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NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY 24, 1837. 



^12 -iy 5is?^2L^sfa> m^'^^^m, 



BCJSTON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1837. 



FAKniER'S ■WORK. 



Forests, Woodland, &c. — [Continued from p. 358 ] 

 Mr Linley remarks (see page 258 of the current vol. of 

 the N. E. Farmer) that in the part of the country in 

 which he resides, (Euclid, Ohio.) "forests when cut 

 away, Ho not sprout again as they do in New England." 

 It is certainly a matter of much moment tn the future 

 welfare and value of that part of the country, to ascer- 

 tain whether the evil of which Mr Linley complains, is 

 inevitably incident to the soil and climate in which it 

 occurs, or whether it may not be accounted for as the 

 consequence of some incorrect management in the mode 

 of cultiiig the primitive trees, natives of the soil, ivhcn 

 Iheir reproduction is a desirable object. 



The Hon. John Welles wrote an article on the sub- 

 ject of Forest Trees, origiually published in the Massa- 

 ciiiiselts Agricultural Repository, in which the follow- 

 ing passages occur. Thpy are, perhaps, as applicable 

 to the Slate of Ohio, as to that of Massachusetts. No 

 man in New England has so much knowledge, derived 

 from experience, relative to this subject as Mr Welles. 

 " A time Will come, when, from the increase of our 

 population and manufactures, the cutting off and the 

 re-growth of our forests, or to us? a more appropri.ite 

 term, our wood-lots will form an important subject of 

 calculation. It will be desirable to estimate with pre- 

 cision at what per od the earth will again present a re- 

 newed growth ; as well as the most beneficial time of 

 using the axe. Some indeed may be so favored with 

 lenglh of days, as to avail themselves of this labor of 

 the earth more than once. But if not, to their succes- 

 sors and to (he community the subject is highly impor- 

 tant and replete with interest. The diversity of opinion 

 on these topics, and the occasional and scattered in- 

 stances of the great longevity of tiecs, while they ren- 

 der the subject more intricate, make it also more essen- 

 tial as a topic of inquiry. These variations from the 

 general law in this country, as well as oilier similar 

 ones in past ages and in the piesent times, should form 

 no exception to the general rule. 



"As relates to our forests or woodland, it ia a fact 

 generally known, that where they are cut off and a new 

 growth is wished for, i( they are of hard wood, they 

 should be cut when the sap is down, or the loaf off the 

 tree. This being in the winter season, is most conven- 

 ient to our husbandmen. It is considered as very essen- 

 tial by European writers, as well as some of our own 

 country, that trees should be cut as near the ground as 

 possible, as a means of throwing back the suckers more 

 towards the roots. This practice is dictated also by 

 economy, as a saving of the best part of the wood and 

 timber. In the publications of the Scotch Agricultural 

 Board, by Sir J.,hn Sinclair, it is observed ' that of tlie 

 trees which being cut down send forth no shoots, are 

 the beech and the whole family of the pines ' They 

 are considered in Europe as limited to one generation. 

 There is a mode here, however, as to the latter tree 

 which has the effect of producing a succession. After 

 culling off a pine lot, the plough is introduced, a crop 

 of rye is obtained beneficially, and the seeds of the pine 

 which were on the surface, being thus buried in the 

 soil, a new and rapid growth is produced. This is aid- 

 ed if one or two midiih-.^ized seed bearing trees are 

 lel"t on an acre. It is said that in some parts of our 

 country, there is a change in the succession of different 

 growths, even of different genera or families. Upon 



this seeming incongruity I cannot reason for want of 

 experience. 



"As to the important principle at what age or how 

 oflen it is best to cut olf our wood, we should on the 

 whole, be disposed to name a period between 40 and 

 aO years, as most favorable for what are termed hard 

 wood trees. The writer here refers, not only to a va- 

 riety of facts as to lots in different parts of this State 

 but to the opinions of many judicious farmers. This is 

 corroborated by a number of experiments, where por- 

 tions of a lot have been cut off at the period of time 

 above stated, and the product of which considerably ex- 

 ceeded that of other parts of the same lots, which had 

 been left standing in the aggrcgue quantity upon an 

 acre. This was the mo'e discernible, where the ground 

 had been cut clean; a practice which cannot be (oo 

 highly recommended. 



" Cy the agricultural report* before alluded too, it ap. 

 pears that in the lots reserved for wood, (called coppi- 

 ces) it is considered as most profitable to cut off the 

 growth every 40 years. It will be perceived that for 

 this country, a longer period is inclined to." 



(To be continue J J 



The American Magazi.ne of Useful Knowledge. 

 — Among the numerous periodicals of the day " The 

 American Magazine of Useful Knowledge," stands pre- 

 eminent. It is a work which should be found in every 

 family. Instead of being filled with useless ficlion, 

 which we are sorry too find in to many publications 

 its pages are enriched with historical facts; biographi- 

 cal sketches of prominent men; architectural notices of 

 public buildings. In our owri and other countries ; nat- 

 ural history in all ils various branches, receives due at- 

 tention, as well as domestic economy, and the improve- 

 ments in the arts and sciences. The work isembellished 

 with numerous engravings, embracing views of some 

 of the most romantic scenery in our own country, our 

 public buildings, native animals, trees, plants, &c. &c. 

 The work is issued monthly, each number containing 

 forty pages, making a volume of 500 pages, with abou" 

 200 engravings, and afforded at the very low price of 

 two dollars per annum. It is a work liighly interestinn- 

 to all ages, but especially ;o the young, and we hope 

 our young friends throughout the country, will avail 

 themselves ol the benefits which the perusal of it can. 

 not fail to give. 



Use of Garget in diseases of Sheep .-.Wr Hohncs ■ 

 I consider Sheep Husbandry next in imporlance to the 

 raising wheat in the best manner in the State. It.nev- 

 er will do on most farms not to raise our own bread and 

 depend on the sale of wool and sheep to procure the ne- 

 cessary article, but make the sheep conduce to the rais- 

 ing bread and profit, by both breadstuffs and wool, to- 

 gether with the sale of so many sheep from the flock as 

 can be spared. Nothing that relates to the health of 

 that useful animal, the sheep, can be unimportant. I 

 therefore will take the liberty to stale one fact in regard 

 to them. I have a Buck of the best shape, which in 

 years past, has yielded 7 lbs. of the best well washed 

 wool I put him out in the fall of 1835, to Amosa Tink- 

 man, Esq. In the month of February following, he ap- 

 peared diseased, and Wr Tinkman notifi 'd me of it, and 

 by the aid of tar put upon the nose and good keepino, 

 he recovered, and was returned in tolerable order, i°n 

 the spring of 1836, but with his advice not to attempt 

 to keep him another winter, as he would certainly 

 die. 



During the last summer, ho became fleshy, and I per- 

 mitted him to go with my home flock, consisting of more 

 than forty ewes. Early in Feb. his head became stop- 

 ped up, and he had sore eyes, notwithstanding his nose 

 was well tarred, and had been all winter. I renewed 

 the tar, however, and opened the skin in his neck, in 

 what shepherds and farmers call dewlop, rather low 

 down, and put in a piece of dry garget, and tied the 

 wool lightly to keep it in. His health very soon became 

 good, and has remained so for about three weeks. 



Elijah Wood. 



Winthrop, April, 1837. [Maine Far. 



(For the New England Farmer.) 



Resiedy against the Hessian Flv — Mr Editor : 



My neighbor states that his brother, in an adjoining 

 county, sowed a field of wheat, which came up well and 

 grew rapidly for a short time, when he discovered that 

 the fly had laid claim to the whole field, by depositing 

 its eggs in the first joint of every stalk. Immediately 

 on this, he turned his sheep into the field, who soon 

 cropped the whole to ihe ground, and af\er they were re- 

 moved, the wheat again grew very rapidly ; and from 

 this field he harvested a remarkably fine crop of good 

 wheat. u 



Green Golden Pumpkin.— We noticed this pump- 

 kin last spring, (vol. 2, page 40.) Mr Moses Winslow 

 of Wcslbrook, who is very liberal with good things, 

 gave us one of these pumpkins last fill, and as we Tre 

 informed that it was a good kind to keep, we kept it un. 

 til within a short lime. In quality it is much superior 

 to the common pumpkin, ihe meat is nearly twice as 

 thick, and it keeps far better. They will be very good 

 for stock as they have a soft shell. They are excetlent 

 for pies, and we had some bread made by mixing Indian 

 meal with this pumpkin, half and half, it impr.rved the 

 quality very much, and in the opinion of our " better 

 half," it nearly doubled the quantity of bread. This 

 bread is an excellent article for an anti-flour eater. In 

 the notice which we before gave of this pumpkin, it is 

 stated that 200 lbs. were raised in 1835, from two seeds; 

 we have only a few seeds of this pumpkin, and shall 

 scatter them in small parcels, that those who wish may 

 tiy ihem. — Yankee Farmer. 



Tar for Sheep.— A gentleman who keeps a large 

 flock of sheep, rssures us that during the season of "ra- 

 zing, he gives his sheep tar, at the rate of a gill a d'ay, 

 for every twenty sheep. He puts the tar in troughs^ 

 sprinkles a little fine salt over it, and the sheep eat it 

 eagerly. This preserves them from worms in the head, 

 promotes their general health, and is supposed to be a 

 specific against rot. 



Toads —It is a common notion that these beautiful 

 little animals suck poison from the earlh.— Now, al- 

 though this opinion is a fallacy, the toad is nevertheless 

 one ol the most useful animals in the world to the gar- 

 dener. The toad lives entirely on animal food, eats it 

 alive— and cares not a fig for Dr Graham. The grubs 

 and insects which he devours, are very injurious to the 

 young plants which are cultivated for the table. He 

 comes out out at night when the dampness of the air is 

 agreeable to him, and when his prey are likewise wan- 

 dering abroad, committing their depredations — and 

 watching them as eagerly as a cat watches for mice.— 

 It is said ihat a few dozen of toads will destroy 

 all the cabbage worms in a whole acre of land that ia 

 planted with cabbages, and be the means of saving the 

 young plants from destruction.— Borfon Post. 



