kngiiat, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



127 



the uurler soil be )init] pan and rocks, or mere 

 sand or jiorons gr.-ivel, the eftect is said to be 

 excellent, increasing the capacity of the ground 

 to produce sonietinjes double. "Mr. Kiiuball, in 

 the produclion of onions, beets, carrots, potatoes 

 and other esciijetits U|i<in this light sandy dry 

 soil, ill piesoiviiiir vcfret.iiiiin IVoiii the effects o'l 

 drouiilit, iiiiist have diauii up tui advantage (i'oni 

 the undersoil or else iiuparted to it some rpialiiy 

 claiming and retaining humidity from the iilinos- 

 phere, to enable tlicm to look so flourishing. 



The garden spot lately purchased was a por- 

 tion of a building lot on which ftlr. K. had re- 

 cently erected a neat building for a store. In 

 the lot a large rock approached the surface of 

 the ground ; and it occurred to him that this 

 might afford for splitting a portion of the mate- 

 rial for the cellar wall. The earth was dug fiom 

 the rock, and with the stoneman's drill it was 

 rived into inaiiy pieces and made to constitute 

 the larger jiortion of the cellar wall. It lay in 

 the ground some six or eight feet deep — the top 

 of the ground about the rock was the same light 

 sand. Digging down, the sul)soil near the bot- 

 tom of the rock was thrown up and covered the 

 ground. The rock was taken out early in the 

 spring: since that time a luxuriant vegetation 

 has s|irnng out of this exposed subsoih Hog- 

 weeds were standing round the rim of the hole 

 from which the rock was taken six and eight 

 feel high. From this fact the farmer may draw 

 an inference, probably confirmed by the obser- 

 vation of many, that there is gi>eat virtue in what 

 lies in the ground deeper than has yet been 

 stirred. 



Those who pass through the town of Boscawe 

 in its whole extent upon the travelled road nea 

 est the river might be led to form no very high 

 estimate of the value and fertility of its fai 

 Aliove Johnson's as we approach Boscawen 

 Plain we come to theancieni Gerrish farm, which 

 at a former period was a large tract of first rate 

 intervale: judging of it, from appearance as we 

 pass, it would seem to be now so poor as hardly 

 to compensate for the labor bestowed in its cul- 

 tivation. 



The plain itself shows fine gardens, among 

 which is that of .John Greenougli, and Worcester 

 Webster, Esquires, the latter projected and cher- 

 ished by the late Hon. EzekicI Webster, and 

 abounding in a greater variety of cherries, plums, 

 jieaches, pears and other fruits than any other 

 garden in the county; but on this side of the river 

 there seems to be no considerable farm of much 

 extent. On the opposite side of the river from 

 this sprightly village is the improved farm of the 

 late Smith Sanborti, Est], whose spirit and enter- 

 prise have not only reclaimed an extended plat 

 of river intervale which was worn out and ex- 

 hausted, but have infused into others an ambition 

 to make their lands give better crops and a grea- 

 ter profit. In the same neighborhood on the 

 Canterbury intervale are the large farms lately 

 the |)roperty of Joseph Clough and the Canter- 

 bury Joseph Gerrisli. Thise three gentlemen, 

 lately well known in Concord, are no longer 

 numbered with the liviu<r. 



[To be continued.] 



of the Tea wheat, thirty-one heads in one and 

 twenty-five in the other, five feet long, giving a 

 most extraordinary product from two kernels of 

 grain. 



The same gentleman also brings lis a cluster 

 of fifty rye stalks, sttinding upon an average six 

 feet higii, all coi7iiug from a single grain, the 

 stalks of which shew themselves, until pulled 

 from the ground, beautifully bright and healthy. 



We mentioned a iiivv weeks since that the 

 flourishing agricultural town of Henniker had 



Perhaps there has been uo season of the pres- 

 ent age when the early graius have been as pro- 

 lific as the present. 



We have a cluster of Black sea wheat from the 

 field of Mr. Edward Langmaid of Chichester, 

 standing nearly five feet high, of eighteen hetids, 

 the produce of a single berry. The Black sea 

 wheat has been introduced within the last six 

 years into the county of Merrimack : it is a spring 

 wlieat, little of the varieties of the winter wheat 

 from which comes the flour of the west being 

 raised in this part of the country. The culture 

 of the several varieties of spring wheal had been 

 abandoned in most of the towns near the seaboard: 

 the rust and blight or the weevil destroyed most 

 of the crop. The Black sea wheat is so imich 

 proof against the rust that many farmeis have 

 sowed it successfully in the month of May, 

 thereby avoiding the depredations of the fly and 

 weevil. Mr. Langmaid presented a fiirmer living 

 near Newbury port will) a peck of the Black sea 

 v\'lieat two years ago for trial ; the gentleman in 

 every trial of other, kinds of wheat bad failed. 

 He had a fine product from this the first and 

 succeeding years. 



A gentleiiian has left at our office two clusters 



presei>fed only a single case of bankruptcy under 

 the new law of Congress. We have been request- 

 ed to say that the afljoining town of Pembroke 

 has up to this time only a single case, and that an 

 individual who has removed into town since the 

 last March meeting. 



The beantiful street on which the principal set- 

 tlement of Pembroke is fixed, as a travelled road, 

 contrasts strikingly to the disparagement of the 

 main street of the'polished ca[)ital of New Hamp- 

 shire in its near neiffhborhood. It is much to be 

 desired that the people of Concord would at least 

 make their roads so that some of them most tiav- 

 elled will not remain [lermanently dangerous. 



Pembi»ke, as a place of residence, is one of 

 the tnost beautiful in the country : its main street 

 extending between two and three miles on a di- 

 rect line, accommodated with neat dwellings at 

 convetiient distances, is more (ileasant tind airy 

 ny we know of in the State. The enter- 

 j people of this town have erected two large 

 and commodious buildings for academical instruc- 

 tion—both of which probably the better flourish 

 from being rivals and competitors. We under- 

 stand tl>e Gymnasium and Literary Institute un- 

 der the management of Mr. Kinsman opened last 

 week with seventy-eight scholars on the first day 

 of the term. Pembroke street is considerably lesi 

 than a mile distant from the new rail road land 

 ing four miles l)elow the Concord depot. 



It has been stated to us, that there isa.s^et on 

 ly a single case of bankruptcy in what was tlu 

 ancient town of Warner — there being one othei 

 case ill tliat part of the town known as the Gon 

 which uas annexed by the Legislature a fewyeari 

 since. Warner has its fine farms u|iou and amonj 

 the hills its neat village has lieeii much extended 

 and beautified,wliich extends some three miles on 

 Ainesliury river,riinniug through the town in 

 ly its whole length east and west. 



On the 27th of July, Mr. Nathan Walker of 

 Warner scut us ears of corn fit for boiling takei 

 from his field : this was about as early as any con 

 grown ill M-issachusetts, from fifty to a hundrei 

 miles south, was exhibited in the Boston market. 



We know of no limestone in the county of 

 Merrimack excepting that found in Warner, in 

 the vicinity of Mink Hills on the south of Ames- 

 bury river: several years ago a considerable quan- 

 tity of lime was burned from this stone. Doctor 

 Jackson has examined it lately, and pronounces 

 it valuable for agricultural purposes, but not so 

 good for the mason's use as that manufactured 

 from the limestone of Maine. — Hill's Pat. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Making Manures. 

 Ma. Hill: de.ar sir: — 1 have recently seen two 

 or three numbers of your valuable paper, and was 

 much iiiterestcd in their contents— so much so, 

 that I have concluded to become a subscriber. I 

 notice your remarks in particular relative to the 

 sulijecl of manures. I slionid think were they 

 carried out pracliially, thi'V unnid prove highly 

 beneficial to our tiirmers in tins part of the coun- 

 try. — I have considered the great secret of suc- 

 cessful farming in the New England States was 

 in increasing or making of Manures, over and 

 above the natural quantity produced; — and still 

 many of our fininers seem to care but very little 

 or pay but very little attention to this branch of 

 their business. Our lands can be made to pro- 

 duce nearly or quite equal crops to any in the 

 couiitiy not even excepting the rich valley of the 

 Mississippi, and all this may be .accomplished by 

 the agency of manures. The only question that 

 arises is, how may our inaunre heajis be increas- 

 ed? — Every farmer I think has the facilities for 

 accomplishing this desideratum. The hog pen 

 nd manufactory for converting wash, soil, 

 md other vegetables into the best of ina- 

 ind the hogs are excellent workers at the 

 business — the only place where they can work 



to advantage. I have made from twenty to twen- 

 ty-five loads of good manure from theVatting of 

 single hog in one season. 



The compost heap is as 1 consider another 

 great facility for the prosexMilion of this branch 

 of farming. I am about forming one on rather 

 an experimental scale, and woulii like your opin- 

 ion or some of your correspondents' on the i'eas'i- 

 bihty of the plan. 1 intend to take a quantity of 

 three or four loads of coarse manure such as I 

 have on hand, twelve to twenty loads of wash,and 

 turn one or two casks lime and a quantity of 

 green weeds, coarse grass, &c. with two or three 

 barrels leached ashes. Now I want to enquire 

 if, in the fermentation going on in this compost 

 heap, a quantity of the value does not escape by 

 evaporation ? aiid if so, are there any means by 

 which it can be prevented .= will the weeds and 

 vegetables probably be decomposed by the pro- 

 cess ? and will it be good economy to use lime 

 in the making of manures nta net cost of about 

 $2 for common size barrels.' 



I intend through a small aperture at the top 

 of my heap to pour in a quantity of fish brine, 

 and some other brine I have now on hand. 



When we take into consideration the excellent 

 home market we have for all the products of our 

 lands, and the high price they bear in market, 

 it is a matter of no little astonishment that so few 

 are engaged in this most honorable of all avoca- 

 tions, and that those who are engaged in agricul- 

 tural pursuits are not for making more extensive 

 improvements, which in all cases prove a profit- 

 able investment. Mother earth seldom disap- 

 points the liberal hand. 



Very respectfully, 



GEO. T. CLARK. 



Mansfield, Ct. Aug. 1, 1842. 



Remark of the Visitor. 



The plan of Mr. Clark for making compost we 

 exceedingly approve : we think he cannot fail of 

 remuneration tor his labor. One cask of liine in 

 every ten to fifteen loads (in every twenty loads, 

 if the price of lime be too high) will be a good 

 investment. If there be danger of escajie fiom 

 evaporation, a thorough covering of soil or turfs 

 will enclose or recei\e all, and the covering itself 

 vyhen saturated may be as valuable as the inte- 

 rior manure. The lime, whether the quantity be 

 small or great, will much assist the decomposi- 

 tion of all the vegetable matter. Lime is valua- 

 ble both as decomposing the coarse ingredients 

 of manure.aud ."s Ibiiiiing of itselfa valuable com- 

 ponent of the soil afierwai(l.s. It is a great ene- 

 my to sorrel, and wc are of the belief that it will 

 much assist in expelling from the ground des- 

 tructive worms and insects. 



Coniinunicated for the Visitor. 

 Large Cattle in Deerfield, Ms. 



The following is the weight of a number of 

 two years old heifers raisetrand fatted in Deer- 

 field, Massachusetts, by Epliraim Williams, Esq. 

 Most of them were two years old the fall previ- 

 ous to being slaughtered, which was in the month 

 of March, for summer use. In this town the 

 fiirmers are in the habit of raising their fall 

 calves, as they are considered better than those 

 that come in the spring, and winter cows are 

 called as profitable as those that come in the 

 spriiiff. 



l.<]829, 715 lbs., 87 rough tallow or gut fat. 

 1831, 748 lbs., 86 tallow. 1833, 832 lbs., 89 tal- 

 low. 1834,820 lbs., 103 tallow. 1835, 891 lbs., 

 90 tallow : this heifer 30 months old. 1836, &31 

 lbs., 82 tallow. 1837, 726 lbs., 55 tallow. 183e, 

 a two years old steer, 850 lbs., 80 tallow. 16.39, 

 ■84 lbs. 1841, 789 lbs. 1842, 846 lbs. 



Most of the above creatures were native stock : 

 a few were a cross with the improved Durham. 



From the Maine Farmer. 

 Who owns the Soil of the Road 7 

 Mr. Editor — We wish to learn through the 

 ediuni of your J.aper, whether we have a legal 

 right to remove the soil or any thing else that 

 pertains to the highways, ojiposite and conligu- 

 to our neighbor's laiul, and convert the same 

 iir own private use, when the public con- 

 venience does not require such removal. .Sup- 

 pose we are, or tire not vested with the authori- 

 ty of a highway Surveyor, and has my neighbor 

 above referred to, a right to prosecute for dama- 

 ges ? Lnquirer. 

 jYote. — A man relinquishes to the public, (when 



