THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



THE FARMER'S MOXTHLY VISITOR. 



A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER. IS PUBLISHED BV 



JOHN M. HILL, 



HiWs Brick Block, Concord, JV. H. 



GENERAfAGEIVTS, 



B. COOKE, Keene, N. H. 

 TH. R. HAMPTON, Washington City. U. C. 

 JOHN MARSH, Washington St. Boston. 

 CHARLES WARREN, Brinleij Row, Worcester , Mass. 

 A. H. STILLWELL, No. 1, Market Square, Prov.R.l. 

 L. W. HALL & Co. Spri7isficld, Mass. 



The Visitor will be issued ( 



Thri 



; last day of each i 



lars : — Twenty-five copies for Fifteen Dollars. 



The three first volumes, embracing the years 1839, '40, 

 and '41, of the Visitor, are offered as a premium for every 

 ten new subscribers for the year 1842 obtained and paid 

 for by one person. 



Subscribers may commence at their election, cither with 

 the January or July number, in e.ach year. An Index and 

 Title Page will accompany each year. 



O" Communications by mail will be directed to the 

 Publisher in Concord, N! H. 



THE VISITOR 



Potatoe Starch — Mountain Lands— Incitements 

 to Industry. 



Potutoe starch is an ui tide that lins become 

 extensively used in the cotton factories ; anil the 

 raising of potatoes to supply starch factories lo- 

 cated at a distance from a good market for that 

 article for common family use, has in some in- 

 stances been a very good business. Formerly 

 .potatoes were used extensively to make a dele- 

 terious liquid, worse than any other alcohol that 

 has been introduced into tliis country, called po- 

 tatoe whiskey. The use of any vegetable for 

 such an object, in an improved moral state of this 

 community, would-be highly reprehensible : to 

 raise potatoes for starch, which comes extensive- 

 ly in use in the weaving of cottons, will be con- 

 sidered a commendable appropriation of that 

 vegetable, second only in the production for hu- 

 man sustenance in New England to the single 

 article of Indian corn itself. 



There can be no stronger inducement present- 

 ed to men of enterprise than a successful sure 

 example; and we think we cannot do a more ac- 

 ceptable service to farmers than present facts. 

 With these it becomes necessary to give per- 

 sons' names: the friends of improvement will 

 consider the error our own rather than that of 

 the often unassuming individuals whose names 

 we use in the prosecution of our inquiries, and 

 in the developemeut of new sources of income 

 from our mother earth. 



We have heretofore endeavored to impress 

 upon our readers the value of our rougli mour".- 

 tain lands. There yet remains much laud =,n the 

 upper counties of this State considered of little 

 value that may be made valuable. In conversa- 

 tion with WiNTHROP FoLsow, Esq., of Dorehes- 

 tei-, a few days ago, we ga'.hered the following 

 facts : 



Four or five years ago he purchased a lot of 

 eight acres of 'uncleared rocky land, for which 

 he gave threo dollars the acre : this land, covered 

 with a S!\o\\\\\ of wood, he cut down, cleared, 

 burnt and fenced at an expense of eight dollars 

 pp.V acre— making the cost of land eleven dol- 

 lars per acre. It was planted with potatoes: 

 he charged himself one dollar for every day's 

 work done, and twenly-five cents per bushel for 

 the seed potatoes. He called the potatoes raised 

 that year on the ground worth sixteen cents the 

 bushel ; and he found the gain of this year' 

 operations, above the cost of land and clearing 

 and the expense of seed and labor, to be ninety 

 dollars, or nine dollars per acre. The next suc- 

 ceeding year he raised on the same ground foui 

 hundred bushels of oats: since that time the 

 same laud has produced a decent crop of hay. 

 and is now good pasture land. 



Mr. Folsom has more recently purchased a lot 

 of three hundred acres of these wild lands at 

 the price of one dollar an acre. On this land be 

 has commenced clearing. His first clearing was 

 fil'teen acres at the cost of eight dollars an acre. 

 His first crop of potatoes on this ground was 

 3100 bushels. Three thousand bushels sold to 

 the starch manufacturers at one shilling the 

 bushel, brought $500 — one hundred bushels 

 drawn home worth $17 — making the year's pro- 

 duct $517. The cost of land, fencing and clear- 

 ing, $160, would leave the clear gain of this 

 year's operations on these fifteen acres, three 

 "hundred and fifty-six dollars. The second year 

 (which was the last year, when the crop suffered 

 much from drought) the same land produced 

 475 bushels oats, worth at 50 cents 237 50, and 

 14 bushels of rye worth $1,00, making $251. 

 After the two crops were taken off, it would not 

 be high to value this land at five dollars the 

 acre. 



The method of planting the potatoes is ex- 

 tremely simple. After the ground has obtained 

 a good burn, the planter proceeds witli a bag of 

 cut potatoes swung over his shoulder — strikes a 

 sharp hoe into the ground through the outside 

 rooty turf— covers with the foot, making each 

 hole at the distance of about eighteen inches in 

 the row, and the rows three feet apart. Planting 

 in this way makes three fair days' work to the 

 acre, worth $2,25. The digging of an acre of 

 potatoes at four shillings per day, six days' work, 

 s worth $4. No hoeing during the season 

 s necessary ; and so well does the seed oper- 

 ite in the ground, that the vines often grow 

 to a sufficient size to cover the land. The whole 

 expense of raising potatoes on burnt ground, af- 

 ter the ground is cleared, Mr. Folsom informs us, 

 vill not much exceed six cents a bushel. 



There is a certain profit in almost all cases in 

 learing and cultivating even the rocky moun- 

 tain soil. It makes, after the first crops are, taken 

 off, the best fields for grazing. A yoiing man 

 who pitches upon these lands with a good judg- 

 ment as to position and quality, may probably 

 make more capital in ten years with the same 

 labor than he can do to go to the easier lands far 

 west. He here runs no risk o{ the " chills and 

 fevers:" he remains ne-rir his friends and the 

 graves of his ancestors. We wa.ut only an en- 

 terprising spirit even in rough New Hampshire 

 to make it the most desirable place of residence. 

 Double our agricultural products, and our manu- 

 factures will adva'-.ce four-fold. The more we 

 can raise on tb;; land, the better will be the mar- 

 ket for oi'.v surplus. Suppose any town, like 

 that of Dorchester upon the heights, containing 

 ". po|)idation of one thousand souls, raises for the 

 manufacture of starch over and above its former 

 ])roducts, $5000 in a year. This addition in ten 

 years would add to the means of each family, 

 besides the income upon the amount, five hun- 

 dred dollars in solid capital: it would be worth 

 half as much as the whole present capital ; and 

 as the prudent use of capital constantly accumu- 

 lates capital, so such a community, at first poor 

 and dependent, would soon become more at 

 ease than the man of greater accumulation who 

 has millions at risk. 



The first Mill-Crank in Coos. 



From an interesting book written by the Rev. 

 Gra.nt Powers, a native of Hollis, but recently 

 a settled minister of Haverhill, N. H. we have 

 an account of the first saw-mill crank transport- 

 ed across the country from Concord over Con- 

 necticut river to Newbury, Vermont. A party 

 of six persons undertook this task, there being 

 no such road as could be travelled by horses or 

 oxen. Mr. Powers had this account from Judge 

 Woodward and John Page, the father of the 

 present Governor Page. He says : — 



" I do not know the precise number of men 

 who went for the irons, but I think as many as 



si.\-. They prepared a rude hand sleigh, I do no' 

 recollect the technical name for it. They split 

 a hard wood sapling, and shaved the two flat 

 sides, as the cooper would do a hoop for a hogs- 

 head. The flat and wide side was the bottom 

 of the runner, and it was bent up forward, and 

 the end being shaved down small, it entered a 

 hole in a thick ribbon ; and the runner and rib- 

 bon were supported apart by studs entering the 

 runner and ribbon, or nave, at short distances 

 from each other, from end to end. The cross- 

 bars rested upon the ribbcns. This vehicle se- 

 cured several advantages. It was light; the 

 runners were wide, and would not readily cut 

 through the snow; the beams were high from' 

 the ground, so that rocks and stubs were not 

 likely to strike the cross-beams. Being thus 

 eciuipped, they took in their provisions and set 

 sail with light hearts. There was more sport, 

 however, in going to Concord with an emp- 

 ty sled, than in returning with a ponderous 

 freight. 



" The snow was deep, and it proved to be a 

 very cold week, and before one half the distance 

 was gained on their return voyage, they felt 

 themselves exhausted by fatigue, and benumbed 

 with the cold. They came through Hebron, 

 and came on to Newfound Pond, because the 

 way was more level, yet the cold more severe, 

 for they had not the forest to break the force of 

 the wind. Having gained somewhat more than 

 mid way of the pond, which is six miles in 

 length, they made a halt, and took their seats 

 upon their sled for rest. Page arose and went 

 some little distance to a glade, or opening in the 

 ice, to drink, and when he returned, he found 

 all bis Companions sinking down into a sleep, 

 from which, if it had been indulged, no power 

 pliort of Omnipotence could have aroused them. 

 Page was not lost to a sense of his or tlieir dan- 

 ger ; the thought of which proved the necessary 

 stimulus to excite him to effort in redeeming 

 them from death. He cried out to them that 

 they were all dead men, if they did not instantly 

 awake, and bestir themselves. He seized them 

 by their shoulders, shook them, and made them 

 stand up ; and he so preached terror to their au- 

 ditory nerves, that they revived, and resolved to 

 make every possible effort to reach a camp in 

 (he woods; and they were successful, and thus 

 saved themselves alive. 



" I speak of their reaching a camp. It may be 

 proper for me to state in this place, that our fa- 

 thers had taken the precaution to build camjis 

 on the route from Haverhill to Salisbury, one 

 camp in every twelve or fil'teen miles, and each 

 was supplied with fireworks and fuel, so that a 

 traveller could soon kindle him a fire ; and he 

 had the boughs of the hemlock for his bed. 



" But this same jjarty came near perishing when 

 they had arrived in sight of Haverhill, in the 

 north-east part of Piermont; and had it not been 

 for Woodward to perform fbr Page, in that in- 

 stance, what Page bad done for them upon the 

 pond, they would have given up the ghost. But 

 they were told it required but one effort more, 

 and all danger was past ; but if they gave way 

 to sleep for a few minutes, as one of them pro- 

 posed, they never would awake in the body. 

 They were induced to persevere, and they came 

 in to Haverhill, where they found the blessings 

 of a fireside, of food, comfortable lodgings, and 

 anxious friends to sympathize with them. 



" This saw-mill crank was the one which was 

 so long in use at .-Vtwood's mills in Newbury, 

 but 1 know not its location or its uje at this 

 time." 



If the Legislature of New Hampshire had 

 adopted as a principle the refusal of grants of 

 the right of way for turnpike roads and bridges, 

 our position might now have been comparatively 

 little better than was that of our ancestors in 

 1765-70, when six men, for the purpose of trans- 

 porting a mill oraiik seventy miles, were obligcf 



