110 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCTOBER 10, If^38. 



AND gardener's journal. 



Boston, Wednbsdav, Octobeb 10, 1838. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT. 

 No. IV. 



In speaking of productive improvements we mention- 

 ed first the reclaiming or recovery of lands now laying 

 waste, saturated with water, unenclosed, or in forest. Of 

 land in this condition there is a very great amount in 

 the State, as every considerable farmer may easily satisfy 

 himself, if he will take the trouble of looking over his 

 own premises. The facts in the case, the actual amount 

 of land <m almost every place, even of moderate extent, 

 susceptible of being brought under cultivation and im- 

 provement, and rendered productive, would surjirise al- 

 most any one, wlio would be at the pains to examine the 

 subject ; to go over every field and pasture, every wet 

 meadow and woodland, and see how many pieces now 

 make no return ; and in how many instances the returns 

 made are nothing compared with what they might be. 

 We should in most cases do wrong to speak of them as 

 returns f'a return implies something first given ; that is 

 labor done or expense incurred in order to obtain it. 

 Much of the land of which we arc speaking, has never 

 felt the hand of improvement ; nor even so inuch as the 

 liftin" of a finger upon it. Men are fond of extending 

 their territories ; and of looking round upon a wide en- 

 closure, whether cultivated or improved or not, and feel- 

 iu" like Alexander Selkirk on his island, that they are 

 monarclis of all they survey. The rapacious propensity 

 is not uncommon, which was ascribed to one man, who 

 was determined, if possible, to possess all the land 

 which joined his. It is often said, that it is better to 

 cultivate a little land, and cultivate it well, than to culti- 

 vate a good deal poorly. We certainly agree to this ; 

 but we have another axiom, which we think quite as 

 sound. In situations where farming is made a profession, 

 where agriculture yields a fair compensation to labor, 

 and labor and capital can be procured, it is best to culti- 

 vate a good deal of land, and cultivate it well. If agri- 

 culture is oidy a losing concern, then abandon it ; for why 

 should von expend time and care and money to no pur- 

 pose ; but if, like the other business pursuits of life, to 

 persevering industry, a commendable and proper frugali- 

 ty, and the intelligent application of all available means 

 to its successful prosecution, it yields a fair and liberal re- 

 turn, then pursue it with the industry, frugality and ex- 

 ertion and development of your powers and means, 

 which are the indispensable elements of su«cesfi in all 

 other departments of active life. 



We hold in the case of the farmer and the possessor of 

 lands, as in all cases of other wealth, learning, or talent, 

 that a serious moral responsibleness rests upon him to use 

 all these means for good. Among the Romans, six acres 

 were the apportionment for a family, and deemed ample 

 for their support. In our condition of society sixty will 

 seldom suffice, and the nature of our institutions admits 

 of no arbitrary division or restriction under the form of 

 an agrarian law. We despair of a condition of society 

 in which any improvement shall take place in the pres- 

 ent form;: of holding and dividing the land, rejoicing most 

 thankfully in the great advance made by a constitution of 

 things, where the rights of primogeniture are not admit- 

 ted, .and no lengthened entailments are practicable. But 

 this wo hold as a high moral duty, that the pos-'-ssor of 

 land shouki, in all favorable circumstances, seek to ren- 

 der that land as productive aa |)Ossible ; and we hold it 

 likewise matter of just regret, when large possessions, 

 susceptible of improvement and of being made highly pro- 

 ductive, are held by persons, who, like the dog in the man- 



ger, will neither use nor sutler them to be used. In our 

 country, where wild and unoccupied land is so abundant, 

 and where there exists so great a disparity between the 

 quantity of land and the labor available to make it pro- 

 ductive, this is a point of far less importance than in 

 countricswhere the population is redundant ; but it would 

 be well not to lose sight of the great principle that the 

 possession of land rests upon a different basis from that 

 of other property. Wealth, which a man creates by his 

 labor, as bread is the prot'uct of his own cultivation, the 

 fruit and clothing raised and framed by his own industiy 

 it would seem might, as much as his own person, be 

 claimed as legitimately his own ; and so too the money, 

 which represents the accunnilations of former labor. 

 But property in the land itself, which he in no sense cre- 

 ates, and which is given to man as a common field of la- 

 bor, and a common source of subsistence, is appropriated 

 and enclosed on grounds of a different character and by 

 no means so obvious. 



Without entangling ourselves, however, in these ques- 

 tions of political economy, or of moral duly, we should 

 be glad, if we could see every farmer in the State exam- 

 ining into his possessions; and seeking to make every 

 rood of his farm productive in some form or another to 

 its utmost capacity. But how totally diiferent the case is 

 among us may be best illustrated by an example, which 

 came under our own observation. Some few years since, 

 as a part of a committee of an agricultural society for 

 awarding premiums on the most productive and best cul- 

 tivated farms which should be presented, we were invited 

 to visit the farm of a respectable gentleman, when as 

 near as we can remember, something like the following 

 dialogue occurred. Of how much land does your farm 

 consist .' Three hundred acres. (A very large portion 

 of this was susceptible of cultivation.) How much have 

 you under tillage .' Four acres of corn ; two of potatoes ; 

 and three or four in oats. (These were all the crops.) 

 How many laborers do you employ and how much team 

 do you keep ? I keep one yoke of oxen ; and employ one 

 man seven months in the year; and he "works out 

 enough upon hire with the team to p.iy his own wages." 

 This the man called specimen farming, and entered the 

 list of competitors for the highest honors of the Societv. 

 He was disposed to show at how little expense a farm 

 could, as he termed it, be carried on. The farm in truth 

 was not cuTvird on at all ; and, if it could be said to go, 

 it must be said also that it " went of itself ! " Situated 

 as he was in the immediate neighborhood of a quick 

 market, instead of four acres of corn, he ought to have 

 had forty ; men and teams enough to perform the neces- 

 sary labor ; and other products and crops in propoition. 

 But it probably never occurred to this man to look over 

 his farm, and ascertain how ever)' acre, susceptible of 

 being made productive, should have been brought into 

 profitable use. This is most certainly what every intel- 

 ligent and enterpri.sing farmer should do. But at present 

 it seems to be a cardinal point with a great majority of 

 farmers to bring themselves down in their agricultural 

 operations to the lowest quantum possible of labor and 

 expense ; we say possible, in many cases, consistent with 

 the supply of the first necessities of their family, and the 

 humblest claims to the character of practical farmers. To 

 this point we wish to call particularly the attention of tl: 

 farming community ; to the actual condition of their 

 farms ; to the great number of acres, which lay neglected, 

 w;iste, and unproductive, from which under proper man- 

 agement a liberal return might be obtained. VVe iiope, 

 that if considerations of duty, of self respect, and ht nest 

 pride, are without power to move them to put their 

 farms in better condition, they will, by our farther in- 

 quiries and tlieir own patient consideration, be at last 

 aroused by the strongest convictions of interest. 



We shall solicit their farther indulgence. H. C. 



CATTLE SHOW AT CONCORD, MASS. 



The Annual Cattle Show and Exhibition of Domestic 

 Manufactures was holden at Concord on Wednesday, 3d 

 of October inst. It was very fully attended, and went 

 off with great success. 



The show of Cattle was respeclable. Some valuable 

 milch cows, several fine pairs of steers, and some prom- 

 ising calves were in the pens. A capital cow (being a 

 cross of the improved Durham Short Horns, and a bull 

 of native stock,) was sent by Mr Sleriam of Lowell. 

 Some valuable short horns were exhibited by Mr Wriolit 

 of Lowell, and .Mr Morse of Marlboro'. The latter gen- 

 tleman is engaged in raising this stock of the pure 

 blood ; and is entitled to much credit for his enterprise. 



As the Committees will undoubtedly give a full account 

 of the exhibition in their reports, which we shall publish 

 as soon as received, we shall forbear further discriujina- 

 tioii ; other than to add, that we do not believe a finer 

 exhibition of swine was ever seen at any show in our 

 country. Every one remarked too how clean they were. 

 It would almost seem as though they had all put on clean 

 linen for the occasion ; and whole shirts too, none of your 

 dickies and false bosoms and collars. Then too the 

 owners or superintendents were all careful to spealt well 

 of their good temper and good manners. They were 

 quiet, gentle, easily satisfied, bland in their temper as a 

 June zephyr. Only think of this. The swinish mul- 

 titude are rising iii.the scale of civilization. What are we 

 coming to in these halcyon days of the glorious march 

 of mind ! 



A large and merry company sat down to a good dinner 

 at Shephard's Hotel. The display of fruit at table, especial- 

 ly througli the kindness of Mr Clapp, and Mr Eustis of 

 Soulh Reading, and other gentlemen, whose names we 

 could not catch in their hasty annunciation, was most 

 liberal and beautiful. Most of the toasts were of the 

 highest order of wit and sentiment ; and the occasion 

 was enlivened by the addresses of several gentlemen. 



We came near omitting a notice of the ploughing 

 match. Thirteen teams were entered ; and the work 

 taken together, was executed in a first rate manner. 



The sensible and practical address of William Buck- 

 minster, Esq. on the occasion, we had prepared to offer 

 to our readers this week, but the crowded state of our 

 columns, on account of the Horticultural Reports, forbid 



Seedling Dahlias. — Mr Gardener Parker of Billeri- 

 ca, has presented us with a box containing eighteen va- 

 rieties of Seedling Dahlias, of which six varieties are 

 very good and two of them extra fine. One he has 

 named the Village Belle, is a fine white flower, very 

 delicately tipped with purple. Another variety we 

 named the Billerica Rival, which will pass for a superb 

 dower. It is large, fine shape, cupped petals, and of a 

 fine rosy crimson. A third flower resembles Newick 

 Rival, is named Beauty of Middlesex. Some of the 

 others were fair, but, as we have so many stars of the 

 first magnitude, thev were not worthy of a name. 



" J. B. 



(!"or the New England Farmer.) 



Mr Editor— I take the liberty to address to you a fevir 

 inquiries respecting the Tomato, and require the favor 

 that you or some of your correspondents will give some 

 information through the N. E. Earmer how to preserve 

 this vegetable, which is pronounced by some of the most 

 learned M. D.'s to be "one of the most wholesome and 

 valuable esculents that belong to the vegetable kingdom." 



I have a large quantity of Tomatoes on hand, and 

 have heard a good deal said about Tomato Catsup, but 

 am ignorant as to the mode of making it. By furnishing 

 a receipt for making the same, you will doubtless oblige 

 some of your numerous readers as well as myself. 



Sherburne, Sept. 2(1, 1838. A Reader. 



Remarks by J. B.— Wt presume "A Reader" has 

 not taken the farmer many years back, as a recipe was 

 published in Vol. U), page lUI, which we republish for 

 his benefit, as well as others, who may not have access 

 to the back volumes. 



" To make Tomato Cutsup. — Take one gallon skinned 

 Tomatoes, four table spoons salt, four of black pepper, 

 two of alspice, eight pods red pepper, eight table spoons 

 of mustard seed. Bruise all these fine, and simmer them 

 slowly in a pint of vinegar three hours : then strain them 

 through a hair sieve — to be stewed down to half a gallon 

 of catsup — put the catsup into the bottles and cork it 

 tight." 



We have tried catsup made from the above receipt and 



