238 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



as may be supposed, the blackbirds were all hear- 

 tily welcomed back again. Innumerable proofs 

 could be produced to show that birds are of a great- 

 er service to the farmer than is supposed, and they 

 really are the "farmers' friends," and as such they 

 should be regarded by the farmers, for they destroy 

 more worms and insects than they do grains or 

 fruit. As for those persons termed "good shots," 

 I would recommend every farmer to chase them 

 from his lands as if they were destroying the grain, 

 for in destroying the birds, they destroy the grain. 

 ^ Northern New York, June 25th. n. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CULTURE OF THE PEACH. 



Mr. Cole: — Recent observations have induced 

 the opinion, that with proper attention to selection 

 of soil, location, and manner of cultivation, as fine 

 trees can be grown and fruit raised, in this, as 

 in any other part of the country. The localities in 

 which we have seen the peach growing in the most 

 promising manner, are on elevated ground, with a 

 southern aspect, protected from northerly and east- 

 erly winds. For instance, the orchards of M. Pet- 

 tingill, of Topsfield; A. Bradstreet, of N. Danvers; 

 and E.Needham, of W. Danvers. Mr. P. has more 

 than two thousand trees, in bearing state, of vari- 

 ous ages. His crop was abundant last year, and 

 promises well the present. Tiie Crawford variety 

 is a favorite with him, though he has many other 

 kinds. His trees are situated on the southerly side 

 of one of the large swells of land in Topsfield, and 

 they appear to have a very little attention in their 

 growth; except keeping the ground about them 

 loose, and free of weeds, grasses, &c. These 

 trees have endured the winter, without being headed 

 down. 



Mr. Bradstreet has about 700 tree cultivated 

 within four years last past, all of which have a 

 healthy, vigorous appearance, and many of them 

 are loaded with fruit of the best varieties. Mr. 

 B.'s orchard is in the immediate vicinity of Mr. 

 Lawrence's, who has for years supplied the Boston 

 market with some of the choicest varieties of this 

 fruit, for which he has received one dollar a peck, 

 and conferred a favor on the purchaser by selling 

 at this price. The Jenks Rareripe is the favorite 

 with Mr. Bradstreet. This class of trees flourishes 

 best with him. We saw branches that sprung 

 from buds set in the autumn of 18i'J, less than two 

 years, on which are now growing more than two 

 dozen peaches, which bid fair to grow to maturity 

 — and several such on the same stock. If well ma- 

 tured fruit can be secured in so short a time, no 

 one who has land unoccupied need despair of grow- 

 ing their own fruit. 



Mr. B. is assiduous in his attention to his trees, 

 in keeping the earth loose and well conditioned 

 around them, and guarding against the approach 

 of every species of destructive insect. He finds it 

 useful to apply about two quarts of slacked lime 

 about the roots of the tree eaily in the season. He 

 makes no other application of manure to the land, 

 except what is applied to the garden vegetables 

 that are cultivated between the rows of peach trees. 

 In the month of September he cuts down about one- 

 half the growth of the season. He finds only about 

 one-fourth part of the buds set arriving at maturity 

 worthy of being encouraged. His trees are budded 

 in the position in wliich they are intended to re- 

 main. 



Of Mr. N.'s trees we have spoken of in a former 

 communication. The fear of making a long story 

 leads us to forbear saying more. We saw these 

 orchards yesterday. p. 



Danvers, June 28, 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE BEST KIND OF FOWLS. 



Mr. Cole: — As I have for several years been 

 more or less engaged in poultry raising, and have 

 within the time kept nearly all kinds of (hnnestic 

 fowls common to this country, I have often been 

 asked the question, "Which are the most profitable 

 /«cw5 to keep r' but have not been able to decide 

 fully which were the most so, "till of late. And I 

 now give you my decision, — hoping that some of 

 your readers may be profited by experience: — 



If your object be to keep hens for laying, /.r/'j; 

 the pure Black Spanish Fon^ls. Even if you pay a 

 large price for them, they will soon pay you back 

 the money with interest. But if your object be to 

 raise chickens for marketing, cross the Black 

 Spanish with tiie Red Shata^hae or Cochin China 

 fowls ; as chickens produced from such a cross 

 will attain a larger size Snd come to maturity 

 much sooner than the clear Asiatic fovvls. And 

 those — if any there be — who doubt the above 

 statement are cordially invited to visit my poultry 

 yard and see for themselves. 



As I am free to give you 7ni/ experience in poid- 

 Iry raisin >>■, I hojje others will give theirs as free- 

 ly; and if there are really any better fowls than the 

 above named — and it can be proved so — then I am 

 willing to give up heat. Now, friends, do give us 

 a little of your experience in the matter; and when 

 convenient call and visit my pure stock of imported 

 Spanish Fowls. 



Yours, truly, J. Dimon. 



Wakefield, R.I., July Is^ 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 



SAVE YOUR MANURE. 



Mr. Cole: — As considerable difTerence of opin- 

 ion prevails in this vicinity respecting the manage- 

 ment of manure. I take the liberty to write a few 

 thoughts on the subject. My humble opinion is, 

 that manuie is better when thrown into a heap to 

 decompose than when suffered to lie scattered about 

 the yard exposed to sun, air and rain. How much 

 is lost I do not know; will some one better versed 

 in this matter let us know'? But still we find some 

 who are disposed to doubt the utility of keeping 

 manure piled up, and they will tell us that a load 

 of dry decomposed manure that has been exposed 

 to sun, air and rain all summer, is worth more 

 than a load of green manure; if they call what they 

 can haul a load, I agree with them; but how many 

 loads of the green manure will it take to make one 

 of the dry 1 



My idea is, keep your manure as much fiom the 

 sun, air and rain as possible, if you wish to retain 

 its original strength; and if you think it too strong, 

 mix swamp muck or loam with it instead of suffer- 

 ing it to waste to no purpose. 



Come, brother firrmers, if I am right, back me 

 up; and if not, correct me, for information is what 

 I want. S. Tenney. 



N. Raymond, Me., June 24, 1851. 



3^ The envious love nothing but the dead. 



