378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



present in farm-yard dung. These are the only 

 evils to be apprehended from the desirable employ- 

 ment of this manure in the freshest state; for oth- 

 erwise the loss of its most valuable constituents 

 commences as soon as ever fermentation begins. 



" Great waste is often made in putrescent ma- 

 nures after they are carted on the land ; instead of 

 being immediately covered or incorporated with 

 the soil, we not unfrequently see them exposed for 

 days together in the hot rays of a scorching sun, or 

 to the injurious influences of a dry wind." 



Upon plowing land in the spring which was ma- 

 nured and plowed the previous autumn, it will be 

 found liglit, porous, and looking black, with a soft, 

 greasy touch. Seeds placed in such a soil are in 

 a suitable condition to receive the light, air and 

 warmth which they require, and will sprout and 

 grow much more readily than in a more compact 

 soil. This is the first advantage, and the second 

 is, that the plants springing fiom the seeds in such 

 a soil will grow faster and larger afterwards. 



PATENT OFFICE REPORT FOR 1850-51. 



This is another volume from the Patent Office al 

 Washington, sanctioned by the government, and 

 chiefly made up of communications from persons 

 residing in various parts of the country, in reply to 

 queries propounded from that office early in the 

 year. Among the contributors, we find the names 

 of many gentlemen coni]Tetent to give valuable in- 

 formation on the subjects which they discuss. The 

 work, large as it is, sustained by the fostering care 

 of the general government, and receiving abundant 

 materials upon all subjects connected with agricul- 

 tural interests, ought to be one of sterling excel- 

 lence. But it is arranged with so little regard to 

 order — the paper is so mean and miserable, and the 

 printing executed so abominably, that the work is 

 a disgrace to the Commissioner, the Government, 

 and all others who have had any control over it. — 

 If the communications were worth printing, they 

 were worth a proper arrangement, and references 

 by an index. Instead of that, the index is some- 

 what worse than useless, as no reliance can be 

 placed upon it. For instance, — we were desirous 

 to see what Dr. Lee said upon agricultural educa- 

 tion, and were referred to page 145. Upon turn- 

 ing to that page, Dr. Lee was not there, nor even 

 in "those parts;" but we were more than half con- 

 soled by finding ourselves in the presence of our 

 excellent neighbor, the Hon. M. P. Wilder. 



The title-page of the volume informs us of its 

 contents, and that they are classified under seven 

 different heads; but the index makes no sort of ref- 

 erence to this classification. If the reader desires 

 to look under the fourth head, that of Sheep Hus- 

 bandry, for instance, he may put on his spectacles 

 and patiently turn over the leaves one by one till 

 he finds it — he will get no aid from the index. — 

 There seems to us to be no arrangement whatever 



in the contents of the volume, and the index only 

 makes "confusion worse confounded." If the Com- 

 missioner would request his correspondents to reply 

 to his queries on separate pieces of paper, (and he 

 should take no notice of those who did not,) they 

 might be arranged with little labor, under their res- 

 pective heads. He should then make an alphabet- 

 ical and analytical index, and in addition to this, an 

 alphabetical list of the names of the contributors to 

 the volume. 



There is really a great deal of valuable informa- 

 tion collected in the work, which would be exceed- 

 ing useful if it were properly arranged. But in 

 its present state it is nearly worthless. We are 

 out of all patience with the miserable "botch-work" 

 in the way of printing at the seat of government. 

 The public documents are printed and bound in 

 such a slovenly manner that they are a disgrace to 

 the nation. The public printing might be done in 

 the city of Boston at a cheaper rate, including cost 

 of transportation, as most of the paper is taken from 

 the north, and in an infinitely superior style than 

 it has been done in Washington for the last ten 

 years. The Patent Office reports are published at 

 an annual expense to the people of over a hundred 

 thousand dollars, and they have a right to expect a 

 better volume from such a liberal investment. 



A BENEFACTOR. 



The committee on Fruit, Forest and Ornamental 

 Trees of the Bristol County Society, in their late 

 report state that "a wealthy inhabitant of Middle- 

 sex County, recently left a legacy of several hun- 

 dred dollars, for planting trees by the road-side. 

 And they ask — what future wayfarer, as he seeks 

 rest and shelter under the welcome shade, will not 

 pronounce blessings on this benefactor of his race." 

 We wish they had revealed his name, that it might 

 be uttered in gratitude when we hear the wind 

 booming through leafless branches, or softly breath- 

 ing in the yielding pines. Young men sliould 

 carve it on smooth beeches, and maidens weave it 

 in green garlands to deck their marriage feast. 

 Blessings on the man who decorates the earth and 

 protects us from winter's blasts and summer's 

 smiting heats. His memory shall be as fresh in 

 our hearts as the flourishing tree which his benev- 

 olence has planted. 



Grating Horse Radish — Celery. — D. C, Low- 

 ell. — The Shakers reduce theii horse radish in a 

 machine operated by a crank. It has large graters 

 similar to the common nutmeg graters, but we do 

 not know how they are constructed. Celery for 

 winter use is preserved in various ways. We have 

 seen it placed in raised beds in a sheltered position, 

 and covered with alternate layers of straw and 

 earth. This is a good way where the climate is 

 not too severe. With our cold winters, the best 

 way, probably, is to lift the plants on the morning 



