162 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. 6, 1839. 



and horticdltdral register. 



Boston, Wednesday, November 6, 1839. 



TO THE FARMERS. 



The Commissioner of Agricultural Survey respectful- 

 ly requests of the farmers of Massachusetts, and others, 

 who may have it in their power, to communicate to him 

 the results of any trials or experiments which they 

 have made in the application of manures— particularly 

 in the application of lime, gypsum, marl, bone manure, 

 ashes, barilla, fish, sea-wreck, oils of any kind, salt, 

 gait pelre, urate, poudretle, peat, muscle bed, marsh mud, 

 compost of any description, or any animal manures. 



Information is desired particularly in regard to the 

 points undernamed : 



The kind of manure; 



The condition of the manure : if lime, for example, 

 whether powdered limestone or calcined; whether hot 

 or effete. If animal manure, whether green or decom- 

 posed ; single or mixed, «&c. &c. 



The quantity applied ; the time and mode of applica- 

 tion ; the soil to which applied; the crop and the results; 

 and particularly any results of a comparison between 

 soils thus, and similar soils, otherwise treated. 



The expenses attending any such manures and their 

 application, are likewise matters of great importance ; 

 and in this case, labor may be estimated at one dollar 

 for a man per day including board ; and the same for a 

 yoke of cattle or pair of horses. 



The Commissioner particularly urges this subject upon 

 the attention of the farmers, and earnestly solicits their 

 aid. The matter is of universal and public importance ; 

 but he will consider any information given, a personal 

 kindness, which he will do his best to reciprocate. 



As the Legislature have made it his especial duty to 

 report early on the subject of the culture of wheat, he 

 requests from those whu have attempted the cultivation 

 within the two years pastor previously, whetiier success- 

 fully or not, any information they will be pleased to give 

 him on this subject. The points of particular importance 

 in this case are; the kind of seed ; thepreparationof the 

 seed ; the nature and condition of the suil ; the previous 

 crop on the ground, and the treatment of that crop ; the 

 manures applied, how, in what quantity, and when ; the 

 result; if any disease or blight or rust occurred, any 

 circumstances connected with its occurrence, which 

 may throw light upon its cause or prevention ; if any 

 insect, of what nature, and any remedy or protection 

 against the evil, if such remedy has been ascertained. 



Another point of great importance is the subject of in- 

 sects or worms infesting or destroying corn or potatoes. 

 The ravages of the cut worm among the corn this year, 

 have been very extensive ; and a remedy against them, 

 if any could be found, would prove an immense boon to 

 the country. 



On these subjects the Commissioner requests the far- 

 mers to communicate with him as early as convenient ; 

 by the first or middle of December ensuing, if practica- 

 ble. He hopes no one v,\[\ hesitate, through any dis- 

 trust of his inability to write in such a manner as he 

 himself might wish. Practical men, who have clear 

 ideas of the things they wish to communicate, though 

 their spelling or grammar may not always be corieot, 

 find no difficulty in expressing themselves naturally and 

 intelligibly, which is all that i« in this case desired. The 

 subscriber pledges himselt to give neither name nor 

 place to the public, in respect to any communication 

 made to him, unless permission is granted to use them ; 

 and in respect to any communication which it might be 



useful to publish, as far as depends upon him, he will do 

 what he can to put it into a condition to meet the pub- 

 lic eye. 



Communications may be addressed to him at the of- 

 fice of the Secretary of State, Boston, by private convey- 

 ance where practicable, or by mail, if otherwise. 



He would be glad to hear on any of these subjects 

 from his friends in any of the New England States or in 



New York. 



HENRY COLMAN, 



Commissioner of Agricultural Survey of Massachusetts. 



Printers favorable to the cause of agricultural improve- 

 ment, in city and country, are respectfully requested to 

 give the above an insertion in their papers, pro bono 

 publico. 



October 30lh, 1839. 



REVIEW OF THE SEASON. 



The agricultural year is now drawing to a close. A 

 severe frost occurred on the 20th ult. and vegetation is 

 brought to a stand. The leaves have in a great measure 

 fallen, though some still cling to the trees, like men, 

 after the powers of action and enjoyment are gone, still 

 holding on to life. The Indian corn harvest is generally 

 concluded ; and the house and cellars must soon be bar- 

 ricaded against the entrance of those releniless enemies, 

 if so they may be called, cold and frost. 



The review of the season, so far as the labors of the 

 husbandman are concerned, present a most emphatical 

 call for grateful acknowledgment. The earth has brought 

 forth abundantly. Almost all vegetable products have 

 been in perfection ; and there are ample supplies for 

 man and beast. It is both presumption and folly to sup- 

 pose that every thing, or indeed that any thing in na- 

 ture should be measured by our wishes or our notions of 

 utility or expediency ; but it would be difficult to point 

 out a season, when a more liberal compensation has 

 been made to agricultural industry and skill. 



Early vegetables of every description came forward 

 seasonably and in abundance. The small fruits yielded 

 profusely. Grass has been every where much more 

 than a middling crop; and after the first part of the 

 summer, no season was ever more favorable to the se- 

 curing of it. Rye and oats through the State, as far as 

 we have heard, have given a great yield. Wheat in 

 our part of the country, has in general produced an in- 

 ferior crop; but in the western States it was nevermore 

 abundant. It is said that wheat on the Wabash sells 

 freely at thirtyseven and a half cents per bushel ; and 

 that it can easily be brought round to New York in 

 sacks holding two bushels, by the way of New Orleans, 

 and delivered free of all charges, at eightyfive cents per 

 bushel. We have been told, perhaps however it may 

 be only a traveller's story, and the due abatements are 

 to be made from it, that one farmer in Michigan has 

 this season, on thirteen hundred acres, raised thirtynine 

 thousand bushels of wheat. Be this as it may, western 

 New Yoik is full of wheat. Dairy produce, too, through 

 the country is abundant. Indian corn has come in well, 

 and so perfectly has it ripened every where, that many 

 farmers are in the situation of one who said lie did not 

 know what he should do for pig corn to feed his swine. 

 The crops of onions, in some of our towns a large pro- 

 duct, have, it is believed, fallen short of a usual supply. 

 Sugar beets, ruta baga and carrots, were perhaps never 

 better. More young stock has been raised in Massa- 

 chusetts the current year, than is remembered to have 

 been raised in any previous year. We might go on, but 

 we stop here. 



With all this abundance, in the midst of these un- 

 measured bounties of Divine Providence, perhaps there 

 was never more or louder complaints of hard times and 



hard pressures ; an^. the commercial world seems t 

 be threatened with (j-igeneral crash. There is no myf 

 tery in all these matters ; and we mean at some futur 

 time, to discuss at large the causes of these embarrass 

 ments and sufferings. It may not be very palatable t 

 our pride to hear of them, but it may prove medicinal t 

 our morals. Presently we shall learn that neither indi 

 viduals nor communities, through either avarice or foUj 

 can violate the great laws of nature or providence wit 

 impunity. If men will not labor they cannot be allov\ 

 ed to eat ; and if they will not be satisfied with the grac 

 ual and moderate, yet ample gains of honest industr 

 and just frugality, but will plunge headlong into ever 

 species of speculation and gambling, then, according t 

 the proverbs of the wise, he that maketh haste to h 

 rich shall seldom be innocent ; and the folly of fool 

 shall destroy them. All that seems to be lamentable i 

 the case is, that the guilty drag the innocent into th 

 same vortex of ruin. This arises from our social cor 

 stitution ; and is not without its benevolent designs an 

 beneficent uses. Whatever the honest and industrioui 

 however, may be doomed to suffer on account of oth< 

 men's follies and crimes, there is one good, the greatei 

 of all earthly goods, of which a just providence will nei 

 cr suffer them to be deprived — that is a clear conscienc 

 — as the Romans called it, " the mind conscious i 

 riuht." This is a treasure which the wealth of the worl 

 cannot purchase, and for the loss of which the weall 

 of the world would be a poor equivalent. H. C. 



For the New England Farmer. 



Mr Bbeck — I thank you for publishing Mr Bement 

 letter in your Farmer of the 23d ult. The impositioi 

 that are continually palmed off on the credulous in ri 

 gard to the Berkshire pigs, will soon bring them ini 

 bad repute. The cross is now to be found in most an 

 drove or stye, and if tolerable promising, then they ai 

 the " simon pures." Now, sir, I have examined mar 

 fine pigjeries this fall, but cannot say from my observ; 

 tion, that any improvement has been effected as yet l 

 a cross. Therefore, I would recommend to those wl: 

 have the pure full breed Berkshire, to keep them so- 

 there will be crossw enough without the assistance i 

 the honest breeder. 



Yours, with respect, F- 



Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



EXHIBITION or FLOWERS. 



Saturday, Oct. 26, 1839. 

 There was a good display of Dahlias on the 5th, 12t! 

 and 19th inat. On the latter day, Josiah Stickney, Esq 

 of Boston, exhibited upwards of two hundred specimen! 

 some of them of great beauty. On the night of the 5| 

 and ethinst. the Dahlia plants were destroyed by fro 

 on all the low grounds in the vicinity of Boston, and i 

 Boston on the night of the 21 it inst. At Nahant, tl 

 Dahlia is still in all its glory, and our rooms were th 

 day made gay by many fine specimens of the Dahlia ar 

 other flowers, from the garden of F. Tudor, Esq., M 

 Hubbard and Dr Robbins. Among the flowers presen 

 ed was a Lilac, " fresh and fair as lovely spring." 

 For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Chairman. 



Multicaulis at a discount.— Of the eighty thousar 

 trees advertised to be sold recently at Burlington, Ne 

 Jersey, about ten thousand only were sold, at 7 1-2 ct 

 for small trees, and 11 1-2 cts. for four or five feettree 

 the sale of the remainder being stopped.— IVoreUer. 



