142 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



Nov. 19, 1830. 



mm"^ ssr(aa»4is?iD is'iiojsaissa 



boston, friday, november 19, 1830. 



Fallen Leaves tor Manure, Hot beds, &c. 

 In ihe Massachusetts Agriciiltuial Repository, 

 vol. iv. paj;e 60, will be found « Extracts from the 

 Bath Society papers, with remai-ks by John Low- 

 ell, Esq. from which the following are selected. 

 'A correspondent of the Bath Society in England 

 warmly recommends a species of manure for po- 

 tatoes, which I think peculiarly applicable to our 

 country, because easily attainable. It is the em- 

 ployment of mould and fallen leaves taken from 



from their appearance when taken our, (being al- 

 ways entire and perfect,) it is probable they would 

 continue their heat through a second year.' 

 After some further details this writer observes, 

 I believe oak leaves are preferable to those t)fiQ,.gp„ pgars 



any other sort ; but I have found by repeated 

 trials, that the leaves of beech, Spanish chestnut, 

 and hornbeam, will answer the purpose very well. 

 It seems that all leaves of a hard and firm texture 

 are very proper ; but soft leaves that soon decay, 

 such as lime, sycamore, ash, and those of fruit 

 trees in general, are very unfit for this mode of 

 practice.' 



The superiority of oak leaves as a material for 



hot beds according to this writer, consists in the 



tlie woods. This, the writer observes, he has found | following particulars : — 'They always heat regu- 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 

 Saturday, November 13, 1830. 



Pears. — From Mr Burr, of Hingham, Holland 

 were not of so fine quality and ap- 



an excellent substitute for other manure. He 

 found the potatoes raised in this way, much more 

 mealy, and of a finer flavor, much finer than when 

 produced by the application of ashes and dung ; 

 and he considered it of great importance to poor 

 people, who have not the means of procuring 

 nmch dung. This, he observes, can always be 

 procured in woody countries, and iu those which 

 are not so, it may be obtained in hedges and 

 ditches and in old ponds. If this be a fact and 

 we have little doubt of it, since it is known that 

 few substances are more favorable to vegetation 

 than rotten leaves, and the soil formed by their 

 decomposition, there is scarcely a farmer in Mas- 

 sachusetts, who may not, by two or three days' 

 labor, collect enough to plant all his potatoes, and 

 thus save his manure for his corn and grass lands.' 

 The leaves of trees are very valuable for the 

 purposes of gardening and for fruit trees. Speech- 

 ly, an eminent English gardener, gives the follow- 

 ing account of his mode of using them : 



' After being raked into heaps, they should im- 

 mediately be carried to some place near the hot 

 house, where they must lie to couch. I generally 

 fence them round with hurdles or anything else to 

 keep them from being blown about the garden, in 

 windy weather. In this place we tread them 

 well, and water them, in case they happen to 

 have been brought in dry. We make the heap 

 six or seven feet in thickness, covering it over 

 with old mats, or anything else, to prevent the up- 

 ]>er leaves from being blown away. In a few 

 days the heap will come to a strong heat. For 

 the first year or two that I used these leaves, I did 

 not continue them in the heaps longer than ten 

 days or a fortnight : but in this I discovered a 

 considerable inconvenience, as they settled so 

 much, when got into the hot house as soon to re- 

 quire a sup[ily. Taught by experience, I now 

 Set them remain in the heap for five or six weeks, 

 in which time they are properly prepared for the 

 hot house. In getting them into the pine pits, if 

 they appear dry, we water them again, treading 

 them in layers exceedingly well till the pit is 

 quite full. We then cover the whole with tan to 

 the thickness of two inches, and tread it well till 

 the surface becomes smooth and even. On this we 

 place the pine pots in the manner they are to 

 stand, beginning with the middle row first, and 

 filling up the spaces between the pots with tan. 

 In like manner we ])roceed to the next row, till 

 the whole is finished ; and this operation is per- 

 formed in the same mani'.er as when tan only is 

 used. 



'Thus prepared, they will continue a constant 

 and regular heat for twelve months, without stir- 

 ring or tm-ning ; and if I may form a judgment 



arly ; for during the whole time I have used them, 

 which is nearly twentyfive years, I never once 

 knew their heating with violence. 



'The heat of oak leaves is constant; whereas 



tanners bark generally turns cold in a very short i nuality, and in fine eati 

 time, after its furious heat is gone off". 



There is a saving in point of expense, and de- 

 cayed leaves make good manure ; whereas rotten 

 tan is experimentally found to be of no value.' 



pearance as those exhibited on Saturday last, from 

 Sariuiel Lathrop, Esq. From Mr Webster, of 

 Haverhill, Marsh Pears, so called, a medium good 

 eating pear. A description of this pear, if a foreign 

 or native variety, &zc, wotdd be acceptable to the 

 Committee. From Mr William Prait, Jr, large 

 and very fair Chaumontelle Pears — not in eating. 

 From S. Downer, Ambrette Pears — not in eating. 

 These pears were exhibited to show the variation 

 in form of this variety — some being in the shape 

 of a duck's egg, and a cluster of four, resembling 

 tliin Jargonelle pears. Those exhibited grew on 

 dift'erent trees, hut the same variation may be 

 found on the same tree. From Mr R. Manning, 

 Bon Louis Pears, (Forsyth's 7th edition) of good 



Green Peas in J^ovember. — We were presented, 

 on Friday last, Nov. 12, by John Henshaw, Esq. 

 of Roxbury, with a basket of Green Peas, being the 

 third crop raised by him this season, in the open 

 air, from our Early Washington Peas. The new 

 vines are still green, and uninjured by the frost. 



American Manufactures. — The brig Danube, 

 cleared from Boston for South America last week, 

 with 595 bales of American cotton cloth, measur- 

 ing 413,000 yards. 



Poultry. — Fowls of every sort may be profit- 

 ably fed on boiled potatoes and meal, mixed. Hens 

 which do not lay in winter should have access to 

 pounded bones, oyster shells, or some other matter 

 which contains lime, in some of its compounds, 

 because something of the kind is necessary to 

 form the shells of eggs, which are composed of 

 the phosphate of lime. 



Indian Corn. — It is stated in a letter from Paris, 

 that in consequence of the total failure of the 

 crops of Cobbett's corn in the vicinity of the 

 French capital last season, very few experiments 

 of the kind will be tried the next year. A farmer, 

 near Rouen is said to have lost 15,000 francs by 

 his speculation in this way. — Edinburgh Journal of 

 Scieiice. 



London Horticultural Society. — There were ex- 

 hibited ata late meetingof this Society one hundred 

 sorts of apples from Mr Hugh Ronalds. A bundle 

 of asparagus consisting of 125 heads, weighing 

 tvventyeightpounds, from Mr Wm Robert Grayson, 

 of Mortlake. A scarlet Brazilian pine apple from 

 the garden of the Society. Asparagus, blanched 

 In tubes from the garden of the Society. 



Extraordinary Cabbage. — Jabez H. llairimond, 

 has a cabbage in his possession, and ready to be 

 shown, that has 24 good hard heads, that grew to 

 one stump, and sprung from one seed. He thinks 

 that this b^ats the Cow Cabbage. — fViiidsor Chr. 



ipples. — From Mr Burr, of Hingham, a Seed- 

 ling Sweeting, said to be a great bearer, and keeps 

 well, flesh tender and crispy, flavor very pleasant. 

 From Mr Manning, Menagere Apple, (of A. Par- 

 mentier's Catalogue,) also see Prince's Treatise. 

 Fall Pippin, from Mr Floy's Nursery. Winesap 

 Apples (Cox, No. 89.) Danvers Winter Sweet, 

 or Eppes' Sweet. This fruit was of remarkable 

 fine appearance, not a blemish could be discover- 

 ed on the dozen exhibited. They were of mediiiii 

 ize, bright yellow color, good flavor, and worth) 

 of cultivation for our market — will keep from De- 

 cember to April. From Mr John Perry, of Sher 

 bm-ne, Native Sweet Russets ; a good ajjple, anc 

 said to keep well. 



Grapes. — From Mr .Tohn B. Russell, fruit of th( 

 Isabella, received from Mr Rufus Kittredgc (Ports 

 mouth,) with the annexed letter. The fruit ex 

 hibited was of the true kind, but not suflicientli 

 ripe to have attained flavor. 



Portsmouth, Nov. 12, 183(1. 



Mr J. B. RnssELL, 



Sir — Six years ago I received some Isabella 

 grape vines from Prince's Nursery, from which 1 

 have distributed cuttings to many of my friends it 

 this town. It not having fully answered our ex 

 pectations, we have had some doubts of its bein{ 

 the true Isabella. Our doubts have been strength 

 ened by comparing it with the figure in Prince': 

 New Treatise on the Vine. They are mucl 

 smaller, and not so oval. I have sent you a bunch 

 and wish yon to inform ine by the bearer, if thej 

 are the Isabella. If not, what kind are they ? 

 Respectfully yours, 



RUFUS KITTREDGE. 



JVuts. — FroiTi S. Downer, a scion of the Shai' 

 bark Nut. This scion was set in the spring o 

 1826 — it measured eight feet in length, and on 

 inch in diameter at the foot. 



In behalf of the Committee, 



SAMUEL DOWNER. 



NOTICE. 



A box of Dahlias, received from M. Faldormai, 

 fof the Itiipcrial Botanic Gardens of St Peters i; 

 h,) w ill be distributed at the Hall on Saturda3||| 



The jiapers in all our great commercial and i ''-"'^ , 

 manufacturing cities and towns, give us the cheer- I next. Also a bundlo of cuttings (received fron 

 ing intcUigeoce of a revival of business. It is like ! Mr Amos Perry, of Sherburne,) of the Nair 

 an electric shock, it reaches the whole body [ tfaP". exhibited by him at the Hall, this seas^ 

 politic. "'■s at the Hall for distribution 



