356 



NEW ENGLA-ND FARMER. 



Aug. 



shallow ideas as to the amount of education which 

 may desirably find employment in the conduct of 

 such affairs. It therefore needs for its establishment 

 and its practical working, a class of men, hopeful 

 and courageous because they have clear, compre- 

 hensive and well defined views of what can he ben- 

 eficially done in the way of agricultural education 

 — men who, understanding the exact condition, 

 difficulties and wants of New England farmers and 

 farming, can devise, and select suitable agents to 

 dispense, a course of instruction for our farming 

 youth, justly combining theory andpractice,and ac- 

 tually fitting them for the proper and most profita- 

 ble cultivation of the earth, with the incidental, but 

 vastly important advantage of preparing them, by 

 the mental training attendant thereon, for a more 

 intelligent and useful discharge of duties as repub- 

 lican citizens. 



I know of no association of men more favorably 

 circumstanced for giving life and an active practi- 

 cal usefulness to an Agricultural (College, than 

 your Massachusetts Board of Agriculture. It is 

 composed of persons of large and long experience 

 in practical affairs, of persons of ripe scholarship 

 and thorough experience in the management of 

 seminaries of learning, and all entertaining liberal 

 views of men and things. You are located in a 

 State containing many wealthy citizens, frequent 

 in noble acts of munificence. One of your citizens, 

 resident in Boston, told me not two years ago, 

 that he would give the necessary land, located 

 ■wherever in the State might be judged best, to a 

 corporation duly chartered and organized for the 

 education of young men for farming. What, if 

 not the establishment of a justly proportioned Ag- 

 ricultural Institution, is a fit achievement for your 

 Board? I venture, my friend, to express to you, 

 a member of this Board, a hope, and indeed ex- 

 pectation, that it will not let its great energies and 

 influence lie in dormancy, regarding this matter, or 

 play, upon the surface of it by mere discussions, 

 but will use them actively, practically, in the pro- 

 duction of something which we can see, feel and 

 possess. Allow me to ask if it would not be well 

 to ascertain what can be done by way of private 

 subscriptions to the capital stock, and of individu- 

 al endowments of such an Institution. You can 

 probably obtain a charter from the Legislature, 

 and not much more at the outset. Aim not too 

 high at the beginning, but make your course of 

 instruction more and more full and complete, as 

 experience and increasing funds shall dictate ; and 

 from first to last, make it such as shall be practi- 

 cally beneficial. The condition of most of us far- 

 mers, so far as the affairs of this life are concerned, 

 is one requiring primarily, a practical fitness for 

 the intelligent discharge of a round of daily, and 

 more or less homely, but still manly, duties ; and 

 with this substantial ground-work well laid, we 

 may well add thereto all the acquirements and ac- 

 complishments we can find time for — the more the 

 better. It cannot need more than a few words to 

 say, that these remarks are not made in a criticis- 

 ing, or fault-finding, meddlesome spirit, but spring 

 from feelings of friendship and good will, and a de- 

 sire for the promotion of agricultural improve- 

 ment. F. HOLBROOK. 



Brattkboro\ June 20, 1853. 



White Weed.— Capt. Daniel Trefethen of this 

 town, assures us that he has discovered a method 



for killing effectually, this plague of a "farmer's 

 life." He says that the present season, he had a 

 field, which was literally covered with the blos- 

 soms of the white weed so called, and having a 

 small quantity of salt on hand, the thought sug- 

 gested itself to him, that possibly some benefit 

 might accrue to the field from the distribution of 

 it upon the surface. The act was "father to the 

 thought." lie scattered the salt over the field, 

 and in a short time the blossoms all withered, and 

 upon examination the roots were found to be en- 

 tirely lifeless. This is certainly a valuable remedy 

 for the eradication of this detestable weed, provid- 

 ing the experiment prove as effectual in all cases, 

 as in this. At all events, we would recommend 

 to those farmers who are troubled with this species 

 of weed — to try it. — Dover Gazette. 



For the New E^island Farmer. 

 COWS AND TAR. 



Mr. Editor : — You are aware, perhaps, that 

 many good cows are sometimes troubled with the 

 garget, or they give curdled milk. Sometimes it 

 injures the bag by preventting the drawing of the 

 milk. The best remedy that I ever tried is to cut the 

 hair out of the hollows just back of the horns, and 

 fill with tar. It is simple, cheap and easy ; try 

 it, and if it is worth any thing let it be known ; or 

 if any one knows anything better, I hope he will 

 publish it. IcHABOD Davis. 



East Barnard, Vt. 



Remarks. — Yes, sir, we are aware that a great 

 many cows are troubled with what is called gar- 

 get. The udder swells, is filled with bunches, be- 

 comes sore to the touch, and sometimes breaks 

 and destroys the value of the cow for milking pur- 

 poses. It is a very serious evil to the dairyman, 

 as well as to the poor animals. No remedy has 

 yet been found for it, hardly worthy the name, 

 unless you have made the discovery. 



This disease, and abortion, which has become 

 very frequent, are the most serious difficulties 

 with which the farmer has to contend with his 

 cows. We really wish some person who has the 

 leisure and ability would search out their causes 

 and suffgest a cure. Who will do so? 



EFFECTS OF DEEP PLOWING. 



The Farmer and Mechanic, published at Lewis- 

 ton Falls, Maine, one of the liveliest and best pa- 

 pers we receive, says : — "A gentleman in Canton 

 took us out the other day on to two acres of land 

 which he had cultivated for a few years, and which 

 he makes very productive. lie told us that it was 

 so wet when he commenced upon it that he could 

 do but little with it ; but some three or four years 

 ago he put in a large plow, and turned it over to 

 the depth of nearly one foot, following with the 

 subsoil plow to the depth of nearly one foot more. 

 Since then he has had no trouble with the wet or 

 the drought. Every thing he puts upon it flour- 

 ishes finely. This process will pay on much of our 

 land, whether the undermining will or not." 



