September, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR 



141 



on Cape Cod tliat get a good Ihing. It is quite 

 n place for wood, esiiecially the pitch pine, and 

 shrub onk growth. There are several sloo|>s 

 constantly employed in the summer season, in 

 carrying wood to Nantucl<et. On the iMarsbpee 

 Plantairon, where the A^u^hpee tribe of Indians 

 is located, there are hundreds of acres of pitch- 

 pine, as handsome wood as that on Dark Plains 

 in Concord. 



But the inhabitants on the Cape do not depend 

 upon the soil for their principal support. "Tliey 

 go down to the sea in sliips, and do business up- 

 on the great waters." Where the land is not 

 susceptible of cnllivation, especially upon tlie 

 very shore, the retired seaiiien build salt-works 

 upon it, and get a crop of salt of more value than 

 can be raised in New Hampshire of corn, frojn 

 the same space of ground; and the e\pcnse, 

 taking ten years together, is no greater than at- 

 tends getting crops of corn, wheat or hops. So 

 much in brief, for Cape Cod soil. 



Many have low ideas of the people. In this 

 they are are also mistaken. There are few coun- 

 ties in New England, of no more inhabitants, 

 that can produce a more virtuous, intelligent and 

 enterprising community than does Barnstable 

 county on Cape Cod. In a little digression we 

 have said that the inhabitants there get their live- 

 lihood principally from the sea. This is true. 

 But the seamen of the Cape are not your swear- 

 ing, smoking, abandoned set of fellows, as many 

 sailors are ; but are as steady and virtuous as any 

 of our hardy yeomanry. It is computed that 

 nearly two-thirds of the connnanders of vessels 

 that sail out of Boston were originally from the 

 Cape. Look over the advertisements of the New 

 York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, &c. 

 Lines of Packets, and you will find the names of 

 Nicherson, Hawes, Percival, Hallett, Baker, 

 Chase, Lovell, Bursley, and a hundred others, as 

 commanders, and all of them Cape men. Most 

 of the foreign packets, such as Liverpool, Havre, 

 &c. are commanded and manned by Cape Cod- 

 ers. There is notau ocean, sea, gidf, bay or in- 

 let, that is not traversed hy .seamen from the Cape. 

 Yankee enterprise and daring are carried out by 

 them to their utmost extent. A certain orator, 

 at a centennial celebration at Barnstable some 

 lliree years since, said that the seamen on the 

 Cape would •' bound from the cradle to the main- 

 tops." Though this expression may be rather 

 figurative, yet they excel all others in seaman- 

 ship. 



Their hospitality is great. In this <piality of 

 the mind they possess the true characteristics of 

 the sailor. Their hearts and their homes are 

 open to the unfortunate. There are but few that 

 are very poor among them, and many are inde- 

 I)endently rich. Frequently will a retired sea- 

 captain be found a part owner in several packets, 

 and perhaps a director in a substantial Bank, liv- 

 ing in good taste in a neatly finished mansion, 

 who, when he commenced a sea-faring life, was 

 first a cabin boy and cook, then a hand before the 

 mast, next a mate, and lastly a master. 



But we must lay down the pen for this time, 

 upon this theme, but with the intention of resum- 

 ing it again at some future time. t 



The writer of the foregoing, who can appre- 

 ciate the character of the people because lie has 

 resided there several years, says he "could make 

 out quite a tiudgetof matters and things pertain- 

 ing to the Cape." It is an interesting field; and 

 we hope he may write us more on the subject. 



The late Russell Freeman, formerly of Sand- 

 wich on the Cape, in his life-time, informed us 

 that he easily made an excellent garden upon the 

 flowing sands of Cape Cod ; and that upon these 

 sands with the aid of oyster shells placed around 

 them he reared fine fruit trees. Gov. Morton also 

 informed us that on this lightest soil of thecoim- 

 try, with the aid of manure from refuse fish, 

 large crops of rye have been produced. — Ed. 

 Visitor. 



By a recent act of Congress, the value of the 

 jjound sterling is fixed in our currency at four 

 dollars and eighty-four cents. 



Some reputed saints that have been canonized, 

 ought to have been cannonaded ; and some n-- 

 puted sinners that have been cannonaded, ought 

 to have been canonized. — Ibid. 



For the F.irmer's Montlily Visitor. 

 Oak Timber in Derry. 



Me. Editou. — The cry is frequently heard 

 among us, "go to the west if you wish to see 

 limber." It is true that there are large trees in 

 the west, and if they could be brought to this part 

 of the country, especially to the ship-yards, would, 

 in good times, bring a round price. But how to 

 get them here — that's the question. 1 have seen 

 very beautiful forests of oak in Ohio, of the white 

 and yellow species; but the best of them could 

 be bought by the coopers for one dollar! and 

 when a man wishes to clear his land, he would 

 gladly give them away if he could nut sell them. 



But after all that is said of timber at the far 

 west, or " down east," I question whether any 

 more valuable can be found in either part of the 

 country than is seen in some parts of New Hamp- 

 shire. 



I passed through Derry a short time since, by 

 way of the Turnpike, and was much struck with 

 the view I had of the timber land upon that road. 

 One tract in particular I wish to notice. It lies 

 this side (north, or north-west) of the lower vil- 

 lage perhaps one mile. There are several own- 

 ers, as I was informed, of the whole tract; but 

 Dea. Hildreth, Principal of the Male Academy, 

 has a beautiful lot in it which he bought a few 

 years since. The gentleman who gave me the 

 information which I commimicate supposes, for 

 lie does not know for a certainty, that the Deacon 

 probably paid $25 per acre. Last year he had 

 several acres cleared and divided into two fields, 

 by a good substantial stone wall. One was sown 

 with rye, the handsomest that I have seen for 

 many years. He was liaviug it reaped at the 

 time I saw it, (July 26.) Tlie other field was corn 

 and potatoes ; and some of the corn was the 

 stoutest of any that I have seen ibis year. 



But the timber is what I wish to notice. Here 

 was a fair opportunity to see something of what 

 kind of sticks might be hauled out of that lot. 

 Xhe Eastern Rail Road Company have contrac- 

 ted for a vast amount of the black and gray oak 

 in this tract, for piles to the new bridge at Ports- 

 mouth. Some sticks, perhaps the most of them, 

 are fifty feet long. These are in one piece. But 

 where they have to go to the depth of seventy- 

 five feet, as they will in some parts of the river, 

 the stick must be in two pieces. You can judge 

 something of the size of these trees when you 

 are informed that those sticks that are to be 

 spliced, must be sixteen inches at the splicing 

 point, which in the large sticks, must be towards 

 the top of the tree. These timbers are drawn on 

 truck carriages with four horses in a train, from 

 Derry through the towns of Hampstead,Sandown, 

 Danville, Kingston and Exeter, to the Exeter riv- 

 er, and then floated to Portsmouth. Most of the 

 trucks employed are from Medford, Mass. The 

 timbers lay by the road side. 



I have fiirgotten, though I was told, what this 

 timber costs per ton, but the bridge must neces- 

 sarily be very expensive. 



I am persuaded if those who are anxious to 

 •see good land, well tiinliered, and of the best 

 kind too, will but travel a little in New Hamp- 

 shire, they can be satisfied without going to the 

 West. JETHRO, 



[Will Deac. Hildreth or any other person who 

 has tliis year raised rye or oilier cro|is upon new 

 ground on land whtru wood and timber have 

 been taken off, inform the readers of the Visitor 

 of llip process, exjiense, anil aiiioiint of tlie first 

 crop ?] 



From the Portsmouth .Journal. 

 Upare tfie Birds ! 



I was right glad, friend Smith, that you have ta 

 ken up arms in defence of the poor birds. The 

 barbarous fashion of shooting sparrows and rob- 

 ins has gone quite out of date with decent men, 

 There are now only a parcel of great grown up 

 boys, stout two fisted, almost-men-kind of boys 

 — who deem it a great thing to carry on this mis- 

 erable warllire. I saw one once coming home 

 after his day's campaign; he was six feet high 

 with an old rusty fire-lock on his shoulder and in 

 his hand, as a trophy, one poor robin. I could 

 not help asking him : Did you kill that bird ? 



The amusement of shooting birds is pretty 

 much the same as if you were to catch some lit- 

 tle wren, or tonilit ami .stick pias into them, — he. 

 to be the hero who first could touch the little 

 bird's heart and kill him ! 



I would not say one word against the humane 

 and gentle, and kind-hearted sport, if these gun- 

 ners always would kill these birds slone dead, 

 and thus put them out of their suffering at once. 

 It is no sin to kill an animal ; but to kill for 

 amusement,— lo break a bird's wing, to siioot oflT 

 legs, to tear aviay a portion of its beak — in 

 sport ! And then IVir the poor creature to starve 

 to death, pine away— dying by inches— Sjiort ! 

 A man with a reasoning mind, a conscience, fine 

 feelings — doing that which a cat does — torturing 

 to death some poor miserable little victim! 



A sportsman, now a sportsman no more, told 

 me that he was cureil of his folly by shooting a 

 beautiful bird and breaking its wing. "The poor 

 silly thing," said he, "could not escape me and 

 I picked it up whilst it screamed out in pain, — 

 its little heart I felt beating in agony, and its eye 

 looked at me so beseechingly, — I had not the 

 nerve to kill it ; yet I dared not let it go to starve 

 to death. So after mustering courage I shut my 

 eyes and then crushed its head ;— it made me 

 sick of this kind of sport." 



There was another story told me by a clergy- 

 man not far distant. " When I was a boy," said 

 he, " like other boys I went a gunning, after a long 

 ramble, I found nothing to shoot at but one poor 

 little jay. This was my only trophy of the day's 

 sport. Feeling thirsty, I called at a house hard 

 by where I had shot the bird, with my gun on 

 my shoulder and mi/ game in my hand. When I 

 got up to the door 1 saw a poor idiot boy tied to 

 a chair setting in the door way, as soon as he saw 

 me, he began to scream and curse and swear ; it 

 was shocking; he appeared to be in a great rage; 

 all I could understand was "birdie," "birdie," 

 "my birdie." 1 asked for water. It was given 

 me, in silence, by his mother. I then asked what 

 troubled the boy. She answered, 'you have shot 

 his little bird, one that had been tamed, and that 

 he had fed at the door every day.' This cured 

 me of the sport." Reader don't shoot the " pet 

 birds." It is not manly, nor humane, nor re- 

 spectable. C. 



The Farmer's Home. 



sun let mc hve among the hills, 

 The roclis, the trees, the flowers, 



Where I have passed my earliest j 

 My cliilhood's happiest hours. 



How oft beneath an aged oak, 

 Near bv my lather's^dwelling, 



Have I reposed with Itindred youth, 

 Some playful story telling. 



The birds above would plume their i 

 And raise their liappy voices, 



sure It is a pleasant place 

 Where every thing rejoices. 



Surrounded by the friends I love, 

 And free from every fetter, 



1 am an independent man, 



And wish for nothing better. 

 My little children round me sport, 



So blooming, blight and healthy, 

 1 often think tliat nature's gifts 



Hatli made nie very wealthy. 



liind, gentle, prepossessing; 



I'm sure it ever man were blest, 



Mine is the greatest blessing. 



Temperance on Ship-Board. — Among the 

 many gratifying evidences which we have lately 

 met with of the progress of the temperance 

 cause, is the interest which is manifested in be- 

 half of tenipeiance, by hardy tars, on board our 

 national vessels anil our merchant ships. This 

 is one of the glorious results of the Washingto- 

 nian movement. Let the masters of our mer- 

 chants ships, and the officers of our national ves- 

 sels, co-operate with the friends and advocates 

 on the land, in promoting this great work, and in 

 a short time the stigma of intemperance would 

 be remo\ed liom the character of our seamen, 

 and they would take that elevated station in soci- 

 ety to which tlicy wntild be entitled by their in- 

 tegrity, coura;;e and .«obriety. 



The ship Hcrculc.s, Capt. Gregerson, arrived at 

 this port a short time since, and on tlie Sunday 

 pri:ceding her arrival, he summoned all hands to 

 the quarter-deck, and addressed them on the 

 subject of intemperance, referring to some un- 

 pleasant incidents during the voyage, growing 

 out of the indulgence in iiiinxicating drinks, and 

 urguig them to conquer a habit, at once and fiir- 

 ever, which tended directly to make them miser- 



