60 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



[From tlie New England Farmer.] 

 NOTES BY THE WAY— NO. 3. 



In addition to the obstacles to the culture of 

 good fruit mentioned in my last communication, I 

 found that the Temperance Reformation, was also 

 adding a mite to the common mass of destruction. 

 [1.] I was informed by many where I saw fine 

 looking fruit trees lying in the fields, which had 

 fallen before the axe of the fai-mer, that they had 

 cut these trees down because the cider which they 

 formerly made from the apples was not saleable, 

 owing to the prevailing idea that this cider drinking 

 was a species of intemperance, [2.] I was ex- 

 tremely happy to witness such a progress in the 

 onward march of so good a cause ; but I must 

 confess this seems to me rather a refinement in 

 temperance. I cannot believe that our farmers, 

 •who are used to their mug of cider at tnorning, 

 noon and evening, degenerate in many cases into 

 drunkards, and if any do become tipplers, I think 

 the reason may be traced to some other source 

 beside cider drinking. What say you, Mr Editor ; 

 are we farmers likely to become tipplers from 

 using cider — I have read sundry sage monitions 

 from thy prolific pen on this high and holy cause 

 of Temperance, but I do not recollect that you 

 told us to beware of cider. Thy address to sun- 

 dry soldiers in the war against intemperance at 

 Charlestown, delivered "lang syne," surely said 

 naught about cider, to say nothing of the many by- 

 way thrusts thou hast given the monster. — Has 

 the grave and watchful Dr Caustic been derelict 

 in duty, or can we still drink cider with a good 

 conscience ? (3.) I will, however, in the absence 

 of thy advice and counsel remark that it is an es- 

 tablished point that in those counti'ies where light 

 native wines are most abundant there is the least 

 intemperance. — Can we not consider cider as at 

 present standing in the same relation to our farm- 

 ers that " light native wiues" do to the iniiabitants 

 of the vine clad fields of Europe? — (4.) 



While speaking of Temperance, permit me to 

 enter my protest against a sentiment contained in 

 No. 1, of the current volume of the Farmer, 

 copied from the Vermont State Journal. T can- 

 not vouch for the " Green Mountain Boys," hav- 

 ing no personal acquaintance with them — but so 

 far as the farmers of Maine, Massachusetts, and 

 New Hampshire are concerned, I can safely say 

 the assertion is unfounded. In describing a good 

 and bad farmer, the writer says, " JVinety nine 

 times in a hundred the difference is oiving to intem- 

 perance and the evils ivhich follow in its train.'''' 



I do not believe that this accusation wiil hold 

 good with any class of men — I know it will not 

 with the farmei-. it is an old maxim, " to give 

 even old Nick his due ;" let us farmers have no 

 more put on us than is our due, and we can trudge 

 on very well. I dislike these wholesale assfirtions 



— they never did good to any cause, and such a 

 good cause as Temperance needs not false asser- 

 tions for its support. I thank heaven, that the far- 

 mer, however guilty he may be in many cases of 

 negligence and carelessness, to the detriment of 

 his own true interests, is more generally than any 

 other class, guiltless of the charge of making him- 

 self worse than the brute. He may be guilty in 

 many cases of the sins of omission, but is to a 

 greater degree than most classes of society, inno- 

 cent of those of commission. 



In my conversations with the farmers in this 

 part of the state, I find the difficulty of transpor- 

 tation, to be a general subject of complaint and an 

 obstacle lo the prosperity of the cultivator. It 

 appears to me, however, this is more imaginary 

 than real ; there are many articles which would 

 command a market at their doors, and many oth- 

 ers which might be introduced, which would cost 

 but a trifle for their transportatiozi to market. — 

 Will you, Mr Fessenden, or some of your practi- 

 cal correspondents, give us of the Granite State, a 

 word of advice as to what would be the most 

 profitable culture for our soil, climate, &c. ? Why 

 would not the mulberry grow well on our rocky, 

 but strong soils — if we can raise the mulberries, 

 we have little hands enough for the tending the 

 worms. Perhaps Mr Kenrick or Mr Cobb, or 

 somebody who has tried this business, will give us 

 their advice and instruction in this matter. Or 

 perhaps you can tell us how we may make our 

 lands more profitable still. They say "up coun- 

 try," the Editor of the Farmer has studied so 

 long at farming, that he raises his cabbages and 

 corn on a sheet of paper, in one corner of his 

 study — and his corn and wheat on his house top, 

 merely for experiment's sake. (5.) Be this as it may, 

 wilt thou, respected sir, please to inform us if you 

 can how we may " bring our" produce " to a fine 

 market," or what we shall raise to bring to market 

 at the least expense for transportation. 



Speaking of what " they say" up here in New 

 Hampsihre, they tell a story about the "great 

 man" of one of the towns about here, which 

 " they say" is literally true. A traveller was > 

 riding along through one of the villages, not re^- 

 markable for its t!n-iftiness ; he came at length to 

 a part which looked thrifty and flourishing. He 



found on inquiry this was the town of B . 



And every one seemed duly impressed with the 

 grandeur and riches of the owner of many of the 

 most extensive and fine farms, and they thought he 

 was " a little the greatest man they ever did see." 

 As our traveller was riding along, he accosted a 

 man with, " Friend, whose fine farm is this ?" 

 <' Oh, that's Judge H.'s," replied he of the plough. 

 The next fine thing he saw was a beautiful or- 

 chard, and he asked a lad whose orchard that 

 was. « That ? oh, that's Judge H.'s !" A splen- 



