250 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



from the low lands, and put in the bam yard, and 

 also laid in a proper place for making compost, and 

 a supply must be provided for the barn cellar in 

 winter, and jfcr bedding for cattle where there is 

 no cellar, that the liquid manure may be saved. 



Stone Wall, when the material is convenient, 

 is the best and cheapest fence the farmer can make. 

 Animals seldom attempt to go over it, or throw it 

 down; and if it falls down a little in the course of 

 the year, the materials are always at hand for re- 

 pairing it. But do not cut the farm up into too 

 small lots, as they are more difficult to till and to 

 mow than open fields; besides the great waste of 

 land for many interior fences. We have known 

 farms of moderate size on which the waste of land 

 for unnecessary fences, and the strips on each side 

 not convenient to till, was sufficient to produce $100 

 worth of fruit annually, if set in trees. 



THE PEACH BLOW POTATO. 



The experience of our correspondent, Mr. Lee, 

 as given in our last number in relation to this po- 

 tato, corresponds with our own, and that of many 

 others. The first year we cultivated this variety, 

 it was on gieen sward, and among many varieties, 

 it was noted for its great luxuriance and superior 

 height of its top. There was no sign of disease. 

 Afterwards we cultivated it on old land, and among 

 forty or fifty kinds, all flourishing and healthy in 

 their tops; the Peach Blow was affected with the 

 curl. We planted it several years with the same 

 effect. The curl would stop the growth of the 

 tops so that the tubers would not be bigger than po- 

 tato balls. We lost from one-tenth to one-half of 

 our crop from this disease, and then gave up its 

 culture. 



In some locations this variety is not diseased, 

 and as it yields well, is of good quality, rots but 

 little, and bears a high price in market in spring 

 and summer — frequently higher than any other va- 

 riety — it is a profitable kind in soils adapted to its 

 culture. 



NOTICES OF PUBLICATIONS. 



The Journal of Agriculture is the name of 

 a new paper just started in this city, published in 

 book form at Horticultural Hall, School Street, 

 semi-monthly, at $2,00 a year. William S. King, 

 Editor; Prof J. J. Mapes, Assistant Editor. The 

 first number contains a variety of interesting and 

 useful matter, and favorably commends itself to the 

 liberal patronage of the agricultural community. 

 Success to the new enterprise. 



The Cottage and FarmBee-Keeper. — A very 

 neat little work, published by C. M. Saxton, Ag- 

 ricultural Book Publisher, New York, containing 

 in a small space much valuable matter, on the man- 

 atrement of this industrious and useful insect. 



Elements of Agriculture, for the use of pri- 

 mary and secondary schools. This appears to be 



a book of the first authority in France, and it is 

 adapted to the use of schools in the United States 

 by F. G. Skinner. Neat pamphlet fi)rm, 92 pages, 

 price 25 cents. Published by C. M. Saxton. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



Of John Fatler, gardener to Jacob Hittinger, Esq., 

 Watertown, a box of very fine, well-ripened toma- 

 toes, which he raised in the open air. These are 

 very early, as they were received a week ago. 



Of Solon Dike, Stoneham, a box and a twig of 

 cherries, a seedling of his raising. The fruit is 

 rather small, but the quality is sweet and good, 

 and the tree is a great bearer. 



From Hon. Samuel A. Elliot, Agricultural De- 

 partment of tlie Patent Office Report. 



J. C. Stone, Shrewsbury, has sent to us as a curi- 

 osity, a lose that grew on a bush that belonged to 

 his great-grandmother, which bush is probably 125 

 years old. 



We received, late last week, of John Fatler, 

 gardener to Jacob Hittinger, Esq., Watertown, 

 some very fine chenango potatoes of a large size 

 and excellent quality, being very good and mealy. 

 We are much obliged to Mr. F. for his acceptable 

 and seasonable favors. 



For the Neir England Farmer. 

 LUNAR INFLUENCES. 



In the July number of the Albany Cultivator, p- 

 230, is an interesting article on "Irrigation in Swit- 

 zerland," taken from the Journal of the Royal Ag 

 rkidlural Society. Coming so far, and through 

 such a medium, it must be worthy of regard ; nev- 

 ertheless, the following passage, relating to the 

 influence of the moon upon the growing of grass, 

 needs some collateral support: 



"M. Herzogalso informed me that he never ir- 

 rigated during the full moon, as he had always ob- 

 served that when the meadows were allowed to re- 

 main in water during the clear moonlight nights, 

 that the grass was perceptibly weakened, and that 

 its very color was affected. He had applied wa- 

 ter to different parts of the same meadow during 

 the full and new moon, and had experimentally 

 verified this fact." 



That this gentleman's observation of the growth 

 and color of the grass may have been as mentioned, 

 we will not presume to question. But that the 

 moon was the cause of this, we think there is no 

 good reason to believe. The custom of charging 

 the moon with this and that influence, has been so 

 common, that many things have been placed to 

 her account, with which she is in no manner charge- 

 able. Conductors of scientific journals should, 

 be careful in giving circulation to such fanciful 

 notions. Suppose an individual should have ob- 

 served, for several years, that the blight upon the 

 potato made its appearance on the third day of the 

 full of the moon in August, and should have drawn 

 the inference that this blight was caused by the di- 

 rect rays of the full inoon; would not such an in- 

 ference be plausible? It is hardly worth while to 

 wander to the moon for causes that can be found 

 much nearer home. 



July 19,1851. 



