156 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



OCT. 30, 1839. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



BIRDS OF MASSx\CHUSETT,S. 

 In purs'.'ance of an order of the Lcgislatuie of 

 this State, at its last session, a volume has beer. 

 printed for the use of the members, containing sci- 

 entific reports on the birds, fishes, and reptiles of 

 Massachusetts, by the commissioners appointed by 

 the executive of the State, for the purpose of mak- 

 ing these reports. The following is an extract 

 from the report of Mr Peabody on Birds. It pre- 

 sents considerations on a prevalent practice of oi r 

 country population, which are well worthy of atten- 

 tion. 



" Before proceeding to describe the o.nnivorous 

 birds, which come next, in the proposed order, it 

 may not be amiss to make some remarks on the 

 practice of destroying them, which prevails to a 

 great extent in our State. Sometimes it is delib- 

 erately done, by those who wish to secure their or- 

 chards and gardens ; and, in such cases, there is a 

 right, no doubt, to prevent aggressions, if possible. 

 But far more are killed every year by wanton boys, 

 who without any reason but their own pleasure, are 

 permitted to indulge in a cruel amusement, from 

 which every man of sense and feeling should care- 

 fully withhold his children. Any one who can find 

 sport in giving pain to animals, needs to be taught 

 the first principles of humanity ; and lightly as this 

 matter is regarded, it is certain that this thoughtless 

 indulgence always depraves the moral feeling more 

 or less, and leads on to the formation of habits of 

 idleness which are not easily broken in after years, j 

 In a busy country like ours, tliere are few, beyond 

 the age of boyhood, who have time for play ; a civ- 

 ilized man is supposed to find his enjoyments in his 

 duties ; and if he needs relaxation, he can find it 

 without torturing animals, whose right to happiness 

 is as good as his own. 



It is, however, in tlie light of utility, that this 

 subject can be most forcibly presented; and it will 

 be seen that to exterminate birds which do a little 

 harm occasionally, is to protect ourselves from a 

 small evil at the expense of a greater ; it is in fact 

 securing the fruit by the sacrifice of the tree. There 

 is no question that we are now suffering severely 

 in consequence of this folly. No kind of cultiva- 

 tion is aiTected to any considerable extent by the 

 ravages of birds, and if it should be, means may be 

 devised to prevent them. Not so with the insects 

 and their ravages ; the fate of the locust, the apple, 

 the pear, and many other trees, shows, that if insects 

 fasten themselves upon one of them, we must give 

 it up as lost, for all that we at present know. Sure- 

 ly, then, of two evils we should submit to the one 

 which may possibly be prevented, rather than in- 

 vite and encourage one over whicli wchave no con- 

 trol. 



A slight calculatitm will show what amount of 

 service birds are able to render. Wilson makes 

 the computation, that each red-wingea blackbird 

 devours (m an average, fifty grubs a day ; so that 

 a single pair, in four months, will consume more 

 than twelve thousand. Allowing that there are a 

 million pairs of these birds in New England, which 

 is but a moderate estimate, they would destroy 

 twelve thousand millions. Let any one consider 

 what an immense injury that number of insects 

 would do, and this would be sufliciently striking to 

 show how much we are indebted to the labors of 

 these birds. But the computation jnay be greatly 

 extended, for many insects have young by the hun- 



dred : besides cutting off the existing destroyers, 

 they are preventi;d from multiplying; and when 

 we consider what myriads of birds are constantly 

 and efficiently engaged in the service, it gives us 

 an impression, beyond the power of calculation to 

 reach, of the astonishing manner in which the in- 

 crease of insects is kept down, simply by sparing 

 the lives of their natural destroyers; and this it 

 must be remembered, is the oniy means of prevent- 

 ing their increase and reducing their formidable 

 numbers. No other remedy that man can apply, 

 will reach the evil. This is the natural vocation 

 of birds, and if, for the sake of removing a small 

 evil, we will not permit them to live and labor in it, 

 we must not complain when the natural consequen- 

 ces come. 



This is not mere speculation ; we have experi- 

 ence to teach us ou this subject Kalm records, 

 that after some States had paid three pence a doz- 

 en for the destruction of blackbirds, the consequence 

 was a total loss in the year 1740, of all the grass 

 and grain, by means of insects which had flourished 

 under the protection of that law. The example of 

 our trees, just alluded to, is also a standing warn- 

 ing, for we see that new ones are adding to their 

 numbers. The maple, perhaps the most valued of 

 our ornamental trees, is now marked out for de- 

 struction, and in spite of all that we can do, will 

 soon be entirely lost. There is nothing to prevent 

 this process from going on : other trees will soon 

 swell the list of victims, and when it is too late, we 

 shall lament that we have extended the evil, by 

 protecting our enemies and persecuting our friends. 

 Every cultivator, for his own sake, as well as the 

 public good, should endeavor to spread right views 

 on this subject, and to shew that the wanton exter- 

 mination of birds is throwing difficulties in the way 

 of horticulture and farming, which no industry, sci- 

 ence or skill can overcome." 



AVINSHIP'S BRIGHTON MTRSERId:S, 



AND BOTANIC GARDENS. 



Fruil and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Cie 

 5^ ers, Herbaceous, Peiennials, Green Hm 

 Plants, &c. 

 -■ ^-, -• Orders addressed lo Messrs WINSII 



-<»-dfc~_ Brighton, Mass., will be promptly exec it 

 and forwarded to any part of this or other countries. 

 .April 10. 



DIorag Mnlticanlis Trees from Seed. 



The subscriber offers for sale 10,000 trees produced fr 

 seed uf the genuine Morus iMulticaulis. The seed was rs 

 ed on his premises in 1835; the trees have heoa multipl 

 for the two last years by layers, their growth is more ra 

 than the original tree, and appear lo be sufficiently acclir 

 ted to endure the winter, some of them having been [ 

 standing in the open field unprotected during the two 1 

 winters without any essential injury. 'I'he leaves are v 

 large and equal in quality to any other kind for feeding 

 .silk worm. Those who are wishing to purchase a supei 

 kind ol .Mulberry are requested to call and examine for the 

 selves, fjefore the folinge is destroyed by frost. 



CALVIN HASKELL 



Harvard, Septemlicr 11. 



Morus Miilticaulis, Esq. has been nominated for 

 the Presidency by a western editor. The New 

 Orleans Picayune says he will undoubtedly prove 

 a popular candidate. John Smith, however, says 

 he shall oppose him. John thinks him too aristo- 

 cratic, and says that he belongs to the silk stocking 

 gentrv. 



Orders have been given to prepare a sloop of 

 war and a schooner, with all possible dispatch, for 

 cruising on the coast of Africa, in execution of the 

 laws of the United States against the disgraceful 

 tiaflic in slaves, and for the protection of our lawful 

 commerce in that quarter. 



Beiiutifid Exclamation. — When the queen of 

 France, consort of Louis Philippe, first heard of her 

 late daughter Marie's death, she ejaculated — ".My 

 God ! I have a daughter less, biit thou hast an an- 

 gel more I" 



One of the most curious ceremonies, says a French 

 paper, incidental to the accession of the young Sul- 

 tan, is said by a Constantinople correspondent, to 

 have been the solemn shaving of hi i chin for the 

 last time. This once done, no razor is thenceforth 

 allowed to touch his face, the beard being one of 

 the attributes of supreme power, which must be .suf- 

 fered to grow without being touched by any kind of 

 instrument 



5 MUIiBERRY TREES. 



The subscriber has on hand a quantity of MulberryTrees o 

 quality which is probably superior to any kind ever introduc 

 into ibis country. They were imported. /bur years since s 

 though they have sustained the rigorous cold of the Inst th 

 winters entirely unprotected, yet it is believed a Sfmthern 

 Western climate would he more admirably adapted to th 

 growth and propagation. 'I'heir foliage is most luxurii 

 and affords more nourishment than any other variety. S 

 produced by worms fed with the leaves, has been pronoun( 

 by judges to he the best ever manufactured hy them, and ( 

 cidedly superior to the best Italian. A few thousand will 

 for sale if immediate application is made to the suhscril 

 where specimens may tie seen. 

 .\lso — A few hundred Morus Mullicaulis and Asiatic. 

 JOHN N. BARBOUR, 

 September 11. No. 30 Commercial Street, Boston 



GREEN'S PATENT STRAW CUTTER. 



JOSEPH BRECK& CO. at the New England Agric 

 tural Warehouse and Seed Store, Nos. 51 and 52 North M 

 ket Street, have for sale, Green's Patent Straw, Hay a 

 Stalk Cutter, operating on a mechanical principle not hVfc 

 applied to any implement for this purpose. The most pro: 

 inent effects of tins application, and some of the consequ* 

 peculiarities of the machine are: 



1. So great a reduction of the quantum of power requis 

 to tjse it, that the strength of a lialf grown boy is sufncit 

 10 work it very efficiently. 



2. With even this moderate power, it easily cuts two bus 

 els a minute, which is full twice as fast as has been claim 

 by any other machine even when worked hy horse or stea 

 power. 



3. The Iniives, owing lo the peculiar manner in whichlh 

 cut, require sharpening less olten than those of any oth 

 straw cutter. 



4. The machine is simple in its conslrucl ion, made ai 

 put together very strongly. Il is therefore not so liable 

 the complicated machines in general use to get outof ordet 



MORUS HHIL.T1CAULIS. 



6000 Mullicaulis from 2 to 4 feet high, wood well ripenei 

 now standing in the field on the Jones Place in Angell Strei 

 half a mile from the Providence Market, for sale low (i( I 

 ken in the field) by JOSEPH STETSON on the premise 

 or on application to .-..T...,.^.^^r ^ .-.^.-.^^^ 



Providence, October 23. 



STI.MSON & HODGES. 



The present lieing the mist favorable season for tram 

 planting all hardy trees and shrubs, we would remind thos 

 who are in want of Fruit or Ornamental Trees, Shrub 

 Herbaceous Plants, &c. that we can furnish them at sho 

 notice at nursery prices, well packed for transportation 1 

 any part of the country. JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



October 15. 



THE MEW ENG1.A.\I> PjiRMER 



Is published every Wednesday Evening, at £3 per annul 

 payable at the end of the year — but those who pay willii 

 sixty days from the time of subscribing are entitled to a di 

 ductionof 59 cents. 



The population of Cincinnati has increased forty 

 per cent since 1835 : it now amounts to 40,000. 



TUTTLE, DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTEBSi 



n SCHOOL STREST BOSTON 



