^ Vol. IX.— No. -28. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



219 



MEADOW LANDS. 



the Kdilorof llie .Vew England Fanner— 



3iK — Having noticed in your paper of the 21st 



J, t., several iiupiiries by your oorrespoiulents, 

 icli 1 luive it ill my power to answer, I heg 

 vo ti> place the results of my practical observa- 

 is, at your disposal. 



Ifoiir correspondent.?. B. of Wintlirop, (Maine) 

 s ' information respecting flooilin;; nieadcWs, 

 ere Fowl Meadow, Bine Joint, and the common 

 I Grass and other liintls of niionltivated srrasses 

 line to grow.' The two former kinds of grass 

 among the most valuable proilncts of our na- 

 jl meadows, and their growth is best promoted 

 icinter flooding. Several years since, I had on 

 farm a tract of waste, wet, and unproductive 



', >mp, over part of which was a thick covering 

 perennial moss with scarcely a blade of grass, 

 I on another part, a growth of bulrushes, flags 

 coarse water grass of unsightly appearance 

 no value. This swamp was reclaimed and 

 low made a beautiful and rich meadow, giving 

 ndant crops of fowl meadow and blue joint 

 3SCS, by the simple o[)eration of flooding. 

 3re were springs of cold water in the land, and 

 :lies were made to draw them ofl^, in the sum- 

 r season, though a natural outlet to the swamp, 

 embankment across this outlet was construct- 

 .vitb a flume and gate, by which the rains might 

 relaineil and the meadow flowed, or the water 

 3ft', at pleasure. The practice has been to shut 

 .■n the gate in the flume about the 10th or 15,th 

 Vovember, and to raise it first in the spring, 

 r ilie teruunation of severe frosts; and occa- 

 ally when there are showers in the early part 

 he smnmer, to set the water again, for a few 

 rs, over the meadow. No grass seed has ever 

 1 sown, nor has any expense been incurred, 

 !pt in the ditches, dams, and flume, which are 

 iply done : — and no application has been niailo 

 le land, other than the water. This, in the 

 ;er, stands at the height of from one to three 

 over the surface of the ground. The moss, 

 rushes and flags have now entirely disappear- 

 and the product of grass may safely be esti- 

 <;d at the average rate of from two to three tons 

 le acre. 



have no personal experience of any husband- 

 whicli has been more satisfactory. The land 

 1 being loose, spongy, and miry, is made firm 

 I being- compressed by the weight of the super- 

 imbcnt water through the winter, and is filled 

 I the roots of the grass, which are thus preserv- 

 i-om destruction of the frosts, and I have little 

 ot, that in a few years this once impassable 

 Bss, raay be travelled over by cattle and teams, 

 Heasure. 



FRUIT TREES. 



1 answer to ' One of your Readers,' from South 

 ding, 1 have to reply, that I have suffered a 

 injiu-y, although in a slighter degree, from the 

 ii of calves in barking my young Apple Trees; 

 I have also learned an efl!ectual preventive 

 s repetition. Early the last spring, I caused 

 trunks of the trees in a young orchard to be 

 died over with a composition of lime, clay, 

 fresh manure from the cattle linter, mixed 

 ither and made of the consistency of a thin 

 e, and afterwards and during the whole sum- 

 season, I pastured several calves in the en- 

 ure, without the slightest injury to a single 

 While the calves would freely gnaw the 

 of the fence, and the clean branches of trees 



thrown in to tlium, they would refrain from the 

 standing trunks, upon the first touch of their 

 tongues to the cotnposition. I co nsider this mode 

 of preservation effectual, and belie ve you have al- 

 ready pointed out to your corrcsp ondent the oidy 

 renjedy fiir the mischief he has already sustained. 



With great interest in the cause of Agriculture, 

 and high regard for your valuable contributions to 

 its advancement, 



I am, sir, truly with respect and esteem, 

 Your obedient servant, 



Boston, Jan. 25, 1831. LEVI LINCOLN. 



CULTURE OF MADDER, BARILLA, AND 

 WOAD. 



To Uie Ediloi of the New Erijl.ind Farmet— 



At a meeting of the Pennsylvania Horticultural 

 Society, held on the 8th instant, the undersigned 

 were appointed a committee to ' inquire into and 

 report what progress has been made in this coun- 

 try in the cultivation of dyer's Madder, and 

 whether it will be proper for the Horticultural So- 

 ciety to adopt any measures to extend its cultiva- 

 tion.' They were also instructed to include in 

 their inquiries, 'the culture of Barilla and its pre- 

 paration for the purposes of commerce.' 



Impressed with the importance of the objects 

 committed to their attention, they are desirous of 

 collecting as much information as possible, be- 

 fore they adopt any conclusion upon the questions 

 referred to them. This, they are aware, must de- 

 pend, in a great measure, upon the liberal com- 

 munication of facts and ( bservatious, on the part 

 of those who are practically conversant with these 

 articles, either as agriculturists, merchants, or 

 manufacturers. 



With this view, they respectfully request that 

 you may be pleased to communicate to them such 

 information as you may jmssess, in relation to the 

 cultivation of either of these plants — to the extent 

 to which they are raised or imported into this 

 country — to the preparation which they undergo, 

 to fit them for commerce — to the fluctuations 

 which have been observed in their abundance, and 

 price in our markets — to their adaptation to the 

 soil and climate of this country — to the diversi- 

 ties observed in the qualities of merchantable 

 Madder, and Barilla, and to the causes which are 

 supposed to produce these diversities — in a word, 

 to every point which can throw light upon this 

 subject. 



Being desirous of giving lo their investigation 

 the widest range, the coimnittee prefer sidimitting 

 it to your attention, under this general aspect, than 

 under the more restricted one of formal questions. 

 They hope that the extent to which these plants 

 minister to several useful arts, will be a sufficient 

 inducement to secure the attention of all such as 

 take an interest in the success of our agriculture 

 and manufactures. 

 Respectfully, 



WM. H. KEATING,) 

 SAMUEL BRECK, \ Committee. 

 MOSES BROWN. j 



Communications on this subject, may be direct- 

 ed to any one of the mendjcrs of the committee, 

 or to David Landreth, Jr, Corresponding Secretary 

 of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 



P. S. Although the resolutions of the Society 

 are restricted to the above mentioned plants, yet 

 we shall be obliged if you annex any information 

 you may possess, on the subject of JVoad. 



Philadelphia, Jan. 1831. 



Fifth 

 Counties. 

 Piymoutli 

 Sutlolk 

 Niinlucket 

 Hampshire 

 Bristol 

 Middlesex 

 Norfolk 

 Barnstable 

 \Vorcester 

 Hampden 

 Franklin 

 Dukes 

 Berkshire 

 Essex 



Totals 



Census 

 .'1/a/rt. 

 20905 

 2S.-)S6 



3:i,!9 

 11990 

 233fi() 

 3SI07 

 204:iB 

 13997 

 •11.315 

 152S8 

 11447 



1702 

 18310 

 39451 



OF Massac 

 Females. 

 21678 

 81693 

 3584 

 14995 

 25178 

 39348 

 21296 

 14363 

 42449 

 16003 

 14765 

 1763 

 18511) 

 42929 



308559 



HUSETTS. 



Colored. 



410 , 

 1883 



279 



225 



930 



513 



169 



165 



311 



349 



132 



48 



1005 



527 



610010 



Advantage of swalloioing a Snake. — A laborer at 

 Parma, lately swallowed a young adder, during his" 

 sleep. An operation on his throat became necessa- 

 ry, and by some singular whim of nature, he found 

 that he had afterwards an exquisite tenor voice. He 

 is now a chanter at the Bologna Cathedral. This is 

 the only good we ever knew to result from swallow- 

 ing a snake. 



There is now living in Chertsey, Eng. a farmer by 

 the name of Wapshot, whose ancestors have lived 

 on the self-same spot ever since the time of Alfred, 

 by whom the farm was first granted. What is more 

 remarkable, their situation in life has never been 

 much elevated or depressed by any change of for- 

 tune. 



Hog^s Haslet. — A whole family were recently 

 poisoned in Portland, by eating of the haslet of a hog 

 which had been kept in a slaughter house. They 

 would probably have died, but for seasonable medi- 

 cal advice. The remainder of the haslet was found 

 to be covered with small ulcers, which convinced the 

 physician tliat the animal had eaten poisonous sub- 

 stances for some time. 



The queen of tlie Sandwich Islands indulges her 

 royal propensity for eating to such a degree, that af- 

 ter each meal, she is obliged to be rolled about on 

 the floor, and kneaded, like dough, by a strong, lusty 

 attendant. 



The flag of American Silk, presented to the 

 House of Representatives by Mr Duponceau, is now 

 suspended in the Hall of Congress, over the portrait 

 of Lafayette. 



The King of the Netherlands, has presented to 

 Mr Livingston of U. S. Senate, a gold medal, with 

 this inscription : — 



'To Edward Livingston, for the presentation by 

 him of a Copy of the Criminal Code and Code of 

 Proceedings composed by him fbr the State of Louis- 



Railroads. — The late fall of snow, (12 inches) at 

 Baltimore has made it manifest by experiment, that 

 such depth of snow presents no obstruction whatever 

 to the operations on the Rail Road. 



JYoble Premiums! — The Baltimore and Ohio Rail 

 Road Company have offered a premium of $4000 for the 

 best Locomotive Engine, and $3000 lor the next best.— 

 They are to be delivered for trial on or before the 1st 

 day of June next. 



By a letter received at Washington from London, said 

 to be from a first rate source, it appears that a Locomo- 

 tive, the Planet, belonging to Mr Stevenson, had been to 

 Manchester, and bactt, C64 miles) in 58 minutes. 



A young Penobscot Indian, named Pol Sosef, has 

 discovered a strong passion for painting, and is said 

 to give flattering indications of a real talent for the 

 art. By the liberality of several gentlemen in Ban- 

 gor, he is furnished with all necessary means of im- 

 provement. A real Indian Artist will indeed be a, 

 wonder. 



