350 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRIL. Hi. I**' 



ed into small fields, each one fenced in by mounds 

 of eartli, supported by sods laid flat one upon anoth- 

 er. These earthen fences are aliout six feet at 

 their base, and five feet high ; and are covered with 

 a nine years' growth of scrub oak, hazlenut or clies- 

 nut. 1 sny nine years' growth, becansi^ they are 

 cut in rotation every nine years; thus yielding an 

 annual cut for fuel out of nine fields ; and yet re- 

 taining the advantages of shplter and attraction, 

 for the whole farm, for a large part of these enclo- 

 sures is always covered with atliick .'ledgeof verdure 

 of various degrees of elevation. 



It is difficult to account for the great product of 

 these small farms otherwise than by givii'.g great 

 credit to this mode of close culture. The argu- 

 ments used in favor of it are these. These hot- 

 beds or moist beds, as I may indifferently call them, 

 retain all that is put on them, in njanure, and the 

 rain which falls in them lias time to penetrate the 

 earth, and does not run away laden with vegetable 

 spoils. The driving winds cminot sweep off too 

 suddenly the volatile elements ot tno manure, ore.x- 

 haust the plants by too rapid breathing, or shaUo 

 tbem too violently, and breaker disturb their roots ; 

 and as for a general prostration, that cannot liap- 

 pen. Although the temperature ie.Bufficiently high 

 for vegetation, and more equable., the scorching 

 midday sun is mitigated. No drenching showers 

 can here f arry away the seed, and the soil. 



To form an opinion of these little farms, it is 

 enough to know, that their occupants, who before 

 the revolution never owned them, and now, not 

 commonly, pay first rent to the landlord, then very 

 high direct ta.xes, be-iides an infinity of indirect im- 

 positions ; such as the tobacco tax, even on that 

 which they raise ; on their own wine, on a certain 

 quantity of salt, whether they consume so much or 

 not; and after all, on the very articles they carry 

 to market, they pay an excise city duty. To do 

 all this, on a farm of fifteen acres, add raise three 

 or four horses, a yoke of oxen, several cows, pigs 

 and poultry, is evidence enough of a very produc- 

 tive system of culture. Yet their instruments of 

 husbandry are very inferior to ours. On the sea- 

 coast, besides kelp and seaweed, they draw from 

 the sea a calcareous substance, about the size of 

 coarse gravel : it is the exuvia of shellfish, I be- 

 lieve. They obtain this substance with what Xhe' 

 fishermen call a drag-net It answers the double- 

 purpose of plaster, chemically, and sand, mechani 

 cally : it mellows and loosens the soil ; also, like 

 lime and salt, attracts moisture, to aid in the decom- 

 position of every thing wliich moj/ enter ijito tlie 

 vegetable construction. 



The roots of the trees which cover closely .the 

 earthen fences, contribute to hold them up; and 

 they require but little repairs in the s|iring. Thus 

 much for close culture. 



Extremes are sometimes used by logicians to 

 prove cases; and I would be allowed this privilege 

 ' in this case. 



The once fertile and cultivated northern shores 

 of Africa, are now a barren wilderness: the once 

 productive plains of Spain now produce nothing. — 

 These sites were once measurably protected by 

 vegetation of a lofty growth. This was, in a de- 

 gree, a system of close culture. From the barren 

 condition in which we find them now, to the close 

 culture in France, just mentioned, are my extremes. 

 The gradation from one to the other has been a 

 matter of necessity, growing out of the increasing 

 wants of an increasing population. Science has 

 no initiative merit in this affair; otherwise than as 



all .science is derived from experience. But we do 

 learn in these e.vtremes one useful lesson, which is, 

 that vegetable substance is susceptible of great in- 

 crease, independently of manure. 



Howrver little credit may be given to that theo- 

 ry which as.^igus such important powers over the 

 vegetable creation as it has been attempted here to 

 find in forest trees on higti lands, especially, it re- 

 quires not much credulity or forecast to believe 

 that ivood of it.^elf, must become more valuable eve- 

 ry year, so long as our population is on the increase. 

 It is a silent, ever-growing crop, which requires no 

 labor, not even fencing, after it lias got out of the 

 reach of cattle. In the circuit of about fifteen 

 miles about I?oston, I am informed by one of the 

 most observing and intelligent l.indholders of this 

 state, that woodlands increase by their growth 

 about fifteen per cent. If this be near the truth, 

 putting the annual increased demand out of the 

 question, it would seern, that this is a very great 

 interest. 



fo talk of an aimual crop of wood in tiiis uuun- 

 trv of rapid movements, and of impatience to enjoy 

 precocious fruits, would be idle. Fathers are too 

 apt to think that no heritage is so good for their 

 children as a little ready monej, or stpclts which 

 yield a semi-annual interest: yet how many have 

 .paid dear for this opinion. iVly father-in-law plant- 

 ed atout five thousand forest trees annually, and 

 had for sale an annual crop of full grown timber. 

 How«ould he do this, it will be asked: why, be- 

 cause his predecessors did the same before him ; 

 and his successor is now, I trust, following the 

 same |)ractice. 



It has appeared wonderful to Englishmen and 

 Americans, that such a population as that of France 

 could be supplied with wood fuel. In addition to 

 the wood raised in the manner described above in 

 Brittany, there are forests of various dimension^ 

 all over France ; soing^wned by government and 

 others by individuals. These forests are of two 

 kinds; the one called Bois ile Haul Fulaie, or, 

 full grown trees ; and the other Bois Taillis, or 

 wood irf nine, or eighteen years growth, according 

 to the usage of different provinces. These forests 

 are divided by cart-ways in measured sections, and 

 are commonly sold at auction wl.eii of the given 

 age. Thus the proprietors have an annual crop 

 without labor or manure ; and thirtythree millions 

 of people are supplied with fuel. The lands des- 

 tined for this purpose are generally such as are 

 least suitable for cultivation, although there 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



SCIENCE FOR FARMERS. 



To witness the improvements which have be 

 made in agricultural implements, it is only nec€ 

 sary to contrast the most finished and convenie 

 ones of modern times with the clumsy, ill-constru( 

 ed accoutrements of the ancients, or indeed of the 

 nations of modern times who are pursuing the da 

 luckless paths which have been travelled by thi 

 ancestors from time immemorial. Thus we see 

 the finished and well e.xecut^ed plough of mode 

 days, a beautiful and useful improvement upon t 

 niisightly, ill-contrived, and vexatious working ii 

 plement of the middle ages, when a strength of m 

 and beast was necessary to subdue the soil, whi 

 would ill becouK; the labor saving propensities 

 the nineteenth century. We may carry the co 

 trast further, and witness the more visible difl'( 

 ence between the ploughs even of those dark a 

 ,i;5nr.ni rl^ys, and the pifk-like instrument wi 

 which the nations of earth's morning broke the so 



But we need not unshroiid the past nor remo 

 the veil from the sepulchre of buried ages, to w 

 ness the march of improvements to which "the E 

 whicl) calls the harvest forth" is daily becomii 

 mure and more subjected. Take the world as it 

 (and it is certainly a " matter-of-fact" world,) ai 

 we have sufficient evidence. Company the agrici 

 tural implements of those parts of the United Stat 

 where agriculture has been carried to tlie greatt 

 perfection, and of England with those of other ri 

 tions. As we have begun with the plough we w 

 not look back from it, but consider the diflT?ren 

 between those which " heave the glebes" arou 

 us, and those of some other countries. Take CI 

 na, where, as Loudon says, " agriculture has in ; 

 ages been encouraged and honored," where " t 

 emperor onee a year holds a plough in the present 

 of his subjects," and the article (a specimen oft) 

 whole) thus guided by his royal hand, is said 

 have but one handle, no coulter, to be drawn by oi 

 ox, sometimes by women. It is described as po 

 sessing all the rudeness which the state of a nati( 

 like the Chinese would naturally warrant. Go 

 Egypt, and we are assured of finding ploughs ai 

 other implements of the rudest kind. The commi 

 plough of Castile, Spain, is supposed in kind to 1 

 the same as was used by the old Romans, whi 

 that of Valentia is said to approximate very near 

 to the one described by Virgil almost two thousai 

 These forests I Years ago. What an excitement one of these arl 



much good land covered with wi 



require no planting: thev grow spontaneously, as clcs would create, if exhibited at a New Englai 



the lots stripped of their wood are protected all ploughing match ! What wondering would an, 



pped ot their wooti are p 

 round by other lots in full growth. The plantations 

 made by my father-iu-law, are borderand ornanien- 

 tal plantations, dividing the fields of a large estate. 

 In making his transplantations from liis nurseries, I 

 observed that he was 'particularly careful to mark 



if a New England farmer should assert his intentii 

 to till the earth with such a thing! The publ 

 voice would rise unanimously against him, .Tnd pu 

 lie opinion would declare him to be so furious 

 mad as to render his going at large dangerous, ai 



each tree, so as to give it the same exposition i„ ! adjudge him a fit subject for commitment at tl 

 . . .... . \\; — .,«..♦«.. 1. ..,.. + :« k..r..^;foi t.>..* ..,« ...;ii *..i.« ... 



its new bed as it had 

 raised. 



in the place where it was 



Worcester lunatic hospital. But we will take oi 

 step more in representing the horrible. In P 

 land, where the peasant acts as plough-make 

 Foot Rot in Sheep.-The Maine Farmer gives I wheel-wright, fee, it is not unusual to see a pious 

 the following remedy for this disease :-First, cut i <=°"^"'"'='^'^ "^ ^'^ ^'""^' of a young fir tree, a ro 

 away, with a sharp knife, the horn of the hoof, a„j supplying the place of a share, and the trunk tf 

 let the part diseased bleed freely; then cleanse ,t P'""?hinan s handle, with a cow attached as teat 

 well wiih soapsuds; then take blue vitriol, make a i I'he ploughs of Russia and the countries of tl 

 strong decoction of it in watt r or spirits, and plunge ! ""'■''" f ^urope have a rudeness in the constru, 

 the foot in it, or apply it faithfully to every p^n. ! t'O" "■'"^h would forbid a Yankee to guess wh; 

 This should be done frequently , and care betaken ''^ ^^ ' 

 that no dirt get into the diseased parts. ( We have named only a single article of fiusbam 



