170 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Dec. 17, 1830. 



I take the liberty of seiul'mg to the Society, a 

 choice collection of double Dalilias which were 

 chiefly raised in the Imperial Botanic Garden, 

 from seeds which ripened in this country. I hope 

 when they flower, yon will be pleased svith them, 

 and allow them a place in your garden. 

 With the utmost respect, 

 I am. Sir your most 



Obedientservant. 



F. Falderma.n. 



Letter from 8. P. Hildreth, Esq. 



Mnrietta, Ohio, 8lh Nov. 1830. 

 To General Dearborn. 



Dear Sir — Your favor of the 7th as been 

 received. 1 feel highly gratified by the flatter- 

 ing notice your Horticultmal Society have been 

 pleased to take of my comuninication of August 

 last. I shall endeavor this winter to make them 

 some suitable return for their ]ioliteness. I pro- 

 pose in addition to the scions of the Burlingame 

 pear and plum, to send to them, 10 or 12 new 

 varieties of the apple, produced in the vicinity of 

 Marietta, from the seeds. No part of the west- 

 ern country, has a greater variety of su|ierior en- 

 grafted fruit than Washington County ; and in 

 the lapse of thirty years many new and excellent 

 apples must of course spring from the seeds. By 

 a little attention this autumn, I have discovered 

 a number which are fully equal to any of our best 

 engrafted fruits. From the.se, I shall select n ft'.w 

 and send to your Society, and if convenient, per- 

 bajis drawings of the fruit — also some of our 

 native crab apples, seeds and scions. Ten or a 

 dozen varieties of our best peaches, from the 

 stones, seeds of as many of our indigenous or- 

 namental trees and shrubs as I can collect — also 

 creepers and wild flowers — with a few seeds from 

 my garden of Dahlias and Crown Imperials. I 

 send the Crown Imperial seeds, because I think 

 they are a rarity — perhaps not, but mine never 

 seeded before this year — the spring was a forward 

 one and very fine, which was probably the cause. 

 If the winter is open, I shall endeavor to forward 

 the box in February, to Mr Landreth, of Phila- 

 delphia. I shall then write for a few articles in 

 return. The seeds of the Scliizanthus (linnatns 

 were lost on the way — the other came safe. The 

 Diploma you are pleased to mention, may come 

 on in the returned box. I shall dip the ends 

 of the scions in melted wax and roll them up in 

 moist paper, and jiack in a tiglit box. Is there 

 any other better method ? I also take the liberty 

 ofsendingyou,in company with this letter, two of 

 our Marietta paper.=, containing the agricultural 

 addres:', and report of the Society in tlii.s county, 

 for the year 1830. T!ie Society is small a, id funds 

 for premiums still .smaller, but yet much good is 

 done. If you get from them no new ideas, you 

 will learn something of our views. This state is 

 probably destined to become one of the first in 

 the union — the fertility of the soil, the genial in- 

 fluence of the climate, and the geographical posi- 

 tion, Ijordcring on two navigable waters, creating 

 an outlet for her produce both to the east and the 

 west, afi"ord every facility to wealth ; while her 

 civil and religious privileges are equally favor- 

 able to the growth and iu:provement of the mind. 

 Nothing but the wickedness or imbecility of her 

 rulers, if favored with the blessing of Providence, 

 can check or retard her progress. 



Mrs Burlingame, * after whom you so kindly in- 

 quired, is still living ; her residence is about a 



mile below the town, on the Ohio river ; she is 

 quite advanced in years, but still smart and active ; 

 the luother of a numerous race of children, and 

 grand children. Any communication to her, can 

 be readily made through me, or directly to her. 

 With great respect, 



I remain yours trulj'. 



S. P. lIlLDRETH. 



* The Lady whose name was given to the pear raised 

 from seed, which she collected in N. Jersey. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



Sir — I have somewhere met with the remark, 

 that all useful discoveries in agriculture should be 

 considered common stock ; and the selfish princi- 

 ple which would lead us to keep such discoveries 

 for our own individual use, ought never to find 

 a place in the bosom of the farmer. 



Acting on this princi|)le, I wish to communictite 

 through your journal, some experiments on the 

 interesting subject of S/ieep Hushandry, than which 

 no branch of agriculture is of more importance 

 either as it regards the interests of the Farmer, or 

 in a national point of view. 



I shall in the first place notice some facts respect- 

 ing the texture of wool. About 6 years ago, I placed 

 a flock of sheep on one of my farms under the care 

 of a Scotchman, whom I considered one of the best 

 shepherds in this section of country. Besides being 

 extremely careful, he was a very high feeder. At 

 the time, he took charge of tliese sheep, they were 

 about an average of my whole flock. A large 

 portion of them were perfectly unmixed with com 

 mon blood, ^t present they are a full eighth coars- 

 er than those on my other farms, that have nd 

 been so highly fed. They have increased some- 

 what in size, and I think not less than 25 per 

 cent in weight of flecee. The flocks on my other 

 farms remain about stationary as to weight of 

 carcase and fleece ; but by strict attention to the 

 selection of the best prime bucks, we have lieen 

 enabled to make great impovemeut in the texture 

 of the wool. I find that with all our care in the 

 choice of rams, we are barely able to prevent de- 

 terioration in the quality of the wool of the Scotch- 

 man's flock. The result of my experiments proves 

 that a flock of full blood merinos, under high 

 keeping, and breeding indiscriminately from the 

 produce, may be re<luced to three quarters grade 

 in six or eight years. I am not sure, however, 

 that considering the increased quantity of wool 

 and mutton they would be less profitable. 



I have an adilional inducement to give publici- 

 ty to my experience respecting the shearing of 

 lambs, as on a former occasioi", I advocated what 

 I now believe to be an erroneous opinion on this 

 matter. In a letter, ijddressed to John Hare Powtl, 

 Esq. which was published amcuig the proceeilings 

 of the Pennsylvania .Agricultural Society, and also 

 if I mistake iH)t, in your paper, I condemned the 

 practice of shearing lambs. Additional experience 

 has entirely changed my opinion. About four 

 years ago, I had my lambs shorn on one farm. I 

 found they stood the winter better, came on to 

 grass in fine order and with less loss than those 

 on my other farms. Since that time T have con- 

 tiimed the practice, and with uniform success. I 

 believe the great advantage is derived from the 

 destruction of the tick. If a lamb is closely and 

 smoothly shorn, about the last of June or first of 

 July, very few of these troublesome and destruc- 

 tive vermin will be found on it the next s|)riug un- 

 less they are communicated frotn other sheep. 



The present flattering prospects which are heh 

 out to most growers, will no doubt induce man- 

 to embark in thebusiness withoutexperience. T 

 such these hints may be useful. Should this b 

 the case, I shall be amply compensated for my trot 

 ble. 



It is high time our country should cease ti 

 be dependent on Europe either for wool or clothe 



It is not less absurd for the United States to in 

 port wool, except the very coarsest kind, at thi 

 Jay than it would be to import cotton. 

 Yours very truly. 



ALEXANDER REED. 



Jl'ashington, (Pa.) Dec. 3, 1830. 



THE SEASO.N. 



P. S. — The past summer was unusually dr 

 vary little rain fell from the first of June li 

 tlie middle of October, and even imtil this date w^ 

 luve had moderate showers. We hear of hea^ 

 aid continued rains, both east and west, but hej 

 tie Autumn has been the most pleasant with 

 tie recollection of the oldest inhabitants- \\ 

 Inve apples and strawberries of the second crop- 

 tie Lima Bean and Passion Flower are as green 

 ii August, and the buds of the apricot and eai 

 •Ti-e considerably swollen. Our fall crops pi'ese 

 ; beautiful appearance, and in many instances ha 

 keen pastured. 



The crops of the last season were, or 

 whole, abundant. Wheat, oats, and barley, ful 

 one third more than an average cio[). Indi 

 corn about as much below the common ere 

 Rye, a good crop. Potatoes and apples abo 

 half a crop. Peaches not plenty but fine. Peat 

 scarce, the trees having died, or being on the dl 

 dine. A. R 



HORTICULTURAL. 



At a meeting of the committee of the Mas» 

 cbusetts Horticultural Society, on Fruits, on S' 

 urday, the 4th Decendier, 1S30, the following p 

 miums were awarded. 



For the best Apples, to John Prince, of R( 

 bury, {1 



For the best summer Pears, (Andrews) to Ru« n 

 F. Phipps, of Charlestown, ^| j^ 



For the best autumn Pears, (Bartlett) to Eno> ^ 

 Barllctt, of Roxbury, i 



For the best native Pears, (Ileathcot) to Rod 

 ick Toohey, gardener to Mrs Gore, of Waltha 



For the best Peaches, (Grosse Mignonne) 

 Elijah ViL^e, of Dorchester, 



For the best native Peaches, to E. M. Richar 

 of Dedham, 



For the best Apricots, (flloor Park) to; 

 Phinncy, nf Lexington, 



For the best Nectarines, (Red Roman) tO; 

 ward Sharp, of Dorchester, 



For the best Plums, (Bolniar's Wasliin>;toi 

 Samuel R. Johnson, of Charlestown, 



For tlie best Cherries, (Black Tartariai 

 Rul'us Howe, of Dorchester, 



For the best native Chsrries, (Downer's 

 zard) to Samuel Downer, of Dorchester, f 



For the best foreign Grapes, (White Mu^^railii 

 of out door culture, to David Fosdick, of Charl 

 tot^n, vjfl 



For the best native Grapes, (Catawba) 



thanici Senvcr, of Roxbury. 



For the best Gooseberries, (Jolly Angler) tb' 

 Seaver, of Roxbury, ..i 



For the best Strawberries, ^Keens' Seedling) | "l) 

 D. Haggerslon, of the Charlestown Viiieyar(l,)i 



:kh 



