^06 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DKC. aa, 1841. 



A.ND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



BosTOii, VVednesdat, December 29, 1841. 



OUR COURSE— PAST— FUTUfiE. 



For the Bpiire oC n year, now, iiiive we rollciled and 

 prepared the innller which has filled lie columns of llie 

 Now England Farmer. Of our success, we obviously 

 are no suitable judge — The paper njight hare been mode 

 more entertaining — we could have ninde il »»ore amus- 

 ing wllhoul I he slightest effort. Uul useful nags lias been 

 our .liiii — sober instruction mainly t<ur means. (Jur oth- 

 er labors and c^nns have not been small. Our own aims 

 in regard lo the paprr Ihvc not been reached, /^'c are 

 not Bati>fiHd with our own doingS'-but the respectable 

 Publishers desire that we slmuld renew eurungngementa 

 with them, and wc dip S". 



In future we liopeto keep-as free from subjects foreign 

 to agriculture, as we have during the past year. We 

 hope also, but dare not distinctly promise it, Ihiit our pa- 

 ges hereafter shall be occupied with shorter ami more 

 pointed articles than hereiofiire. Another changr^ may 

 perhaps be introduce^. As far as other pressing matters 

 will allow of its being done, wn propose to hll several 

 pages of each paper with ditVereni articles -upon sninc 

 one subject For instance, we may make Cows the 

 principal topic in one paper, Swinc in another, Corn in 

 a third, &c. if this course shall be distinctly decided 

 upon, we may give notice of our subjects in advance, 

 and request communications and inquiries in relation to 

 them. This course, if found agieeable to our subscri- 

 bers, will render the paper more valuable and conve- 

 nient as a reference. For by this course, much matter 

 upon a particular subject will be brought togeliier upon 

 the pages of a single psj er. 



To our friends who take an interest in the Fanner, 

 wo will say that our itlier lubors in addition to the care 

 of the paper will apparently Is less the next year than 

 they have been during the IhsI, and that we shall try to 

 give thorn bettor instruction and advice But we must 

 bespeak their kind aid : they may hi Ip us, both by writ- 

 ing for our pages and by efforts t'l eilend the circulation 

 of the paper in their neighborhood or town. 



A TREATISE ON DOMliJSTIC ECONOMY. 



BY MISS CATHERINE E BEF.CHEK. 



The publishers, Marsh, Capen, Lyon,& Webb, have 

 furnished us with a copy of this work \)y Miss JJcecher. 

 The book evinces extensive and accurate observation ; 

 and contains many just and forcible remarks upon the 

 lesponsibilitirs and duties of American women. — It is 

 refreshing to find a lady of a ptrcmg and well furnished 

 mind, distinctly denouncing the growing habit of regard- 

 ing all vigorous exercifo and all application lo the labn. 

 rioaa parts of housekeeping as ungentcel and unladylike. 

 We are glad that the disastrous consequences of bring- 

 ing up girls in ignorance oflha labors in the kitchen and 

 the garden have been so distinctly fcI forth. Alias 

 Beecher has produced a good work, exposing evils 

 which are accumulating upon those who nro now grow- 

 ing up to womanhood, and evils which tliclr children 

 must inherit. Shn goes lartlier than this, and shows 

 how the evils may be avoided. Her advico, generally, 

 is good, and her principles are correct. The book she 

 has furnished, deserves lobe extensively read, and its 

 inatiuctions should bo heeded. 



Among all the philanthropists of the day, none are en- 

 gaged in a more important work than those who draw 

 attention lo, ard strive lo ward off the increasing physi- 

 cal feeblrnesa und dependence of American females — 



for as long as the laics of the immutable God remain un- 

 altered, domestic comtort and happiness, intellectual 

 Hireiygih ond vigor, moral power and courage, religious 

 health and efficieni y must decline in the land, as the 

 physical health of the community declines. Though 

 here and there an individual who is weak in body, inay^ 

 exhibit domestic, iolellccUial, mural and religious quali- 

 ties in wonderful beauty and strength, yet it is not so 

 with the community. iM^n generally are so far depend- 

 ant on the state of the body for giving- efficiency to 

 their virtues, that any eystein or any practice which 

 wars against the public health, wars at the same time 

 against the fico and full development of the intellectual 

 powers and the social and rel'gious affection.s. Praise, 

 therefore, be to tll0^c who faithfully alien pi to preserve 

 .■Xmirican women from th^ inefficiency which hangs 

 threateningly over them, and not litem alone, but also 

 their children. 



CUTTING WOOD AND TIMBER.. 



Every good farmer in the interior will, before the 

 spring opens, get out and v»ork up his fuel for a year, or 

 at least for the greater part of a year. It has been a dis- 

 puted question whether it is best to cut clean in the 

 wood lot as far ai you go, or to select here and there the 

 (iecaytiig trees and such as have done growing. The 

 harm done to ihe suirounding young trees by the fall of 

 a large one upon them ; the bending and trampling of 

 vigorous shoots when going through the lot in various 

 directions with the team, and the greater labor required 

 lo obtain a given. number of cords, are all reasons in fa- 

 vor of making clean work. And this curse is to be 

 preferred where wood is abundant. But where it is 

 scarce, the fanner if he can contrive' to pick out trees 

 that will never grow mora, and this icithout doing much 

 harm to ijaunir trees, in.-iy. find it for his interest lo spare 

 all such trees as are making wood fast from year to year. 

 Thie certainly is the best course, if he looks forward not 

 iflore than-lwenty or five and twenty years. But if he 

 can afford to look forward for more than a quarter of a 

 century, and consult the inlerosts of the next generation, 

 perhaps he will give them a better growth, by culling 

 all as he .goes- now, .and Jetting tiees come up which 

 shall bo uniform in age,. and which may approach uni- 

 formity in size and maturity wJien it sliall next be found 

 udvisuble^o clear the same laud. 



Much of the farmer's summer fuel in the vicinity of 

 iheseaboaid, consists of the trimmings of his orchard, 

 the toppings of his willows, &c. t&c. Economy in tlie 

 iTier? expense of collecting and cutting up this kind of 

 fuef'i Will require the farmer to tiim his trees in mid win- 

 ter and-fiave the brush all chopped before the hurrying 

 work of'spring comes on. Bill mid winter is generally 

 thought lo be a less proper time lo trim an orchard than 

 the spring and early summer, so that there is a reason 

 f9r delay. Which of tfiese reasons should be allowed 

 to prevail, may depend much upon iho worth and condi- 

 tion of the trees from vthich branches are to be taken. 

 If there be on the place forest trees or aged fruit trees, 

 fiom which but little if any thing but fuel is ever expect- 

 ed, no greai harm can be done by trimming tiieso at the i 

 most leisure season, and woiking up the limbs thus 

 obtained while tho wijiter affords leisure fur doing such j 

 work ; but healthy and vnluable fruit trees should not 

 bo pruned until the season is near at wliich tho wounds 

 will henl most speedily. — Get up, while winter last, as 

 much of your wood and brush as you can. without harm 

 to the orchard. 



A FACT? BUTTER— AN INQUIRY 

 An inielligent gentleman, conversant with the doingi 

 of Ihe Massachusetts Society for the I'riimotion of Agri 

 culture, informs us that while thai Society annually o:< 

 fercd handsome premiums on butter, there was in ou 

 market a fair supply of good New England buiier, thi 

 wuuhl command frooi tliirty lo fifty ceot^ per lb., bt 

 that now when no premiums are offered, such butter i 

 nol to be found. Thu grocers how have none butGosb 

 en or New York butter which ihey call good And th 

 gentleman adds, that ihuugh this Goshen butter is quit' 

 uniform in quality and free from bad properties, it is no 

 as good as (/to/ ^oo(Z New England butter which couJi 

 be had in the days of . premiums. Where is the butte 

 from our best New England dairies ? Can any one ae- ""' 

 count for the geolleinaii's facts and .answer his inquiry 



THfi AGRJCULTURAi- SOCIETY OF THE UNI 

 TEU STATES. 

 Thr friends of Agriculture who met at Washingtor 

 en the 15tii inct., formed a society, and made arrange 

 ments for future action. The account of their doingi 

 did nol reach us until the greater part of our matter foi 

 this week was in type. In tho next paper we shall copy 

 the-full account of their proceedings. 



ENGLISH MUTTON. 

 There were sold last vreek in tho Quincy Market 

 House, several carcases of English mutton, brought out 

 in the ice house of the 4aEl steamship. It was bright and 

 in good condition — fat as pork. The fat on the rib» 

 was between two and three inches thick. It was sold 

 for from 16 lo 25 cents per lb. 



FAT GOOSE. 



Col. JaqiM» shewed us last week a dressed Bremen 

 goose weighing 18 lbs. The goose waa not behind the 

 mutioD in fatness. 



Father TY'me is. not al way s a hard parent, and though 

 ho tarries for none of his children, often lays his. hand 

 lightly upon those who have used hiin well; making 

 them old men and women inexorably enough, but leav- 

 ing their hearts and spirits young, and in full vigor. 

 Willi such [leople, the grey head is but tho impression 

 of the old fellow's liand in giving them his blessing, and 

 every wrinkle liul a notch in the quiet calendar of a 

 Well spent life. — Bamaby Rudge. 



It s lunds odd for a professed republican to deny Ihe 

 equality of man — thus repudiating the glorious declara- 

 tion of independence — and attempt lo prove it by a flim- 

 sy scries of affirmations about the different conditions 

 and capacities of mankind. He ought lo know, if he 

 lays claim to common intelligence, that equality in refe- 

 rence to natural rights is all that is avowed ty tho be- 

 lievers in the doctrine he assails. It would be the height 

 of absurdity to declare liial all men were endowed with 

 the same amount of natural talent, or condiiioncd alike 

 in lili). Every body knows belter. The paltry volun. 

 leer in the ranks of despotism, who endeavors lo ex- 

 plode that divine doctrine of the equality of man, by 

 such contemptible sophistry, deicrves the scorn and exe- 

 cration of every lover of freedom and our common coun- 

 try, exalted as site is by her free institutions over every 

 governini.'nt on earth, those free institulions being based 

 on the equality of all mankind. — Selected. 



A lady, in the Maino Farmer, says that n cracker 

 pounded and put into a pumpkin pie, iias tho same good 

 effect OS eggs, one cracker for five plate pieg. 



The niosl contemptible of all cowards is he who is 

 afraid to do right. 



