14 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JULY 18, 1843 



ASn HORTICULTrRAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, Jhlt 12, 184*. 



THE H.\Y CROP— HOEING. 



We have for the past week been among tlie liay- 

 makfrs, on lands svitli wl.icli we are familiar, and we 

 find less gra.s on the old fields— Uiat is, fields that have 

 been under the seylhe two or three jears— than we ex- 

 pected. The natural grasses, while clover or honey- 

 suckle, and white-top or June grass, usurped, to an unu- 

 sual extent, the sowed or cultivated grasses, and during 

 the hot and dry weather of the last days of June and 

 the first days of July, these natural grasses ceased to 

 TOW and the crop on such lands will be less than usual. 

 On reclaimed meadows and other lowlands, and also on gcr of perishing, though not without some suffering 



lands in a high state of cultivation, the crop is good. In 



rains and dews have formed and the destruction of the 

 weeds, is better for the crops in their present stage than 

 deep working. Though in June— especially in the 

 early part of it, we think well of working deep. 



INSECTS. 



These arc numerous — more so than in most seasons — 

 and are doing much havoc. We notice in many fields 

 that the herds-grass or timothy is attacked to a greater 

 extent than we have ever seen hofore. What the ene- 

 my is we know not, but he culs off the stalk a foot or 

 more below the head ; the lop of course dies and be- 

 comes perfectly white. 



Sijiinsh Bugs.— The jellnwbug has nearly finished 

 its harm to early vines. He does not relish iheni well 

 after the leaves become large and tough — and at that 

 time the vines will endure his gnawings without dan- 



crop, and for the last few years has generally done bet- 

 ter than other grains. Can any one assign a cause <or 

 the change ? Has the climate altered .' 



the immediate viciniiy of this city, where the lands are 

 rich, and are made early by manure, the grass has been 

 abundant, and has been secured mostly in good condi- 

 tion. But so many of the fields, after getting out 6 or 8 

 miles, will give only a small amount of hay, that we do 

 not anticipate any thing more tlian an average crop, 

 ifit even comes up to that. There will, however, be 

 hay enough in the neighborhood. An averagt crop is 

 quite as good for the community as one that is extraor- 

 dinary large. 



If the weather permits, farmers must press on with 

 their haying more vigorously than usual. We remem- 

 ber years when different fields of grass have turned from 

 a green to a ripe stale so rapidly, thai before they could 

 be mown a con.-iderable portion of the crop had become 

 diminished in value. Those strips of the country which 

 have not leccntly been favored with showers, will have 

 the grass now shrinking faster than it has grown at any 

 time. -'Vnd the grass must be cut with all possible dis- 

 patch, for ifit stands after it begins to go back, the loss 

 both in quantity and quality is very great. 



But in the niirlst of haying, do not fi>rgpt the hoeing. 

 It is often difficult to decide whether one will lose most 

 by omitting the haying or Ihe hoeing, when both v»ant 

 attending to. In most seasons it is better to let the hay- 

 ing be postponed, though it do require a good deal of 

 selfdenidl to let the scythe hang idle upon a bright 

 morning. The benefit to the corn, potatoes and roots, 

 from stirring the soil, and destroying the weeds season- 

 ably, is greater than farmers generally estimate it, and 

 ihey must, if possible, have this work attended to. 

 / The manner of doing this work is a point that merits 

 thoui'lit and observatiim. The most common practice 

 has been to plow as deep and stir the soil as deep at the 

 last time of hoeing as at the first. To this there are rea 



But the large black hug which girdles the vine itself, 

 ofien taking the bark entirely around and poisoning, if 

 it does not kill— this bug is now in the midst of its mis- 

 chief. The best way of combatting this enemy we 

 have recently mentioned and now give again. It is to 

 lay down an old shingle at each hill. The bugs will go 

 under this to pass the night, and in the morning early 

 you may find them collected there, and may kill them 

 with despatch. 



But the other enemy which is yet to come, or yet to 

 do iis harm, we know not how to fight. A fiy deposites 

 an egg or eggs on the stalk of the vine in June or July, 

 and this hatches and furnishes a worm, which works its 

 way into the heart of the vine and there eats up and 

 down, till the vine dies. Fur the last two or three 

 years we have seen our vines flourish till August, and 

 get to be four or five feet long, when suddenly they 

 would droop and die. This worm did the mischief; 

 and probably he will repeat his ravages this year. How 

 to prevent him we should be veiy glad to learn. 



Ruse Bug. — We have had but little injury from this 

 annoyer for several years in the vicinity of Boston ; but 

 v.'e were told last week by a gentleman from West- 

 boro', that he has lost all his grapes and all his apples 

 by them this season. 



Apple Tree Borer. — The eggs of this destroyer are 

 now probably on the trunk of the tree, and the most of 

 them are near the ground. A strong ley, or a strong 

 solution of potash put on, will probably destroy very 

 many of these eggs. This, in many towns, is a great 

 destroyer, though we have never been troubled with it, 

 and it has never done extensive harm in Essex county. 



MR COLMANS AGRICULTURAL AND HORTI- 

 CULTURAL TOUR. 



In extracts from English papers, we have already in- 

 formed our readers that Mr Colnian, the late Agricultu- 

 ral Commissioner of this State, has reached England. 

 His own letters now inform his friends that he arrived 

 safely and in good health, and that he has commenced 

 his examination and survey of the English farms. The 

 Royal Agricultural Seciety. have offered to render him 

 every aid in their power, to further the accomplishment 

 of bis survey. 



The work will give a detailed view of the English, 

 French, Flemish, Swiss, German and Italian liiisbandry, 

 and also of the Labor Schools and Experimental Farms. 



The work will consist of eight or ton numbers, and 

 the price will be fifty cents. It is expected the first No. 

 will be ready for delivery early in the ensuing winter. 



Arthur D. Phelps, of this city, is the publisher of the 

 work, and will receive subscriptions for it, and altend 

 to any other business of Mr Colman's during his ab- 

 sence abroad. 



Messrs. Saxton & Miles, 205 Broadway, are agents 

 for the work in the city of New York. Francis W. 

 Wilcox has been appointed travelling agent. 



From this visit abroad by Mr Colman, we on tills 

 side the Atlantic may expect to derive much instruction 

 and pleasure. The energy and perseverance ol Mr Col- 

 man, as a traveller and observer, and his industry and 

 faithfulness in recording what he learns, are scarcely 

 equalled in any other man of our acquaintance. Add 

 to this the flow and richness of his style as a descrip- 

 tive agricultural writer, and we have reason to expect 

 from him as inleresling a work upon the agriculture of 

 Europe, as could be furnished by any other American 

 writer. 



WINTER RYE. 



This crop will soon be ready for the sickle or cradle, 

 son'abieobjecti'ons" Vow the fibrous roots of the corn ! We prefer cutting a few days earlier than most farmers 

 and potatoes have extended deep and wide. And if you j ''"•<; <^"' '" '"""^^ P"'*'; The keriiel dries as plump, the 



break these roots after the corn spindles and the potato 

 blossoms, new roots do not form, lo any great extent, 

 liul the plant gives its nourishment after this time 

 mostly to the fruit. Rend the roots, and you hasten the 

 forming and ripening of the fruit, but you cause the 

 fruit lo be smaller. Early in the season, roois may be 

 cut and rent without much harm ; perhaps wiihout any ; 

 for new roots will be formed. Bui it is injurious to ihe 

 crop to cut the roots when the plant is so far advanced 

 that new roots will not form ; corn and potat')eB g<;ner- 

 ally are in that stale now, and consequently the work- 

 in" among them should he nothing but a scratching of 

 the surface. We do not like either the plow or the cul- 

 tivator among corn so late in ^the season as this. A 

 light — n very light harrow, is preferable to cither. The 

 merely breaking up of the surface crust, which the 



meal is sweeter, and the waste is less. As soon as the 

 kernel has become firm and solid to the centre, without 

 being dry, and while there is yet some little greenness 

 to the straw, is the best lime for cutting. 



As far as we have noticed, (and we have been into six 

 or eight fields,) the grain of ihe rye promises to be good ; 

 the heads are of fair length, and on all grounds that 

 slope, the crop will be good, but generally, though not 

 universally, on flat grounds, and on spots a little dishing, 

 the winter killed out so much that the grain is thin. 

 This harm extends wherever we have seen the fields of 

 New England, excepting along the shore of the Sound 

 in Conneciicut. 



In our boyhood we saw no rye growing, and it was 

 believed lliat it would do nothing along the sea-coast of 

 Massachusetts. But it is now becoming a coalmen 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 [The lenglh of the Horticultural report of Saturday's 

 exhibition, compels us to deler a part of it till our next.] 



EXHIBITION OF VEGETABLES. 



Saturday, July 8, 1843. 

 Fine specimens of the early Scollop Squash were ex- 

 hibited by Jlr J. F. Trull, Dorchester. They were the 

 first of the season, being a very early production. 



Excellent Tomatoes, very early, exhibited by J. F. 

 Allen, Salena. For the Committee, 



JNO. C. HOWARD. 



The following are the aw.irds of the Judges for Pinks 

 and Roies, exhibited for premium on the 1st inst. : 

 Pm/.-5. — 1st premium of $4, to Samuel Wnlker. 



•M " of a, to Win. Mcller. 



Judges — Sam'l R. Johnson, Sam'l Sweetser. 

 Roses. — 1st premium, in class No. I, lo Hovey & Co. 

 2d " " " to S.R. Johnson. 



3(1 " " " to Joseph Brcck. 



1st premium for the best display of flowers, class No. 

 2, to Samuel R. Johnson. There was no competition 

 for the 2d premium. 



Judges— John F. Allen, Wm. Wales. 



Notice. — The premiums for the best display of flow- 

 ers of Carnations and Picote.es, will be awarded on Sat- 

 urday next, loth inst. Per order, 



S. WALKER, Ch'mn. 



[p=Cur thanks are due to Luther Tucker, Esq., for 

 the volume of Transactions of the N. Y. Stale Agricul. 

 Society in 1842. We shall copy freely from it. 



O'The premium list of the Westboro' Agricul. Soci- 

 ety has been received, and we will insert it euon. 



