6 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Ji;X.T 5, 1843. 



SfI2W laardi'^ilSJ© S>il2iSISI2 



i^a 



AND HORTICULTURAL RRGISTER. 



Boston, VVed.'<esdat, Jdlt 5, 1843. 



inrTlinse indebted (or ono or more years' subscription 

 t(t the Farint^r, would greatly oblige the Publishers by 

 settling for the same forlhwiih ; and all subscribers are 

 resjiFCtfully reminded that Uio terms of the p;iper are 

 $2 in advance, or $"J 50 if not paid within sixty days. 

 Do not " muzzle the oz," &c. 



HAT MAKING. 



This work is pleasimt but laborious. Now the farmer 

 must make long days, and must be busy in the hottest 

 part of the day. He needs good tools — especially good 

 scythes. The best of these that we have any acquain- 

 tance with, are made of cast steel. 'J'hose hold'theedge 

 better than othiTS, and require less frequent grmdings. 



The horse-rake is a great labor-saver, especially rn 

 1 irge and smooth fields. Every large farmer should be 

 provided with one. Thus he can get his green hay to- 

 g'ilher with much more dispatch, and can spare the 

 strength ofhis men in the afler part of the day. 



When grass has been cut in the morning and spread 

 out of s«ath at 9, 10 or U o'clock, it should be turned 

 up at mid-day. This creatly facilitates its drying, both 

 in the afternoon and through the night. 



Hay should be well dried before it is put in the barn 

 — especially ^ne hay. Whetlier it is Lest to dry mostly 

 by full exposure to the sun, or whether by keeping it 

 mostly in c<ick, is not fully settled. Our custom has 

 been to dry as fast as we can by spreading out to sun 

 and wind. 'I'his course causes the farmer to have less 

 bay in his fields at a time, and makes the quantity ex- 

 posed to harm when a storm comes, less. But that this 

 lapid drying is better for the hay, is not certain. One 

 method which we have rcjorled to in a few instances, 

 may be worth extending. When we have hay in cock, 

 which cannot be made dry enough in one day more, 

 and which yet seems not to require two, we sometimes 

 go to it at mid-day wiih the fork, and make the cocks 

 oper, placing the top at the bottom, and replacing the 

 the whole, taking only small forkfuls at a time. Thus 

 re-cocked, we have found that it makes much in a good 

 day, and that when spread on the following d.ay, it 

 cures very rapidly. 



The time we choose for cutting, is whfn the grass is 

 fairly or fully in blossom. 



The grass should be well cut, and the hay well made. 

 Where it becomes desirable to put a load in the barn 

 that is a little under dry, from four to eight quarts of 

 gait per ton will help to preserve it. 



If hay is designed for market, one is well paid for 

 breaking all the forkfulls, and even for spreading out 

 evenly over the bay of the barn, when he stows away 

 his hay. Thus put in, the hay comes out of a brighter 

 and more uniform color. 



Drinks. — Tiie hay-maker desires drink often and in 

 large quanlilies. But all articles that heat and mtnzi- 

 cate, should be prohibited. Simple cold water is good — 

 it is the best drink. iMilk — milk and water — sweetened 

 water — ginger-beer, and such like, make an agreeab|^ 

 variety — but the pure, undamaged water is the best of 

 them all. 



Th* Amount of the Crop. — There has been, and still 

 is, a very common belief that the hay crop for 20 or 30 

 miles around Boston, will be very abundant. From the 

 highly manured fields in llio immediate neighborhood 

 of the city, good crops have already been taken, and 

 have been secured in good order. But we noticed dur- 



ifig the latter part of last week, that the grasses on com- 

 mon lan-ls were suffering from the heat and from lack 

 of moisture. Our own fields, to our surprise, as we 

 passed through them on Friday last, seemed to promise 

 only a small crop compared with last year's. We think 

 the crop generally will be less than is expected, but yet 

 that it will not be so short as to cause any scarcity. 

 Should copious rains fall soon, the grass will yet grow 

 much, but if rains are withheld for a fortnight, the hay 

 crop will be less than an average one. 



GLIMPSES BY TIIE WAY. 



[Continued.] 



June 14 — From Hartford to Springfield we goby boat, 

 and see nothing distinctly but the banks of the river. 

 The soil on the banks of the Connecticut here near the 

 lijies of Connecticut and Massachusetts, is apparently 

 good, and is fairly cultivated. We regret our inability 

 (o accept an invitatiiin to visit Henry Watson, Esq., of 

 East Windsor, and view his stock and lands. From 

 Springfield to Northampton by stage, we see some fer- 

 tile spots and good farming. In South Hadley, we 

 passed the fine farm of Paoli Lathrop, Esq , and we 

 have no where else seen equal luxuriance in grass, and 

 no where else have our glimpses caught indications of 

 better farming. 



The Northampton meadows in part have been seri- 

 ously injured by deep deposits of sand upon them dur- 

 ing the spring freshets. Report said that one four-acre 

 lot in ILidley or South Hadley, which last year would 

 have brought $400 per acre, has been sr>ld recently for 

 §25 per acre. We give the report as it came to our 

 ears from the lips of a stranger, while we stood upon 

 the summit of Mount Holyoke, and were gazing down. 

 The damage, however, is limited to a comparatively 

 small part of the meadow. 



19(/i.— On the way to Brattleboro', Vt., vegetation 

 seems more advanced than in the valley nearer the 

 mouth of the river. And in Charlestown, N. H., we 

 find larger corn and grass than we have seen before. 

 One farm here which we were told belonged to a Mr 

 Mulliken, surpasses in neatness and apparent fertility, 

 any other that we have seen in all our journey. We 

 were sorry that we could not stop and make the acquain- 

 tance of one who gives a farm so much simple beauty. 



2lst. — On the way from Claremont to Concord, we 

 met occasionally with a pleasant spot fiir tillage, but pre- 

 vailing rocks and stumps cnvered the ground. How 

 the people came to fix down there, and how they sub- 

 sist now they are there, are questions too deep for us to 

 answer. As we came near the Merrimack, we found 

 the soil generally more sandy and less fertile than on 

 the banks of the Connecticut. The rocks of the subsoil 

 are rounded and are colored with iron, and the subsoil 

 itself is porous, and such as would cause the lands to 

 suffer much in times of drought. 



Saturday morning found us back to the city, after an 

 absence of a little more than two weeks. Our object 

 and our modes of travel were incompatible with any 

 thing like an accurate view of the agricultural operations 

 of, the sections of country through which we passed, 

 and therefore our account can be only general and brief 



IJT'MessrB. Jordan ii. Co. have sent us from their " De- 

 pot of Cheap Works," 121 Washington street. Part IX 

 ofthe Farmers' Encyclopedia. This is a work of value, 

 and wo recommend it as a desirable addition to the 

 shelves of every agricultural library. Tile work is 

 published in monthly parts, at 25 cts. The nine pub- 

 lished numbers can be inspected at Messrs. Jordan & 

 Co.'s. 



MASS. HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



KXIIIBITION OF FP.OITS. 



Saturday, July 1, 1843 



The show of Strawberries today was amontr tfie best 

 if not the very best, this spason. 



From Capt. Charles Robhins, South Boston — one box 

 of Keen's Seedling, one of Boyal Scarlet, and one of 

 Methven Castle Strawberries — all of them very excel- 

 lent. 



From Messrs. Ilovey & Co. — one large basket and 

 three boxes of Horey's Seedling Strawberries, one bask- 

 et of a new seedling, and trusses showing the great pro- 

 ductiveness of each kind, also, 1 box Bishop's Oran"e. 



Fiom John A. Kenrick, Newton — two boxes of Tar- 

 tarian Cherries. 



From J. F. Allen, Salem— Black Hamburg, White 

 Chasselas, Muscat of Alexandria, Blank Grape from St. 

 Michael, (Azores,) Frontignac and Barrasaube Grapes- 

 all superior specimens. One box of Hovey's Seedlin" 

 Strawberries, the best box in the hall, and one dish ol 

 Royal George Clingstone Peaches. 



From Dr. John C. Howard — an extraordinary large 

 and well colored bunch of Black Hamburg Grapis — sup- 

 posed to be the largest berries ever exhibited in the hall. 

 White Chasselas and Burgundy Grapes. 



From the President of the Society — Hovey's Seedling 

 Strawberries. 



From Wm. Kentick — " May Apples," (growth of this 

 year,) perfectly ripe — sent from Smilhfield, Va., by 

 Richard Reynolds, Esq., of that place. This is a small 

 pale green fruit, of pleasant flavor. At that place, they 

 usually ripen in May, and are earlier than any other va- 

 riety known. 



From J. L. L F. Warren, Brighton — eight boxes of 

 Warren's Seedling Strawberries, one box of Downlon 

 Strawberries, two boxes French Cherries, and two boxes 

 of Downton Cherries. 



For the Committee, 



SAMUEL POND. 



EXniBITIOn OF VEGETABLES. 



From Messrs. Hovey &. Co.— Superb Black Spine, 

 and Cuthill's Black Spine Cucumber, 15 inches long, 

 new and fine in appearance. 



A dish of well ripened Tomatoes, from J. F. Allen, 

 Salem. JNO. A. KENRICK. 



[Owing to the sickness of tho Chairman of the Flow- 

 er Committee, and the absence of other members of the 

 same committee, no official account of the flowers exhi- 

 bited has been received. The show was a very fine 

 one, and we regret our inability to give a report ol^it to- 

 day, with the premiums awarded for Pinks and Roses. 

 — Trans '\ 



THE BUG POISON. 



This article, which we mentioned four weeks ago, as 

 having been sent to us by Mr Dey, of New York, has 

 been fairly tried, but it answers no better purpose than 

 plaster, ashes, charcoal, (ac. 



MAY APPLE. 

 Mr Wm. Kenrick exhibited at the Horticultural 

 Rooms on Saturday last, a box of apples from Richard 

 Reynolds, Esq., of Smithfield, Va., of this year's growth. 

 They were perfectly ripe, and a fair eating apple, for 

 one so early. Mr Ri'ynolds thinks they would ripen in 

 the vininity of Boston as early as June 10th. This ap- 

 ple is small, being an inch and a quarter to an inch and 

 an half in diameter each way. Its color is pale yellow, 

 with a blush of red on one side. 



(Ij'Hovey's Seedling Strawberry surpasses all other 

 varieties exhibited at the Horticultural rooms. The ber- 

 ries are from three to four inches in circumference. 



Hj'The Index to the last volume of the Farmer is in 

 course of preparation. 



(lj=We are a day later than usual this week in the 

 publication of the paper, on account of the Glorious 

 Fourth. » 



