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NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCT. 6, 184 



ANI> HORTICULTURAL RKCISTEB. 

 BOBTOS, Wed>'E!>day, Octobeb G, 1841. 



PLOWS— WHO MAKES THE BEST ? 

 The geher.il inteiest mlien in the question here asked, 

 ■nd its imporlaiice, will nut nierely justify, but they 

 Beem to demand a pulvlic statement of circumstnnces 

 which are likely to influence llio editor» of the agricul- 

 tural papers in givinj; i.piniojis upon this subjerl. We 

 speak in reference to the editors in this city. It ih well 

 known that the three principal plow-nianuficturers for 

 the Uoston niuiket are Charles Howard, Prouty & Mears, 

 and Rugghts, Nourse & Mason. Our own paper, pub- 

 lished by Joseph Ereck &.C..., who sell Howard's plows 

 principally, always contains an advertisement of theTii, 

 and implies a prefet.nce of ihetn to any others. The 

 Cultivator we find adverti.-^int; those made by I'routy & 

 Mean, and extolling ihem above all others. In the 

 Yankee Farmer tho^e of Kuggh-s, Kourse & Mason are 

 or have been generally put foremost. Interest, more or 

 lees direct, in each case, holds the publishers to the 

 course that is pursued. 



But are the editors bound by the same bonds .' nt 

 are left free in the expression of opinion upon all sub- 

 jects, and there is no censorship exorcised over our pa- 

 ges ; and vet it were an ungrateful thing to interfere 

 with the inleresis of our employers. Only in cases 

 where duty distinctly called to such a course, would 

 one be found willini,'to act thus unkindly, [iutwenever 

 would say what we did not beUtve,for the purpose of in- 

 creasing the profits of any publishers, plow sellers, or 

 plow-makers. We might omit to praise other plows, 

 though we should judge them to be better, if by the ex- 

 pression of our opinion we were obviously going to in- 

 jure our friends. Silence upon the subject would then 

 be proper. But we are in no such situation. Our hon- I 

 est judgment can be told. We intend to give it. Our 

 previous stalemciits and our character for fair dealing 

 will of course bo allowcil their proper influence in de- 

 termining the worth of the opinions about to be ex- 

 pressed. 



The plows by Prouly & Mears and those of this year's 

 pattern by Kugijles, Nourse and Mason, are very much 

 alike, and the work accomplished hy them has no gene- 

 ral characteristics by which that of tho one can he dis- 

 tinguished from thai of the other. Both of theso plows 

 are good, and make very handsome work. The furrows 

 turned by them have a very smooth and polished sur- 

 face — in other words, they do not crack the furrow-slico. 

 But Howards plow we judge tu be superior to them, 

 because, as we think, it will do good work at a greater 

 depth. (By the way, when plows arc put upon trial, 

 and when used at plowing matches, they are not gene- 

 rally made to run so deep as good husbandry requires 

 usttfplow.) We prefer Howard ■» because we believe 

 that they clean out the bottom of tho furrow better than 

 tho others and lay more of the boltotn soil at tlie top 

 where we want it — particularly is this the case in old 

 ground and in l.iose and brittle sward land We prefer 

 Hum because they are apparently stronger and more du- 

 rable ; we prefer them because they leave the land in 

 the best situation for tillage. This plow cracks the fur- 

 row, while at the same time it turns it as flat as either 

 of ihe others; and this cra'kiog of the furrow, though 

 it nmrs its smoolhnesH, facilitates its decomposition and 

 incrimses the case with whii h it can he tilled. Our 

 judgment is, that Howard's is the best plow for every 



day home use, while at the same time tho others may I tho field, and remote it almost immediately into 

 make a handsomer— that is, a less cracked surface on | cellar. We think our apples keep as well, thus d 

 thi. f.irrow-slicd— and might be preferred for cattle show ed of, as they did formerly when left out in barrels 

 plowing, where it may happen that the eyes of behold- 1 the weather became quite cold. The cellar doors, 

 ers will be caught by smoothness, as distinguished from | ever, are left open, and ihe cellar is kept well a^rei 



flatness . 



If we arc liable to be biassed in our opinions by the dry, they can be picked over and assorted as I hi 

 interest of our friends, we hare tried while writing this j wanted for market, or when the weather requires 

 article, to avoid the operation of any such improper in 

 fluence. This is only our solemn duty ; fur we ac 



)t 



iirk under shelter. Happening to have an old 

 we place that upon two barrels, and into it we en 

 knowledge, and shall ever strive to act up to the princi- I barrel at a lime of tho fruit to be picked over, am 

 pie, thai we are more strongly hound to seek the good of placed, it is very conve nient performing th e labor 

 the vast numbers who subscribe for and who read our 

 paper, than to further the interests of the publishere, if 

 the two are in opposition^ But this will seldom be the 

 case. The public good and theirs will both be best pro- 

 moted by an honest, frank, and full statement of our 

 convictions. 



We do not lay claim to any remarkable fitness to be 

 judge of Ihe merits of plows. And yet we use them 

 not unfrequenlly with our own hands : we have repeat- 

 edly followed all, excepting the recent pattern of Rug- Uiii, niay be pleasant work, perhaps, wheie the 

 gles, Nourse &■ Mason; and wc have several times i three or four hundred bushels per acre ; yet with ui 



POTATO HARVESTING. 



If none of the other crops require attention, it wj 

 now to be digging early potatoes, or such as Br«] 

 though they would be as well in the ground forj 

 davs longer. When dug they are best put into tK 

 lar at once and excluded from the atmosphere as 

 as possible. We can give no other directions fo 

 work than to pull vines, hoe out and pick up. T| 



seen all in use by skillful plowmen. And all this has 

 been done whilo we were striving to learn which was 

 actually the best plow for common use in ali the diffe- 

 rent kinds of soil. Our preference has been slated. 



But the merits of each of the plows is so great— they 

 are all so good— that it is not surprising that there is 

 diffeicnce of opinion in regard to them among men 

 whose only interest is to get the best— We have no feel- 

 inirs which will let us bring a charge of selfishness, pre- 

 judice or any thing of the kind against any one who 

 should place either of thcs^c kinds at the head. All are 

 good. 



We have previously hinted our preference of H 



seldom can gel much of a crop of t\i\s pomme dc te 

 has never been very agreeable labor. 



CATTLE SHOW IN ESSE.X COUNTYJ 

 At Georgetown, on Wednesday last, the fara 

 Essex had their meeting fur seeing and being teen, 

 brought with them their cattle and swine, tin 

 and cheese, their vegetables and fruits, their hi 

 and a multitude of et eeletas. We were there — b| 

 can give little better account of the show tha 

 we had not reached the place of exhibition ; for 

 cerated throat, and its attendant sickness, unfitl 



for any accurate observation. Wo saw but little, 

 ard's plows ; but our columns have not contained much | exhibition of swino was generally spoken of as mi 

 in relation to them excepting the adverti.sement. The 

 reason why so httle is said is, that Messrs. Breck & Co. 

 have received, the present season, orders for four hun- 

 dred more than Mr Howard has been able to manufac- 

 tore, and that they have no occasion to draw public at- 

 tention to ihem. 



HARVESTING WINTER APPLES. 



In another column will he found an extract from Ken- 

 rick's Orchardisi, giving a very good description of the 

 process of gathering the apples from the tree. — We have 

 a few things to add, and some to repeat. The dispatch 

 with which this work can be done, is determined partly 

 by the weight of the ladder used. Avery light one is 

 best. When resting against the branches of the tree and 

 touching at several points, a slendar ladder is suSiciciit 

 to give one safe support. The painter's ladder, touch- 

 ing the side of the house only at the lop, needs to be 

 strong, and consequently heavy ; but not so that of the 

 apple-picker : lii^ seldom loiif lies at the top, but usually 

 several feet below the top More than this, his ladder 

 should be in nearly an upright position, for when it is 

 thus placed 



the calilc of various kimls were numerous and 

 [hem appeared well. The plowing match was \ 

 tested by near twenty teams. We have selJom 

 witnessed a contest in which so many did wuU. 



The Address by Mr A. Gray, of Andovcr, i» veij 

 vorably spoken of by all his hearers with wli.im uok 

 conversed His subject was, the aid wh 

 renders to agriculture. 



NATIVE GRAPES. 



On Saturday, Mi A. Ferry, of Sherburne, pre^ 



us with a box of the finest native grapes wc havti 



tasted. We thought them sweeter than tli 

 and in the mouth they " Icfl do sting behii 

 natives usually do. 



Isik 



THE FIRST AUTUMNAL FROtf I 

 On the morning of Saturday last, our i 

 snowy white with frosl, the first this auii: 

 crops generally will sufi'er no harm from its Lii 



On Sunday commenced a copious rain — wmd I 

 and violent — a real old-fashioo "equinoxtial" i; 

 that ho may rest a considerable part of his I sliaker. This morning there was snow. The riit 

 body against it, he is in his most favorable position for tinues up to this tinio, (Monday night,) tho 

 work. When thus placed, the ground is made to sup- 

 port nearly all the weight. On this mitter of placing 

 iho ladder, depends, in no small degree, iho quantity 

 which one will gather per day. A spruce polo 3 inches 

 through at the butt and 2 inches at top, split with tho 

 saw in the centre, is amply largo for a ladder '20 "icot 

 long. It should be set nearly perpendicular, 

 to leave 



as that veracious personage, '* the P. D , 



his veered to the N. W. — The earth is »• 

 with water, and Iho springs will fill up for 



MR SOLON ROBINSON. 



We are happy to announce the arrival ol 

 il so as ' guished Iriend of agriculiuru in our i ilv I 



the mass of the apple, at the sides, when it can I "•' ••'<= evening of Monday hnvio, 

 '■ the first train of cars through the SOI 



be done. | milroad. Mr K. can be scon at ou- 



Our ciutum is, to put tho gathered fruit into barrels in I munications for him may bo left. 



i» 



