30 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JTTLTaS, IS4). 



ANP HORTICULTUBAL RFGI3TEB. 



BoBTOK, Wednkbday, July 28, 1841. 



PEAT 

 Peat is a very valuable article or fuel : it abounds in 

 the eastern parts of Massaclniseits, and many uf our far- 

 mers and mechanics in the cunniry towns and villages, 

 are no^v about cutting their winter's supply. 



Our readers in this vicinitv need do description of 

 the article, but some distant ones to whom our paper 

 goes, probably have no acquaintance with it. This peat 

 is the soil or substances composing or constituting many 

 of our wi't meadow lands, or beaver meadows. It is 

 usual to throw off, us unfit for fuel, 6 or 8 inchfs of the 

 lop, and then in taking out the peat, to put the knife or 

 spade down nearly in a perpendicular direction, and 

 take out pieces about 3 foi t long and 4 inches in breadth 

 and thickness each. If the two feet at the bottom are 

 under water, the work is accomplished with more ease 

 than if the ditch be dry, or nearly dry. When a man 

 cuu his pieces from 3 feet to 3 ft G in. long, his labor is 

 fatiguing. Hut it ia gond economy to cut the pieces 

 long, for in iiiust cases the peat at the bottom is of bet- 

 ter qualiiy ihan at the top. But though long, the pieces 

 should be slender. If they are much more than 4 inch- 

 08 throuph. it i» difficult drying them to the centre and 

 getting lliem fit for ready combustion. 



f^o other article of fuel in mure healthy than this, and 

 it is generally cheaper than wood. 'We have some- 

 times wondered that its use is not more eilenaive. Wo 

 have b.en guilly of rftnoving this wonder by tlio un- 

 charitable supposition that tho women, in some families, 

 object to ii l>eca^«e it is a little Uss cleanly than wood, 

 aoil that the men have not nerve enough to take the 

 most economical course, when objection is made from 

 such a quarter.— If domestic peace needs Id be puicbas- 

 cd, and if it can be i.blainrd by using wood rather than 

 peat, why then by all means make the purchase. But 

 we hope that llie women will not scold peat out of the 

 house, when the men cannot well afford to bring in 

 wood or coal. 



Get over the objection arising from tho little more 

 dirt, and |)eal is, laklnjr health and convcr.ienc-e iiiKi ac- 

 count, our best aniele of fuel. 



The chief reason why it is not more u?ed on farms 



and we doubt wlieilier they arc ofien worth more than 

 that. For though it be true that when sold by the rod 

 such lands usually bring from two lo three liundred dol- 

 lars per acre, yet it must be remembered that the peat 

 of only a small part o( an acre can be spread and cured 

 upon the acre in the course of a senson, and consequent- 

 ly that the sale must he limited to a few rods annually. 

 When you sell a man a square rod of peat uncut, you 



the tabic, wash the dishes and clean up, before the milk 

 comes in to be strained ; and thus giving an opporluni- 

 ly to retire early. — The leading suggestions in that cr- 

 ticle are such as deserve attention. 



QUACK GRASS, alitu COUCH, &c. &c 



We barned recently from a gentleman in this vicini- 

 ty, thai wh're fea-wecd, hay, straw, Ac. ore placed 



by implication, rent to him from 15 to 20 square rods of | ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^.^^^'^^^^^^^^ ^J^^^^ __^ ^ ^^^^ ^.^^^^ 

 adjacent meadow, on which to dry the peat that the rod 

 will furnish. 



to keep the fruit clean, that the roni; of the quack grass m, 

 all come to the surface of the ground, and that the most 

 of them can bo raked off when the covering is removed. 



But the same lands arc ofien amonj ihe most valua- 

 ble Icir cnliivotitin. Where they are so situated as to be 

 properly drained, none others are found more produc- 

 live. They have not been valued at their full worth. 

 Higher prices will soon ba paid for them than they have 

 usually brought. 



It is often stated that pent groies ; that where it is cut 



t, a new supply is furnished in a generation or two. j Transparent Cherry, a seedling raised by him— good - 



Mnssachusettii Horticultural Sorlelf. 



KXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, July 24 

 From J L. L. F. Warren — fpecimens of Warren's • 



The statements of fads in relation to this matter are j flavor and juicy, and will piobably provo a good late 



variety 



doubtless true, and they prove that peat in some places 



grows. But we doubt whether peat in the meadows | o^os^eberVies 



where we have been accustomed to work upon it, can 



be said to grow. 



From Wm Kenrick and John Hovey — fine English 



From Sam'l Pond — I'ranconia Raspberries 

 From Messrs Winship — Fruit of tho Black Mulberry 

 , — large »nd sweet— [licked from seedling trees raised in 

 iMany— many years ago, the operation of peal cutting j ^j^^j^ Nurseriei 



(or as we say in es3e.x county, " cutting turf ,") was 

 commenced in a meadow with which we are very fa- 

 miliar. The story, as tradition in the fimily has it, is, 

 that in the days of David Putnam, who was the brother 

 of Gen. Israel, that nn Old Countryman wns employed 



to work on the firm, who gave it as his opinion, that in 1 ed the VVhite_^ Tartarian^ 



° J K b . I - ! froni J. F. Allen, ^alpnl — beautifu 



a certain meadow there was peat, and he asked permi 

 sion to cut some out and liy it. Pen 

 and Kate with anoti 

 those davs there were 



From A. D. Williams — superior sjiecimens of Red 

 and White Dutch Currants. 



From Wm. Mackintosh— very fine Red and White 

 Dutrli Currants ami Franconia Raspberries. 



Frcm Hovey A: Co. — Franconia lluspberries. 



From Dr Adams, Boston— a fine looking cherry call- 



1 specimens of: 



Clingstone Peaches, and a very handsome and delicious 



Cherry, name unknown, but pronounced by those of 



black, female slaves, (for in 1 the commillofi vi ho tasted the fruit, to be a superior va- 



eshere.) were set to " earn, ' "'''y- The peaches, also, were of fine flavor 



" . I IroinMr Walsh, Charlestown — a very I 



•8 



i< o/," that is to take it from the spade and spread it L,|jp|.^y ,,j|„^g „„i^„m^,„ 



upon the meadow to dry. From those days down to 

 the present the cutting has been almost annually going 

 on ; anil vvlier..' the (leat wns taken out many years ago, 

 the meadow has become .somewhat hard and firm. Pent 

 might be again obtained from the same spot which fur- 

 nished it 60 years ago; hut it would come mostly if not 

 entirelv from below where the previnus cutting reached. 

 Tho whole meadow has been drained and lia.s hardened. 



For the Committee, 



very fine Black : 

 P. B. HOVEY, Jr 



£SIIIBITI0,-l OF FLOWEKB. 



Suturdnij, July 17. 



From Capt. .Macnndrey — several fine Dahlias. 



From Hovey & Co. — Bouquets. 



From W. Meller— Pinks. 



From A. H. Hovey — Double Rocket Larkspurs 



From S R. Johnson — C^irnatiun and Picoti e Pinks 



aricty of Peedlinj 

 Pinks and Carnations — very handsome. 

 From Misses Sumner — Bouquets. 

 From Mrs T. Bigelow — a beautiful spi'riinen of Yucc! 



so that peat can be had again, that is, by going deeper, 



on the lands we have been cutting over; but yol we do | and fine Chinese R' 

 not think there is any thing like a growth of yeat— '_'''•'>'" i°'IP^' ^""'^ & Co -» 

 Leaves and grasses decay on tho surface and increase 

 the quantity of vejtetahle matter there — but an increase 

 here both this and wood abound, is found in the fact I „r such a kind is not what we mean by I'rowih. The j jiloriosa 



peats to which we arc .accustomed, particularly the black ^''<"" ^apt. Lee-a handsome specimen of Yucca fila 

 ' , , / I mentosa 



and solid kinds, never have the a,ppearanccof any vege- 

 table vitality — but they seem to be collections of dead 

 and decayed matter. If Mich, we cannot expect any 

 perceptible increase, where the forests are cleared away 

 and where the grass is annually removed. 



that peal must be rut and cured in tho busy months of 

 summer, while wo<jd can be cut and hauled in the leis- 

 ure of winter. 



Wo have spoken of the article lhu< far without inti- 

 mating that il is not all of the same quality Oak wood 

 is not more diOercnt from pine, than is tho peat of one 

 meadow from that of another. In some places, what we 

 call peat appears to bo a mass of decomposed leaves and 

 other vegetable matters, without any fibres pervading 

 Ihe mass and holding the pieces of peat together. Such 

 peat is brittle ; il usually shrinks much in drying ; it 

 becomes very solid and gives out great heat in its com- 

 bustion. In other places we find that the meadow lo 

 the depth of fcveial feet, appears to be 

 fibres or fibrous roots i lonely interwoven, a 



SUPPER TIME. 



The coiiiinnnicalion on another page relating to the 

 farmer's liiJur for supper, conlains various statements 

 which should not be disregarded. Our own opinion in 

 regard lo the economy of tho course recommended, is 

 in accordance with Dr. Alcott's. Experience and ob- 

 posed of I gprvalion both, as we believe, have taught us that nioro 

 ork will be performed by men before sunset, who lake 



endering 



the pieces •■! peat quill- toii^h. This latter kind khrinks I ,1,^,;^ supper at fi o'clock, than by those who keep at 

 but little i It burns freely, and gives out less heat than j ^,.„jjj y„,|| „fmr eunsct and then eat. Thu work goes 

 thn other kind. Between these oxlr«mes there are as L,]- ,„„rp ,.,ppjj,|„„jlj, (>„„, ,t 1-2 to 7 1-2 o'clock, by 



one who ale at h, than by him who has eaten nothing 

 I since 12 1-2. — ■\ strong, if not the strongest reason, why 



ny diflerenl qualities almost as you can find inead- 

 a or acres of mcndow 



Those peit lands when of (.-lorl quality and well situ- j supper should be taken before dark, is the relief il gives 

 acre lor fuel ; ' lo the females in the family, by letting ihein cle.ir away 



ated, arc worth an hundred 



iilla 



per 



From Messrs Winship — a fine large Rouquol. 



From W. Kenrick — Bouquets. 



From J. L. L. F. Warren — Hoya cariio.sa, Carnations 

 and several Dahlias. 



From Mr Maijoun, Camhridgeporl — three Dahlias- 

 good specimens lor the season. 



From S. Walker— Cimicifuga fcrlida, Carnations, Pi 

 coleea and Bouquets. 



From C. (loUlermann — Nerium splendeus. 



From B. 1". Coiling — Native plants — several species 



From W . Lincoln, Worcester — Lilium Cnnaden-e .tin 

 other plants. 



Saturday, July 24. 



From Messrs Winship — Carnations, Wax plant, am. 

 Passion flowers. 



From S Walker— fine Bouquets. 



From P. Baines— Sullolk Hero and .Ne plus ullr; 

 Dihlia and (iladiulus fioribundus. 



From J. L. L. F. Warren — Dahlia--, Carnations am * 

 Bouquets. 



From S. Sweelser — Neiium iplendens. While am 

 Yellow Tea and Triumph of Luxenibor|r Roses, Bou 

 quels and a fina specimen of the Dahlia, called Era. 



From J. Hoiey — fine Carnations and Biiuqiieis 



From S. R Johnson — Pinks, Carnations, China Rose 

 and Hollyhocks. 



