266 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. 5, 1840. 



AND HORTICULTDRAL REGISTER. 

 Boston, Wednesday, Febrdary 5, 1840. 



inrWe promised this week a report of Dr C. T. Jack- 

 son's remarlis at the Second Agricultural Meeting; but 

 for reasons which we trust will be satisfactory to our 

 readers, we must beg for absolution. We have, with as 

 much care as we could exercise, prepared full reports of 

 Dr Jackson's remarks at the second and the third agricul- 

 tural meetings, and of the remarks of Judge Hayes at the 

 third agricultural meeting. But owing to the indispensa- 

 ble necessity of a portion of the paper going to press be- 

 fore these reports could possibly be prepared in a man- 

 ner just and satisfactory to the speakers, to the public, 

 and to ourselves, we could not insert either of them this 

 week, without division or mutilation. To this, on vari- 

 ous accounts, we are reluctant. They will, however, go 

 on to the first pages of the next week's Farmer, and will, 

 we have no doubt, be read with very great pleasure. 

 H. C, 



THIRD AGRICULTURAL MEETING. 



The Third Agricultural Meeting was held at the Rep- 

 resentatives' Hall on Thursday, 30th January. In the 

 absence of Mr Dodge, Mr Fowler, representative from 

 Danvers, was appointed secretary of 'he meetings Hon. 

 D. P. King in the chair. 



It was voted that gentlemen having questions relative 

 to the subject ofthe evening's discussion, to which they 

 desired an answer, should present them in writing to the 

 secretary at the opening of the meeting. They should 

 then be read, that the speakers might reply to them, if 

 they found it convenient. It was understood, however, 

 that this was by no means to preclude the offering of 

 questions orally, which might grow out of the occasion, 

 so that there should be no restraint upon free conversa- 

 tion and discussion. 



It was also resolved that gentlemen from >otUcr Stotes, 

 who might happen to be present on the occasion, should 

 be considered as members of the> meeting, and invited to 

 take part in the discussion. 



The subject ofthe evening's discussion was Soils and 

 Manures, continued from the last meetmg ; and the as- 

 sembly was addressed at large by Dr C. T.Jackson, who 

 recapitulated his former remarks and enlarged upon top- 

 ics then briefly touched ; and by Judge Hayes, of South 

 Berwick, .Me., a very intelligent and practical farmer, 

 who happened to be present ; and who was kind 

 enough to respond to the call of the chair, and gratified 

 and instructed the meeting by an account of his farming, 

 and the improvements which he had effected. H. C. 



A CARD. 

 We have received from some unknown friend at Hali- 

 fax, a small parcel of Chevalier wheat, we suppose, grown 

 there. He will please accept our thanks and be kind 

 enough to add to the obligation by letting us know who 

 he is and how we may serve him. We should be very 

 glad likewise to know the history of this wheat. We 

 hardly think we ever saw any pjoduct so fine ;' certainly 

 we have never seen it surpassed. It is a winter wheat, 

 and we shall seek to place it in hands which will give it 

 a fair trial. It has been said that winter wheat frozen in 

 water and so kept until spring, may be planted early in 

 the spring, and will come to maturity the ensuing fall. 

 We have no personal or certain knowledge of this pro- 

 cess, but if any friend is disposed to take a portion of this 

 sample and make this kind of experiment with it, it shall 

 be at his service. 



We are indebted to Mr Goddard, of Brookline, for a 

 fine specimen of early corn, from seed which we gave 

 him ; and to Mr H. C. Merriam, of Tewksbury, lor a fair 

 sample of the Brown Corn, for which they will please 

 accept our thanks. 



We have likewise received from Dr Deanc, of Green- 

 field, a splendid sample of raw silk, the product of his 

 own induslry and skill in raising and reeling. He has 

 been honored by the American Institute for some of the 

 same product with a silver medal. We only wish we 

 had a gold one to give him, for he deserves it. 



We are indebted likewise, to the Northampton Silk 

 Company and to Mr Haskell, of Harvard, Mass., for some 

 excellent specimens of sewing silk, which show that this 

 beautiful cultivation and manufacture needs only to be 

 undertaken to go on to perfection. 



To David L. Child, Esq., likewise, we ate indebted 

 for some fine specimens of beet sugar, manufactured by 

 him at Northampton, in a crude and refined state. They 

 are equal to any sugars ofthe same description, and en- 

 tirely free from the earthy, or as some would have it, the 

 beet taste, which has been objected to in this product. 



These productions will be exhibited to the farmers 

 and others interested, at the agricultural meetings; and 

 they have only to be seen to be admired. 



HENRY COLMAN, 



Commissioner of Agricultural Survey. 

 February 5, 1840. 



THE FOURTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING 



Will be liolden at the Representatives' Hall on Thurs- 

 day evening next at 7 o'clock. The subject propoEed 

 for discussion, and for that purpose committed to Mr 

 William Clark, of Northampton and Mr Allen Putnam, 

 of Danvers, both of the House, was Indian Corn ; but as 

 it was agreed, in case ofthe acceptance ofthe invitation 

 given to Hon. Isaac Hill, of Concord, N. H ,to address 

 the meeting on that evening, (an answer to which had 

 not then been received,) the subject for discussion will be 

 the Improvement ofthe Agriculture of New England— on 

 which subject, we have great pleasure in saying an ad- 

 dress may be expected from this gentleman, the editor of 

 that excellent journal, tin? Farmer's Monthly Visitor, and 

 eminent for his agricultural zeal and intelligence. 



We cannot doubt that there will be a full attendance on 

 this occasion, and that those farmers of the Legislature 

 who have failed to attend the two last meetings on ac- 

 count of the wet walking, having, we presume, brought 

 nothing but pumps with them, will at once send homo 

 for their well-soled and well-greased cow-hide boots. 

 We shall speak to the Sergeant-at-Arms to admit them, 

 though having an extraordinary organ of order, he might 

 have some little fears for his carpet. 



We beg leave, likewise, to remind some of our friends, 

 certainly, however, none ofthe Committee, that seven 

 o'clock means precisely one hour after the Old South 

 strikes one, two, three, four, five, six ! and not that it is 

 seven until eight; a principle absolutely immoral in itself, 

 and which, if carried out into the various departments of 

 life, completely tangles the web and throws every thing 

 into disorder. 



The committing of a subject to a committee, aa men- 

 tioned above, is by no means intended lo prevent or 

 preclude discussion ; but merely that the subject propos- 

 ed might be particularly considered by the gentlemen to 

 whom it was intrusted, so that when the meeting should 

 be opened the discussion might proceed without delay, 

 and with one at the team and one at the handles of the 

 plough, there might be no difliculty in striking out the 

 land, and going the first bout. H. C. 



THE SLAYING OF THE DRAGON. 



The Legislature have been occupied the last week in 

 attempting to destroy a terrible dragon, called the U 

 cense Law, which has been roaming over the State thi 

 last year, threatening lo eat up the liberties of the people 

 The captain general of our armies, with the courage ofi 

 veteran of Waterloo, marched up boldly to the onset'ani 

 gave him a fatal blow under his thickest scales. Thiswji 

 followed by a general rush of the bravest of both politict 

 parties to be in at the death. By the time the composilo] 

 has dropped the types from his fingers he will probablj 

 have uttered his last expiration. A few centuries henco 

 no doubt, the learned geologists of that period on exhumini 

 his remains, will class him as a Megatherium or a Sau 

 rian, found in remote ancient formations; and some ne» 

 Cuvicr will arise to determine his genus and habits ; an( 

 then there will be learned speculation among the philoso 

 phers and the gaping crowds, of how many living being 

 he must have devoured and how terribly he must havi 

 alarmed the poor women and children. As he is the on 

 ly individual of the race that ever has, or probably eve 

 will exist, there will be extreme difficulty in determin 

 ing his place, and he will be regarded as constituting ai 

 entirely distinct class ofthe Carnivora. H. C. 



CANKER Worm. — The Boston Courier recommends aj 

 a fit subject tor discussion at the agricultural meetings ii 

 Boston, the best mode of destroying the grub or egg o 

 the canker worm in the ground before it ascends the tree 

 and also suggests to the legislature the expediency of ol 

 fering a liberal premium for the discovery of a remed' 

 against its ravages. It is not probable that in the preseri 

 state of the treasury, the latter suggestion will be adopted 

 Its object, however, would be accomplished, if some o 

 the funds of our agricultural societies were devoted t 

 this purpose. No more useful appropriation of a por 

 tion of their funds can be made. — ll'orcester ^gis. 



We saw the notice in the Boston Courier referred t 

 above, and were not regardless of the suggestion therei 

 made to the Commissioner of Agricultural Survey-. Th 

 natural history of the canker worm and his habits wer 

 fully investigated by Professor Wm. Dandridge Peck, ii 

 1797, and his Essay, presented to the Massachusetts Aa 

 ricultural Society at that time received a premium offiff 

 dollars. It was published in their memoirs, and we de 

 sign soon to lay this and the Essay by the same gentle 

 man, on the natural history ofthe slug worm before thi 

 readers of the New England Farmer. The Massachu 

 setts Society have almost constantly from that time U 

 this, offered a liberal premium for the discovery of an' 

 eft'ectual mode to prevent the ravages of the canke' 

 worm ; and we will answer for the trustees of that Soci 

 ety who have rendered immense services to the cause o 

 an improved agriculture, that they will be ready at an) 

 lime to reward wjtii liberality such a discovery, whethei 

 it be or be not specified in their list of premiums. 



We as yet know of but one eff'ectual remedy agains 

 the canker worm, that is the encouragement ofthe birds 

 They are the best friends ofthe farmer and the gardener 

 In our code of penal justice, killing a small bird shouli 

 be placed next to killing a child We wjre assured tht 

 last summer, that at the beautifully cultivated district o 

 (.ambridge called ' Flob,' (have the name altered, wt 

 pray,) abounding in fruit, they were entirely free from 

 canker worms, while in Old Cambridge the orchards suf 

 fered severely. The great security which they found 

 was in the encouragement and preservation of the birds 

 A gunner in West Cambridge would be in as much dan- 

 ger as an abolitionist in South Carolina. H. C. 



Alassacbiisetts Horticulturnl Soclely. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Salvrday, Feb. 1, 1840. 



By S. Downer, Esq. ; Catillac and Iron Pears — good 

 specimens. Fine samples of the old Nonsuch, R. I. 

 Greening, Newton Pippin and Royal or Old Pearmain 

 Apples; and very superior specimens of the Golden Rus- 

 set and Wales apples— the two last very beautiful, and 

 richly deserve attention among cultivalors of fine apples. 



E. M. Richards, Esq. exhibited fine specimens of Pom- 

 me d' Api (Lady Apple) and L. Echassarri and Gloux 

 Morceau Pears. For the Committee, 



J. L. L. F. WARREN. 



