42 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMEK 



AUGUST 19, 183S. 



th? side of Ethiopia. 3(». Hiddckel, towards As- 

 syria. 4th. The Euphrates. 



" The modern style of gardening, in the place 

 of the regular geometric forms, and the right an- 

 gles, and right lines has siihstituted all that is more 

 consistent with nature, and with beauty'." 



Some considerable portion is devoted to the in- 

 teresting subject of the Mulberry Plantations and 

 the Silkworm, which are probably destined to be- 

 come staple articles of produce in this country, on 

 the soil and situation of which he observes : 



"Although the mulberry flourishes most luxuri- 

 antly in a moist and rich soil, and protected situ- 

 ation, yet the leaves which are produced in such 

 soils, are more crude, and not of a quality so 

 nourisliing. The growth of the tree, in such 

 soils and exposition, besides being more rapid, is 

 prolonged to a later period in autumn, or until the 

 tender and yet vegetating tips of the twigs are 

 suddenly arrested by the frost; the immature 

 wood of a forced growth being more tender, is 

 consequently more lial)le to be killed by early 

 frosts and by winter. Such a))pears to have been 

 the case in the winter of 1831-2, which destroyed 

 so many full grown trees of the hardiest descrip- 

 tion, even to the root. The ravages of that de- 

 structive winter seem to have been confined to 

 particular situations and soils ; — to the productions 

 of the forced growth of a summer not less un- 

 common and extraordinary. 



" Authors seem fully agreed that the most suit- 

 able soils for the mulberry tree, are 'dri/, sandy or 

 stony!' And trees growing on ' dry, sandy or stony 

 soils,'' and situated on the open plains, and on hills 

 the most exposed to cold winds, will be found to 

 suffer least from the destructive frosts of autumn 

 and of winter." 



Mr Kenrick having raised a large quantity of 

 the plants of Morus niulticaulis, what he writes 

 must be considered as good information on this 

 point. 



In conclusion we can safely recommend the 

 whole work as fully entitled to its appellation, 

 " The Farmers' Library." — Hort. Register. 



hamel, or it is probable he wrote the descriptions 

 of some of his fruits from trees imported from 

 France with erroneous names ; what its name is'in 

 France will perhaps be ascertained by further in- 

 vestigation. 



Salem, August 17, 1835. 



The above is a description of some of the 

 finest pears we have ever tasted, of which sam- 

 ples were kindly presented to us by Robert 

 Manning, Esq. of Salem, Mass. — Editor. 



^V [Por the New England Farmei-.] 



' KOUSSEL.ET HATIF PEAR, of Coie. 



To the Editok. — The specimens of pear sent 

 grew on a tree imported from France. The 

 form of the fruit is very remarkable, the flavor 

 high, and if eaten at the proper time is the best 

 pear of its season, ripening just before the Gros 

 Cuisse Madame, (Jargonelle of England and 

 America.) It is a good fruit for a private garden, 

 but unfit for the market, as it will continue good 

 but a short time after arriving at perfect maturity, 

 the following is CoxeJs description. 



"no. IV. ROUSSELET HATIF. 



This is more generally admired than any sum- 

 mer pear ; it is remarkably fine, rich, waxy, and 

 luscious, its form is somewhat like a calabash, 

 with a long curved neck, and a long fleshy stem, 

 the skin is on one side yellow, the other a rich 

 russett or brownish red. 



The tree attains a large size before it bears, it 

 is then very fruitful, the limbs are long, and when 

 full of fruit hang like a willow." 



!t may be proper to observe the above is not the 

 pear described in the old edition of Duhamel, as 

 the Rousselet Hatif. Mr Coxe may have made 



[From the Maine Farmer.) 

 MADDER. 

 Since the commencement of this volume, we 

 have occasionally presented you with communica- 

 tions on the subject of raising madder. Madder 

 is a root which is much used by the dyer and cal- 

 ico printer, and has hitherto been and is even now 

 brought from Europe in vast quantities. Indeed, 

 nearly all that is used in America is brought from 

 across the Atlnntie, for very few have ever culti- 

 vated it in the United States, or till lately have 

 even thought of the thing. Mr Russel Bronson, 

 of Bridgewater, Oneida county, N. Y., has suc- 

 cessfully cultivated it for a few years past, and has 

 done much in calling the attention of the public 

 to its culture. 



We published some time ago his remarks in 

 ans\Ver to some queries of ours in regard to the 

 prospect of its doing well in Maine. Since then 

 we have learned that a root or two was formerly 

 grown in the garden of E. Wood, Esq., in this 

 town, where it lived for several years without any 

 particular care being taken of it. It was kept as 

 a sort of curiosity, and was finally jjrobably 

 ploughed up and thrown away. There is, there- 

 fore, no doubt but that it will do well here, as far 

 as soil and climate is concerned. 



Mr Bronson, who seems to have had much 

 experience in the culture of this root, and who 

 has given what late information upon the subject 

 we have had, is very sanguine faat it will ulti- 

 mately be one of the most valuable crops that the 

 farmer can raise. He is anxious to get up a com- 

 pany for carrying on the cultivation on a large 

 scale, and we verily believe the projected specula- 

 tion has much more of reason in it than most of 

 the schemes which are so eagerly embraced at the 

 present day. The following extracts from a pri- 

 vate letter will give an expose of his plan. Mr 

 Bronson, we hope, will excuse us for republishing 

 his remarks. As for the ridicule which he men- 

 tions, that is a thing of course. There is always 

 a set of wise-acres in eviiry neighborhood, who 

 are always ready to hoot and sneer at whatever 

 they either envy or do not understand. 



" I will not trouble you at this time by explain- 

 ing the dilTerence that should be made between 

 the price of madder roots sold in the fall of three 

 years old, and those sold in the spring, as it is my 

 intention to send a communication to the editors 

 of all the agricultural papers who have my name 

 on their books as a subscriber, detailing the most 

 approved mode of culture, the kind of soil, the 

 location, digging, washing (or rinsing, as the soil 



I 



lay be heavy or light,) drying, grinding, &c 

 would wish to remark here that J have not as yet 

 given to the public any account of the method of 

 digging, washing, drying and grinding, as I was 

 aware that there would be no necessity of giving 



this mistake by not having seen the work of Du- this iuforaiation to the public until 1 should be 



compelled to search for the best plan in digging, 

 washing, drying and grinding the madder from 8 

 acres next fall. The results of my experiments 

 will be given to the public through the columns of 

 the "Cultivator," "Genesee Farmer," " N. E. 

 Farmer," and " Maine Farmer," in November 

 next. There is not, I believe, but one cvdtivator, 

 at a distance from this, whose crop is at this time 

 of a suitable, but especially profitable, age to take 

 up. 1 saw yesterday 1000 acres of laud, owned 

 by several farmers, that would, without a shadow 

 of doubt on my mind, produce once in 4 years 

 for 20 years a clear profit, decently managed, of 

 two hundred thousand dollars — this would include 

 the whole ex])ense of rent of land, seed, cultivat- 

 ing, digging, drying, &c., and the interest of land 

 and building included. You perhaps will say 

 this looks well on paper, as one correspondent 

 says to me — alluding to my connnunjcations as 

 well as others — " My neighbors are the poor- 

 est farmers in the Union," they say; "'ihat Cul- 

 tivator is a queer paper, I don't believe them large 

 stories ; " " They ridicule my project in attempt- 

 ing the culture of madder." In my former com- 

 munications to the public, I have never stated the 

 crop at 3 years to be over 2000 lbs. ground mad- 

 der — we now raise in hills 2400 hills to an acre — 

 4000 in 4 years. We have never yet dug at four 

 years until last fall, which produced 4000 lbs. 

 ground madder from a;i acre at an average — what 

 it will do from an acre planted in drills 3 feet wide, 

 4 vacant, and when finished 5 or 6 wide, 1 to 

 IJ feet vacant, we do not know, but supposing it 

 should produce but 5000 lbs, at 124 cents, (top and 

 bottom roots ground,)- — average price of Dutch 

 madder in New York market for 13 years past 15 

 cents, which is lower than the ten jireceding 

 years — this vvou'd arnount to, at 12i cents, $625 — 

 taking out the outlay $140 to ICO, it leaves great 

 1 rofits. I have offered some of my neighbors, 

 some time since, that if they would let me select 

 some of their best land, and they go through with 

 the process according to my directions, I would 

 warrant them $100 clear of all expense per acre, 

 they giving me the balance. Some would ob- 

 ject to planting, as it took 3 or 4 years before any 

 returns cou!d be expected. I would ask bow old 

 a hoise must be before he is fit for business. 

 Others again objected that by the time their se- 

 cond cioj) should be ready for digging, the market 

 would be glutted. I have remarked, that several 

 estimates had been made relative to the quantity 

 required for the consumption of the United States, 

 varying from fortyfive to sevcntyfive thousand 

 acres. There is at this time in the ground, to be 

 p'anted this S| ring, and engaged for 1836, not 

 much over 100 acres. I have had it in contem- 

 plation for some time past, in oflering my services 

 to some capitalists, say $30,000 in 8 or 10 semi- 

 annual instalments — would take a sixteenth part 

 of the stock and superintend the establishment for 

 $1000 per annum, to be located on prairies of 

 Ohio, Michigan, or perhaps Il.iiiois. 1 should be 

 pleased to receive com : unications on the subject. 

 I should think it very imi)ortaiit to the ];rosperity 

 of a comjiany, that dealers in the article residing 

 in Boston, New York, Albany, Utica, Rochester, 

 Buffalo, and Detroit, should be associated with 

 the comjiany as stockholders and agents. I am 

 about ])resenting the subject to a few gentlemen 

 in Utica — a greater sum could be employed if 

 wished. Respcctfuily yours, 



II. Bronson. 



