VOL.. xm. NO. 43. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



Farming. — While many a discontented and 

 restless mortal is casting a longing and not linger- 

 ing look towards the far famed West, where ten- 

 penny nails if planted overnight, sprout into crow- 

 bars by next morning ; and where pigs' tails didy 

 set in the rich loam, come up full grown grunting 

 quadrupeds in the space of three or four days — 

 and wliile other greedy souls are flying oft' to- 

 wards the forests of Maine, with the view of pur- 

 chasing timber gardens where even the corn stalks 

 and cabbage stumps may be sawed into planks 

 and beams — we have to record one wise instance 

 of a contrary policy. A few days since, a farmer 

 from "down east," finding his lands overrun and 

 eaten up by swarms of speculating locusts, pull- 

 ed up stakes and starting oft' in a due westerly 

 direction, landed plumply upon that " sterile" spot 

 ycleped Nantucket. Curiosity led him to exam- 

 ine the properties of its soil — and above all, the 

 probable profits of such products as might be 

 gathered therefrom. Satisfied of the superior ad- 

 vantages resulting from a ready and certain mar- 

 ket even for stinted crops over those accruing 

 from superabundant avails without the facility of 

 exchanging them for money and other commodi- 

 ties he at once purchased a farm, and settled him- 

 sef, snugly, thereon. Now this man, with a mod- 

 erate share of industry, and a proper exercise of 

 his agricultural knowledge — especially if aided 

 by the light which modern science is throwing 

 upon the art of cultivating the earth — will realize 

 vastly more from such a farm, than from any 

 of those rich tracts in the wilderness, where 

 though vegetation flourishes with but little labor, 

 that little meets with no adequate reward. Ten 

 pounds of new butter at thirty cents and as many 

 bushels of green peas at two dollars bring as 

 much money according to Crocker's arithmetic as 

 ten times these quantities at one tenth the price ! 

 Besides, one has the advantage of living in civil- 

 ized society — and enjoying, for himself and chil- 

 dren, the benefit of its institutions. We have no 

 manner of doubt that at the year's end, the profits 

 of a farm in Nantucket may be made to equal 

 those of any one of like extent in Kentucky or in 

 Kennebec. — J^antucket Inquirer. 



Wanton destruction of Birds. — A petition 

 for an act to prevent the wanton destruction of 

 marsh birds, was taken up in the House yesterday. 

 It is a subject well deserving attention. The pe- 

 tition states that these birds, the plover, red-breast 

 and curlew, &c. (which atford such delightful 

 sport to the gunner, on the great marshes of the 

 Cape, in the month of August) come here from 

 the South, in April or May, when poor and unfit 

 for food. That the people near whei-e the birds 

 find their roosts, kindle fires on the marshes, 

 towards which they fly and are knocked down 

 and destroyed in immense quantities. One per- 

 son alone, in one night, murdered 2400 of these 

 birds, in this wanton manner. It is apparent that 

 if this wicked slaughter is continued the ivhole 

 species will become extinct. 



The citizens of Barnstable and Plymouth coun- 

 ties are deeply interested in preventing this kind 

 of bloody massacre. One of the greatest induce- 

 ments for strangers to visit that healthful spot, the 

 Cape, in summer, is the amusement of shooting 

 on the marshes — a healthful exercise, which is 

 alike captivating to as great a mind as Daniel 

 Webster's or as little a one, as ordinary summer 

 loungers carry with them when they travel. 



This attraction is a source of profit as well as 

 pleasure, and we earnestly hope that the Legisla- 

 ture will pass the act desired. To kill a bird in 

 a fair shot on the wing, and for purposes of food, 

 is warranted on every principle which justifies 

 the use of meats in any case ; but to decoy 

 whole flocks of them by holding out false lights, 

 that at the same time may destroy the mariner, 

 and then knock them on the head, is cold-blooded 

 wanton, savage — bird slaughter. — Boston Daily 

 Advocate. 



Speed the Plough! — Notwithstanding our 

 little State is so often sneered at for her Granite 

 Hills and barren soil, we learn that Dr. Jarvis 

 yesterday sold wool grown upon his farm to the 

 amoum of fourteen thousand dollars ! We much 

 doubt whether any New England Farmer in one 

 day ever made a heavier sale of the agricultural 

 products of his estate. 



Jf''ool. — Our last quotations of this article are 

 fully supported. Mixed and full blood Saxony 

 70 a 75. American full blood 62i a 65. Ameri- 

 can 3-4 do 55 a 58, J do 45 a SO, i do to common 

 42 a 45 — spinning good 42 a 45. There continues 

 to be a good demand for the article. Woolens 

 are rising, and our farmers who have been keep- 

 ing their wool on hand, cannot do better than to 

 bring it into market. It will in all probability be 

 lower before shearing time. A prime lot of Sax- 

 ony wool, between eighteen and nineteen thousand 

 pounds, was taken this week in this town by the 

 Lawrences at Lowell, at 76 cents per pound. 

 The manufacturers continue to supply their im- 

 mediate demands for domestic wool at prices 

 ranging within or a small advance upon our quo- 

 tations. — Claremont (M H.) Eagle. 



Opium Trade. — By occasionally visiting the 

 Hercules, one of the receiving ships for opium, I 

 was able to observe, through the kindness of Mr 

 Parry, her chief oflicer, how this extensive and 

 lucrative business is conducted. The sales are 

 effected in Canton by the European merchants, 

 and orders sent down with smuggling boats for 

 the delivery of the opium from the different ships ; 

 the boats engaged in this occupation are armed 

 with spears, shields, and even fire-arms, to repel 

 any attack that may be made upon them by the 

 aiandarin guard boats. They are also manned by 

 a very brave athletic crew ; indeed, Chinese fight 

 very well one against the other, but they cannot 

 bring forward sufficient courage to face Europeans 

 except the advantages are overpowering on their 

 side. These boats are provided with sails, in ad- 

 dition to a number of oars and rowers, and they 

 pass through the water with inconceivable rapid- 

 ity. The Mandarin boats, having a weaker and 

 less choice crew, seldom or never overtake them ; 

 this, however may in part be explained from the 

 fact of the guard boats, (the revenue cutters) sent by 

 the Chinese Government to cruise against smug- 

 glers, coming along side for a supply of the pro- 

 hibited drug, to smuggle it themselves, into the 

 heart of the Chinese empire. Anything can be 

 done by bribery in this country, and these boats 

 are often employed for smuggling cassia, treasure, 

 &c., on board European ships at Lintin, &c. : in- 

 deed every smuggling boat that takes opium from 

 an opium ship leaves a payment of one dollar on 

 each chest for the Mandarins, and on the opium 

 returns being made up, the sum is regularly paid 



to them ; each boat leaves also a kunishaw, or 

 present for the ship, of five dollars. 



The chests of the drug are opened on board: 

 the balls or crackers are taken out, and immedi- 

 ately deposited in small mat bags, brought by them 

 for the purpose, and sown up , being in that way 

 more convenient to smuggle than in large heavy 

 chests. Thera are three kinds of opium usually 

 sold in the English ships, the Malwa, Benars, and 

 Patna ; a fourth, the Turkey opium, is confined 

 to the American and other foreign vessels. The 

 Patna opium is in balls, packed in partition cases, 

 each chest containing forty balls. Old opium 

 fetches a higher price than the new, the former 

 being solid, the latter soft and more liable to run. 

 The old chests, so termed, are usually two years 

 old when they come under that denomination. 

 The Malwa opium is in rather flattened cakes. 

 The prices of this drug of course fluctuate very 

 much ; the consumption in the Chinese empire 

 must be enormous and is entirely (not the least 

 extraordinary part of the affair) carried on by an 

 illicit trade. The payments are usually made, if 

 to any extent, in Sycee silver, which is taken by 

 weight, no silver coinage being acknowledged by 

 the Chinese Government. The Chinese pur- 

 chasers of the opium refine it by boiling, previous 

 to using it for smoking ; they use it also in the form 

 of tincture, usually carrying a small bottle contain- 

 ing it about them. The present Emperor of Chi- 

 na has been described as being totally incapacitat- 

 ed from any business, through the excess to which 

 he has carried the debiliating practice of opium 

 smoking. — Bennet's Wandering. 



Twitch Grass — Quitch Grass — Couch 

 Grass — Witch Grass. — This troublesome grass 

 which is so tenacious of life that it will grow 

 either end up, and multiplies the faster the more 

 it is divided and bids defiance to almost every 

 body, unless it be totally grubbed up and cast into 

 an oven, is said may be destroyed in the fol- 

 lowing manner as practised by Mr Taylor of Lew- 

 iston. Me. After ploughing the ground he sows 

 it as early as possible with Buck wheat. This 

 springs up and prevents the twitch from growing, 

 about the last of June. When the Buck wheat is 

 in blossom he ploughs it under and sows another 

 crop. This springs up and has time to ripen its 

 seed before frost. — Maine Farmer. 



Grease for Wheelaxles. — What is the best 

 grease for wheels ? said one " whip," to another 

 the other day. Tar, said the other. Tar ! I de- 

 spise tar, and grease won't stay there. Now had 

 they put the question to our grave selves, we couU 

 have told them of a valuable material to diminish 

 friction, not only in cairiage wheel boxes, but in 

 all machinery whatever. The composition we 

 believe was first used in^the iron works on the 

 Boston Mill dam, and consists of soapstone, finely 

 pulverized and mixed with grease or sof\ tallow. 

 It is an excellent application — a real anti-frictidn- 

 ist. — Maine Farmer. 



At the late grand fete at Wentworth House, 

 there was placed in the refreshment room, a iow- 

 quetle de fruit ; composed of every variety of 

 grapes, pines, peaches, nectarines, &c., 5 yards in 

 circumference, and valued at 600?. — Loudon's 

 Magazine. 



