74 



t&ljc .farmer's l!tcmt!)ltj Visitor. 



Cultivation of the Raspberry. 



The plants are frequently set out in light and 

 poor soil, crowded together, left tin trimmed, 

 choked up with a profuse growth of weak stems 

 and what little fruit they produce is nearly dried 

 tip, from the arid situation in which they are 

 placed. On the contrary, in cool, deep and 

 moist soils, in a sheltered and partly shaded 

 place the plants throw up suckers to the height 

 of six or eishl feet, and produce a profusion of 

 large handsome, and well flavored berries. So 

 Well assured are the most eminent English culti- 

 vators of the raspberry, of its love of a cool and 

 moist soil, that some writers have strenuously 

 recommended the use of hog earth and rotten 

 leaves, in the place of the richest loam. We are 

 well assured that the many complaints which 

 are made of the meagre produce of many rasp- 

 berry plantations may he attributed wholly to the 

 light and droughty soils in which they are often 

 planted. 



A cool aspect is of material consequence, and 

 to secure this the north side of a fence or trellis 

 which will form a screen from the sun, is the 

 most favorable; on the north side of a shrubbery 

 or row of fruit trees is also a suitable place. If 

 Neither of these situations is to he had, an open 

 spot in the garden may he chosen, always being 

 careful to avoid the south or east side of a fence. 

 A temporary shade may he effected in the open 

 garden hy planting a row of running beans on 

 the south side. — Hovey's Magazine. 



Hogs. 



An experiment made hy me with my hogs, 

 satisfied me that boiled food was far cheaper to 

 fatten upon than raw food. I took two hogs of 

 the same litter, equally thrifty, and put them in 

 separate pens. I fed one on raw corn, the other 

 on boiled meal. Both had as much as they 

 could eat. The one fed on boiled meal, well 

 cooked, and made into a mush, was somewhat 

 the fattest, but it did not consume one-fourth as 

 much corn as the other. It commented fattening 

 earlier, ami" eat up clean all that was given it, 

 while the other, alter becoming fit, would crack 

 out the kernel or heart, and throw away the bal- 

 ance of the grain. I pretend not to give the rea- 

 son for this ; that !• leave to you, bill I know the 

 practical fad well enough to determine me here- 

 after always to grind my com, and boil the meal 

 wttli which lo fatten my hogs. — Correspondent of 

 the Southern Planter. 



Ealontiin, Ga., January, 1818. 



Farming iu Old Hillsborough. 



Bedford, May 11, 1848. 

 Hon. Isaac Hill — Dear Sir: Although we 

 have formed a County Agricultural Society since 

 you was with us last Fall, we continue, as yon 

 will perceive, our Town Society. Our county 

 and town societies increase in numbers very 

 slow ; still you can see the effects very visible by 

 the conversation, as well as the farms of the farm- 

 ers in our region. 



More compost manure is being made this year, 

 — more talk and inquiry on the subject; more 

 fruit trees set out — more grafting done, and 

 greater inquiries about the kind and species — 

 I may say twice as much this year, as ever be- 

 fore, to my knowledge. 



Our Town Society met 10th of May, 1848: 

 this was our annual meeting. The following 

 gentlemen were elected the officers: 

 Samuel Cha.viii.er, President. 

 Adam Chandler and David Atwood, Vice 

 Presidents. 



Peter P. Woodbttrv, Secretary. 

 Solomon Marking, Treasurer. 

 William Patten, Thomas Holbrook, Leon- 

 ard C. French, Joan Adams, Gardner Nevens, 

 and Stephen French, Jr., Reveiwing Com- 

 mittee. 



After election of officers, there was a very in- 

 teresting discussion on the disease of the poiato 

 and its remedies, and on the excretions of the 



cow. We have yel to learn, where there has 

 been applied in the manure when put on the 

 land, or spread broadcast before ploughing, from 

 five to ten bushels salt per acre of (muriate of 

 soda) there has been any occurrence of disease 

 to the potato. We have known the disease to 

 be in the potato where salt has been applied iu 

 small quantities in the bill. 



Many members of the society spoke of the 

 excretions of the cow ; and in no instance have 

 we known the excretions to have failed, either in 

 pointing out the bad or bastard cow, as well as 

 the true or good cow. 



The socii-ty feels a great interest in the above 

 subjects, and are making all laudable exertion to 

 their practical truth. 



Yours truly, 



PETER P. WOODBURY, 



Secretary. 



N. B. — The Hillsborough County Agricultural 

 Society hold a meeting at Squog, (Bedford,) on 

 Thusday, the 15th June, 1848. Your presence 

 would adil much lo our personal gratification, 

 and great good to the cause of agriculture. 1 

 hope it will be in your power lo attend. If you 

 please give a noiice in the Visitor of our meeting 

 at Squog, and an invitation for all who take an 

 interest in this profession, so much above all 

 others. 



P. P. W. 



The manner in which the English steamers 

 affect the business of Boston is indicated in the 

 amount of duties collected annually on the goods 

 imported in those vessels. 



The aggregate is $5,032,209 for eight years.— 

 The increase is regular and annual. The num- 

 ber of barrels of flour sent from Albany to 15os- 

 lon iu 1847, was 702,500.— Post. 



From the Maine Farmer. 

 Fences. 

 Mr. Editor — Through your paper, 1 will sug- 

 gest a lew things ahout fences. It is apparent to 

 all that wooden fencing stuff is getting very 

 scarce in this Slate, and will soon be so dear that 

 few farms will pay the expense of fencing. A3 

 a substitute, I propose to set out trees, in rows, 

 about eighteen to twenty-four inches apart. — 

 Take our common forest trees, such as will 

 sprout from ihe root, and small ones that can be 

 handled easily, and set them along where an old 

 fence is. Then, as soon as they get well rooted 

 and large enough so that cattle cannot push them 

 over, nail two or more battens on them, and they 

 will make a good and durable fence. It would 

 he well, also, to keep them well trimmed up to a 

 good height, so as to form good, straight, band- 

 some bodies for timber. If the farmers would 

 adopt this method of fence, it would answer 

 several valuable purposes — safe and permanent 

 fences, a good shield against high winds, and a 

 plenty of habitations tor birds, and situations 

 that the boys could not handily climb to rob and 

 destroy the nests. Besides the above advanta- 

 ges, this method would be laying up, in store for 

 future time, a large and valuable stock of timber 

 for future use, especially if the bodies should be, 

 kept well trimmed up, so as to make them grow 

 tall and slim. Every farmer could, at leisure 

 times, make a considerable piece of this fence 

 every year, and in a few years get bis farm well 

 fenced. 



PHILO. 



Portland, May 1, 1848. 



, 



Comparative cost of Gas. — Mr. Piekston, a 

 reliable English authority, gives the following 

 statement respecting the cost of gas, compared 

 with several of ihe articles most commonly used 

 for lighting. We use Federal denominations for 

 the convenience of the American reader: — 



1. Suppose wax candles equal $0 22 



2. Sperm oil 11 



3. Ill snuffed candles 11 



4. Tallow candles, mould, to lb. 8 



5. Whale oil in solar lamps 44 

 0. Coal gas 2i 



Productiveness of Strawberries. 



In all the long discussions ahout barren and 

 fertile strawberries, the actual amount which 

 each variety will \ield per acre, which is of great 

 importance, appears to be entirely forgotten. To 

 one who raises for market it is quite essential to 

 raise such a variety as will yield a surplus of a 

 hundred per cent, above the cost of raising, 

 rather than one that will yield no such surplus 

 at all ; and the home cultivator wishes to get as 

 much for his labor and land as practicable. On- 

 ly a few statements of the amount per acre have 

 been made. Hovel's Seedling, it is said, has 

 yielded 20CO quarts, or more than 62 bushels per 

 acre The Old Hudson (of Cincinnati) which is 

 probably the most productive of all strawberries 

 as yet cultivated, has produced, according to 

 Nicholas Lotigworth, at ihe rate of 5000 quarts, 

 or 150 bushels per acre. Burr's Late Prolific, a 

 new variety lately originated at Columbus, Ohio, 

 it is stated, yielded 35 quarts on a bed six feet by 

 twenty, which is about 240 bushels per acre ; it 

 doubtless received the best possible culture. It 

 would he very interesting, and of great value, to 

 know the comparative productiveness of' the dif- 

 ferent varieties of the strawberry, raised side by 

 side, and Healed precisely alike. Such experi- 

 ments would greatly facilitate the selection of 

 the best sorts, for each different part of the 

 country. 



From the American Agriculturist. 

 Inducements for Immigrants on James River. 



Notwithstanding the number of immigrants 



from 



the North, who have located themselves in 

 of Virginia, ami the 



seen. Nature has here been prodigal of her 

 favors, in affording a good natural soil, an abun- 

 dance of marl, and excellent water. The noble 

 river offers ample facilities to markets, for the 

 sale of produce of every description, and to the 

 immigrant, it presents many inducements. — 

 Lands can here he bought cheap, and of the best 

 quality. It is true, much of ihe land has been 

 worn-out, or exhausted, by improvident and in- 

 judicious cropping — everything taken oft) and 

 nothing returned ; but there are many noble ex- 

 ceptions to this unfavorable stale of things.— • 

 Take, for instance, the Brandon, Coggins' Point, 

 Shirley, Westover, Weyauoke, and othi r estates. 

 These farms, I believe, have been, at a compara- 

 tively recent date, as unproductive as much of tint 

 impoverished lands in their several neighbor- 

 hoods: and 1 hazard nothing in slating, that al- 

 most every acre of land on the margin of the 

 river could easily and cheaply be made to yield 

 an equal or a larger return of crops than these 

 farms are now doing. 



On the estate which I now occupy, seven or 

 eight years ago, six bushels of wheat, and from 

 ten to twelve bushels of corn, would have be^n J 

 considered a high average crop per acre; but 3 

 last year 540 acres yielded an average crop or 'II 

 23J bushels per acre, of w heat, and 580 acres ol jfl 

 corn produced an average of not less llian 3 J * I 

 bushels per acre. These returns present a \ 

 handsome and encouraging increase, w hich has 'y 

 been brought about with comparatively litile |, 

 outlay, under a five-course rotation of crops :fl 

 that is, corn, wheat, clover, w heat and clover, 

 with the use of lime, gypsum, and the careful 

 accumulation and application of manures madej 

 on the estate : and under an improved system of, 

 farming, there is no doubt but these returns 

 might be doubled. 



Your correspondent, "A New-Yorker," I hope, 

 will he able m extend his observations, and pre 

 sent your readeis v\ iih his views of the capa' 

 lies of Ibis delightful legion, and the induce- 

 ments therein offered to immigrants. As aho'".,| 

 indicated, I consider this a healthy region of 

 country, as a residence in it of nearly fourteen! 

 years, enables me to say so confidently. 1 moved 

 .here with my family, almost directly from Scot- 

 laud, and together with my children, have enjoy- 





