398 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JUNK 14, 1813, 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



Boston, VVziinesdav, Jume 14, 1843. 



GLlftlPSES BY THE WAY. 



WoHCKSTER, Juno 9, ]843. 

 Yesterday we left the City of Notions, expecting to 

 be absent from our editorial sanctum for two or three 

 weeks. But v/u shall try to furnish our readers with a 

 few tliing-i (rom our own pen as we move on. Kailroad 

 travelling furnishes opportunity for glimpses only at the 

 farms and fields. On our way yesterday to this " heart 

 of the Commonwealth," we thought the grass generally 

 looked well Some fields and neighborhoods showed 

 little else than soriel; but generally appearances and 

 promises were good. The spring grains are backward, 

 but look green and healthful. Winter rye, which by 

 the WJiy, is now a much more common crop in the east- 

 ern part of the State than it was a few years ago — this 

 rye generally appears jjromising, tli*»ugh the crop per 

 acre, taking all fields together, will not be large, for we 

 noticed in almost every field that there are many spots 

 where the rye was winter Killed. These spots are the 

 basins, often very shallow, in which water was retained 

 while the ground was frozen. We differ from many 

 who have noticed the killing of grain last winter, as to 

 the particular agent of destruction. Some say that the 

 great depth of snow caused the harm by its pressure. 

 We do not give in to that opinion. We must dissent — 

 because the same kind of harm, which we notice in our 

 own grain fields this season, we are most accustomed 

 to' see after open winters. And it was the openness of 

 last January which caused death to many spots of rye. 

 Or, rather, it was a rain followed imtnediately by severe 

 cold. JJear the end of January, while there was fiost 

 in the ground, a heavy fall of rain came, which 

 filled with water all the hollow or basin shaped spots 

 upon the surface of the field. Intense cold followed the 

 rain, and wherever the collected waters were not more 

 than one, two or three inches deep, they were soon con- 

 gealed, and the rye, branch and root, was encased in 

 ice. This freezing, as similar freezings had done in 

 years past, killed out much of our rye; and we think 

 this was the cause generally of the death of that wliich 

 has died the past winter. Not the stmws of February 

 and March, but the rain and cold of January thinned 

 the grain fields. The rye that survived, (and the 

 greater part of it did,) looks well. 



Indian corn has hardly made its appearance to railroad 

 travellers. It is backward. On one or two fields we 

 could see it in rows as we were whirled along — but 

 generally it was quite indistinct. This backwardness 

 is not against l\iP, irrowth of the corn, though it does in- 

 craise the danger that the corn will not ripen before the 

 coming of autumnal frosts. 



Caterpillars. — Shame to the farmers along many parts 

 of the AVorcester Railroad. The apple trees for miles 

 and miles, are slript of cTCri/ ^reera /en_/ — literally every 

 lenf^by caterpillars. We never saw worse ravages by 

 the canker worm. Nests by dozens, and twenties, and 

 fifties, are scan on a single tree — nakedness and desola- 

 tion is on all the branches. Never before did wo see 

 such destruction permitted to go on by an enemy that 

 can be easily subdued. If the farmers of this region 

 lose all their fruit, and have their trees harmed for years 

 to come by the stripping which their trees have suHered, 

 then lot them not come to US for sympathy. We shall 

 only reprove them for neglect. They might have saved 

 their fruit and their trees. The eaterpill.ir may be tho- 

 roughly destroyed. It takes time and labor, we know — 



but one man could, in three weeks' time, destroy every 

 nettt and all the worms in it, that has been made on any 

 five hundred of these trees tliat are now leafl««s. Yes, 

 three or fnur dollars worth of labor to each hundred 

 trees, would have saved the whole Where the canker 

 worm works we can have pity for the owner of the 

 orchard, fitr it is not easy to subdue this worm. But he 

 who loses his fruit and trees by caterpillars, gets noth- 

 ing but what his negligence or laziness deserves. We 

 have no pity for him. When eight or ten miles below 

 our present stopping place, we said, (while gazing upon 

 the desolation.) to a Worcester gentleman, '* IVhat town 

 is this .?■' " 1 do n't know," sard he : " It ain't Worces- 

 ter.'' *' \\ e congratulate you," said we. We did it 

 heartily ; for we should be ashamed to own as fellow- 

 townsmen farmers (.■') who so shamefully leave the cat- 

 erpillars to do their destructive work. 



COMPOSTS. 



June, on most farms, affords opportunities for prepar- 

 ing materials for compost. The soil by the roadside 

 may now be taken up and formed into heaps, so that its 

 vegetable matters shall undergo decomposition, and all 

 its parts become fitted by mechanical reduction and pro- 

 bable chemical changes, to benefit the lands when they 

 shall be applied in autumn next year. It is not the deep 

 deposit of rich black soil alone, that is worth digging up 

 and using; but common soil, sandy wash, clayey wash, 

 and all such matters by the way side, may be turned to 

 profitable use. If the road by you is much travelled, 

 there will be a collection of rich matter by the fences 

 which line the road. The gravel, and loam and clay 

 are constantly being ground down by the wheels, and 

 the feet of horses and o.ten ; and in dusty times, a con- 

 siderable quantity of this finely pulverized matter is 

 lodged under and near the walls. This powder is en- 

 riching. The silica and potash it contains are in a state 

 much more favorable to the growth of plants than they 

 are before the rolling of the wheels and the treading of 

 beasts of burthen. This dust — this fine silica — or sili- 

 cate of potash, is an important ingredient in the most 

 of our crops; — it gives firmness to grass, to grains, and 

 Indian corn ; it abounds in potato tops, and in almost 

 every thing that we grow upon tho farm. Now in near- 

 ly all soil by the road-side, we shall find more of this 

 than in the soil of the open field ; consequently the 

 soil from the road would be a good addition to that of 

 the field i it will pay for working up into heaps, throw- 

 ing over, and spreading out as a top-dressing upon grass 

 lands, and for using in various composts. We do not 

 call it rich manure, but it is worth using. The leisure 

 days or hours of the present month, will be a good time 

 for piling it up. 



The hog-yard must now be faithfully attended to. 

 The warm weather of June, especially if it be wet, is 

 very fnvorable for the making of good composts by the 

 swine. Let them have soil, meadow-mud, old hay, 

 leaves, &c., in abundance, and treat them like reasona- 

 ble beings, who seek a *' quid pro quo" for what they 

 do. Hide some corn under the matters which you 

 throw into their yards, and they will soon understand 

 that if they dig down to the corn they are entitled to 

 the prize as a reward for their labors. Thus stimulated 

 they will work well. If you do not get profit from them 

 in this way, they are hardly worth keeping, at the pre- 

 sent prices of pork. 



Jf you have manure left now that your planting is 

 over, you should mix it up and coat it over with soil or 

 moadow-mud ; and thus not only preserve it from throw- 

 ing of? its richness into the air, but neutralize the acids 

 in your soil or muck, and fit Ihem to enrich your land. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION or FLOWERS. 

 t 



Saturday, June 10, 1843. 



From the garden of the Messrs. Winship, Brighton, 

 two very large bouquets. 



By Mr Joshua Norton, Jr., Chelsea— five ve.'y fin 

 specimens of PiEony Moutan. 



Bouquets, by Messrs. Warren, Hovey , Bowditch, Sum 

 ner and Walker. 



By Mr A. Bowditch — Roses: var. Multiflora, Undu 

 lata, Noisette, and Prone, Honeysuckle, var. Tartarian 

 Snriw-halis, &c. 



By Mr Wm. Meller, Roxbury— 32 fine seedling G« 

 raniums; Cactus Speciossimus ; Rose, var. Prineess M» 

 ria ; Dahlia, var. Countess of Liverpool; Passiflor 

 Alata, Mimulus Denhamii, and two fine bouquets. 



By J. F. Trull, Dorchester — Magnolia tripetala, Pac 

 nies and bouquets. 



From the garden of Messrs. Hovey — Tritonia longi 

 flora, CereUB Splendidutn, C. Jenkensoni, and three nei 

 seedlings. Also, Roses of the following sorts: Henno 

 sa, Larjiarqiie, Marjolin, Mis.s Sargent, Suter's Susanni 

 Noisette elegaiis, Lauiencia rubra, Auguslin Lcleui 

 White Tea, Romeo, Louis Philip of Angiers, Cramois 

 siiperieure, Roi de Cramoiso, Victoire Modesle, 'J'rium 

 phant. 



By Mr Wm. Kcnrick, Newton — PEeonics: Moutar 

 Arborea, Papaveracea ; Iris Libirica, and others; Ln 

 burnum. Yellow Day Lily; Scarlet and Double Whil 

 Plawthorns ; Purple Beech, &c. 



By Mr Jno. A. Kenrick, Newton — Double Whit 

 and new Scarlet Hawthorn ; Dutch Pipe ; Pceony Albi 

 cans. Rosea, Rubra, Tennuiifolia, &c. Azalias, 7 var. 

 Scotch Laburnum, Magnolia tripetala and Cordata ; eai 

 ly white Italian, red and white Tartarian and Caucasia 

 Honeysuckles ; P«ony Banksii and Papaveracea, &c. 



We should not do justice to the cultivators of some ( 

 the above specimens, were we to pass them by withoi 

 a brief notice. The seedling Geraniums, by Mr Me 

 ler, of Roxbury, were very fino, and remarkably we 

 grown. Mr M. is one of the best, if not tAe best, geran; 

 um grower in this Stale. 



In the stand of the Messrs. Hovey, there were soni 

 superb blooms of Roses and Cereus, tfiat did them credit 

 they were fine, well grown specimens, and put into tfi 

 stands in good order. 



In the collection of Mr Wm. Kenrick, and also of M 

 John A. Kenrick, of Newton, we noticed specimens i 

 Laburnum and Hawthorn, (May bush of the English 

 We know of no shrubs more beautiful and deserving i 

 cultivation. 



" A bush of May flowers with the bees about them — 

 Ah, sure no tastr-ful nook would be without them ; 

 And let a lush laburnum o'ersweep them. 

 And let long grass grow round the roots, to keep then]' 

 Moist, cool, and green." 



For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Ch'mn. 



Notice. — The premiums for the best display of Paei 

 nies, will be awarded on Saturday, June 24ih. 



Per order, S. WALKER. 



exhibition of fruits. 



The table of the rooms was finely decorated toda 

 with superior .specimens of fruits, viz : 



From J. C. Howard, Woodland Grove, Roxbury— 

 dishes Grapes — Black Hamburg, finely colored and ric 

 bloom; White Cliasselas, very large berries; Milloi 

 Burgundy, very superior specimens. 



From J. F. Allen, Salem— Royal George Peaches- 

 (clingstone.) They were uncommonly beautiful spec 

 mens. Black Hamburg grape, large and beautiful ; Bai 

 sauraba grape, very fine. 



John A. Kenrick, Newton — Coggswell Apples, ( 

 1842, in fine order, and upon trial by the comniittei 

 found to be of fair flavor and of much perfume. 

 Fur the Committee, 



J. L. L. F. WARREN. 



exhibition or vegetables. 



The finest Rhubarb ever exhibited in the Hall, wa 



brouglit by the Messrs. Hovey — of the variety known! 



Mijatt's Victoria — 12 stalks of which weighed 10 Ibi. 



within an ounce. 



Cucumbers, by Mr J. L. L. F. Warren. 



JNO. A. KENRICK. 



QiJ'Soak your Ruta Baga seed in tanner's oil. 



