NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural Wa 



RKHousK.)— T. G. FESSEKDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XIII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5, 1834. 



NO. 17. 



From the Haltimo*re Farmer i^' Gardaier. 

 RIBBON GRASS. 

 I HAVE seen, in two of your hack niimlieis, 

 mention made of tlie Phalaris Americnna, or Rib- 

 bon Grass of our gardens. I am glad to see lliat 

 grass l)rongln into notice — I have long thought it 

 wotild heconie an article of considerahle interest 

 to tlie farmer and gardener, if it was cuhivated as 

 a common grass. My atteniion was first directed 

 to it hy an accident, which hy-the-l)y, is the way 

 in which most discoveries in agriculture are effect- 

 ed — and as it has no claims to the merit of " bodk 

 farming," it may possihly attract some attentiin 

 from your casual readers. 



The circumstance was this: I was at one of my 

 neighhors, who kept a very handsojiie garden that 

 was well set off with flowers. Among many othei- 

 things, there was a fine bed of Riblion grass, in 

 one corner of the garden, nearly as high as the 

 paling which surrounded it. 



It so happened that I hitched my horse to the 

 corner of the fence directly in contact with the 

 Phalaris. I had not been long seated before there 

 was a great hue and cry raised, and I was inform- 

 ed my horse had broken his bridle and had torn 

 down the garden fence. It appeared he had most 

 lavishly helped himself to the ribl)on grass, flly 

 particular friend, the lady of the house, looked 

 rather crpss-eyed at the horse, on perceiving the 

 destruction he had made in her ))arterre ; the gen- 

 tleman seemed much more impressed with the im- 

 portance of the discovery,' that tlie grass was so 

 well relished by the animal, — a circumstance lie 

 had never suspected, — than he was by the defac- 

 ing of a very pretty spot. I was likewise gratified 

 with an agricultural discovery, and the horse seem- 

 ed really to be. more gratified than either of us: 

 so the lady seeing three to one against her, we 

 came off witliout much of a lecture for that time. 

 This grass had but few seed-stalks, which were 

 about four feet high, and the leaves, if str.dghten- 

 ed out, would have been nearly or quite as high. 

 I have no doubt, but an acre sowed as that bed 

 was, would yield six tons of good h.iy, and if we 

 k;an judge from this instance it will be much rel- 

 ished by animals of all kinds. 



1 am disposed to thiidi this grass is not very 

 ^larticular in regard to soil ; it seems by what has 

 been said, in your former ))aper, that a wet soil 

 suits it very well ; but in the instance of which i 

 fiave spoken, it was growing in a light sandy soil ; 

 tuid from all I have seen of it, as far as my recol- 

 lection serves me, it has flourished best in that 

 Ikind of soil. It is in this respect ipiite a rival of 

 he Gaiiia grass. I can hardly imagine a more 

 Ibeantifid appearance than a field would present, if 

 |well set with this grass. A cow coidd not avoid 

 iving good butter, if kept on such beautiful pas- 

 ure. 



A LOVER OF Good Butter. 



Chemistry. When butter is to be made, if a 

 jlittle old butter be put into the cream, the butter 

 jwill coine from much less churning. When soap 

 lis to be made, if a little old soap be put into the 

 'ley and grease, the soap will be made with con- 

 siderable less boiling. — Farmer and Gardener. 



WORCESTER CATTLE SHOW. 



(Continued from page 1215.) 



REPORT OP THE COMMITTEE ON MISCELi- 



LANEOVS MANUPACTURESi, <tc. 



The Committee on Miscellaneous Jlaiiufaclnres, 

 &c. respectfully report — 



That although that portion of the Exhibition to 

 which it has been their particular duty to direct 

 their attention, was not quite so varied and exten- 

 sive as in some former years, it was yet not with- 

 out interest, and gave satisfactory evidence of well 

 applied labor and improved ingenuity in difl'erent 

 branches of industry which have contributed to the 

 attractions of the occasion. But this Coniinittee 

 think it proper for them to suggest, that the dis- 

 play of miscellaneous manufactures has not always 

 couferreil due credit upon a County so large and 

 so rich in diligent skill and excellence in the do- 

 mestic arts. Mechanical establishments of kinds 

 and grades which are still novelties in the country, 

 are fast appearing among us ; and old, well tried 

 arts are making yearly advancements in rapidity 

 and perfection o/' execution. 



Tlie7nalrons and damsels of an agricultural and 

 manufiicturing community so busy and happy as 

 ours, are not idle. Female ingenuity, in the pro- 

 duction of numberless articles of cond'ort and em- 

 bellishment, is not a small item in the sum of 

 worldly good fortune, nor the least of the circmu- 

 stances wliicii might justify an honest local pride, 

 nor yet the fiiintest of the reconmienilatinns to 

 which a candidate for the honorary degree of ma- 

 trimony may be entitled. A wife could not be 

 dowered belter, and when an agency for the pro- 

 curement of marriage contracts shall be establish- 

 ed here, the young ladies who have received pre- 

 iinums from this Society, should occasion the 

 largest deiriands by the broker upon those wlio 

 may have the good fortune to secure such prizes. 



The committee, upon inspection of the several 

 pieces of diaper presented, regretted to find that 

 none of them were of sufticieut width to lay claim 

 to premiuiris within the rules prescribed by the 

 Trustees. A piece oflered by Miss Elizabeth Bol- 

 ton of Leicester, worked in imitation of the Rus- 

 sian pattern, was particidarly noticeable for its 

 beauty, and its firmness of texture ; and for this 

 the Connuittee recommend a gratuity of $3. 



Two other pieces of bleached and one of un- 

 bleached linen diaper, presented by John Hunter 

 ot New-Braintree were considered worthy of much 

 praise, ami for these a gratuity of $2 was awarded. 

 Two pieces, one by Miss Jane Bolton of Leices- 

 ter, and another of 40 yards (tow and linen) by 

 Mrs. Abigail I'rattof , were thoughtwell wor- 

 thy of a gratuity of $1 each. 



A lot of handsome plain linen, fine and very 

 even, offered by Miss Elizabeth Bolton, was con- 

 sidered worthy of a gratuity, and would have been 

 recommended for one had it been entered and re- 

 presented for what it was, a bdudle of bed linen 

 actually made up. Three counterpanes were ex- 

 hibited, one by Miss Elizabeth Whittlesee of 

 Milbury, evincing superior taste, and considered 

 deserving of a gratuity of $1. Another by Mrs. 

 James Draper of Spencer, meritorious for the thor- 

 oughness of its v\'ork, which was not a little. And 

 a third by Mrs. Hannah Moore of Worcester, ex- 



cellmg in quality of mafnal. Three quilts were 

 presente.l, one by Miss Mary Converse of Spencer 

 one by Mrs. Eliza Haitibrey of the same town, and 

 the third by Mrs. Elizabeth Sargeant of Lancaster, 

 (aged 70 years) itieritorions for its example of in- 

 dustry in age. 



Fashion, which, in the ab.stract, this Committee 

 understand to mean nn ideal union of the charac- 



teristics of Proteus and the c 



ameleon, appeared be- 



fore them in a few tangible shapes, which, luckily 

 they were able to secure and/r long enough for a 

 careful analysis. 



Two bonnets were presented im less commend- 

 able for workmanship than for modest mediocrity 

 of dimensions, occiq.ying a far less portion of infi- 

 nite space than the immeasurable canopies of a by- 

 gone style for the structure of one of which an 

 acre of straw would scarcely afford sufficient ma- 

 terial. None was offered for the premium for the 

 finest bonnet of fowl-meadow or other indigenous 

 grass ; but one of straw, (the braid of eleven strato ) 

 by Mrs. Susan Holbrook of Westboro', deserved 

 the highest encomiums of tiie commitlee, and just- 

 ly claimed the premium for the best straw bonnet, 

 $3. Another, unusually fine, was exhibited by 

 Mrs. Thyrza Nichols of Charlton. 

 ^ A very beautiful silk hat was shown by J. P. 

 Kettell of Worcester, and a fine competitor, of 

 beaver, by fllessrs. Leonard & Tyler of the same 

 town. These hats are recommended as infallible 

 cures for lack of smart looks, conferring equal dig- 

 nity upon a well found cranium and an emni'V 

 noddle. ' ■' 



For a handsomely wrought muslin cape by Miss 

 L. B. Child of West Boylston, who, during a sick- 

 ness of several years past has been constantly con- 

 fined to her bed, a gratuity of $1 is recommended 

 lor Its (iroof of the exercise of patient ingenuity in 

 the midst of suffering. 



For 20 yards of very suf.erior black lace, made 

 by Mrs. Sarah Sprague of Leicester, a valuable 

 matron of 71 years, by whom the wool was combed 

 and spun, and the lace dyed and wrought, the 

 Committee cheerfully awarded a gratuity of §1. 



To Miss Adeline A, and Abigail E. Trask of 

 Leicester, a gratuity of one dollar is given (to be 

 equally divided) for two silk bags, elegantly orna- 

 mented with raised bead work. Several other 

 neat bags, one of black beads by Miss Emily Sjiurr 

 of Charlton, aged 12 years, 1 of silk by a young 

 lady of Worcester, one made of twine and in good 

 taste by Mrs. Fanny W. Farnsworth of Milbury, 

 one by Miss Dolly Heywood of Barre, a bag and' 

 shell "card racks" by Miss Abigail T. Tenney of 

 New-Braintree, a bag by Miss Eunice Henry of 

 Worcester, probably made from the down of the 

 silk-weed pod, and soft as the back of any cat, and 

 a bead purse made by Elizabeth Howland of West- 

 Brocikfield, a Miss of 8 years, were all deserving 

 of notice, the latter on account of the youth of the 

 maker to whom is given a gratuity of half a dollar. 

 A fire-board, fire screens and " card-racks" or- 

 namented, certainly, with exemplary perseverance, 

 were exhibited by Mrs. Martha E. Chaniberlin of 

 Milbury, and a variety of paintings by the pupils 

 under her tuition ; a fruit basket by Miss Lucy 

 Newton of Worcester, and a fancy basket by Miss 

 Farnsworth of Milbury. 



