376 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



rivers and lakes, when, from the loss of their quill- 

 feathcrs, they arc unable to fly. When chased by a 

 canoe, and o"blii;od to dive frequently, they soon be- 

 come fati"ued, and make for the shore with the in- 

 tention of hiding themselves ; but as they are not 

 fleet, they fall an easy prey to their pursuers. In 

 autumn they again assemble in flocks on the shores 

 of Hudson's Bay, for three weeks or a month previous 

 to their departure southwards." 



The Canada goose has been domesticated, and is 

 not an uncommon inhabitant of the poultry-yard, 

 either in this country or in England. It does not 

 breed till it is three years old. It is somewhat larger 

 than the common goose, and its flesh is better ; it has 

 also more feathers and of better quality. It is very 

 hardy, and rears its young with much certainty. It 

 is believed to be quite as profitable as the common 

 kind ; and considering its beauty and usefulness, it 

 would seem desirable that it should be multiplied in 

 a domestic state. 



The Canada goose will breed with the common, 

 and also with the Chinese goose ; but the hybrid off- 

 spring arc, in all cases, incapable of procreation. 

 Some poultrymen, however, make it an object to 

 breed mongrels, as they are called. They grow 

 rapidly, and acquire a larger size than either of their 

 parents, and their flesh is of so fine a flavor, and so 

 highly prized, that it readily commands a higher 

 price in the market. The finest mongrels are pro- 

 duced between the wild and the Bremen, and the 

 ■wild and the Chinese geese. 



It is stated on the authority of Buffbn, that the 

 Canadian goose, kept in a domestic state in France, 

 was found to interlsreed familiarly with the swans. 

 Have any attempts been made to cause this goose to 

 breed with the American swan, and with what 

 success ? 



It may be remarked that the wild goose {A. Palus- 

 tris) of Europe is the parent of our common domes- 

 tic goose, and, of course, a distinct species from the 

 Canadian goose. — Albany Cultivator. 



THE SEASON. 



The season for gathering the fruits of the earth is 

 about closed. Spring and summer, seed time and 

 harvest, the opening flower and mature fruit have 

 come and gone. The genial sun and attendant 

 showers have refreshed and invigorated the earth, 

 and in return, it has yielded its fruits with an un- 

 stinted and liberal hand ; the five talents left in his 

 possession have gained other five, and like a good 

 banker, when called for, cheerfully restored them. 



Wo congratulate the farmers of Berkshire in the 

 success which has attended their labors and invest- 

 ments the past season. The task, though laborious, 

 is healthful, and in many cases lucrative ; and the 

 consciousness of having derived our profits from a 

 source which has made none the poorer, — from a mine 

 which unworked would work ruin to the world ; 

 from a bank which unopened would yield no divi- 

 dends, — aff'ords a source of pleasure known only to 

 him w'hose hand has aided in the work. Judging 

 from observation and report, we are safe in saying 

 that the products, (taken as a whole,) the past season, 

 have exceeded those of any preceding year. There 

 has been more than a medium yield of every croj) 

 except apples, (which has proved almost a bla-ik.) 

 Grass, though not so great a growth, by growing 

 gradually as it did, occasioned by the dry w-ather, 

 will be found to contain more nourishmo.it than 

 some of the profuse growths of former ye-i- ; while 

 potatoes and grain of a}l kinds have yield I an abun- 

 dant return for the invostnaent made, an'l aie bring- 

 ing prices which will abundantly repay t ,, - farmer for 

 the money and labor expended. — Berks hire CuUurist. 



THE HORSE KNOWN BY HIS EARS. 



The size, position, and motion of the ears of a 

 horse are important points. Those rather small than 

 large, placed not too far apart, erect and quick in 

 motion, indicate both breeding and spirit ; and if a 

 horse is in the frequent habit of carrying one ear 

 forward, and the other backward, and especially if 

 he does so on a journey, he will generally possess 

 both spirit and continuance. The stretching of the 

 ears in contrary directions shows that he is attentive 

 to every thing that is passing around him ; and while 

 he is doing this, he cannot be much fatigued, nor 

 likely soon to become so. 



It has been remarked that few horses sleep with- 

 out pointing one ear forward and the other back- 

 ward, in order that they may receive notice of the 

 approach of objects in any direction. "When horses 

 or mules march in company, at night, those in front 

 direct their ears forward ; those in the rear direct 

 them backward ; and those in the middle of the 

 train turn them laterally or crosswise — the whole 

 seeming thus to be actuated by one feeling, which 

 watches their general safety. 



The ear of the horse is one of the most beautiful 

 parts about him, and by few things is the temper 

 more surely indicated than by its motion. The car 

 is more intelligible even than the eye, and a person 

 accustomed to the horse, can tell, by the expressive 

 motion of that organ, almost all that he thinks or 

 means. "When a horse lays his ears flat back on his 

 neck, he most assuredly is meditating mischief, and 

 the bystander should be aware of his heels or his 

 teeth. In play, the ears will be laid back, but not 

 so decidedly nor so long. A quick change in their 

 position, and more particularly the expression of the 

 eye at the time, will distinguish between playfulness 

 and vice. 



The hearing of the horse is remarkably acute. A 

 thousand vibrations of the air, too slight to make 

 any impression on the human ear, are readily per- 

 ceived by him. It is well known to every hunting 

 man, that the cry of hounds will be recognized by 

 the horse, and his ears will be erect, and he will be 

 all spirit and impatience, a considerable time before 

 the rider is conscious of the least sound. — The Horse 

 and his Rider. 



ASHES AND LIME FOR PLUM-TREES. 



FiiiEND Reed : I have in my garden a plum-tree, 

 which, for three or four years past, has borne very 

 full ; but not tdl this year has one of the plums 

 been sound. 



They all Avere bored, or rotted, and fell from the 

 tree before they Avorc ripe. Two or three other plum- 

 trees, of a diff'crent kind, which have borne less, 

 shared the same fate. Last year, a young tree, which 

 stood near an ash-leach, and which had never borne 

 before, produced a solitary plum, and that was sound. 

 This suggested the idea, that its preservation was 

 owing to the ashes which had been scattered around 

 -the roots of the tree. Following out the hint thus 

 given, I last spring spread ashes and lime, with ma- 

 nure and salt, around all my trees. The result has 

 been, that they all have borne, this year, more than 

 usuil, aril jnost of the fruit has been sound. This 

 result I ascribe, in part, to the ashes and lime. The 

 same, I find, is recommended by " An Old Digger." 

 And the conclusion is obvious, that alkali enough 

 will destroy the young insects as they lie burrowed 

 in the ground or attempt to emerge from it in the 

 spring. li in this way sound plums can be raised, 

 it will be found a very easy way. Let some of your 

 readers trv the experiment and note the result. 



11. GOODWIN. 



S. C\.v\v.v. L'r., Oct. 1849. 

 — Berkshire Caliurist. 



