228 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEll. 



Feb. 9, 18a7 



Ji 



From the JVallonal Gazette. 



PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING AGRI- 

 CULTURE. 



Annual Meeting, Jan IG, 18'27. — Dr. Mease 

 Vice-president, in the cliair. — Tlie following otS- 

 cers were unanimously re-elected : 



President. — Richard Peters. 

 Vice Presidents. 

 Wm. Tilghman, Nicholas Biddle, 



James Mease, I. C. Jones. 



Secretary and Librarian. — W. S. Warder. 

 Treasurer. — W. M. Walmsley. 

 Corresponding Committee. 

 Richard Peters, James Mease, 



Wm. Tilghman, John Vaughan, 



Z. Collins. 

 Curators. 

 Reuben Haines, Stephen Duncan, 



R. Vaux, Jer. Warder, 



John II. Powel. 



From the Hingham Gazette. 



ON THE PRESERVATION OF OLD FRI 

 TREES. 



The raising of good fruit is justly consider^ 

 our most eulighttned agriculturalists a busine 



The following communications were read : — 



1. On the importance of the manufacture of Par- 

 mesan Cheese to the United States, by Dr. Mease, 

 ■with details of the process, from different authori- 

 ties. 



2. A letter to the chairman, from Benjamin Har- 

 rison, of Berkley, Charles city Co. Virginia, re 

 lating additional facts of the ellicacy of a drench 

 of cedar-berries in curing the murrain in cattle. — 

 An account of this remedy, by Mr H. is contained 

 in the 5th volume of Memoirs of the Society. 



3. By Mr. Philips on the culture of Rape, and its 

 use as a winter food for cattle. 



4. On the extraordinary e.xcellence of South- 

 down Mutton, determined by a recent trial of the 

 saddle of a wether, imported in the year ]8'24, and 

 subjected to tlie ordinary keep of a Pennsylvania 

 farm, without grain. 



5. By Mr Powel, on breeding Cattle and Sheep. 

 — on the adaptation of different breeds to the vari- 

 ous purposes, climates and soils of the United 

 States. 



6. The committee appointed to examine the sheep 

 offered for the premium proposed at the last an 

 nual meeting, viz. " A silver cup, value 

 the best specimen of long or combing wool, refer- 

 ence being liad to tlie form, properties,and charac- 

 teristics of the animal, affording most flesh and tal- 

 low witli least offal, — reported in favour of Mr 

 Powel's " thorough bred Dishloy sheep, recently 

 imported by him from England." 



Mr Powel having exhibited one of his imported 



heifers of the improved Durham short horn breed, 



■ tlic.^ ommittee added, " she possessed in a liigh 



degree, all the fine points for which that valuable 



and beautiful breed of cattle is celebrated Not 



■withstanding she had been kept, thus far, through 

 the winter vvithout grain, she was in high condi- 

 tion ; the best evidence that could be offered of 

 her disposition to fatten on simple food." Committee 

 — Aaron Clements, Michael Newbold, William 

 Philips. 



7. Mr Powel adduced evidence of the dairy pro 

 perties of certain families of the improved short 

 horned breed, among which were recent letters' 

 from Dr Elmer of New Jersey, and Mr Carpenter 

 of Lancaster county. 



lie? 



jiec 



flkit 



Ilk. 



CAUSES AND MEANS OF AGRICULTURAL 

 IMPROVEMENT. 

 The improvement of agriculture, like that of ev- 

 ery art, manufacture, or commodity, necessarily 

 depends on demand and production ; a powerful 

 or effectual demand vifill ensure produce, and ex- 

 cellent produce will, to a certain extent, create ; importance to our country. The raising of yi 

 demand. A general nicety of taste in coach or i trees in this part of the country is attended 

 saddle horses will call forth a superior description ' much care and labour, so difficult is it to pn 

 of those animals, and superior animals will tempt , them from their enemies of various kinds. Ai 

 purchasers ; if the inhabitants of any district who ' cidcnt has convinced mc that our old fruit 

 live chiefly on barley or oats, indicate a prefer- I are of much greaier value than seems to be ; 

 ence for wheat, and a willingness to pay for that j ally supposed, and that wu lose much benefi 

 grain, wheat will be produced and so on. Again, I pleasure by neglecting them, 

 as the object of every individual who engages in Within a few years I had occasion to ino' 

 art or trade, is to acquire gain, the advancement ; considerable quantity of gravelly earth froi 

 of an art will depend maiuly on the profits it af- } knoll and to raise the ground to the heigh 

 fords; an art or occupation which affords less tlian ; about five feet around the trjnkofa very 1: 

 the average profits or capital, will oniy be follow- apple tree. I had considered the tree of very^ 

 ed by such as.l'rom habit or other reasonSjCannot ap- tie value and h:id struck a t'e-v strokes for 

 ply themselves to anything better, but extra prof- purpose of cutting it down. But a sort of veno] 

 its will command both capital and skill. From tion for the old tree prevealed. It occurred 

 these considerations it is obvious that the improve- . me at the moment that tiiL; tree, probably in 

 ment of agrisulture depends on the profits or capi- course of more than a century had, by its fruit, 

 tal employed in it, on the taste of those who pur- • freshed and nourishe i a great number of my 

 chase its products, and on the knowledge of those |loiv beings of several generations, and prob; 

 who are engaged in agriculture as a profession, j some to whom I am indebted for a-11 I hold deal 



The desire of being comfortable is the first step | I resolved to spare this tree, although it 

 towards improvement ; but before anything can i been several years fruitless end had all the 

 be desired, we must know what it is. Men rest pearance of rapid decay by old ago. Its tr 

 satisfied with what they have when they know of j was a mere shell. A man of large sh.e might 

 nothing better. Could a taste for wheaten bread ter a hollow in the trunk, about six feet above 

 and butcher meat be introduced generally among ' surface of the ground, and find sufficient ro.ji 

 the operative classes in Scotland and Ireland, the conceal himself from view. 



advantages to agriculture would be immense. — j The gravel was raised up round this tree in t|l 

 Could the same persons be taught to desire a i year 1817, since w-hich time it has assumed in i| 

 greater degree of cleanliness, light and warmth in I liu'ibs, branches, foliage and fruit, all the vii^ou 

 their cottages, a greater variety of pot herbs, sal- i and perfection of a middle aged tree. It hu 

 ads, fruits and flowers in their gardens, and hand ! grown more and more rapidly each year anr ~oj 

 some dresses for their wives and daughters, how ' iinuaily improves in the quantity and quahi 

 great the general benefit ! fruit it bears. It bears a valuable fall frui; 



The endeavouring to impress on the minds of by the well known name in this place — " .""■ 

 the lower classes the propriety of being contented further." 



vs^ith the simplest and cheapest fare, is extremely The effect of this accident led me to try an e; 

 pernicious to the best interests ot mankind. En- pcriment on another old decaying apple tree thn 

 comiums ought not to be bestowed on those who stood in a place where I desired such a tree t 

 <*"0 "for '"'^ contented with mere necessaries : on the con- stand. I took away the sod and earth from aroun 

 trary such indifference ought to be held disgrace- the tree to the depth of a foot and to the distanc 

 ful. A taste for the comforts and enjoyments of of six feet. I then carted in coarse gravel an 

 life should be as widely diffused as possible, and if i raised a circular mound around the tree about fou 

 possible interwoven with the national character feet high, and then placed the earth and sod ove J 

 and ^prejudices. This, as it appears to us, is the the gravel. This was done about three year: * 

 best mode of attempting the amelioration of the since. The tree began, the next year,to revive am " 

 lower classes. Luxuries, and if you will have it , to bear more abundantly, putting out young am " 

 so, even wasteful habits are incomparably better ; thrifty branches, and promises to be of great val '' 

 than cold sluggish apathy, which would content j ue. Another fact ought to be stated to give a fai ' 

 itself with what can barely continue mere animal view of the experiment. The land around botl I 

 existence. "In those countries," Ricardo judi- ' these trees has been more cultivated and enriched 

 ciously observes " where the laboring classes have : than before the gravel was placed about them.— I 

 the fewest wants, and are contented with the j Doubtless they have flourished belter on that aC' ' 

 cheapest food, the people are exposed to the great- 1 count. The way in which the gravel proves sc j 

 est vicissitudes and miseries ; they have no place ' beneficial to the trees 1 suppose to be this. On 

 of refuge from calamity ; they cannot seek safety i land that is cultivated, the earth, in the course ol . 

 •in a lower station; they are already so low that } time, is washed away and leaves the roots, near 

 they can fall no lower. On any deficiency of the !the trunk, almost naked. Consequently the roots 



It has been proposed to give aqueduct pipes a 

 thin coat of pitch when they are laid iu the ground, 

 instead of whitewash aiS now practised. 



hief article of their subsistence there are few 

 substitutes of wliich they can avail themselves, 

 and dearth to them is attended with almost all the 

 evils of famine." (Sup. Encye. Brit, art Corn 

 Laws.) Such is the case in Ireland, where amidst 

 the germs of the greatest riches and luxury, the 

 inhabitants are content to live on less than any 

 other people in the world. — London. 



are exposed to the severity of frost and the whole 

 tree to be wrecked by violent winds. The grav- 

 el protects the tree from both these causes of in- 

 jury and probably in other ways contributes to its 

 health and preservation. 



The experiment here described offers benefits 

 of no trifling value. Around many of our old 

 dwellings there arc tress which have been orn»- 



