1S53. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



339 



Second, as to the ocaipafion of the boys. A 

 large proportion o£them,sAy seven-eighths at least, 

 were employed in sewing leather, or scioing coarse 

 garments, for a paltry hire of 15 cents per day. 

 This will do when there is nothing else that can 

 be done. But why coop up the boys in this man 

 ner, when there is so much to be done upon the 

 fixrm, where they are anxious to be employed? — 

 Such confinement enervates their bodies, and hu- 

 miliates their minds. It would not be strange at 

 all under such circumstances, that they should be 

 refractory. No one could blame them for being so 



The purpose of the founder, if I rightly appre 

 hend it, was to prevent, rather than to pimish offen 

 ces. A truly noble purpose. This he would ac 

 complish, by taking those youth who were so un- 

 fortunate as to be under no parental guidance or 

 restraint, and placing them during their minority, 

 where they could be employed and instructed ; so 

 that when they come upon the world, they might 

 be found useful and worthy of confidence. To do 

 this effectually, it is necessary that the boys who 

 enter the institution should feel it to be a privi 

 lege granted them, rather than a punishment inflict- 

 ed; and 80 it is, the indiscretionsof youths of their 

 age are not to be viewed as crimes. The char 

 aoter of their acts is far different from those of old 

 offenders. 



The boys should feel a confidence in being en- 

 tirely forgiven. They should not be harrassed by 

 the reflection, that they had done wrong. So 

 long as they feel themselves to be looked upon as 

 criminals, so long criminal thoughts will be upper- 

 most in their minds. The boy who remarked in 

 your hearing, "Some of us cannot help thinking," 

 told the whole story. While they thus meditate, 

 their chief aim will be to counteract the restraints 

 of their overseers. Until they can be|made to re- 

 spect themselves, they will never be worthy to be 

 respected by others. 



To suppose these boys more disposed to evil, 

 than the generality of boys of their age, in the 

 community, is a great mistake. The fact is, boys, 

 like men, are pretty much alike every where — 

 only made different by accidental circumstances. 

 I doubt not as much talent and as much virtue, 

 can be found in a hundred of these boys, as in a 

 hundred of the same age in any of our Colleges, 

 Then why not so preserve and guide them, as to 

 make men of them ? If the State fails to do this 

 it will fail to do its duty. Essex. 



June 11, 1853. 



For the New England Farmer. 



TRIMMING PINE TREES. 



Mr. Brown : — Will you please to put into your 

 valuable paper a few lines respecting whether it 

 is best or not to trim young pine trees, and when 

 is the best time to do it to prevent them from 

 bleeding. g. f. w. 



Remarks. — We cannot answer the questions of 

 our friend with much confidence that we can affjrd 

 him aid. The remark has been familiar to us from 

 boyhood, that evergreen trees must not be trimmed ; 

 that nature will cast off the lower limbs, when 

 the tree has done using them, in a better manner 

 than we can separate them with the saw or knife. 

 On the other hand, Ave have known individual 



trees that were trimmed and flourished well, and 

 we have in our mind at this time, a large number 

 of white pine trees standing in a body that were 

 pruned seven years ago, and which have grown 

 well since. They stood thick, and were pruned 

 up perhaps six feet from the ground. 



If pruned at all, we have no knowledge at what 

 time the work should be done. 



The inquiries are important, and we hope those 

 possessing knowledge in relation to them will 

 impart it to us. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A NEW ENEMY IN THE FIELD. 



Within the past three days, we have noticed on 

 our apple trees, a small worm, which threatens 

 destruction to our most valuable crop. His man- 

 ner and size are much after the style of the canker 

 worm, but his personal appearance is different. — 

 Like the canker worm, he devours the leaf, all but 

 the tough fibres, and if you suddenly shake the 

 tree, spins dowYi on his thread like a spider, and 

 he leaves the tree looking as if seared by fire. 



The canker worm, if I recollect aright, when he 

 visited New Hampshire twenty years ago, or more, 

 was always of a dark color, and moved soberly, by 

 measure, like an inch worm, while these creatures 

 are of all colors, black, brown, green and striped, 

 and they slip off your hand, with a sort of waltz- 

 ing step, in a second. 



I have traveled from Chester, through Raymond 

 and other towns, home, to-day, and have observed 

 them all along. They are abundant, not only on 

 the apple tree, but on the plum, and on the white 

 and red oak. The peach, which promises a great 

 crop, this season, seems to be free from them. — 

 Probably they are not fond of prussic acid. I 

 note the matter hastily for the Farmer, without 

 investigation, myself. Probably Professor Harris 

 can tell us all about the animal in a moment. 



Exittr, N. H., June 20, 1853. 



H. F. French. 



Remarks. — These new plagues are common in 

 this vicinity, and threaten sad havoc to the apple 

 trees ! but they infest our strawberry beds and 

 even the pines in the woods. Every effort should be 

 made to suppress them and th'^ir progress minute- 

 ly watched, so that we may know more of their 

 habits. Shaking the trees pretty freely, dislodges 

 them, but whether they return to the tree harm- 

 less, or not, we have not observed. We advise 

 this practice and also the syringing the young tree 

 well with whale oil soap, strong soap suds, or even 

 clear water. 



We understand that the muriate of lime manu- 

 factured by James Gould, at Charlestown, Mass., 

 will destroy them, by sprinkling the ground with 

 the lime, and shaking the worms down upon it. 



To Keep Birds from Picking Fruit. — As the 

 season is coming on for the depredations of birds, 

 I beg to report my experience of last year, when 

 I saved my currants and gooseberries by winding 

 colored worsted around and across my bushes ; and 



