544 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



VARIETY. 



To make this, what I intended it should be, a 

 short article, many valuable things must be sum 

 marily disposed of. "A Remedy for the Potato 

 Rot," and one for "Garget ;" articles on "Mead- 

 ow Land," " Preserving Eggs," " Swallows," 

 "Heavy Spades," "Crops," Horse "Consterna- 

 tion," with the Editor's " Calendar," "Extracts 

 and Replies," Miscellaneous, Poetical, and other 

 reading, "too numerous to mention," but too good 

 to be lost, are snugly stowed away in this last num- 

 ber but one of the Farmer for 1853. 



A Reader. 



Winchester, Nov. 1853. 



Remarks. — In reference to the circulars issued 

 by the State Board of Agriculture for the collec- 

 tion of facts in relation to the farming operations 

 of the State, we would say to our correspondent, 

 that the circulars have been responded to in very 

 many towns in the most liberal manner. He 

 says, "nothing short of official duty, * * * 

 will be found adequate to the work." This is 

 true. Such is the duty of the Secretary, and 

 most faithfully has he applied himself to it. We 

 do not doubt now but a work is in progress which 

 will develope the agricultural resources of the 

 State, and give us more reliable facts of its con- 

 dition, in this respect, than can be found in any 

 other State in the Union. 



MASSACHUSETTS STATJS BOARD OF 

 AGRICULTURE. 



Wednesday, Nov. 16th, 1853. 



Board met at the State House. Present Messrs. 

 Brewer, Brown, Dodge, Gray, Hitchcock, Law- 

 ton, Parkiiurst, Smith, Sprague and Wilder. M. 

 P. Wiider, in the chair. 



The Secretary made some suggestions to the 

 Board in relation to exchange of books from for- 

 eign countries, and the returns of the several agri- 

 cultural societies in the State, which were either 

 considered or referred to committees. 



The following resolution was offered by Mr. 

 Brown, and adopted by the Board, viz : 



That in the opinion of this Board, great waste 

 and loss exists in all our cities and large towns, 

 of the most fertilizing substances ; and that this 

 waste is as much an actual loss to the Common- 

 wealth as though it were an equal amount of the 

 corn, hay or grain products of our farms — 



Therefore, Resolved, that a committee be ap- 

 pointed to ascertain, so far as it may be in their 

 power, the amount wasted and lost in the Com- 

 monwealth, and recommend such measures as it 

 may seem to them expedient for its collection and 

 preservation ; and Messrs. Brown, Flint, (the Sec- 

 retary) and Sprague were appointed the committee. 

 Delegates to the several agricultural societies were 

 then called upon to report. Mr. Brown reported 

 upon the Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden So- 



Messrs. Wilder, Sprague, Lawton, the Secre- 

 tary, and Brown, were appointed a committee to 

 confer with the Board of Trustees in relation to 

 the State farm at Westboro'. 



On motion of Mr. Brown, the Secretary was di- 

 rected to notify each Society of the time of making 

 returns in order to comply with existing laws on 

 the subject. 



On motion of Mr. Proctor, such delegates to so- 

 cieties as had not already reported were directed 

 to send in their reports to the Secretary. 



On motion, Messrs. Brown, Proctor and 

 Sprague were elected a committee on publication. 



The Board held an afternoon and evening ses- 

 sion, and adjourned at a late hour. 



For the New England Farmer. 



BORERS—LIME— PRUNING— SWAL- 

 LOWS. 



Messrs. Editors: — It may not be generally 

 known that almost any kind of cloth , covered on one 

 side with lime whitewash, in which one pint of salt 

 is added to the pailful, wrapt around the trunk of 

 the tree so as to extend two inches below, and six 

 inches above the soil, will effectually prevent the 

 ravages of the borer, unless he has previously im- 

 bedded himself in the wood. 



I have likewise proved to my own satisfaction, 

 that lime is the best manure for the peach orchard, 

 unless the earth abounds with that substance. 



Now is the best time to prune apple-trees as the 

 sap is in the root and the wounds will have time 

 to dry before the spring opens, and by painting 

 them before the sap again flows, all bad effects 

 will be prevented. 



A species of swallows made their appearance on 

 Plymouth Gurnet on the 14th of October, which 

 resembled the barn swallow, although of a smaller 

 size, and their notes were like those of the bank 

 swallow, but tlieir breasts were of a reddish color, 

 with rusty black wings and back. e. c. h. 



East Bridgewater, Nov: 18th, 1853. 



Rockingham, N. H. — The followi^ is a list of 

 the officers of the Rockingham Fair, elected for the 

 ensuing year. 



HENRY F. FRENCH, President. 

 MOSES EATON, Jb. ") 

 JAMES PICKERING, I ^ Pbesidents 

 DAVID CURRIER, ^ vice Presidents. 



JACOB T. BROWN, J 



JOSEPH T. GILMAN, Secretary. 



RETIRE U. PARKER, Treasurer. 



THOMAS J. MELVIN.I 



JOHN M. WEARE, |- Trustees. 



W. H. DUDLEY, J 



Officers of Hillsborough County Ag. Society 

 FOR 1854.— Brooks Shattuck, Esq., President ; J. 

 M. Tyler, of Pelham, Hiram Munroe, of Amherst, 

 Jona. Russell, of Mason, C. F. Potter, of Manches- 

 ter, Vice Presidents ; Moody Hobbs, of Pelham, 

 Recording Secretary ; H. A. Daniels, of Milford, 

 Corresponding Secretary ; David Stewart, of Am- 

 herst, Treasurer. 



