238 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. 3, 1830. 



^nw 52sr^i£.^2^ai' s'^jitMiima 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FER. 3, 1836. 



ATTENTION TO STOCK. 



Care and skill are as indispensable as industry to suc- 

 cess in the pursuits of the husbandman ; and diligence 

 will be of little use, if not directed by knowledge and 

 good sense. An apparently trivi;il mistake, or want of 

 attention to little but indispensable things, may rob labor 

 of a great part of its efficacy, and seem to show that 

 there is some mistake in the wise saying that " the hand 

 of the diligent makelh rich." In fact, it is vain to work 

 hard unless we uorh it right. This is the reason that 

 Ihe stock of some hard working farmers always appear 

 ID poor condition, notwithstanding they may be liberally 

 supplied with fodder uf the best qu.ihty. 



Cattle must not only be well fed, but must have their 

 food in due season ; and likewise good water at com- 

 mand, and dry lodging. " Nothing," says an o'd En- 

 glish writer, "in winter, beats out cows and oxen, or 

 makes them pilch [fall away] more, than their being wet 

 on THEIR BACK AND LOINS; for Cattle carrying their 

 hides wet, day aftei day, is as bad to them as it would be 

 to us to wear wet clothes. The same injury arises to 

 poor straw fed cattle, working in wet weather ; one day's 

 work in such case injuring them more than three of equal 

 labor in dry weather." 



"Cattle well sMTnmercd," says' Mr Lisle, "are half 

 wintered; that is to say, cattle going to their winter's 

 quarters in high condition, will preserve a good plight 

 throughout the winter; whereas such as have been fed 

 opon short commons during the summer, and go to hay 

 in a weak condition, are liable to become worse, or even 

 to drop off in the winter, particularly if it be unfavorable. 

 Very young cattle and old cows are the most dangerous 

 stock under these circumstances." Mr Lawrence 

 commenting on this paragraph, says, " To llie above 

 well grounded position may be added : Cattle well win 

 tered are half summered; they are able to encounte 

 either extreme of rank and surfeiting, or low summer 

 keeping with greater safety than weak half-starved cat 

 tie." 



It is very proper, and indeed almost indispensable, that 

 every farmer should keep an account of the time when 

 his cows are diiven to the male. Mr Lawrence says, — 

 " The period of gestation with the cow having a bull 

 calf is, according to my own account, ttco hundred and 

 eightijseven days, or fortyone weeks, with the variation 

 of a few days, either way ; a cow calf comes in about a 

 week's less time." Mr Lisle says, that a " cow should 

 be dried within two months of her calving, as to milk 

 longer most neeessarily impoverishes both cow and calf 

 to a greater amount than the value of the milk." 



Monk's Agricultural Dictionary, an English work of 

 reputation, gives the following recipe for drying cows, 

 which it is intended to fatten, or which have approached 

 so nigh to the lime of their calving, that it is thought im- 

 proper to milk them any longer. 



" Take an ounce of powdered alum ; boil it in two 

 quarts of milk till it turns into whey ; then take a large 

 handful of sage, and boil it in the whey till you reduce 

 it to one quart ; rub her udder with a little of it, and give 

 her the rest by way of drink ; milk her clean before you 

 give it to her; and as you see need requires it, repeat it. 

 Draw a little milk from her every second or third dny, 

 lest her udder be overcharged." 



The same writer asserts, that" Those cows which give 



the greatest tjuantityof milk are most profitable for suck- 

 ling calves, for rich milk is not so proper food for calves 

 as milk which is less valuable for dairy purposes. MilU 

 which contains a large proportion of cream is apt to clog 

 the stomachs of calves; obstructions put a stop to their 

 thriving, and sometimes prove fatal. For this reason, 

 calves should be fed with the milk which first coines 

 from the cow, which is not so rich as that which is last 

 drawn." 



We have had the testimony of a very judicious practi- 

 cal cultivator to confirm the assertions in the paragraph 

 last above quoted, who informs us that he has ascertained 

 by actual and repeated experiment, that those cows 

 which give the poorest milk for the dairy are the best for 

 suckling calves. 



" No calf, lamb, or other animal," says Mr Lisle, 

 " should ever be caught by the tail, as it strains and in- 

 flames the loins and kidneys." 



The first calf of a heifer is said to he the best for rear- 

 ing ; and the reason assigned is, that the dam is not re- 

 duced by milking her while she is with e.ilf. 



var. Corrallina (English) ; Insigis florse rubro ; Spatula- 

 ta; Colla; Gray's invincible ; Floy's Wardii ; Conchi- 

 flora rosa; Exiinia, the true kind of the English; Myr- 

 tifolia; Alba pleno. 



We cannot dismiss Mr Wilder without expressing 

 our opinion of his Eximia. It is a first rate flower, and 

 it gave us much pleasure to have an opportunity of seeing 

 it at our rooms. 



Camellia Japonica, by M. S. Sweetser, of Cambridge- 

 port, viz. :^-var. Alba pleno; Incarnata ; Welbankii; 

 Pffionajflora ; Pomporiea; Middlehurst's rosa plena; 

 Decandollii; Halesia ; Chanderii altheajflora; Rubri- 

 caulis; (Belle) Henriette. 



Mr Sweetser, we understand, has made a large im- 

 portation of the Camellia, embracing much of the fine 

 sorts. The specimens shown to day, by this gentleman, 

 convince us that he has a thorough knowledge of the 

 cultivation of this plant, added to a fine taste. We wish 

 him success. For the Committee. S. Walker. 



TO PRESERVE HAMS. 



Having tried several methods of preserving hams from 

 the ravages of bugs and (lies, and all having failed, I 

 concluded to try the effect of pepper. I ground some 

 black pepper fine and put it into a box, and as soon as 

 the hams were well smoked., 1 look them down and dust- 

 ed the pepper over the raw part and over the back, and 

 hung them up in the smoke-house again. This I have 

 tried two seasons, and neither flies nor bugs touch them. 

 I am well satisfied in my own mind that it is a sure rem- 

 edy, and deserves to be generally known. 



Pittsgrovc, Salem CO., Jf. J. 3. Wood. 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTUR-^L. SOCIETY. 



Saturday, Jan. 23. 

 EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Apples. — From Lemuel Crehorc, Newton Lower 

 Falls, a Russett, (a new kind,) name unknown — second 

 rate. 



From L. Thaxter, Edgaitown, Pig Nose — third rate. 



From George Newhall, Dorchester, Kaighn's Spitsen- 

 berg — nearly first rate. Brussel'a Pippen, a large red 

 apple — second rate. Two other kinds, names unknown 

 — nearly first rate. For the Committee, 



B. V. French. 



EXHIBITION or FLOWERS. 



Saturday, Jan. 23, 1836. 



By MrS. Sweetser, Cambridgeport, Camellia Japoni- 

 ca, var. — Altheaeflora, Fimbriata, and Pulcherrima. 



By Col. Wilder, Dorchester, Camellia Japonica, var., 

 punctata ; Alba pleno ; Variegated pleno ; Rossii ; 

 Rosa mundi ; Iinbricala ; Papaveracea ; Chanderii ; 

 Augusta; axoniensis ; Charles' Augusta; and Fimbri- 

 ata. 



Saturday, Jan. 30, 1836. 



The tables of the Society were again spread with fine 

 flowers from Messrs Wilder, of Dorchester, and Sweet- 

 ser, of Cambridgeport. At this season of the year it 

 cheers us to see our friends furnish us with so many o 

 Flora's treasures. 



In addition to the handsome display made by each of 

 these gentlemen, of splendid specimens of the Camellia 

 Japonica, (a list of which we insert below,) Mr Wilder 

 treated us with specimens of the Proonia, var. Arborea 

 Banksii, and Papaveracea. The Psonla is a plant of the 

 first order, and deserves the attention and cultivation of 

 every lover of flowers. 



Camellia Japonica, by Col. Marshall P. Wilder, viz : — 



Presentation of Plate. — Agreeably to assignment, 

 the pieces of plate awarded by the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, were presented on Saturday last. They 

 bear the following inscriptions ; — 



]. — Presented to Mr Robert Manning, by the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, for his meritorious exer- 

 tions in advancing the cause of Pomological science, and 

 for procuring and distributing new varieties of fruits from 

 Europe. 



2. — Presented to Mr William Kenrick, by the Mas- 

 sachusetts Horticultural Society, for his successful efforts 

 in aid of Horticulture, and for procuring scions of new 

 fruits from Europe. 



3. — Presented to Col. Marshall P. Wilder, by the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, for splendid exhibi- 

 tions of new varieties of Camelias, Roses, and Dahlias, 

 imported by himself from Europe. 



4. — Presented to Mr Samuel Walker, by the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, fur splendid e.xhibltions 

 of Tulips, Pinks, and Ranunculuses, introduced by him- 

 self from Europe. 



5. — Presented to Messrs Winship, of Brighton, by the 

 Mas.sachuselts Horticultural Society, for their zealous and 

 successful efforts In promoting the cause of Horticulture. 



Our Catalogue. — The Annual Catalogue of the Ag. 

 ricultural Warehouse and New England Seed Store, is 

 published and ready for delivery, gratis, to our friends 

 and customers. The catalogue contains seventytwo pa- 

 ges, forty of which are occupied in detailing the names 

 of 219 distinct kinds of vegetables, from three to four 

 hundred varieties of Flower Seeds, a list of the choicest 

 varieties of the Double Dahlia, with prices, a catalogue 

 of fine Dutch Flower Roots, which are imported every 

 year expressly for the Establishment, general directions 

 for cultivating all of the above, also a select list of Agri- 

 cultural books. Grass Seeds, Pot and Herb Seeds, Tree 

 Seeds, &c. 



The other thirtytwo pages are occupied with the names 

 and descriptions of the greatest variety of farming imple- 

 ments to be found in the States. The descriptions of 

 some of the most important machines and Implements, 

 are Illustrated with cuts of the machines or implements 

 described. 



Natal. — Orders have been received at the Navy Yard, 

 Charlestown, to prepare the three ships now ou the 

 stocks, for launching immediately. This looks rather 

 squally. 



