412 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Kxtracts from an able article iwhith commences the 

 last No. of the Massachusetts Agricultural lleposi- 

 tory, entitled '• Editorial Remarks, by Jolin Lowell, 

 one of the Editors." 



" We are reproached with introducing arti- 

 cles which are above the capacilv ol common 

 farmers. If it be intended as an intimation that 

 we devote too large a proportion of tliis work 

 to philosophical a;.,'ricullurc', we deny tiie fact ; 

 we always give tiie preference to homebred, 

 practical essays and e.'iperiments. lint wo are 

 not ready to admit that tlie introduction of ra- 

 tional and scientiiic speculations, such as those 

 of Kirwan and Davy is inexpedient. Massachu- 

 betts has scarcely a town which does not furnish 

 educated men. Knowledge must be first com- 

 municated to them, and I'rom them it will in- 

 evitably reach their less informed neighbours. 

 AVe have devoted many pages lo boitictdture, 

 to the best mode of raising vegetables and fruits 

 for the table, and if we wish lo rise one grade 

 above mere subsistence, wc must continue so to 

 do. We shall devote a considerable portion of 

 our journal to horticulture, orchards, and fruits. 

 Massachiisells has fourteen large towns contain- 

 ing a population of one hundred thousand souls. 

 \Vheii men are Ihus collected in great messes 

 lliey will retpjire the innocent luxiuies of the 

 table, and there are none more so than vegeta- 

 bles and fruit. To sup[>ly Ibis population of one 

 liundred thousand souls, filly thousand at least 

 must he employed. Thus nearly one third of 

 the state arc interested in acipiiring ijorticultur- 

 al information, in being taught to manage their 

 gardens. Would you always continue in your 

 present state of ignorance on these subjects ? 

 Shall it be said that from .lune lo September in 

 our scorching summers, a traveller may traverse 

 Rlassachiisetts from Boston to Albany, and not 

 be able to procure a plate of fruit, except wild 

 strawberries, blackberries, and whortleberries, 

 unless from the hospitality of private gentlemen? 

 It is painful io reflect, that every cottager in 

 Flanders, d'ermany, Holland and England, is bet- 

 ter supplied with summer t'ruit than our most 

 opulent farmers. 



This almost utter neglect of cultivating sum- 

 mer and winter fruits, materially injures the 

 health of our fanners. How mortifying to see 

 the linest climate for the cultivation of the ap- 

 ple, so undervalued, that many of our farmers 

 are obliged to slice up Ibeir summer fruit, and 

 suspend it in the front of their houses to dry, in 

 order that they may have a com[>aratively in- 

 sipid and tasteless provision for winter! Yet 

 such is too often, 1 may say too generally, the 

 case. 



The greatest benefit, however, which our 

 farmers would derive from an attention lo gar- 

 dening, would be the acquisition of habits of 

 care and neatness, »vhich would be transferred 

 to their farms. 



If each farmer would devote two acres to a 

 garden, and lo line fruits, be would be com|)el- 

 led lo be more careful in trimming his trees, in 

 sowing his seeds, in keeping them free from 

 weeds. The habits thus formed would extend 

 tjirougbout his estate. Wc see Ibis elTecl in 

 farmers near the great towns ; they learn to be 

 their own grafters, and pruners, and their care 

 of their general culture keeps pace wilh their 

 progress in gardening. 



But perhaps it will be replied, we cannot af- 

 ford the time ; it will be too expensive. What I 

 cannot our farmers an'ord as much lime as the 



common labonrers of other countries who work 

 from sunrise lo sunset for from thirty to forty 

 cents per day ? No, this is not the real diffi- 

 culty. It is that the ease of getting an ample 

 support in this country relaxes our exertions. 

 But the progress of inannfaclnres and population 

 will soon bring about other babit«, and we hope 

 I within a few years to see nurseries of the chet- 

 i ry, and the [)each, and the pear, as well as of 

 the apple, in all country towns, — though we 

 think, not only that the last is far the most im- 

 portant, but that it is with that our internal im- 

 provements must coinmence. Till every far- 

 mer can lay up his ten barrels of excellent win- 

 ter apples for his own use, we shall not expect 

 much progress in other branches of gardening." 



From the Acadian (Halifax) Recorder of June 21. 

 DRILLING MATCH. 



On Friday last, the 13th inst. this match took 

 place at Willowpark. .\t 10 o'clock the plough- 

 men began lo muster, and by half past 1 1 all 

 the prior arrangements were completed by the 

 committee. The length of the field being CO 

 rods, a breadth of 17i feet suflicient for seven 

 drills, was measured off for each competitor. — 

 Before starting, H. Yeomans, Esq. gave the six 

 candidates who presented themselves, an oppor- 

 tunity of drawing their respective tickets- 

 marked in running numbers, and by which their 

 lots was lo be ascertained. They then pro- 

 ceeded lo adjust the jjoles to their own satisfac- 

 tion, which had been previously set up under 

 the inspection of J. Albro, Esq. the other gen- 

 tleman of the committee. The rules prescribed 

 to the workmen were simply these ; to draw 

 on each lot seven drills at two feet Hnd a half 

 apart, from centre to centre — to sink the plough 

 to the depth of from G lo 7 inches — and last- 

 ly, to execute with all dispatch, as time would 

 be taken into account by the judges, all other 

 circumstances being equal. Mr. Henry Oliver 

 performed his task with the greatest expedi- 

 tion, being linishcd in 1 hour 20 minutes, which 

 was at the rate of an acre in 2 hours and a half; 

 and the longest time taken by any of the others 

 was 1 hour 55 min. — equal to 3 hours 3i;V niin. 

 to the acre. 



Lot I was drilled in 1 hour 25 minutes, 



2 do. do. 1 do. 50 do. 



3 do. do. I do. 55 do. 



4 do. do. 1 do. 50 do. 



5 do. do. 1 do. 20 do. 

 C do. do. 1 do. 52 do. 



This table is exhibited, and these facts men- 

 tioned, to bear witness of the rapidity and exe- 

 cution of which the drill system is susceptible. 

 Three hours may be assumed as a fair medium 

 in such a field for preparing an acre for the re- 

 ception of the manure and the potaloe sets, and 

 a similar portion of time will more than sullice 

 to cover them in. According to this wav of 

 reckoning, it will only take six hours to put aa 

 .acre of potatoes into drills ; and allowing after- 

 wards throe sc[)arale hoeings wilh the proper 

 machinery at the rate of three hours each, al- 

 together 15 hours, will be requisite lo cultivate 

 an acre according lo the new plan. During 

 the one half of this time a pair of horses, and 

 during the other half a single horse only will 

 be needed. There can be no comparison, on 

 the score of cheapness, between Ibis and lliC 

 old manner of raising potatoes with the hand 



hoe ; keeping out of view the more entire pnl 

 verization, and the more thorough deslructiot 

 of weeds eflectod by the implements. 



At half past one o'clock all the ploughs wen 



slopt as a preliminary lo Messrs. Ande'rson ant 



Blayse coming on the field as judges, to exam 



ine the work and determine the prizes. By i 



o'clock they gave in their report, which wai 



immediately handed lo his Excellency the Gov 



ernor, that he might deliver the medals am 



money lo the victors. 



The 1st prize, No. G, to Mr. John 



Baird, servant lo W. Lawson, Esq. 



a silver medal and £o jg ( 



The 2d prize. No. I, to Mr. Isaac 



Pringle, servant to Messrs. To- 



bins, a silver medal and 2 GO ( 



The 3d prize. No. 2, lo Mr. John 



Cliiie, Jr. a silver medal and i lo C 



His Excellency Ihen called for the Judges t( 

 thank them for their attention, adding that he 

 was satisfied they had determined according tc 

 the best of their ability, and he trusted theii 

 decision would be generally acceptable. 



On this drilling match "one observation de- 

 serves lo be recorded. Three years ago whec 

 this system of competition was" first proposed, 

 the system of drilling was in its infancy; the 

 workmen, wilh the exception of those "trainee 

 in the mother country, were strikingly imper- 

 lect. The method o( drawing straight lines by 

 the erection of poles was unknown to most o) 

 the natives of the country who had been accus- 

 tomed to the use of the plough from their youth, 

 and who reckoned themselves tolerable proli- 

 cients. The first drilling match therefore on 

 the peninsula gave evidence of this low state ol 

 the art, among our native ploughman. A visi- 

 ble improvement was effected in the second, 

 but in the present one, which is the third, two 

 Nova Scotians handled their implements with 

 the skill ol a master, and one of them was for- 

 tunate enough to carry off a prize. 



In fact, the very worst work done on last 

 Friday was equal to the best of any of the for- 

 mer exhibitions ; and the whole fielil, consisting 

 of ten acres, fiO rods long, and 20 wide, and 

 containing in all 128 drills, is a very creditable 

 and even highly excellent specimen of what 

 can be accomplished. Eight different plough- 

 men have assisted in completing it, and'so 

 straight are the rows and equidistant, that it 

 appears lo be laid off rather by a garden line 

 than by the free, ea.sy and unrestricted motion 

 of the plough under the guidance of the eye. 

 The Lothians of Scotland, where all the pro- 

 cesses of tillage are carried lo the highest acme 

 of perfection, can seldom present a liner and 

 more finished display of drilling; and the curi- 

 ous in the art would do well lo inspect the tield 

 in question, as redounding much lo the honor 

 of the performers. 



The minor societies should direct a part of 

 their attention to this subject. They have 

 with a commendable zeal, instituted ploughing 

 .Matches every where, and have reported iiivor- I 

 ably of the result ; it is now high lime, that ij 

 drilling be more thoroughly understood in ihe j 

 country ; for it is an inconteslible fact, that no 

 man can be a first rate ploughman, who is ig- 

 norant of this other art; nay more, that no field 

 can be properly and skilfully tilled, unless Ihe 

 ridges be ilrst raark'^d off by parallel lines at 

 given distances, which lines must be drawn by 



