S26 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRIL 33, 1839, 



^^W lSSf<SJLiLSri> S^SiSSISISv. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, ArKlL22, 1835. 



FARMER'S WORK. FOR APKII.. 



Irrigatiun. — Please to attend to tlie best methods 

 which can bu devised fur watering your land. On some 

 accounts it is more advantageous to lead water over 

 grass ground &,c,, in a wet than in a dry time. In a 

 wet lime, early in spring, you may obtain gratis the 

 wash of roads, filled to super-saturation with the depos- 

 ila of manure Biade in winter, and water, with a little 

 care, and almost no expense may be made to subserve 

 belter purposes as a carrier of manure than all the horses, 

 wagons, oxen, carts, &o., that the farmer could com- 

 mand if he were as rich as Rothschild. Every good 

 cultivator will take as good caie of the wash not only of 

 his barn yard but of llie highway as he does of his crops 

 or domestic animals. Happy is he who huS the com- 

 mand of a little brook on a high ])art of his farm, which 

 Iw can lead about almost as easily as he could a dog by 

 a siring, and cause it to dispense lerlility wherever it 

 n'cnds its winding way. 



When water stands high in brooks and rivulets it may 

 be carried over higher parts of a farm than could be ef- 

 fected in a dry season, and spread where its deposits are 

 most needed. It should he made to run in channels 

 v\'hicli have no more descent than is necessary to prevent 

 itfroni becoming stagnant. If water intended for irriga- 

 tion moves slowly, it leaves its riches behind it ; if it 

 runs rapidly it carries away the fatnier's riches with it. 

 In till! first case it is an auxiliary or purveyor, in the sec- 

 ond a robber of the soil. '* The Code of Agriculture" 

 gives the following directions for dilfusing water over 

 fields in the process of irrigation. 



" After water is brought from the original stream into 

 a new cut it is stopped at the ends, so liiat when the 

 trench is full the water is compelled to run out at the 

 tide and flood the l^nd below it. 15ut as water would 

 soon cease to run equally for any considerable length, and 

 would wash tLe land out in gutteis, it has been found 

 neces-ary to cut small parallel trenches at the distance 

 from iiO to 30 feel to catch the water again, and the same 

 plan of spreading and diilusing is continued till the 

 water reaches the main drain at the bottom of the mead- 

 ow." For further remarks on irrigation and the agency 

 of water in promoting vegetation, see Di Spoffotd's 

 Kssay, Complete rarmtr, p. 310. 



Pkas. — Field peas should, generally, be sowed as early 

 iu the spring as the ground can be put in proper order. 

 The last week in April, <)r the first week in May will do 

 very well, but if tire soil is a light sandy loam, which is 

 recommended for that crop, ihiy may, iu forward sea 

 sons, be sowed still earlier to good advantage. But when 

 it is feared that the crop will be infested by bugs, it will 

 be safer to sow them as late as the lOih of June. Col. 

 WorlhingtuH, according to Memoirs of llie N. Y. Board 

 of Agriculture, *' sowed his peas on the lOtli of June 

 nix years in succession, and a bug has never been seen 

 in his peas. Whereas his neighbors, who have not 

 adopted ibis practice, have scarcely a pea without a bug 

 in it. He supposes the season for depositing the eggs of 

 the pea bgg is passed before the peas are in flower." Col. 

 Pickering, likewise was of opinion that the bug may be 

 avoided by late sowing, but the hot sun in July or 

 August will so pinch late sown peas tiiat the crop will be 

 Arnall unless llie land be moist as well asrich." 



Dickson's Farmer's Companicm states that peas cannot 

 lie raised to perfection without lime or other calcareous 

 matter, either naliiially existing in the soil or supplied 

 by art. Changing the seed foj; peas is a matter of great 



importance, as peas are apt lo degenerate. It is advised 

 to bring peius for seed from a more northern clime, as 

 those which ripen earliest are best. It is also a good 

 plan to set iipart a portion of the crop for seed, and 

 select for that purpose the earlies. pods as soon as ihcy 

 become ripe. The quantity of seed should be from two 

 and a half to three bushels lo the acre, when sowed 

 bioad cast. If sowed th^i they will lie on the ground ; 

 but if sowed thick, they hold each other up with their 

 tendrils. 



BIR CHANDLKR ON CULTIVATING CORN. 



Mv. Editor — In answer to Mr Hamlin's queries on 

 the culture of Indian corn, in your last paper, and 

 agreeably to his request, I will state that for fifteen 

 years before the last, 1 was located near the city of 

 Boston, say about twelve miles ; of course the cli- 

 mate is about the same as in or about the city. The 

 farm that I cultivated contained a variety of soils, as 

 most farms do in that vicinity. What I call a sandy 

 loam, on a substratum of gravel, I consider best for corn, 

 although most soils that will grow timothy and clover 

 will grow corn. 



The period that land should lie in sward, depends 

 upon circumstances ; such as the crop of grass and feed 

 it produces, rotation of crops to be pursued, &c. Gen- 

 erally speaking, I should say from four to five years is 

 the proper time ; I plough as deep as the nature of the 

 soil will admit. 1 prefer deep ploughing, say from six 

 to eight inches, and furrowed light, so as not to disturb 

 the sod. 



The depth and time of planting depends much on the 

 backwardness or forwardness of the season, state of the 

 ground &c. If I do not put manure into the hills, I either 

 maik the furrows with chains allacbed to a pole, or a 

 similar machine ; or furrow light with a horse plough, 

 three and a half feet apart, in that case I cover the corn 

 about one and a half inches deep with fine earth. It 1 

 put manure in the hill, I spread ihe manure with my foot 

 so as to have the corn come as near the earth as possible, 

 then cover all the manure and corn completely over; 

 say about two inches deep. I prefer planting about the 

 middle of May, if the season will admit. 



As to the time of dressing, thai likewise depends upon 

 circumstances. If the field should be weedy or grassy, 

 as is often the case, I dress as soon as I can see the corn 

 in rows, say three inches high ; and never plough or hoe 

 after the tassels or flower spikes show themselves. As it 

 regards topping or cutting stalks, relative to the cfiect it 

 has upon llie crop of grain, and the comparative value 

 between the stalks, when cut green, or left on until har- 

 vesting, I think I shall ofler some remarks hereafter. I 

 will merely state in this, that the result of frequent ex- 

 periments, has completely satisfied me that it is decided- 

 ly best not to cut them. 



As to earthing up, or raising the earth round the corn, 

 it is my opinion rather a damage than otherwise, as the 

 nature of the roots, and the direction ihey take, does not 

 require it. 1 merely draw up a small quantity, for tlie 

 purpose of covering the small weeds, that grow so near 

 the c<irn, thai you cannot cut or remove lliein with the 

 lioo. Coarse barn manure, I generally use for jilanting 

 potatoes, or making compost for corn or other crops. 

 Hog manure,! work into compost for putting in the hill 

 for corn and vines. 



The " I'hinney corn" is the earliest and best variety 

 of field corn, that I am acquainted with. The pure 

 kind, may be had at Mr Barrett's Seedstore in Boston. In 

 regard to the liiud of turnip seed, I prefer the while flat, 

 yellow stone, and Aberdeen ; the two latter keep the 

 longest, the former produces the most. I generally sow- 



after passing with the tultivalor, and bcfoie the la&t hoe-^ 

 ing, which tufhcienlly cevers tie seed. The first rain 

 that falls will completely coverall that the hoe leaves. 



If Mr Hamlin should procure ihe true "Phiiiney corn,' 



he will be puzrled, when he comes to harvesling, lo find 



many ears that contain less than twelve rows, if at all, 



it will be on a stalk that contains a twelve rowed ear. 



Thompson Island, Jpril 12, 1S35. M. Chanulek. 



The SiLii CuLTBRisT. — A paper with this title ha» 

 just been published in Hartford. It is to be issued 

 monthly, and conducted by the Executive Commttlee of 

 the Hartford County Silk Society. It is intended soot) 

 to issue a monthly publication fiom the office of the New 

 England Farmer, to be conducted by the Editor of thai 

 paper, and in part devoted to the culture of the Mulberry 

 and the Manufacture of Silk. More of this anon. 



Silk. — Tiie last war with Great lirilian taught the- 

 Americans one most excellent lesson, viz : to rely upon 

 their own resources for support : and the results of thi» 

 one lesson have been far more useful to us than would 

 have been ten thousand of the most biillianl victories ovet 

 the mother country. Il has resulted in the erection of 

 manufacturing establishments in almost every nook and 

 corner of the Middle and Northern States^affordinf 

 sure markets for the produce of the flocks and fields of 

 the Northern Farmer, and increasing the demand for the 

 staple of the Southern planter. The meclianical genius,, 

 the industry, and the resources of the country have been 

 drawn out and put in successful competition with those 

 of the old world — and now, at a period of about 20 years 

 since sctdnff j/p /or ourst'/re« and manufacturing on our 

 03r?i AooA, we find ouiselves amply able to supply otir 

 own dem.and for the most important articles necessary to 

 our comfort, and even to carry the war of commerce 

 and manufactures into the country of the enemy. In 

 cottons and broadcloths we have succeeded admirably ;. 

 what genius and perseverance have done for us in thego 

 departments of manufacture, they will do for us in other 

 de|iartmcnts. Why not try silk, then.' Have we for- 

 gotten the great lesson which the last War taught us i* 

 iVIust we wait for a rupture with France, and a conse- 

 quent failure in the supply ofsilks to teach us the lesson 

 again = 



Silk has become a common if not a necessary article 

 of consumption. The wealthy and lliepoor use it more 

 or less ; in robes, veils, handkerchiefs, and ribbons, and 

 thread, it is used perhaps by every man, woman and 

 child, in the country ; not a huiton-hole can be well made 

 without it. We are paying France more than six mil- 

 lions of money a year for this very article ; and yet it can 

 be as n-ell cultivated and manufactured in the United, 

 Slates as in France. The valleys and the hills even of 

 the Green Mountain slate can be made to produce silk — 

 and they should be made to do it. Some enterprising: 

 Vermonters have commenced cultivating the mulberry, 

 upon the leaves of which the silU tcorms are fed, and 

 we doviht not that with a lit'le care and labor they will 

 soon find this a source of pleasure and of profit. Let 

 those indivirluals persevere — let them impart to their 

 neighbors and to their brother farmers, through the news- 

 papers, the result of their experiments. Bysodoingwe 

 doubt not they will satisfy the most incredulous of the 

 practicability of raising silk inJVcw England, and thus 

 introduce the cultivation of it as a regular and profitabia 

 branch of agriculture. — Vermont Watchman. 



The GOlh anniversary of the battle of Lexington was | 

 celebrated on the 20th, by the removal of the re- 

 mains of those who were killed in the battle to the new 

 monument erected on the spot where they fell. Address 

 by Hon. E. Everett. ^ 



