PRACTICAL FARMER. 



163 



(From the Maine Farmer.) 

 CANADA THISTLES. 



Mr Holmes; — In lookino- over Vol. 3, of the 

 Maine Farmer, I was iniicli pleased with " Uncle 

 Ebeii's " mode of destroying this nuisance. I be- 

 lieve lie has got the riglit notion, and am willing 

 to endorse his theory with the following statement 

 of facts. 



vSoine 8 or 10 years ago I was in the habit of 

 going to my neighbor's yard for water— it was 

 completely covered with Thistles, as were the 

 streets in front and rear of my house. When they 

 were fairly in blossom, I mowed them, without 

 any regard to the age of the Moon, believing as 1 

 had often been told, that by mowing at this stage 

 of their existence, they would be destroyed, as the 

 stalks being hollow, the rains would remain in 

 them and rot the roots, — during a residence of 3 

 or 4 years in the same place,! saw few or no this- 

 tles where I mowed them. I then removed to 

 another house, in front of which was a yard about 

 4 by 8 rods, which was well covered witli thistles, 

 at the same stage of their existence as in the for- 

 mer case. 1 mowed them, with this difference in 

 the result : the next year I had twice as many. 

 I mowed' them again with no better success. J 

 left the house the next sjjring. My successor 

 mowed them when in blossom as I had done, and 

 they were nearly or quite destroyed. The last 

 season I noticed the place frequently, and could 

 cot discover a thistle. 



From my experience, I am satisfied that there 

 is DO particular lime in the growth of the thistle 

 that mowing will kill them, but believe with "Un- 

 cle Ehen," that by mowing them on the decrease 

 of the Moon, they will be destroyed. 'J his is as 

 rational as to believe that a slight sprinkling of 

 ^alt will destroy a root that varys from six inches 

 to as many feet in depth, and'of "no particular 

 length." J do not believe the Moon has anything 

 to do with making soap, but I believe it h.-.smuch 

 todouith vegetable life, that timber cut on the 

 i7icrcuse of the moon, will last longer than that 

 cut on the decrease, and in confirmation of this, 

 I intend sending you the residt of an experiment 

 made by an ob erving and intelligent man, as 

 soon as I can see him and get his written state- 

 Tient of what he once communicated to me ver- 

 jally. Q 



U'rom lite Dedham Patriot.] 

 MAASFISLD COAL. 

 Sir— ^T promised some time since, to irive von 

 ome account of the progress of Wie mining oper- 

 tions 111 this town. 1. suppose the history of the 

 iscuvery of coal h.-re, is w.dl known. The first 

 oal found was by a Mr Hardinir, in di-ging a 

 ^ell. Soon afer this discov.^ry, some gemlemen 

 b!aine<l a leas-,, of the Harding farm, and formed 

 lemseives into a Company, called thu "Aiavsa- 



chusetts Mining Company," appointed General 

 Chandler of Lexington, Agent, and commenced 

 operations in the full of 1835 ; the winter, as you 

 recollect, commenced early, and continued with 

 great severity, which obliged them to suspend their 

 opei-ations till sjiring. 



As soon as the weather would permit a build- 

 ing was erected, a steam engine procured and put 

 into oj.eration, for the purpose of pumping water 

 from the pit, hoisting, &c. 



At the depth of twenty feet from the surfaneas, 

 vein of coal was discovered, six feet in thick e, a 

 running southwest and northeast, clipping to the 

 northwest at an angle of about 50 deg., which 

 was pursued laterally for a little distance, suffi- 

 ciently far, however, to satisfy the Company, that 

 coal in abundance, and of good quality existed 

 there. 



It was then determined to sink the pit perpen- 

 dicularly to the depth of sixty feet, and then make 

 a lateral cut or drift [us the miners say) to the 

 vein. This has all been done. The perpendicu- 

 lar shaft is now sixty feet deep, and a side cut of 

 twenty feet brought the vein of coal in full view; 

 and at this time, with only two regular miners 

 about two tons of good coal are brought to the 

 surface daily, which is sold as fast as procured, at 

 $S per ton. 



Gen, Chandler (who, by the way, is a gentle- 

 man eminently qualified for this business) is now 

 in Pennsylvania, engaging experienced workmen, 

 and in a few days will be able to produce 20 or 

 30 tons per day. 



I f nd, in conversation with people upon this 

 subject, that there is little faith in the success of 

 these experiments. Hut your readers may Vest 

 satisfied, that there is an abundance of good coal 

 in Mansfield, and the gentlemen engaged in these 

 operations are determined to draw it n-om it hid- 

 ing places, that it may be made to administer to 

 the comfort of themselves and others. 



I have never seen a better fire from ihe best 

 Pennsylvania veins, than can be made from the 

 ]^5an.sfield coal. It ignites easily, burns freely and 

 imparts as much heat as the best Anthracite. 



The operations here are by no means confined 

 to the Mass. Co.; pi s or shafts have been sunk by 

 difiereiit companies, in various places, but owing 

 tp the necessary delay in getting engines, pumps, 

 ^r. into operation, they have not yet been able 

 to get to a depth siifScient to furnish so pure an 

 RitK-lo as the one alluded to. Hut I am informed 

 that the 'coal indications' in all the shaft.s, are 

 good ; and we have every reason to believe,' that 

 in a short time, coal will be produced, equal in 

 quality to tlie 'liarding Vein,' from all the pits, 

 and in great ahnnd.iiice. 



You have probably see i in the New York pa- 

 pers, a letter from Capt. Bunker, of the steamboat 

 President, to jir Foster Bryant, uhich states that 



