voii. Axii. WO. a. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



13 



SMALL FARMS. 



We are irlnd that tlio fanners lliroiigliout llie 

 country are discussing tliia subject with so much 

 of intere.-it and earnestness. 



For a Inn^ time we haro indulged in extrava- 

 gant fancies in every tliinj;. Larpe possessions 

 und lar^e wealtli — lliese were counted essential, 

 and few were tlie men who cmild toil contentedly 

 on small farms and be 



From tlie Boston Cultivator. 



APPLE WORM— CURCULIO— PLUM GRUB. 



Mr EJitiir — The apple-toorm, as it is commonly 

 called, and the leUilisk gruh, that is found in plums, 

 are two entirely different insects. 



The former is a kind of caterpillar, is provided 

 with si.vtcen ]cr;s, and like other caterpillars, has 

 irms and Oe sat.sHed w,th a limited bus/- j the power of spinninr; silken threads, wherewith it 

 ness But the experience of the last few years make., its pod or cocoon when it leaves the wind- 

 has taught »s all, that money, beyond that point | fallen fruit. It changes, within its cocoon, to a 

 wh'ch .secures us independence, is not an element i chrysalis, and finally to a little brown 



of happiness or progri's-.^. \'. hen sought for, for 

 Its own sake, it is fver a means of evil. Nor can 

 it be otherwise, if grasped at to gratify a low so- 

 cial ambition. Three truths have made slow, but 

 sure progress among all classes ; yet among none 

 more than the agriculturists. 



We may mention the growing di.<position on the 

 part of farmers to possess only as mncli land as 

 they can cultivate well, as proof of these remarks ; 



Black Squash Bii^ and Ytllow Slriped Bug 



These two species of bugs have long been very 

 troublesome among our garden vines. Patent 

 washes and free baths have often been prescribed 

 as a remedy, and powders and pills have been ad- 

 ministered till tin: experimenters are tired and be- 

 gin to think thnt the old fisliioned . thumb and fin- 

 ger process is the safest of any. 



We have recommended charcoal, finely pulver- 

 ized, to be thrown about garden plants, and have 

 no doubt of its good tendency; but this may not 

 prove a destroyer of these bugs. The thumb and 

 moth, decked with numerous greyish spots, and finger will do the work m. .re surelv, but the black 



miller or 



aving a large oval copper. colored spot near the 

 end of its upper wings. The moths lay their eggs 

 in the apples in June and July, and from their eggs 

 are hatched the common apple-worms, which causes 

 the fruit to fall before its time. 



The grub in the plum is much smaller than the 

 apple-worm ; it has not any legs ; and it does not 

 spin a silken thread. Very soon after the fruit 



and we cannot but rejoice at ,t : for, if rightly di- falls from the tree, the gruh within it goes into the 

 re ted their inn,ience will ever be exerted for the | ground, where ,t remains till U is changed into a 

 substantial good of all; since It possesses, from a I little brownish hard-shelled beetle 

 variety of causes, that admixture of wisdom and 

 prudence, which is unwilling to run foolish risks, 



or try hazardous experiments in government or the 

 polic-y of government, yet which is never backward 

 in making changes whenever in reason they are 

 called for, or urging reforms when existing evils 

 demand them. Just views of home ensure just 

 views generally, with regard to everything else. 

 And wlien the farming interests practice on their 

 own soil whatever a wise economy, comfort, and 

 real independence may demand, we may feel as- 

 sured, not only that their influence will be rightly 

 directed, but that they will see to it that those vir- 

 tues are pra 'ic ^ in our public afr.ii-s. 



And as a general rule, the possession of as much 

 land as may be well cultivated, will help to estab- 

 lish these virtues. First, the farmer who is so sit- 

 uated can apply his industry better ; second, he 

 can employ all his capital ; third, he can do more, 

 and obtain a surer and steadier return from both ; 

 fourth, he can secure more of those comforts which 

 tend so much to improve and civilize all of us ; a 

 good dwelling, good out-houses, good fences, good 

 cattle, greater fertility of soil, and a better knowl- 

 edge of his business. Nor is this all : when men 

 measure themselves thus, by what they can do, 

 and are zealous to do it, they are not so apt to be 

 led astray by speculation, by avarice, by social dis- 

 play, or any of that class of evils which so much 

 disturb and distress society. They love the earth 

 they till; they are content to till it, being proud 

 of the labor of their hands; they find, and feel 

 under these circumstances, that they can do more 

 good to others, and enjoy themselves better, be- 

 cause necessarily they will look more to what is 

 in a man than what is around him ; to character, 

 rather than to the number of acres he may own, or 

 the wealth he may possess. 



It is a national blessing, in every way, to multi- 

 ply small farms. Show us a State that has the 

 nost of them, and we will guaranty to find there 

 ;he greatest amount of substantial wealth and real 

 lappiness. Economy, it is said, is a mine of 

 .vealth ; that is practiced on them. Energy is the 

 neans to supply this mine; and as the truest econ- 

 )my and the stoutest energy are employed on these 

 unall farms, the more such we have, the greater 

 vill be the strength and wealth of the nation. — 

 Cincinnati Gaz. 



or curculio. 

 These curculios may be found on the trees from 

 the first of April to the middle of June, at which 

 time they sting or pierce the plums, and lay their 

 eg^'S in them. They are easily caught in a cool 

 morning, by spreading cloths under the trees, and 

 suddenly jarring the limbs, by which they are so 

 much alarmed that tliey drop down apparently life, 

 less, and might then be mistaken for so many little 

 dead buds. Soon, however, they begin to stretch 

 out their legs and to crawl, and unless immediately 

 secured in a tight vessel, will m^ke their escape. 



Allow me to refer you to my "Treatise on In- 

 sects injurious to Vegetation," pages C6 and 351, 

 for f rther particulars • ;lati 

 these two kinds of insects. 



Your most obedient, 



T. W. HARRIS 



Cambridge, June?, 1843. 



to the history of 



CATTLE AND SliEEP OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



We find the following in a late English journal, 

 and give it for the purpose of comparing it with 

 some of our own statistics and prices : 



"The total number of horned cattle in the Uni- 

 ted Kingdom, is estimated at 7,000,000, and the 

 total number of sheep at 32,000,000. Valuing the 

 first per head, at £10, and the last at 25s., botli to- 

 gether will give a total value of .£110,000,000." 



In the United States, according to the census 

 of I8.J9, the number of sheep was 30,000,000. But 

 the difference in the estimated value is the most 

 striking point in the comparison. There, the ave- 

 rage value is put at about $45 for the cattle, and 

 about IjT) for the sheep. Here, an average price 

 of 812 for the cattle, and .$1 .50 for the sheep, 

 must be considered a liberal estimate. This fact 

 shows why the prices of meat are so high in Great 

 Britain, and proves that we ought to be able to 

 furnish them a supply of beef at remunerating 

 prices. Wo think it clear, that in the present posit 

 tion of trade, tariffs, and prices, a fair export trade 



in beef and pork to England may be expected 



M Y. Cull. 



bugs smell so offensively that most people are 

 much afraid of them as of caterpillars. 



If you will place shingles i>f short pieces of 

 boards near the vines, you will find these two kinds 

 of bugs seeking shelter under them during the 

 night. Early in the morning (he most sensitive 

 gardener may take up a couple of these shingles 

 and crush the bugs that will be foUnd adhering to 

 the under side of them, without staining his finders 

 or otTending his nose. — Mass. Ploughman. 



Sassafras Mead. — This is a very wholesome, 

 pleasant, and cheap beverage in warm weather. 

 Mix gradually with two quarts of boiling water, 

 three pounds and a half of good West India mo- 

 lasses, and a quarter of a pound of tartaric acid. 

 Stir it well, and when cool, strain it into a large 

 jug or pan ; then mix in a quarter of an ounce of 

 essence of sassafras. Transfer it to clean bottles 

 (it will fill about half a dozen,) cork it tightly, and 

 keep it in a cool place. Have ready a box con- 

 taining about a quarter of a pound of carbonate of 

 soda, to use with it. 



To prepare a glass of it for drinking, pour a lit- 

 tle of the mead into \ tun Sler, stir into it a small 

 quantity of soda, and thoa add sufiicient ice-water 

 to half fill the glass. Give it astir, and it will 

 immediately foam up to the lop. 



It is unnecessary to say that the tartaric acid, 

 the essence of sassafras, and the carbonate of so- 

 da are to be obtained from the druggists. — Miss 

 Ltslie. 



The mind, like the eye, sees all things rather 

 than itself, and philosophers, like travellers, are 

 often far better informed as to what is goini' on 

 abroad than at home. — Lncon. 



The Cigala. — This insect, commonly called the 

 Locust, is said to be poisonous. We have seen 

 several accounts recently, of death caused by their 

 sting. Some writers allege that there are two 

 kinds, the singing and the silent, and that the for- 

 mer are harmless. We had supposed that the 

 singinj was peculiar to the males. The female 

 Cigala does not sing. Her operations in splitting 

 the bark of twigs, and boring the wood preparatory 

 to depositing lier eggs, is exceedingly curious, and 

 may easily be seen on almost any day, by those 

 who will patiently watch her operations. The lo- 

 cust has usually been considered liarmless, and as 

 such, has been handled by children in their play 

 and by adults, without injury, so far as our person- 

 al knowledge extends. If any of them be poison- 

 ous, tlie fact should be generally known Pough- 



keepsie Jour. 



A'ew Use for Porkers. — At Cincinnati, they have 

 commenced the manufacture of a very neat and 

 useful article of floor and hearth cloth, from hog's 

 bristles or hair. They are first softened by immer- 

 sion for a given time in lard oil, and then spun 

 and wove into cloth, with the different arrange- 

 ments of natural colors that fancy dictates. — Pitts- 

 burg Jlmtr. 



