1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



529 



Friend Browx : — You have requested informa- 

 tion from different localities, to know when the 

 swallows left. The hist I saw was on the 4th 

 inst.; the chimney swallows left here 8 or 10 days 

 before that time. I wish you or some of your 

 subscribers would explain to me a little occurence 

 that I saw about 30 years since. There was a 

 piece of salt marsh diked in to keep the salt water 

 oflF— perhaps 25 or 30 acres — and the owners 

 flowed it with fresh water. How many days the 

 water had been on I don't know ; but when I 

 was there, in March, there were hundreds and 

 I don't know but thousands of swallows flying 

 over the water ; they would fly up a short distance, 

 then go down, as if they were going to dive into the 

 water, and then scale along close to the surface 

 and appeared to be very uneasy ; it was more than 

 a month Ijofore any swallows came about the 

 barns. , 



Please tell me where they came from bo early, 

 if you can . Isaac Brown. 



Thomaston, Me., Sept., 1853. 



Remarks. — Is this not another pretty strong ev- 

 idence that swallows do sometimes retire and pass 

 the winter beneath the surface of the ground? 

 Friend Bkowx will accept our thanks for this in- 

 teresting fact. 



J. C, Chelsea. — A few lines in Neiv England 

 Farmer, No. 34, read, "To lay out an acre of land 

 in a sqnare form, measure 209 feet on each side, 

 said you will have the quantity within an inch." 



Knowing that you wish to give only correct in- 

 formation, you will accept the following state- 

 ments. 



To lay out an acre of land in a square f^rm, 

 measure 208 feet 8^ inches on each side, and you 

 will have the quantity within a little less than 5-6 

 of a square incb. 



From G. F. N., Randolph, Vt., about Husking 

 Corn. "Take a stick about the size and length of 

 a common rake tooth, pointed at one end, and held 

 across the right hand by a string passing around 

 the middle finger and tied to the stick. By this 

 pointed end coming in contact with the thumb 

 (being i an inch above the forefinger) the tough- 

 est husks maybe split, thus entirely saving the 

 wear and tear of the fingers and finger-nails in sep- 

 arating them. Try it once! you can make one 

 in five minutes." 



Pears. Nouveau Poiteau. — Mr. Andrew Lackey, 

 a skilful cultivator of fruits at ^farblehead, hand- 

 ed us a pear of the above variety which we found 

 very fine, capable of being pressed into a pulp like 

 butter or a luscious peach upon the tongue. He 

 describes it as a free grower and bearer, hardy 

 and having a beautiful form and foliage. Having 

 tested the fruit, we should have no hesitation in 

 recommending it as- worthy of a place in eveiy 

 garden, if the other requisites he describes are 

 correct, which we have no reason to doubt. In 

 shape and size the fruit somewhat resembles the 

 Bartlett. 



Baldwin Apples. — C. E., South Hadley, Mass., 

 the largest we ever saw. It is not uncommon that 

 the Baldwin bears the odd year ; your trees may 

 be made to bear every year, perhaps, by high cul- 

 tivation. 



Pears. — From C. 11., Harvard, Mass.; the spe- 

 cimens left are the Louisa Bonne de Jersey, one of 

 our most excellent autumn pears. 



Squashes. — A bouncer from Josiah Gilbon, 

 Prodorsville, Vt. He says it is one of nine 

 raised from two seeds. The weight was, of one, 60 

 lbs.; two 56 lbs. each; two 50 lbs. each; one 45 lbs.; 

 two 36 each, and one 30 lbs., making in all 420 

 lbs. This comes in the "nick of time," friend Gil- 

 son, for our's have "all gone to the bugs !" 



For the New England FaTmer. 

 MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



Mr. Editor : — Having seen a notice in your pa- 

 per requesting information in regard to the de- 

 parture of the swallows, I take the liberty to make 

 a few remarks on the migration of the swallow, 

 and a few other birds with which I am most fa- 

 miliar. Their arrival in spring is an interesting 

 period, as well as their departure in autumn. The 

 time of their arrival last spring is kept in my reg- 

 ister as follows : — Blue birds and robins appeared 

 March 21st, black birds March 27th, phebe April 

 1st, barn swallow April 28. Swallows commenced 

 nesting May 4th ; last brood left the nest August 

 12th ; first meeting preparatory to departure, Au- 

 gust 8th ; first departure, Sept. 1st. The other 

 birds, I believe, have not yet departed. 



The great meeting of the swallows preparatory 

 to their departure took place August Sth. Hun- 

 dreds of swallows were assembled over a smooth 

 pasture, skimming. the ground in all directions, 

 apparently with no other object than teaching 

 their young to fly ; their swift wings cutting the 

 air with uncommon rapidity, as if animated in 

 view of their immediate departure. At a short dis- 

 tance above this beautiful assemblage, were seen 

 about 20 night hawks, whose broad, expanding 

 wings and delightful gestures betokened a gala 

 day for them. After this day the swallows began 

 to disappear, and yet their decreasing numbers as- 

 sembled from day to day to exercise their tiny 

 wings preparatory to their final departure. For 

 several of the last days of August I seldom saw 

 more than two at a time. In 1852, August 12th, 

 their great meeting took place, and in two or 

 three days they were all gone. 



Respectfully yours, D. Bucklajtd. 



Brandon, Vt., Oct. 1st, 1853. 



Fraud in Fruit Trees. — The Worcester Spy 

 states that during the past two seasons various 

 counties have been visited by pretended travelling 

 agents of large and well known nurseries. Those 

 who have been inveigled into purchasing fruit trees 

 of them, have almost invariably been disappointed 

 in their trees, some to such an extent as to refuse 

 to set them out. These trees are said to be man- 

 ufactured in an obscure part of the State of New 

 York, by the process of root grafting, which is done 



