I^EW ENOI^ AND FARMER. 



PUBLISHEDJBYJ^ RUSSELL. AT NQ^ 68 NORTH^M ARKETJTREETn ^TrH^^ yV^n.^ovs^)lT~^^SSE^DES:'EmrOR: 



VOL,. IX 



BOSTOIV, FRIDAY, D E C E M B E R 10, 1 8 3 O 



^' vQ 'ia ai ^ Ef :i >s ii, a a ® sr 3a 



NO. 21. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



DISEASE IN CATTI,E, 



Mr Fessendev — Since iny ri'tiirii from Bos- 

 ton, adisoasi', or o|)'Mleiiiir, has afflicted my hlooil- 

 ed calves. On tlip niorninj; of 2Stli N'oy. on eo- 

 in'j; inn my liani, I discovned a fine calf, '^ blood, 

 to he in distress and frothing at the month and 

 my first im|iression was that she was choked 

 with a potato. I iiiiniediately sentfr.r a man who 

 h.ad had some experience with diseases afteetin" 

 cattle; Imt I soon discovered the ne.tt calf, which 

 was half lilooded, affected in the same manner. I 

 r.iinul they had severe spasms and were so nnich 

 ■ listrcssi'd as to make them bellow. They had a 

 ;;rcat degree of weakness in the limbs, and a loss 

 Df appetite. I soon discovered that another fine 

 inlf blooded bull calf was affected in some mea- 

 inre, as he refused to eat. I then resorted to the 

 ast volnnio of the New England Farmer, (the on- 

 y one I possess) and there looked for the disease 

 nd remeily ; Init I could not find anything that 

 eemed to apply. I found the disease of Hoven, 

 t'hich was pnduced by such causes as it did not 

 ppear reasonable could be produced at this sea- 

 3n of the year ; but still I di.seovered an appa- 

 ;nt disposition to vomit the fi)i>d which they had 

 Uen. 1 therefore made a solution of saleratns 

 id by the assistance of a bottle, gave to the two' 

 •St, a portion which caused violent spasms, and 



five or ten tniniites sncceedeel by a profuse dis- 

 large from the stomach, which very soon "-are 

 lief The next morning I found the bull hi as 

 ,d or worse state than the heifers; I ap|)lied the 

 me solutimi ,an<l produced the same effects, and 

 'lich [iroveil an effectual cm-e. Being in want of 

 formation, I apply to you. Sir, to give me the 

 me of the disease, whether it was an Epidemic, 

 iven, or Poison— anil if this is worthy of a 

 ice in the New England Farjner, and will be 



any public utility, I hope some of your siib- 

 ■ibers may be enabled to give the desired in- 

 mation, which will he conferring a favor on ' 

 Yours very respectfully, 



AARON TYLER, 

 Bath, Me., Dec. Alh, 1S30. 



tie opportunity of calling there, to make a more 

 c'ose investigation of this apparently singular 

 pant, and found the capsules cloven, with the 

 Sieds hanging on the siitre of the cells, covci-ed 

 vith a scarlet pulpy ai-illus in a very gracefiil 

 iranner, which the gardener informed me contin- 

 ued so fur some time ; and also that the plant 

 was perfectly hardy and of easy cultivation. 



1 know not of any shrub at this season more 

 deserving of cultivation in shrubberies and flower- 

 gardens. — Its contrast with the pine and other 

 <bfl;rent evergreens, would certainly improve the 

 uatn-al scenery of the season, especially when 

 (he earth is covered with snow; while in the 

 parterre it will produce fruit on quite small plants 

 and cheer with its beauty the gloom of winter's 

 dill attire. OBSERVATOR. 



WHEAT. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SHRUBBERY. 



Hr Fessendem — I have lately noticed a com- 

 oication of an enterpris-ng Horticulturist, who 

 :n enriches the columns of the New England 

 mer, respecting the different varieties of Mag- 

 as, Aliheas, &c, as proper shridis and tree's, 

 decorating paiterres and shrubberies. Being a 

 nd to horticulture and natural scenery, allow 

 to introduce to your notice the Euomjmus 

 purpureus, or S[)indle tree— generally called 



Burning bush ; as a plant which appears to 

 vorihy of cultivation, as an ornamental plant, 

 'his plant may be seen at the garden of John 

 ^•CE, Esq. Jamaica Plains, in full perfection ; 

 iH from .3 to 8 feet high are covered with 

 niful clusters of colored capsules of a dark 



which seem to attract the attention of the 

 ers by. In consequence of which 1 lately took 



Hr Fessenden — In the two last numbers ol 

 the New England Farmer, your readers have been 

 fav)red with some observations relative to fallen 

 leans as a manure. Permit me to throw in a word 

 not altogether unconnected with this subject. 



The opinion is very prevalent in various parts 

 of ihe Conunonwealth, that wheat can be raised 

 on], on new land — that after it has been improved 

 for -i short time, this species of grain cannot be 

 sown with any prospect of success. The conse- 

 quence has bceii, that the cultivation of wheat has 

 dmost ceased. If the owner of a tract of wood 

 iiiids find occasion to clear up a portion of it, he 

 will then sow ihis'pieceol ground with wheat 

 with as much confidence of success as in any 

 other part of his agricultural pursuits, and he sel- 

 dom fails of a suitable reward. His wheat grows, 

 it comes to maturity, he gathers a fair crop. Now 

 what is the reason that we succeed in obtaining 

 good crops of wheat upon new land, but fail upon 

 the old — upon that which has been long under 

 cultivation .= That we succeed in either case, affords 

 satisfactory eviilence that there is nothing in our 

 climate, the peculiarity of our seasons, or the nature 

 I of our soil, which renders it indispensable that we 

 should dei)end upon our Southern or Western 

 neighbors for this necessary article of food. Must 

 it not then be attributed to improper management 

 or to neglect in preparing our soil for this particular 

 kind of grain ? I am strongly inclined to the opin- 

 ion, and thus far I should like to see the experiment 

 fully tried, that in every part of the State where 

 j wheat can be raised upon new land, it must to 

 equal advantage and with the like probability of suc- 

 cess, be raised upon land that has been long umler 

 improvement. — That the principal cause of failure 

 in the latter case has arisen from having exhausted 

 the soil of that particular kind of aliment which is 

 adapted to the growth and nourishment of wheat. 

 New land is filled with vegetable manure. The 

 leaves of the forest have perished upon the soil 

 and rendered it rich, lively, mellow and easily pid- 

 verised. Restore the soil of your old fields to 

 this state and they would again produce similar 

 results. It is true that we cannot restore the soil 

 to the same state, by the application of the same 

 kind of vegetable manure, yet we can approximate 

 towards it, we can employ a substitute, we can I 

 enrich our lands, we can make ajiplications of I 



vegetable substance.*, and I have yet to learn that 

 the leaves of the forest arc more congenial to the 

 palate of this plant than other vegetables. If the 

 land is in a good state of cultivation,' a prop of clo- 

 ver, or any other kiml of grass, ploughed in, do- 

 composed and mi.xed with the soil, may answer 

 the purpose as vvell as rotten leaves. In my own 

 experience, I have not often found it necessary to 

 turn in a crop of grass, especially upon lands that 

 are sown with artificial grasses. In the repeated 

 idoughingof these lands, the soil has become so 

 Tar saturated with vegetable manure by the decom-: 

 position of the roots and blades of the grass, as 

 to afford suflicient nutriment to the crop of wheat. 

 I have cultivated this species of grain, every 

 year, for the last five and twenty years, and have 

 been as successful in this as in any other branch 

 of husbandry. My crops have averaged between 

 20 and 30 bushels an acre, and have sometimes 

 risen higher; twice during that i)eriod, my crop 

 I has been sadly blasted. I have foinid the red 

 I bearded wheat the most sure. This has never 

 failed me entirely ; when the white wheat from 

 Genessee has proved worthless. My course is 

 briefly this. I have five fields which I stack 

 down to clover and herds grass. Late in the 

 autunm of every year, I plough up one of them, 

 and unless feeil has been short and scarce, turn 

 in the whole of the aflettiiath. The next spring, 

 I manure the land, and plant with corn or pota- 

 toes, taking care not to disturb the sod imncces- 

 arily duriu';- the cultivation of this crou. As 

 soon as the corn has arrived to a suflicient degree 

 of maturity, it is removed from the ground. The 

 best is then ploughed a little deeper than before, 

 in order that the sward may be brought near the 

 surface, and subjected to the operation of the 

 barrow, &c, until it is sufficiently pulverised and 

 mixed with the soil. I should choose to have 

 the wheat sown as early as is i)racticable after 

 the 20lh of Septetnber, but the season and other 

 circumstances have frequently prevented its 

 completion, until early in October. I have gath- 

 ered a good crop, when it was sown as late as the 

 tenth of the latter month. The land is then 

 stacked down with grass, with the wheat. 



I do not know that my observations or expe- 

 rience will be of any value to others, but I con- 

 fess that it has often given me ))ain to see my 

 brother farmers go to the merchant and buy a 

 barrel of flom-, when they ought to have 20 bar- 

 rels of their own raising to sell. g. L. 

 frest Sprinsy/ield, J^fov. 3Ct'i, 1830. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



THE SEASON. 

 Mr Fkssenden— On viewing at this moment a 

 brilliant bouquet of flowers, plnckeil from the 

 open garden, I have thought it worthy the passing 

 moment, to make some remarks to you in regaril 

 to the sea.son. Last spring, after the 10th or 12th 

 of March, we had not a frost that would injure 

 the most delicate greenhouse plant, and the resut 

 was that the Peach and other trees which arc 

 liable to be affected by late spring frosts, yielded 

 abimdant crops, and excellent peaches were ofl'er- 

 ed and sold at 50 cts. per bushel. The earlier 



