314 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRII. 15, 1835. 



with ahorse and boy will put the hay into wiii- 

 rows as fast as eight men can put it into cocks, 

 after it is rakeii. An)ong the wonders of tiie age 

 steam has been applied vvitli surprising success in 

 jiropelling vessels on water and wagons on land, 

 but in my wildest flights of imagination, I had 

 never conceived the idea that steam could he ap- 

 plied ,to agricultural |iurpnses. Yet Prof.'ssor 

 Rafiuesque of I'liiladelpliia, a gentleman of great 

 scientific attainments, advertises for farmers his 

 steam plough, hy which six furrows are ploughed 

 at oiice, and which he says will in o;je day per- 

 form the work of a single team for a week, and in 

 the best manner. What a delightful contempla- 

 tion. How wonderful is man ! May we not in- 

 dulge the hope, that the day is not remote, when 

 all agricultural operations will be performed by 

 steam. 



Those jjersons who have been accustomed to 

 follow the same course of husbandry, which their 

 ^jk fathers and generations before them adopted, have 

 W^ favored the o[)iuiou, that very little is to be learn- 

 _ ed upon this subject. It is difficult to make them 



f comprehend, that this art involves principles as 

 extensive and as hard to be understood as a'ly 

 other art wliich can occupy t!ie attention of men. 

 They have never turned their attention to the 

 great improvements in agricultural implements. 

 The plough which iheir fathers used did very 

 well, and they think it still does very well. They 

 have never considered that agricidture is an im- 

 portant branch of Natural Philosophy, nor have 

 they ever attempted to understaml the nature of 

 (lifterent soils, the economy of manures, and the 

 adaptation of particular kinds of manure to par- 

 ticular soils, the regtdarand systematic rotation of 

 crops, improved modes of tillage, the diff'erent 

 breeds of cattle, sheep and swine, and the differ- 

 ent kinds and qualities of fruit and fruit trees. 

 Yet these are subjects, which the skilfid farmer 

 will deem it necessary to understand, and he will 

 devote his attention to them, as to the study of an 

 important and difficult science. 



It is not many years, since an application was 

 made to the Legislature of this State, by the 

 Trustees of Dummer Academy, in this county, for 

 aid in founding a professorshij) of scientific and 

 l)ractical agriculture, as connected with the insti- 

 tution. Perhaps no institution in the state could 

 l)e found more favorable for this obji'ct. There 

 isfl farm connected with this institution, and un- 

 <ler the direction of the trustees, consisting of sev- 

 eral hundred acres, and embracing a great variety 

 of soil. This institution is exceedingly well 

 adapted for an agricultural school, and with but 

 small aid from llie Legislature might he rendered 

 highly useful to the community. Young gentle- 

 men might here come to study agricultm'e as a 

 .*cience, and be prepared to follow it through life 

 as an honorable profession. Tliis application was 

 deemed of so much importance, that a committee 

 from the Massachusetts Agricultural Society came 

 to theiarm, exauuned it and made afnorable re- 

 port to the Legislature, recojinnending that the 

 petition of the trustees should lie granted. It is 

 to be regretted that ihi^ application did not meet 

 with success. Yet I am not without liope that 

 the Legislature will feel the iinporlaii,ce of the 

 subject, and will extend its aid to establish some 

 institution for learning scientific and jiruciical ag- 

 riculture. Shall schools and colleges be dcflmed 

 important to diffuse general knowledge, shall mil- 

 itary and naval academies have the fostering hawJ 



of government to impart knowledge in their de- 

 partments, shall the sciences and fine arts have 

 teachers for their objects, and agriculture alone re- 

 ceive no aid ? This art or science which is more 

 important to the prosperity, wealth and happiness 

 of our nation tliau all others ? The loss of which 

 for one year would probably exceed in value, and 

 produce more poverty and distress than the loss of 

 all our manufactures and commerce.' 



But because all our requests are not granted 

 we must not complain. There are doubtless 

 grave objections to endowing an institution for 

 special purposes, which has no higher claim than 

 perhaj)s many others. We ought rather to speak 

 in terms of gratitude of the Legislature (or their 

 liberality, nay mmiificence, in extending so much 

 encouragement to tlje agricultural societies 

 throughout the commonwealth. It is now tnore 

 than fifteen years since they have extended a lib- 

 eral and fostering hand to these societies, and at 

 the last session the act was continued for five 

 years longer, with scarcely a dissenting voice. 

 The geological survey of the commonwealth is 

 another instance of liberal legislation for the ad- 

 vancement of science, which should command 

 onr highest praise. 



The act of 1819, giving a bounty to agricultu- 

 ral societies, contains a provision which shows the 

 watchful care of the legislature over the interests 

 of the commonwealth. It is made the duty of 

 the several societies to offer annually such premi- 

 ums and encouragement for the raising and pre- 

 serving oaks, and other forest trees, in such man- 

 ner and upon such terms, as to their discretion 

 shall seem best adapted to increase and perpetuate 

 an adequate supply of ship timber within this 

 commonwealth. This society, in compliance with 

 tlie requisition of the statute has annually offered 

 liberal premiums for plantations of the oak and 

 other forest trees, but such has been the surprising 

 neglect or inattention to the subject, that I believe 

 in no instance, has a claim been made for either of 

 the premiums offered. It is true, indeed, that 

 the Rev. Mr Perry of Bradford, presented for the 

 notice of the society a large number of young 

 ina|)le trees, transplanted from the forest, but 

 these were not among the description of trees, for 

 w hich a premium was ofl^ered by the society. 



Viewing this as an interesting subject for our 

 consideration, and growing of more and more im- 

 portance every year, I shall venture to submit to 

 you some remarks upon our forests, and fruit trees 

 although at the hazard of being very uninteresting. 

 Our wood lots are highly valuable for fuel, fences, 

 and ships. The price of wood for fuel is already 

 one of the heaviest articles of expense in every 

 family. Our commonwealth, stretching along the 

 seashore, indented with bays, creeks and navigable 

 rivers, has in past time found much employment 

 ill ship hiiildiug, and if it be true, as has been as- 

 serted, that a ship of the line requires all the good 

 wood which can be usually found on fifty acres of 

 well wooded laud, our prospect is alarming. From 

 present appearances this business mu.st soon be 

 abandoned, from the want of suitable tindicr. A 

 good wood lot is even now considered among our 

 most valuable laiuls. What then nmst be its 

 vahu' in future time, if we go on in our present 

 wasteful use of fuel ? — Shall we have less need of 

 it in time to come for our fires, fences, buildings 

 and ships. Certainly, every year is rapidly redu- 

 cing the (piantity of wood, and shall we adopt the 

 •strange policy of the man, who would do nothing 



for posterity because posterity had done nothing for 

 him ? Our ancestors, when they landed on these 

 shores, found themselves surrounded by dense, 

 impenetrable forests, wliere now are our cities^ 

 towns, villages and fields smiling with plenty : and 

 they bestowed their greatest labor to subdue those 

 impenetrable forests, and convert them to cultiva- 

 ted fields. There was then no need of economy. 

 The very ashes were of more value than the wood 

 and some of the remaining fire-places show witit 

 what improvident profusion they supplied iheir 

 fires. " 



In ordw to increase our wood lots we must di- 

 rect our attention to two objects. First, to pre- 

 serve those which now remain, and second, to raig» 

 new plantations. I believe there has been a dif- 

 ference of opinion among our farmers as to the 

 best course of proceeding to preserve our forests.. 

 Some recommend selecting out the old and de- 

 caying trees for fuel, letting the younger growth 

 stand, while others advise cutting clean, in the 

 winter season or when the sap is down. The lat- 

 ter is pfobably the most general and perhaps the 

 better opinion. It is reconnnended to cut as near 

 the ground as possible, in order that the new 

 shoots may be thrown out near the roots. Partic- 

 ular care should be taken to exclude cattle, to pre- 

 vent their cropping the j'oung shoots. It is sup- 

 posed the trees will attain a sufficient growth in • 

 about forty or fifty years to cut again. | 



For the purpose of increasing our wood lots it 

 will be necessary to turn our attention to raising 

 new plantations. In this country very few at- 

 tempts have been made to produce wood lots hy 

 planting, but in Europe I believe it is very com- 

 mon. Some recommend i)lanting the seed in 

 nurseries, and then transplanting the young trees 

 to the place, in the plantation where they are to 

 stand ; while others prefer planting the seed in the 

 place where it is intended the tree should grow, 

 because, in this way, it is said the young tree 

 receives no check by shortening the tap root, 

 or taking off" the fibrous roots. In either case 

 the tree should be set out, or the seeds planted, 

 much thicker than it is intended the trees 

 should grow for timber, for in this way they will 

 grow much straighter and more thrifty, and the 

 thinnings will in a few years furnish not only 

 fuel, but hoop poles and wood for other ])ur- 

 poses. The plantation will grow nuich more 

 readily if the ground be in a fine tilth for cul- 

 tivation. It may then be marked out by cross 

 furrows at four feet distance from each other, and 

 the .seeds planted or the young tree set out at , 

 the intersections of the furrows. The ground 

 may be planted for several years between these , 

 rows with potatoes or some tillage crop, and i 

 the cultivation greatly benefit the young trees. 

 Cattle must be carefully excluded at all seasons 

 of the year. 



The following experiment, by the Hon. John 

 Welles, of Boston, who has made some valuable 

 communications to the public upon this as well 

 as upon other stihjects, will show the necessity 

 of putting the acorn, or any seed of the forest 

 tree for raising a plantation, into cultivated 

 ground. About ten years since, he took about 

 six acres of old pasture land, and jiroceeded 

 gradually to plant thickly over the whole lot 

 several bushels of acorns, chestnuts, &-c., in the 

 following manner : A tongue of earth was raised 

 by the hoe and an acorn or other nut put be- 

 neath at a dejJth of two or three inches ; then 



