198 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DECL^MBRK 26 m3>i. 



AND gardener's JOURNAL. 



Boston, Wednesday, Decembeb 20, 1838. 



The IVew i:ng^land rarnier, and 

 €iiar(lciicr'!« Journal, 



Volume Seventeenth, — commencing July ]1, ISJW. 



Back numbers can bt fui-nislie '. Published by 



Joseph Breck & Co., Xo. 5J, .Vorth Market 



Street, Boston. 



To THE Public, — 



Tlie propriclora and publishers of the New England 

 Farmer ask leave respectfully to present llieir claims up- 

 on the continued patron-ige of the agricultural community. 



"Shall auld acquaintance be forgot?" TheNcwEng- 

 and Farmer was commenced sixteen years a^o by the 

 late lamented Mr Fessenden. The project of a newspa- 

 1' .exclusively to the concerns .and interests of 

 agriculture was at that time a project entirely novel in 

 New England ; the success of which was altogether ques- 

 tionable. He brought to it the treasures of his practical 

 knowledge ; his careful observation ; his varied experi- 

 ence ; and his persevering ,ind exact inquiry. It soon 

 rose into public esteem, and continued a favorite of the 

 public until his death. The v.-ist amount of learned, 

 practical, and useful information contained in itsvoluuics 

 fully justify the patronage, which it has received ; as it 

 is confidently believed that in this respect no work has 

 been more distinguished; and the same number of vol- 

 umes is not to be found, which are richer in varied, sound, 

 useful, .and practical knowledge. 



No pains or labor have been spared since the death of 

 this excellent friend of the farming interest, this friend of 

 every social interest, and every useful enterprise, to 

 maintain the high char<-icter of Ibis journal and to extend 

 its usefulness. These efforts, from the approbation gen- 

 erally expressed, have no', been without success ; and, 

 this success is an encouragement to persevere and to re- 

 double these efforts. This we promise ; and respectfully 

 ask therefore the continued patronage of a reading, a 

 working, and intelligent public. 



The proprietors of the N. E. Farmer would scrupu- 

 lously avoid any invidious comparisons with other agri- 

 cultural p,ipors, and desire to enter into no competition or 

 rivalry ; but they confidently believe that no paper of the 

 same number of pages, within the last year, has present- 

 ed a l.irger amount of origin.il matter or of interesiiug 

 practical intelligence ; and their seleciions have fciien 

 made from extensive facilities, both at home and abroad; 

 with as much judgment as they can exercise 



They will continue to do their best. The Commis- 

 sioner of .\gricultural Survey will render all the aid con- 

 sistent with his public engagements, and make it the ve- 

 hicle of all his conununications with the public. The 

 various agricultural and horticultural societies in the state 

 will present all their reports through its pages; and some 

 of the best farmers in New England will continue to en- 

 rich its columns with their valuable contributions. 



The proprietors hold in utter disdain all mean arts, in- 

 trigues or misrepresentations, or fallacious promises with 

 a view to obtain patronage. These would be wholly in- 

 consistent with the principles and character which the 

 Farmer lias always maintained. 



The Farmer hitherto has been eminently a (itmily pa- 

 per. Its pacjes have never been stained with a statement, 

 sentiment, or expression, which would raise a blush of 

 shame on the cheek of modesty, or infuse a poison in the 

 uncorrupted mind. We pledge ourselves that in all these 

 respects it shall not forfeit its high reputation. 



lla\ing been the pioneer of agricultural improvement 

 and intelligence in the State and conntry, and, without 

 the inclin.ition if it had the power, to diive others from 

 the field, it respectfully asks only a reasonable portion of 

 the harvest of which it sowed the seed, and in regard to 

 which has performed its full share in the cultivation of 

 the crop. 



The New England larmtr and Gardener's Journal is 

 published weekly, in quario form, making a h.indsouie 

 volume of 11(3 [wgcs with an index, at two dollars and 

 fifty cents, in advance, or three dollars at the close of the 

 year. 



Editors of papers with whom we exchange will do us 

 a favor to publish this communication. 



Boston, Dec. 126, 18:JS. 



MR STEVENS' ADDRESS. 



We have the pleasure of presenting in this week's 

 Farmer the address of Henry Stevens, Esq. of Barnet, 

 Vt , delivered before an agricultural society in that part 

 of the country. We have the pleasure of knc\yin" Mr 

 Stevens. Few men are more competent to give sound 

 practical instruction on practical subjects. He has taken 

 a strong interest in all enterprises, for the public improve- 

 ment in his vicinity. He discusses in this address the 

 important subject of wool-growing ; and shows the mag- 

 nitude of this interest in his own State. He shows like- 

 wise the benefits yet in prospect for the wool-growing 

 interest by demonstrating that Vermont is as yet far from 

 meeting her own home demands. He shows hkewise the 

 importance of establishing manufactories in Vermont, 

 where living and labor are comparatively cheap ; the raw 

 material at hand ; and an ample and inexhaustible water 

 power directly at hand. Such plain, useful, statistical 

 addresses as these, so full of valuable facts and important 

 and well-founded calculations cannot fail to arrest the 

 attention of reflectino; and practical men. 



Vermont is eminently a growing State ; and its main 

 dependence in an agricultural view, must be en its raisino 

 of live stock, its wool, and its dairy produce. It should 

 not neglect to raise what of bread its immediate wants 

 m.iy require ; but grain-growing, from its climate and the 

 broken character of its land, must be a small interest 

 compared with the former objects. The population of 

 Vermont in enterprise, general intelligence, good conduct 

 and good manners, is excellent. The early population 

 of this Commonwealth, was not of the best description. 

 While in a state of outlawry, it was a kind of city of 

 refuge aud for a time the shelter of those, whose profli- 

 gacy and crimes compelled them to flee from the neioh- 

 borini; States. At this period it is said, that a clergyman 

 in his parochial rounds one day inquired of a small Ver- 

 montese boy, "into vviiat state the fall of man brought 

 mankind ?" to which the child replied with as much 

 truth as simplicity, "into the State of Vermont." But 

 these times have long since passed away and these gene- 

 rations have gone with them. Vermont at the present 

 time it is believed in the general ch.iracter and improve- 

 ment of its population is behind no State in the I'nion. 



H. C. 



(For the New England Farmer.) 



Il'cston, Dec. 18, 1833. 

 Mil Brkck,— 



1 send you some of the African Prince, and .Scotch 

 Apples, which I wish you to try the goodness of, and 

 give their merits to the public, if you think they deserve 

 it. I received the tree of the Scotch apple of Mr Allen, 

 a Scotchman, who Robert B. Thomas sneaks of boarding 

 with in his journal published in his alm.anack of I8oa 

 There is no other tree in this vicinity of this variety. 

 .Mr Allen alw.iys called it his apple, and gave it the above 

 name; it i» a good bearer and thrifty growing tree. I 



grafted several trees from the old one last year. Tl 

 truit will keep until .\pril. 



\ ours, with respect, ■ 



J. WARREN. 







Rkmarks — Wc have tested the quality of .'^Ir Warren 

 apples and find them to be superior varieties. The tin 

 of the Scotch apple is decidedly the best — we recogi:!?. 

 it as the Nonesuch, or a variety very much like it, w iiic 

 is deservedly ranked among the best of winter fruits 

 not much cultivated ; it is of fair size and handsome ,t[ 

 pearance, and well suited for the dessert ; the coIj 

 dark and light red, finely variegated, excepting when ej 

 posed to the shade, which is a greenish yellow. 



The African Prince is a beautiful fruit to look at, ( 

 large size and good shape, and where exposed to the snr 

 a very dark red. It is juicy, sprightly, good flavor, In 

 for our own taste a little too tart; it would be well like' 

 by many for the dessert, and it must be highly prized b 

 all for cooking. 



We find it rather difficult to describe flavors, not bcin 

 much in the way of discus'sing the merits of a "real v; 

 riety of fruits. But if any of our readers will follow tli 

 liberal example of our friend Warren, we will dt 

 best, these long winter evenings, by the way of provin 

 their fruits, and be much obliged in the bargain. J. 1!. 



SUiVIMARY OF THE WEEK. 



Pf.s.vsvlvania.— The Harrisburg difficulties are 

 adjusted. There are two houses of representatives sti 

 in session, both pressing their claims to a legal recogn 

 tion. It does not yet appear how these difficulties wi 

 be settled. Heaven preserve the Slate from a civil wai 

 but the sky is cloudy. The milit.iry has been withdraw 

 from Harrisburg; and the short days aud cold wcailit 

 favor a cool and dispassionate adjustment of difficuliia 

 Fires in a city are not likely to spend rapidly orextensiv. 

 ly when the roofs are covered with snow. 



Canada.— .-VlTairs in Upper Canada are in a most ur 

 happy condition. Another unsucce.«sful invasion ha 

 been made from Detroit, and the beautiful village of Sane 

 wich opposite Detroit laid waste by fire. The invasio 

 was abortive, and many lives have been lost. In sue 

 cases if those who undertake them are successful the 

 are called patriots; if they fail, rebels. The latterseun. 

 likely to he the established cognomen of the party. Th 

 prisons are crowded with the criminal and the suspected 

 The prisoners are tried by Courts Martial, because jurie 

 would not agree to convict; and the hangman is doing 

 fe:irful work. 



PubUc improvements arc everywhere advancing will 

 great rapidity. Steamboats and railroads bring distan 

 places into the immediate vicinity of each other. Th. 

 British government are proposing to establish a stean 

 communication with the bay of J'anama, and propose . 

 railroad over the isthmus of Darien. Formerly when i 

 grave citizen of Boston proposed to make a journey U 

 New York he deemed it necessary to make his will ant 

 " put up a note at church" for his safe return. Now h< 

 goes to New York and returns ; and he does little mon 

 than tell his family they need not wait for him at dinner 



ftlassachnsctts Horticaltural Society. 



Exhibition of Frdits. 



Salurday, Dec. 15, 1838. 

 M. P. Sawyer, Esq. exhibited the " Hooper Apple,' 

 produced on the farm of Mr Aloses Little at Turkey Hill, 

 in Newbury, a beautiful and good fruit, of a red color 

 and medium size, origin unknown. , 



