THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



if milk is taken with tliem, the drink is tlie most 

 serviceable we Ijave ever roiiiid, — funiisliing 

 nourishment, while it j^l.ikos thirst. Rum and 

 Cider and their kiiidred spirits are not to be ad- 

 mitted to the field of the ])rudent and worthy 

 farmer. I know they are not needed ; I know 

 they aie not nsefid there. The hay will be cut 

 and cured with more despatch and comfort wlien 

 true tenipeiance practices prevail, than where 

 alcohol intrudes. 



None but the intemperate are injured by drink- 

 ing cold water. If told that I know not tlie 

 hardship of swiufring tlie s( yiho, and the need a 

 man then has for the stlruiiiiis, I n |il\ lh.;l I </« 

 know what it is to swin^^ lli'' scuIm-, :inil tli,it dii 

 the vei-y hottest day of If-ID, 1 ua> mouluj^ fnun 

 half past four in the morning unlil three In the 

 afternoon, with the e.xception of time enough to 

 eat, drink, and grind the scythe ; and neither then 

 nor on any other d;iy of the season, did I require 

 the use of any driidss stronger than milk and wa- 

 ter. And no man, after one month of temper- 

 ance, will ever require any thing stronger. 



Mistaken Notions. 



" "The notion continues as it has begun to be prevalent 

 that no one can thrive in tiie occujiation who pertoruis not 

 the wholHWork with his own hands or by the hands of de- 

 pendents who cost him little or nothings and the final 

 result is, to cast no inconsiderable portion ot" the farming 

 community beyond that desirable pale of respectability 

 which is necessary to constitute the gentleman — and it 

 may be the civilian and the statesman capable to discliarge 

 every public trust." 



Mb. Hill: — I extract the above from y 

 speech delivered last September before the Agri- 

 cultinal Society of Caledonia county, Vermoni 

 which appeared in the Visitor in October follow- 

 ing. Owing to other engagements, I have been 

 prevented from offering a few strictures on the 

 subject matter, before now ; but I trust I am not 

 tot) late in the day. 



1 consider the subject glanced at as replete with 

 , importance to all, and "especially to that large 

 class of men who are not farmers — who on read- 

 ing it woidd give that portion of the address t 

 degree of attention which Agricultirral journals 

 do not often elicit. Without intending the least 

 flattery to you, sir, the orator of the occasion, al- 

 low me to say that the quotation is apt and suitet 

 to the times, and just such :is is needed through- 

 out the land. A feature, too, which recommends 

 it highly is, tliat the speech itself has not that 

 display of enthusiasm which farming writers 

 prone to exhibit when chanting the praises of 

 New England Agriculture. You know what I 

 mean. I have heard speeches so luxuriant on the 

 delights of country life — on the safety of capital 

 invested in banks (of earth)and stocks (of cattle) 

 over that of money institutions, that it seemcci 

 only to remain for the audience to bow down and 

 worship the long sought for means of comfort 

 and competency. 



Bitt to the point, the hinge of the matter. Is 

 it a fact that a man is necessarily thrown without 

 the pale of respectability because he is obliged to 

 work his farm with his own hands to make both 

 ends meet ? I do not believe it. Even you have 

 fallen into the error. You have stated it as a 

 consequence ; and I have no doubt, in common 

 with others, you really think so. I affirm that 

 nine out of ten of otir population living in cities, 

 who have the means of investment on a farm, arc 

 not deterred from pursuing the business because 

 ihey will thereby lose caste. The feeling never 

 entei-s their heads. No, sii- ; believe me, I know 

 something of the state of feeling among ihalclass 

 which form the life and sinew of American citi- 

 zens—brought up in cities with the bar, the pul- 

 pit and the commercial career open to them nat- 

 urally as it were. And I am anxious to offer my 

 influence in endeavoring to disabuse tlie agricid- 

 tural conununity from such a sentiment so large- 

 ly entertained by them. That these engaged in a 

 lucrative business — en|oying their ease and se- 

 cure of that tide of success which they have 

 built up — of course would look with ill-favor on a 

 profession so void of inteiest to them as far as 

 even a competency is concerned. But that class 

 is exceedingly small, and cannot be brought into 

 account. Speculation raises its thousands to 

 make its fifties. Agriculture never expects any 

 favor from them, exceptiug now and then a stri- 

 king case so rare as to prove the rule. But take 

 the mass of people, an<l if, as conceded, it is not 

 the loss of caste that prevents them from invest- 



ing Iheir means on a well-stocked farm — what is 

 it? 1 will tell you, and call on you to disprove 

 the point, if you can. You can do nothing htttcr 

 than bringing the matter up and drawing out 

 light and truth, the only way to inteiest t!je public 

 and open their eyes. Do not doubt ihey will not 

 read and meditate. Journals friendly lo you in 

 one of our largest cities, would take it up"— for I 

 have observed with what eagerness they devote a 

 spare cohiuin to , -in agricultural article of real 

 merit — niid thus bring belbre llio lhnii<aiid> wlio 

 consult them for business pnr|joses, a siihjoctcal- 

 ciili:ted lo divert tlieiii fiom loruiiiig inefficient 



Mii;,H r,i|iil(ils. ilir> :iro straining tor a fiiolliold to 

 phihi;!- lutu lHi~im>s, with all the nrdor of cer- 

 tain results if Ujey succeed, and with the desjiair 

 of unsuccessful attempt urging them onward. 

 This is the head and front of the matter. They 

 dread lest the products of farming industry will 

 not support them. They fear that, unaccustomed 

 to manual labor, their strength will not prove ad- 

 equate. Once they fidl into the notion, as you 

 say, that by employing labor it will not pay the 

 cost The respectability of the thing never en- 

 ters their minds. They are told that with a judi- 

 cious outlay of labor, with what they can them- 

 selves perform, that it is pool fiuining that does 

 not — that it only requires a determination to suc- 

 ceed, and the theory is done. Now, sir, who can 

 conviiiie them that it can he done.' Where are 

 the men who will venture to impart to their 

 countrymen information which nfit?cts all and 

 impoverishes none.' Humanity demands it. Let 

 not the call pass uiiheeded from you — ye wli 

 have tried the exjieriment and are Jiviiigon the 

 rewards of successful industry : not ye w ho have 



the means of indulging in costly experinienis 



whose independence cousi.sts iiot in your broad 

 acres; nor ye who have been driven to the jiro- 

 fcssion as a substitute for the least of all ihe evils 

 of poverty, or perhaiis the victim of town ex- 

 travagance. But even you might hear the call 

 f.nd give us your exjierieuce. Nay — may it not 

 be more than valuable .' 



I attended at Ihe meeting of the American In- 

 stitute to hear Mr. Coleman two months ago in 

 New York, and was gratified wiih his style of 

 address and the manner in which he displayed 

 his enthusiastic love of New England. My o"nly 

 objection was the tendency of his lemarkslo cre- 

 ate an enthusiasm which the details of agricnl- 

 iiire will not safely warrant. I fear he is <iver nice 

 about bringing up items of dollars and cents in 

 the snuiming up account of farming — that the 

 items of human felicity should not depend on 

 such contingencies as too mercenary. Now, sir, 

 1 will not dispute with any theorist on this point. 

 But it so happens that as human heincs placed 

 as we are must have trials lo leach us wisdom and 

 dependence on God ; and the chief of these tri- 

 als is to occupy six-sevenths of our time (with 

 our duties, God and our fellow-men) in securing 

 our daily bread ; and it is contrary to reason and 

 not uncontroverted by Scripture, to pursue any 

 course which has not an income at least equal to 

 its outgo. This dictate of common sense, or in- 

 stinct if you please — as the want of it brings in- 

 variably its own ]iunishment ; and if any body 

 wants a proof of its obligation, he must be too 

 subtle a reasoner or too Platonic a |diilosoplier to 

 deserve an answer. I will not figlit about words, 

 Imt if this class of theorists mean that the pro 

 ducts of the soil should constitute the circulating 

 medium, they have my consent. But to urge that 

 a farmer should be above calculating, whetl 

 his farm is paying interest and supporting his 

 family or not, is arrant nonsense. His whole- 

 some grain is stored— his cellars filled with sus- 

 tenance for man and beast — his trees and gardens 

 have contributed their fi-uits, such as money can't 

 purchase. But stop, friend — dost thou know 

 whether they have cost thee what repitition will 

 by a few processes weaken thy ability to pro- 

 duce more, and finally exhaust thee ? 



Now, Mr. Hill, let us meet this subject in the 

 ace, and not charge the world h ith harboring 

 larsh sentiments when the rever.se is the liict. 

 A FRIEND AND AVELL- WISHER. 



Norwich, Ct., 9th June, 18-11. 



with them. How shall they he taught to keep 

 their distance .' Many applicalion.s have been 

 .-iroiii-h leconiiiiendL-d, but tt'C never found any 

 tiling (jfidual but the thumb and finger. Y.ui 

 iiiiiy ehi-luse the iilant in collon wool, and lliis 

 will keep tlieiii oil'; hut it injures the plant by coii- 

 linemciit, and the want of light and iui-,"ali(iut 



boxes o\er the hills, and cover these willi inilliii- 

 et or gauze. This will keep the Iiug.s oft"; but 

 ihe plants will grow up long, lank and lender, 

 and will never come to much. We have tried 

 suljihur, coal dii.-t, soot, tobacco lea &c &c. but 

 after all, we never Ibiiiul any ahsolnte cure so 

 sure as the thunib iiiul linger. Visit the plants 

 when the air is euol any tiiiio of day, and the 

 hugs cannot fly readily. They may be cauglit 

 and killed. In warm days when the sun is out, 

 you cannot catch them all ; but go at sunset, and 

 you may kill every one that has gathered on the 

 hill during the day. Follow this s.vstem lor sev- 

 eral days — say a week — and you will have killed 

 about all there are on the premises. If you 

 were careful to plant the seed thickly, allowing 

 ten (or the bugs to one for yourself, you can now 

 pull out the sickly and injured plants, and leave 

 Iho.so that are the most thrifty. These will suf- 

 ler little fiom the yellow bugs. 



Our observation has satisfied us, that these bugs 

 are not niigralory in their habits. They hatch out 

 on the premises near where they obtain their fond, 

 and seldom travel from neighbor to neighbor. 

 So that if you kill them all out of yonr garden, 

 as you may do in a few days, you will be in but 

 little danger of invasion iiom your ncighlior's 

 swarms, and will leave but few to deposit their 

 nits for a new brood another Spring. — Maine 

 CuUivalor. 



I the Xurthcn 



ght. 



Yellow Bogs. — Yellow bugs are unusually 

 thick this season. Few cucumbers, melon.s, 

 squashes or pumi)kiu3 escape destruction from 

 thein. Some days the hills are almost yellovy 



Licbig's orgauic Chemistry of Agriculture and 

 Physiology. 



BV JOU.'* .4. DIX. 



At the close of an article on the importance 

 and dignity of agriculture, we spoke of it as a 

 "science embracing a wide range of invesliga- 

 lion, and to be bniughl to perfection by an acccti- 

 rate knowledge ol' fact.-,' Are. The great diveiis- 

 ty of soils, arisin;; Iroin the presence in one of the 

 ingredients, which are vvanling in others, or from 

 combinations of the same ingredients in varying 

 proportions: the endless variety of vegetable pjo- 

 diicts suited to the support of animal \\k ; the 

 diflerences of climate,, which are found between 

 the poles and ihc equator, and the alternations of 

 temperature, which we meet with at unequal el- 

 evations in ihe same parallel of latitude, render 

 the practical operatioii-s of agriculture a subject 

 of careful observation and usually of sound and 

 discriminating judgment. Under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances the kind of vegetation, to which a 

 paniciilar .soil is best adapted, or the artificial aids 

 it requires to bring it lo the highest degree of fer- 

 tility, cannot certainly be determined without 

 subjecting it to the test ofexperiment. The nuin- 

 her of iiersons, who have the opportunity of 

 learning the properties of the soil they cultivate 

 by the means of a chemical analysis, is very small 

 compared vvilh tho.sc, who do not possess this 

 advantage. One of the objects of the geological 

 survey of this state now in progress is au analysis 

 of soils with a view to the improvement of its ag- 

 riculture. This benefit must necessarily be [)ar- 

 tial. Tiie analysis of a single .specimen in a dis- 

 trict of considerable magnitude is as much as can 

 he accomplished ; and every practical agricultur- 

 ist knows that on a single farm of moderate ex- 

 tent a great variety of soils may often he found, 

 and that its fitness for particular descriptions of 

 vegetation may he varied, where its ingredients 

 are unaltered, by a mere difference in the inclin- 

 ation of its surface, by means of which one field 

 may retain moisture while it runs off fi'otn anoth- 

 er. It is this variety, which so wonderliiUy aug- 

 ments the physical capacity of man, and so great- 

 ly diversifies his enjoyments, while it calls tor 

 the constant exercise of his observation and his 

 reflective faculties in convening the powers of 

 nature to the most profitable use. 



But a knowledge of the composition of the soil 

 and its capacity for production constitutes but a 

 small portion of what it is necessary for the sci- 

 entific agriculturist to know. He must under- . 

 stand the nature of the ingredients, which enter 

 into it, their influence upon vegetation, thestruc- , 



