108 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCTOBER 15, 1834. 



From the Old Voionij Democrat. 

 STOCK. 



I DO not think that fanners in tliis vicinity, P'>.V 

 that attention to itiipiovinfr the flifVereiit breeds of 

 their Neat cattle, whieli it woulrl lie profilaljle for' 

 them to l)estovv. And to what is this owing ? Is 

 it not to the sceptical conchisions whieli they have 

 adopted concerning the practicability of the sub- 

 ject ? The idea is prevalent that tlie tireed is 

 nothing, feed every thing ; tbat this in fact is all 

 that is necessary to make fine animals. Unt this is 

 a very mistaken notion, and one which onglit to 

 be exploded. Good keeping is an excellent tiling 

 it is readily granted, but it was never known to 

 reduce bone or otfal, or to (iroduee any radical 

 change in the animal physiology. It may serve 

 to perfect the nature such as it is, and this is all it 

 can do ; change it, it never can. 



Those who aflirin that their disbelief in this 

 matter is derived from nothing less than iheir own 

 ex^jerience, cannot to say the least, I think, have 

 enjoyed the benefit of an enliglitened experience. 

 Their mode of operations must have been defec- 

 tive, and the error probably lies in not conforming 

 their practice to a rule, the observance of which in 

 every particular, is necessary to ensure complete 

 success. It consists simply in breeding from dams 

 and sires of distinct blood, ivho possess iheinseives 

 and are descended from ancestors loho possessed be- 

 fore them, the pecxdiar attributes and properties 

 which it is sovghl to perpetuate in the progeny. An 

 adherence to this rule, so far as it is practicable, 

 would be |iroiluctive of results with which I am 

 persuaded, farmers would have no reason to be 

 dissatisfied. It is important always to know what 

 is the proper course to be pursued, and in the 

 present case, such knowledge may serve to guard 

 us from two very common errors, viz : first, that 

 of breeding from near relatives, according to the 

 " in and in" system, as it is called ; and second- 

 ly, that of disregarding ancestry, and forming our 

 expectations of the character of the progeny sole- 

 ly from that of the parents. 



I cannot but think, were all fanners hereafter 

 carefully to eschew those fatal errors, and to reg- 

 ulate their practice according to the foregoing 

 suggestions, we might confidently anticijiate u 

 speedy arrival of the period, when there would 

 be no longer occasion for the old saw, " a good 

 cow may have a bad calf" H. 



fVest Bridgewaler. 



IMPROVEMENT OP L.AND. 



Along the banks of rivers, many low tracts of 

 land may be greatly improved, by raising them 

 higher with the sediment of the waters. In this 

 way much has been done on the banks of the 

 Don, the Ouse and the Trent, in Great Britain. 

 The land which is thus to be raised has, first, a 

 dyke or hank thrown np round it, for the purpose 

 of keeping out the waters of the river, except at 

 the place where a gate is to be erected to let them 

 in. When they are to be let in, that is, when 

 they are muddy and have considerable sediment to 

 deposit, the gate is to be raised ; and, after the 

 sedinient has been deposited, they arc let off again ; 

 and a new supply is taken in at the next tide, or 

 at the next flood, as the case may be. 



Mention is made, by the Compilers of ' The 

 Complete (Jrazier,' of lands on some of the tide- 

 waters of prcat Uritaiu having been raised two 

 feet higher, by this method, in a short time. The 

 progress to be made in thus raising the laud must, 



however, depend on the depth to which the wa- 

 ters cover the land, the (piantity of mud and sedi- 

 ment they contain, and to the frequency with 

 which the land can thus be flooded. — Far. Assist. 



There are considerable tracts of salt marshes or 

 fen land round the city of IJoston, which would be 

 very materially improved by embankment and dik- 

 ing, provided the salt water whs efiectually kept 

 from its surface. Tbe natural position of a great 

 part of these fens is such, as to render embank- 

 ment a very easy task, and in fact nature itself 

 hath done much towards enclosing one of the 

 largest tracts (that called Chelsea and Lynn 

 Marshes) by throwing n|) a sand and ])ebble bank, 

 water tight, nearly the whole length of the coast 

 against which they join, leaving one creek to be 

 banked with a small flood iloor for the discharge 

 of the surface waters which may be collected 

 therein, and also Saugus River, which is about 

 forty rods wide at its mouth, and must be em- 

 banked with a sea wall, arching therein two pair 

 of flood doors of about two feet each door to 

 close against the flow of tide, and to discharge the 

 fresh water at ebb tide. This with a very little 

 embankment of minor consequence, would recover 

 near four thousand acres from the salt water, 

 which when effectually relieved therefrom, is a 

 species of soil that becomes very productive for 

 grass or wheat, and requires no kiiid of manure, 

 the soil being formed several feet deep by sedi- 

 ment, is in itself peculiarly rich. 



In the years 1803 aod 1806, the author of this 

 was engaged as engineer in the enclosure of a sim- 

 ilar tract in the County of Somerset, England, 

 which was enclosed and divided among the pro- 

 prietors under the authority of Parliament. The 

 general level of the tract was several feet under 

 high water mark, in the channel or sea adjoining, 

 and was subject to the flow of high tides on its 

 surface. This land in its open state produced 

 about one ton and a half of salt hay per acre, an- 

 nually, the collection whereof was attended with 

 considerable incouvcnieuee. A sea wall or bank 

 was built on the coast, the rivers diked, and flood 

 doors erected to keep back the salt water, and dis- 

 charge the fresh at ebb tides ; by these means and 

 by cutting drains into the channels of the rivers, 

 and emptying the same through the flood doors, 

 the surfice was thoroughly drained from the salt 

 and stagnant waters, and in three years the verdure 

 completely changed from the sedge rushes, and 

 hard spiry grasses, to a thick niatty sward of 

 meadow, fiecue, and other rich grasses, producing 

 three tons of first rate hay per acre annually, be- 

 sides the spring and after grasses, which are of 

 considerable value. 



As a proof of the improvement, the land prior 

 thereto was let at from 10 to 15 shillings per acre, 

 when it suddenly advanced after the undertaking 

 was completed to from three to five pounds ster- 

 ling per acre, and was eagerly sought for even at 

 that rate. — Hates' Survey. 



PAiisaiEPS. 



To cultivate Parsneps, let the farmer sow the 

 seed in Autumn, soon after it is ripe ; by which 

 means the plains will come on early the following 

 spring, and will get strong before the weeds can 

 grow so as to injure them. The young iilants 

 never materially sulVijr through the severity of the 

 season. 



The best soil for them is a rich deep loam ; 

 next this is sand, or they will thrive well in a 



black gritty soil ; hut will never pay lijr cultiya- 

 ting in stone, brush, gravel or clay soils; and 

 they are always the largest where the staple is 

 deepest. If the soil be proper they do not require 

 much manure. A very good crop has been ob- 

 tained for three successive years without any. 

 Fcuty cart-loads of sand laid on an acre of very 

 stiff loam, and ploughed in, has answered very 

 well. 



Sow the seed in drills, eighteen inches distant, 

 that the plants may be horse or hand hoed ; they 

 will be more luxuriant if they have a second hoe- 

 ing, and are carefully earthed, so as not to cover 

 the leaves. 



If land cannot be got in proper condition to 

 receive the seed in autumn, sow a plat in the gar- 

 den, or the corner of a field, and transplant them 

 at the end of April, or early in May. The [ilants 

 must be carefully drawn, and the land that is to 

 receive them well pulverized by harrowing and 

 rolling. When it is thus in order, open a furrow 

 six or eight inches deep, and lay the plants in it 

 regularly, at the distance of ten inches or a foot, 

 taking care not to let the root be bent, and tbat 

 the plant stand upright after the earth is closed 

 about it, which should be done immediately by 

 persons following the planter with a hoe, and who 

 must be attentive not to cover the leaves. Open 

 another furrow eiohieen inches distant from the 

 last, |ilant it as before, and so proceed till the field 

 is completely cropped. When any weeds appear, 

 hoe the ground and earth the plants. 



Dibbling in Parsneps is a bad method, as the 

 ground thereby becomes so hound as not easily to 

 admit the lateral fibres with which the root of 

 this plant abounds, to fix or work in the earth, on 

 which account the roots never attain their proper 

 size. 



With attention to the soil, the season for sow- 

 ing, cleaning and earthing the plants, and raising 

 the seed froin the largest and best Parsneps, there 

 is no doubt but the crop would answer much bet- 

 ter than a crop of carrots. They are equal to 

 them, if not superior in fatting pigs, for they make 

 the flesh whiter, and the animal eats them with 

 more satisfaction. Clean, washed, and sliced, 

 among bran, horses eat them greedily, and thrive 

 uiih them ; nor do they heat horses, or like corn 

 till them with disorders.* 



In Fiance, and our Islands adjoining to it, 

 Parsneps are held in high esteem both for cattle 

 and swine. In Brittanny this crop is said to be 

 little inferior in value to wheat. Milch cows fed 

 with it in winter, give as much and as good milk, 

 and yield butter as well flavored w'ith Parsneps as 

 with grass in May or June. j — Mem. Mass.^gr. Soc. 



HORSES' SIGHT. 



People in general turn a horse's head to a 

 bright light to examine his eyes. You can know 

 very little by this method what sort of an eye a 

 horse has, unless it be a very defective one. You 

 must examine the eye first when tbe horse stands 

 with his head to the manger. Look careful at 

 the juipil of the eye in a horse ; it is of an oblong 

 liirin, carry the size of a pupil in your mind, and 

 llien turn the horse about, bring him to a light ; 

 if the pupil of the eye contracts, appears much 

 smaller than it was in the dark light, then you 

 may he sure the horse has a strong good eye ; but 

 provided the pujiil remains nearly the same size as 



■^ Hazard, ia ilath papers, vol. i, p. '^li. 

 t Baih papers, 4, 287. 



