246 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FISBRUARY r>, 1839. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



BOSTOS, VVSDNESDAV, FjiBBUABY 6, 1839. 



A CARD. 



The Commissionerof Agricultiiral Survey lias imported 



lor gratuitous tlislributioii among this farmers in the Legis- 

 lature, some wheat from Portugal, called "Tri^fo Trim- 



»'«lre," and said to be an early and valuable variety. 



'J lie earliest and best was ordertd. 



llo lias likewise imported for the same purpose, a (jiian- 



tity of German Teasic seed. The German Teasles are 



iiuicli superior to these ruLsed among us ; and bring usu- 

 ally one hundred per cent, more in the market. 



lie hopes to receive before the adjournment of the 



Legislature some of the best wheats grown in Sicily and 



Italy, for wli:ch he sent some time since. He has like- 

 wise obtained for distribution tw.i bushels of cars of what 



ho deems by muck the finest variety of Indian corn, that 



he has ever seen. It ripened perfectly the two cold years ; 



and yielded the last year at the rate of seventyfive bush- 



els tyhe acre, lie will show a sample of this corn at 



the next agricultural meeting on Thursday evening. 

 He has likewise the pleasure to acknowledge tlie re- ,.„„.. ,„ „ ,c.,:„auve ., 



ceipt of several other varieties of Indian corn valuable quality of its°ope"-ation 



for their abundant yield and early maturity ; and samples 



uJ' Ohio corn, which ripened well the last year in our 



iatiludo. 

 He is indebted to some agricultural frier.ds on Coiinee- 



ticMt river, always enterprising in this good cause, for 

 samples of the growth of corn, oats, and wheat, from the 



luxuriant intervales of that favored land, which would 

 do honor to the prairies of iliiiiois or the bottom lands of 



the Ohio. 



He acknowledges with n^uch pleasure the receipt of 

 beautiful specimens of the cultivated grasses in his vicin- 

 ity, from Levi liartlett, Ksq. of Warner, N. H. which 

 show what intelligent husbandry can do even in a Stale 

 which our chivalrous friends of the south consider as 

 under the curse of producing nothing but granite and ice, 

 of iron frosts, and snow clad summits. Massachusetts^ 

 Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, if they will but 

 be true to themselves, will find no occasion to envy the 

 cotton and rice fields of the south with (be curse of slave 

 labor brooding over them ; nor ihe lu.Kuriance of the 

 Western alluvions wuli the accompaniments of bili„us 

 fevers ,-ind interniittciits. 



He h.-is received Ikewi.se from Dracut, an ingenious 

 and improved cultivator, to Jje moved by hand, for garden 

 use ; an excellent drill barrow from Sheliield ; and a 

 corn planter and seed sower from the enterprising and 

 intelligent husbandman, C. Bement of Albany. 



He has likewise obtained from Hampshire county, a 

 steam boiler for cooking food for swine and cattle, of 'au 

 excellent construction, with an ingenious arrangement 

 for preventing any accidents from the excess of steam. 

 This apparatus is in operation on the f^m of T Plun- 

 kctt, Esq. Pittsfield, whoso farm is one of the best and 

 one of the best managed in Massacliu.sells The whole 

 IS of reason.ablt expense ; and is there found to work 

 well-performing its busines., in guo.l time and at a small 

 expense of fuel. 



These will be fou.d at the ofiico of the Agricultural 

 CommiBsioner, at No. 32 North Market street, over the 

 New England banner OIKce, where he will be happy to 

 receive the visits of hi. friends the farmers, during the 

 sitting of the Legislature, and ofotbers interested in a-rri- 

 cultural mprovcmtnts, HENHY COLMAN " 



AGUICULTI R.AL .MEETINGS. 

 The second agricultural mee.ing was holden at the 

 State House on Wednesday evening of the last week and 

 was well attended. The Hon. Isaac C. Bates of the 

 Council in the chair. 



Several gentlemen were kind enough to give theii 

 opinions and the results of their esperience in the culli 

 vation of wheat; and their views in respect to legislative 

 encouragement in the form of bounty. Dr Charles 

 Jackson, the learnsd geologist of Maine, and who has 

 been employed by -Massachusetts to examine the condi- 

 tion and character of the lands in Maine, vTliieh belong 

 to ihis State, gave a great deal of highly interesting and 

 valuable information re.<pecting that territory ; and showed 

 its extraordinary capacities for the production of wheat. 

 He descanted likewise fully on the use and iniporLaace 

 of lime in the soil ; and spoke of the influence of elec- 

 tricity in the proces.s of vegetation. Kev. Mr Perry of 

 Bradford, one of the most intelligent and philosophical 

 observers of nature, stated several facts in regard to the 

 cultivation of wheat in his ricinity ; and followed out 

 some of the suggestions of Dr Jackson in regard to the 

 connexion of electricity with vegetation, a subject as yet 

 almost wholly in the dark. Rev. Allen Putnam of Han- 

 vers, an intelligent and close observer as well as a prac- 

 tical farmer, entered upon tlie discussion mainly in oppo- 

 sition to a legislative bounty upon wheat, from the ine- 

 ' " . The Hon. Mr Tbaxter, and Mr 



Hosmerof the Council, and Col. Adams of Newbury, 

 formerly of the Senate, and other gentlemen, rendered 

 the meeting highly interesting by their remarks. 



We should have been happy to have given an extend- 

 ed report of the remarks- of the several gentlemen, but 

 are desirous of using the information elicited m another 

 form. 



It was unanimously resolved to hold another meet- 

 ing on Thursday of this week at the same place and 

 hour, when a general attendance of farmers and others 

 interested in agriculture is hoped for and solicited. The 

 subjects proposed for sonversation are Indian Corn and 

 other grain crops. j-j q 



Mr Editor,— 



Without much experience in matters belonging to a 

 farm, I have provided myself with cards, curry combs 

 ind brushes for my cattle, supjBosing them necessary, feel- 

 ing that cattle should be ke/jl clean— Ihn far my object has 

 been accomplished and my cattle appear nearly as clean, 

 as in June— now sir, I should not trouble you had I not 

 lately discovered that I may hate been at an unnecessary 

 expense in providing, and subjected lo a loss of time in 

 using the articles above mentioned. 



I have around me practical farmers, men of sound 

 minds, judicious, merciful, and other good qualities, and 

 those from whom I should obtain knowledge; and sir, 1 

 find that some of them use but very little, and others not 

 at all— the card, comb, &c. Learning these facts, and 

 feeling that a merciful man should be merciful to his 

 beasts, I am led to enquire on thissi^bjecl,- 1 have doubts 

 —Is il not cruel to be often scratching and rubbing.' Is 

 not the thick coat often seen on cattle in the winter 

 necessary to shield them from the cold ? Do, Mr Editor, 

 let lis have light on this subject. 23= 



he uses tweezers or pincers, he cannot start this co 

 until the spring comes and nature itself indicates th 

 proper season for taking oil' their flannels. The insen 

 sible perspiration and excretions passing ofl' by the pores < 

 the skin amounts almost to as much as is disposed of b' 

 other evacuations. It is miportant therefore that ihes 

 outlets should be kept open ; but this can be done onl 

 in proportion as the skin is kept clean. If we examin 

 the habits of animals, even the most fililiy, we never se< 

 them lying down in their own filth and ordure. It i 

 cruel therefore, by tying them up, to compel them to di 

 it any farther than is unavoidable. There can be ni 

 doubt that all animals are healthier and happier fop beinf 

 kejit in a cle.inly condition; and that a good combing and 

 currying and cleaning, unlesss il is done in a severe am 

 inhuman manner, is a real luxury to them. 



As to the circumstance of our correspondent's having 

 many neighbors, whose habits in this matter are any 

 thing but careful and cleanly, we can find him a greal 

 many perfect specimens of this kind all over the Stale 

 The pretence of stflering their cattle to remain in this 

 condition is only an apology for their own indolence and 

 neglect. We can find without difiieully many eonsider-l 

 ble slocks of the human species, both calves and old andi 

 worn out cattle, where the same delicious system of 

 leaving the hair uncombed and the skin unwashed has 

 been pursued from day to day and year to year. Many! 

 of them seem never to have been washed since the time 

 of their birth, and little prospect of ever being washed 

 again until they are laid out. No comb ever passes 

 through their heads except one formed by their fingers, 

 and then only occasionally ii pursuit of some fugitives 

 from justice ; and very likely they would get cold, if the 

 fresh surface of the skin could by some thorough process 

 be brought suddenly to an exposure lo the external air. 

 But we cannot say we have any strong preferences for 

 this mode of training children ; and we have not a doubt, 

 if the bills of health and mortality could be' examined 

 with reference to this point, it would appear that a "reat 

 proportion of disea.<=e9 prevail in such locations ; and an 

 extraordinary mortality results from the foul skins, the 

 foul air, and the foul habits in which sucli people live. 



H. C. 



In reply to the above cenimunication, we think our 

 friend's conscience on the score of humanity may be 

 quite relieved, unless his curry-combs are too sharp ; and 

 sometimes they are so sharp and laid on so severely as to 

 briniT blood. This is cruel. The animal is provided, by 



kind and beneficent guardian, with a thicker coat in 

 winter than in summer; but with all his currying, unless 



LIVE FENCES. 

 Since cur last, in reply lo the inquiries of Mr Osbbrn, 

 in relation to Hedges or Live Fences, we have had the 

 pleasure of a visit and a written communication from Dr 

 Shurtleff", whoss 'farm is in Chelsea, and whose success 

 has been eminent in the cultivation of live fences. He 

 has made a large extent of this kind of fence. He pre- 

 fers the American maple thorn, {Cratcagus cordata) to 

 any other. He says he has never had a plant bored or 

 hurt by worms —" Some plants which be set out last 

 Spring grew from 2 to 3 per cent ; and his loss under 

 unfavorable circumstances was not one per cent." The 

 plants may be oblained of Joshua Pierce, Linnean Hill, 

 near Washington city, for five dollars per 1000 ; and a 

 deviation from this price is made where 10,000 are ta- 

 ken. Dr Shurtleff states that his hedge did not cost 

 him 50 cts per rod. We presume in this estimate ho 

 made no account of the expense of protecting fences. 

 His hedge required eight years to make an impregnable 

 fence. He says it can be done in half the time. A full 

 account of his operations may be found in the N. E. 

 Farmer, vol. ix. pages 20!), 2dS, 2G7, 273. Mr Kenrick 

 of Newton, advertises the Cockspur Thorn and the Buck- 

 Thorn as for sale. We are not informed whether he has 

 also the American Jlaple Thorn. His advertisement be- 

 fore escaped our notice. We presume he has also the 

 American Maple Thorn among his multiplied varieties., 



H. C. 



