the other gentlemen. 



For the Committee, H. W. DUTTON. 



EXHIBITION OF VEGETABLES. 



Remarkably fine specimens of Asparagus were exhi- 

 bited by Mr John Hill, of West Cambridge. 



Good specimens of Cucumbers, by Mr J. L. L. F. 

 Warren, of Brighton. J. A. KENRICK. 



.ludges. 



