NEW ENGLAND FARME 



'JM. 



Publislu-d every Saturday, by 'I'HO MAS \V. SUFi'ARl), Uo;;rrs" liuildinp, i:on^r( ss Stnct, T.or.tnn ; ?t if'J.rjO pr r aim. in ailvanr.-, or 5 i,(rU ;i( (lie rio,^ ■ ..i tli* year. 



Vol. I. 



BOSTON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1«22. 



No. 1. 



riio.spi:cTUs 



OF THE 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



AuniriiTrRr, within a few jears, has bcon im- 

 proved witli a rapidity without precedent in the 

 annals of art ; and ne'.v discoveries and processes, 

 in its various branches, are still in a train cf 

 successful developement. These improvements 

 arc of paramount importance, not only to the 

 practic;il farmer, but to the whole community. 

 Every human being h;'.3 an interest in that art 

 which is the foundation of all other arts, and 

 the basis of all civilization. 



Skill as well as industry is> at least as requi- 

 site in agriculture, as in any of the tiner but 

 less useful arts. The head must direct the 

 hand of hiisbandry ; and in cultivating the earth, 

 the mo-t incessant toil, without the guidance of 

 knowledge, and the superintendance of intellect, 

 is of little avail. The science of agriculture is 

 in a great degree founded on experience. It is 

 therefore of consequence that every farmer 

 should know what has been done, and what is 

 doing iiy others engaged in the ^ame occupa- 

 tion, and that he should impart to others the 

 fruits of his own experiments and observations. 

 Knowledge of this description can in no way be 

 .so cheaply, beneficially and generally ditlused 

 as by newspapers chielly devoted to those top- 

 ics wl'.ich are particularly and appropriately in- 

 teresting to the cultivators of the soil. 



Publications of this kmd have been found to 

 be of great utility in Europe and in the United 

 States. The Jlmcrican Farmer, at Baltimore, 

 and the Plough Boij, at Albany, ably conducted 

 and liberally patronized agricultural papers, 

 have rendered services to the country ivhich 

 are generally and highly appreciated. 'ITiose 

 papers, however, cannot be so conveniently 

 circulated in New England as a similar publi- 

 cation might if printed in its Metropolis. Be- 

 sides, the matter contained in those papers is 

 not always adapted to the soil and climate of 

 the E:istern States ; and communications proper 

 for an agricultural paper cannot be transmitted 

 several hundreds of miles without more delay, 

 ri.sque and expense, than most are willing to 

 encounter, with no other remuneration than a 

 prospect of benefit to the public. 



The New England Farmer will be edited by 

 a gentleman of science, conversant with the 

 practice as well as the theory of husbandry. — 

 The proprietor has likewise been promised the 

 assistance of several gentlemen who have been 

 distinguished for successful experiments and a- 

 ble essays calculated to improve the agriculture 

 of New England. 



Although this paper will be principally de- 

 voted to Agriculture, it will likewise contan a 

 concise summary of news, and .sketches of top- 

 ics common to newspapers in general. Indied, 

 as a mere vehicle of intelligence, without refer- 

 ence to it& agricultural contents, it is prcsuwed 

 it will prove more useful to country subscribers 

 than those papers which are nearly filled with 

 ship news, mercantile advertisements, &c. ot 

 little or no value to those who live at a distance 

 frMn our sea-ports. And the proprietor engages 



that no more than one fourth p.;rt of his paper 

 shall, in any case, bo filled with advertisement? ; 

 and in genera! a still smaller portion of it will 

 be occupied by advertising customers. Party 

 ptditics, and polemical divinity shall be like- 

 wise absolutely excluded from the colunuis of 

 the New England Farmer. 



Afassackusetts Agricultural Repository end Journal. 



Wc know of no pulilication so well deserving of lib- 

 eral patronage and general diffusion among an a^fi icul- 

 tural c-mmunity, as the above named. We have turn- 

 ed over the leaves of many works of a similar nature 

 issued on either side of the Atlantic, but have seen 

 none, which we think contains, in proportion to its 

 quantity of matter, so much to be remembered and 

 practisi/d upen as tiie subject of this noticei Some for- 

 (■ign joarnals which we have seen, contain articles more 

 elabon.tely written, but at the same time they are gen- 

 erally more speculative, and less useful. Good Sense, 

 Science and Agricultural Experience are exhibited in 

 every number of the Massachusetts Journal, and by 

 their union give results, which cannot fail to benefit 

 that portion of an enlightened community for whose 

 use they are more immediately intended. 



Wc shall not attempt to write a review of this Jour- 

 nali but merely to give such notices of its contents, as 

 we hope may induce such of our subscribers as are not 

 in possession of its numbers to procure them for their 

 own benefit, as well as to assist in the diffusion of the 

 most useful kind of useful knowledge for the benefit of 

 (he public. 



The number for June, 1822, commences witli '• Re- 

 mnrks on the TtKtnner lit. n-hich this Journal is roiulitct' 

 (rf, fi7id the Tides by vhich tht committee entrusted n-ith 

 the publication are governed. By J. L. one of that Com- 

 mittee.'''' We shall here give some extracts from this 

 paper, which appear to us of general importance, though 

 made with reference to a particular subject. 



" The Committee appointed for the publica- 

 tion of the Journal do not consider themselves 

 as in any degree responsible lor the correctness 

 of the statements, or the soundness of the theo- 

 ries of the various writers, whose essays they 

 publish. Their rule is to admit every essay, 

 which appears to contain any new hint in rela- 

 tion either to Agriculture or Horticulture. It 

 is manifestly impossible for them to judge of the 

 correctness in point of fact, of any statement 

 made by a correspondent, and they have believ- 

 ed, that a more free and unreserved communi- 

 cation of all Agricultural experiments, whether 

 the conclusions drawn from them are erroneous 

 or not, is of great use. The cautious farmer, if 

 he is struck w ith their novelty, may try them 

 lor himself," S:c. 



" It is true that with respect to many subjects 

 intimately connected with the prosperity of our 

 agriculture, our Journal during the last thirty 

 years has contained a great number of opposite, 

 and irreconcileable opinions. But iliis ought 

 not to diminish the public confidence, since it is 

 avowed to be conducted on the principles of 

 free enquiry, and since it is not more liable to 

 this objection than all similar works, published 

 in this or in the European world. Men of sci- 

 ence are found to differ on most essential points. 

 How many theories liaTC been published, bare 



prevailed lor a titiif, and haie goue into obliv- 

 ion ill the important science of medicine ! How 

 materially bus cht-niicr,! science changed, not 

 only since the time of i^riestly and Black, but 

 since it was siqiposed to be irrevocably fixed by 

 Lavoisier and the French chemists of his school ! 

 How groat are the divisions of theoretical opin- 

 ion among the Geologists, the Wernerians and 

 liuttonians !" 



Wc give the preceding with a view in part to solicit 

 the indulgence of the reader, should our Journal, 

 (as it doubtless will,) exhibit opposite theories and 

 clashing opinions. Ligh» is often elicited by the col- 

 lision of opaque bodies, and the publication of errone- 

 ous theories, will sometimes lead to their refutation anci 

 the consequent developement of important principles in 

 science, and the discovery of useful processes in art. 



Notwithstanding, however, the difference of opinion, 

 and mutable practices of modern agriculturists. Agri- 

 culture on the whole is rapidly improving. Mr. Low 

 ell, observes, " We undertake to say, that thirty years 

 since it would liave been believed impossible to raise, 

 as Mr, Hunnewell of Newton did 112 bushels of Indian 

 Corn to an Acre — and I distinctly recollect that when 

 the first accounts in the Bath agricultural papers reach- 

 ed us that they had raised 500 and even 900 bushels of 

 potatoes per acre, it was deemed, if not a fable, yet art 

 experiment peculiar to Great Britain and its soil and 

 climate and not to be looked for among us." 



" Still we have seen that in all parts of our 

 country individuals have succeeded in raising 

 from 450 to .51)0 bushels per acre of this invalu- 

 able root. We have seen that the cultivation 

 of other rnots to aid the sup])ort of cattle during 

 the winter has advanced much faster with us, 

 considering the late period in which we under- 

 took it than in any part of Europe. We hear, 

 not occasionally but constantly, every year, of 

 GOO or 700 bushels of Mangel Wurtzel, or the 

 \vhife beet-^of 500 bushels of the Iluta baga or 

 Swedish turnip per acre, and our cattle are 

 and must be of course better fed, and eventual- 

 ly highly improved."' 



The improvements in the different breeds of cattle, 

 which have been the results of modern husbandry are 

 not less remarkable than the increase of crops. A 

 friend lias informed us that " In the Picture of London, 

 for the present year, it is stated, that about the year 

 1700, the average weight of oxen, killed for the Lon- 

 don market was 370 lbs j of calves 50 lbs ; of sheep 28 

 lbs ; and of lambs 18 lbs. The average weight at pre- 

 sent is, of oxen 000 lbs ; calves 1 40 lbs ; sheep 80 lbs ; 

 and lambs 50." Could a comparison be made between 

 the present average weight of cattle and sheep, sold in 

 our market, and the average weight of the same sorts 

 sold 40 years since, we believe the improvement would 

 be visible and striking. Still, much remains to be learn- 

 ed in the art of breeding and fattening cattle, and ev- 

 ery step facilitates further progress to a degree of ulti- 

 mate perfection of which at present wc form no ade- 

 quate idea. 



The i%Titer of the article alluded to is of opinion that 

 it is better economy to plant at least middle sized po- 

 tatoes, or cut potatoes, equal in size to those than 

 either to use for planting small potatoes, or to cut the 

 large potatoes into small parts, to scoop out tlie eyes, 

 or take only the sprouts. Tlie Hon. Josiah Quiucy in a 

 letter, published in the Massachusetts Agricultural Re- 



