•222 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



J AS. 10, 1S4 



AND HORTlCULTfRAL RKGISI'ER. 



Sdlted Ity Joaeph Brcck. 



Boston, Wednesday, Jas. 10, 1844. 



DUSINP.SS FOR JANUARY.— No. I. 

 Tliroughout New Englutid, ilie temperature of tlie 

 climate is such during tlie winter, as In prevent the cul- 

 tivator fiom perforjning many labors on his farm, which 

 may be attended to in sections of the country where the 

 winter is less rigorous. In the Southern Slates, much 

 work can be done during the wir.tor month.«, wliicli 

 with us must be deferred until our land is freed from its 

 snow and ice- 

 When ,'pririg opens with us, the farmer finds much to 

 do in a short time, and unless he has well arranged his 

 business, and made every proparatjon needful to com- 

 mence vigorous operations, he finds himself behind- 

 hand, and although he may rise early and bite, and toil 

 hard, he will have the mollification of seeing his more 

 calculating neighbors in advance of him ; he will al- 

 ways fiel in a hurry, and perhaps many things in his 

 haste, may be neglected in their proper season, or only 

 half done. 



Now is the proper time for the farmer to look about 

 him, and see what can be done to facilitate the ojiera- 

 lions on his firtn when the spring opens ; — now is the 

 time to lay his plans for the year before him. But be- 

 fore we speak of the numerous things tliat should claim 

 the attention of the farmerduring the comparatively leis- 

 ure montlis of the winter, we would make a few sugges- 

 tions in relation to schooling the children, settling ac- 

 counts, and forming some system for the improvement 

 of the mind. And first, 



Send the ChilJTin to School. 

 The school houses of Ne^v England, which the trav- 

 eller finds scattered thickly over the country, are objects 

 of striking interest to the stranger ; they are one of the 

 characteristic features of the land ; and of them, and the 

 ample pmvision made to instruct the inmates, we may 

 be justly proud ; — but however ample the accommoda- 

 tion and the means may be for the instruction of youth, 

 unless the children are sent, regularly sent in season 

 every day, ihcy cannot be expected to neeive that ben- 

 efit which the liberal 'provisions for learning were de- 

 signed to give. Our country schools generally com- 

 mence tor the winter season about Thanksgiving time, 

 or the first of December. The farmer should so order 

 his busines'R that the boys may be released from labor, 

 so as to be permitted to attend at the opening of the 

 school. Their clothing shnuld be warm and neat, and 

 they shnuld be providi'd with suitable books, slates, pa- 

 per, &.C., and nothing should be omiticd which may 

 liave a tendenry to stimulate and encourage them in 

 their studies. They should not be kept from school a 

 single dav, except in a case of extreme necessity; and 

 the father should be willing to make any sacrifice him- 

 Belf, rather than hinder them from attending constantly 

 and punctually. He should take hold himself at the 

 barn, so that his sons may gel off' early to school, that 

 they may have equal advantages wiih their associates. 

 We have known instances where the boys had to 

 drudge morning, noon and night, and attend to their 

 studies in the best way they could, while the lather was 

 " taking it fiir and easy" at the kitchen fire, or at visit- 

 ing places which were far, very far, from affiirding the 

 means of increasing his stock of useful knowledge. We 

 trust it is not so now ; but when wo look back, wo re- 

 member how it was with some school-mates in our 



youthful days, who were thus situated, and we have 

 pitied them from that time to the present: they could 

 not become interested in their lessons — it was out of the 

 quG8:i(m ; unj up to the pre»ient time, have reinainud 

 couiparativi'ly ignorant. We know that parents are 

 generally more enlightened upon the subject of edur-a- 

 tion now; but still there may bo those who think more 

 of the assistance which their sons may render them, 

 than of the importance of giving them a good education. 

 See to it that all is going on well with the children at 

 school, and then you should prepaie to | 



Seltle your Jlceounts. | 



The thriving farmer will endeavor so to order his 

 business through the year, so economize in his expen- 

 ses, ihat but little will remain, to be adjusted when the | 

 1st of January arrives. He will not suffer a large bill 

 to run up at the store, but make it a point to pay as he 

 goes, if possible — frequently to do without an article un- ] 

 less he can pay fur it on the spot, and only in cases of I 

 extreme necessity, suffer himself to be booked at the I 

 store. His mnchanics' bills should be squared every 

 quarter; and as they frequently want what he may have 

 to spare, he should endeavor tn supply their necessities 

 from his surplus, and if possible have the balance of 

 trade in his own favor. Taxes of every description 

 should be promptly paid by the 1st of the month, that 

 he may do his par; in causing the machinery of the town 

 or parish to move with ease and freedom. It is suppO^ 

 ed as a matter of course, that he keeps a regular ac- 

 count with his neighbors : these should all be in readi- 

 ness to adjust by the first of the month, and if they 

 will not call upon him, he should visit them with his 

 books and papers. If possible, all balances should be 

 paid in cash : at any rate, for want of it, the account 

 should ho settled by note or due bill. A small amount 

 paid by one individual, may, by being paid from him to 

 another and so on, answer to settle many accounts. 



If all were in the habit of thus settling their accounts 

 the first week in the month, it would be found to be a 

 very important itetn in promoting the goud feeling and 

 happiness of a neighborhood and town. It should be 

 the study of the farmer the whole year, to prepare him- 

 self to bring all his business operations to a point at this 

 time, and having done this, he will be in a situation to 

 enter upon the duties of the new year with a lightness 

 of heart and buoyancy of spirit, which it is impossible 

 for a man embarrassed to feel. Having arranged these 

 ihii'gs, he should next see what can be done to j 

 Imprort the Mind. 

 The climate, apparently so uncongenial for agricultu- 

 ral labors, is after all, perhaps, not quite so hostile to the 

 farrier's interest as a stranger would suppose. Of what 

 use would it be, even though he could toil on his land 

 the year in and year out, — what if he could add a little 

 more to his plentiful harvest, — would this compensate 

 for the opportunities which the leisure of our long and 

 severe winters gives to improve and cultivate the mind .' 

 No, we think not ;. and we should rejoice that our lot 

 is cast in New England rather than in the sunny South ; 

 and let the opporlunitiet; he improved which God has 

 •.'iven us, to cultivate the mind as well as tlie soil. 

 That this may be done in the most judicious man- 

 ner, some system should be adopted. If every thing is 

 read that may by chance come to hand, no benefit, but 

 rather an injury, most likely, will be the Jesuit. Our 

 presses are filling the country with cheap trash, of a 

 most pernicious character, which is doing an incalcula- 

 ble injury. It finils its way into almost every family, 

 and wo are all templed to read the foolish stuff, to the 

 great hindrance of any progress in that which is bene- 

 ficial. We must all set our faces against it, and seek 



for that which will give as knowledge relative to 

 business in which we are engaged, in the first pi 

 and for those works which will ii struct and elevati 

 well as amuse. We must le ive every one to make t 

 own selection of books, bin let there bo some p 

 That the f^irmer may know what is going on in 

 world, he should lake some good f.iniily newspa 

 discarding such as partake of a violent party spirit. ; 

 above all, he should be acquainted with the progrei 

 agricultural science in other sections r,f his own 

 foreign countries, and that he may keep pace with 

 spirit of the age, in this respect, he should subscribii 

 one or more agricultural papers. The farmer slul 

 give his encouragement to lyceums and other mear 

 instrucling and improving his neighbors as well as 

 members of his own family. While he will find enc 

 to occupy his hands during the day, the Ion" wi 

 evenings can be devoted to reading, and even in the i 

 busy season of the year, there are interv:ils of 

 which should not be lost, and books and papers sh 

 alvv.iys be at hand. 



Among other preparations which should be madi 

 the business of the year, if not already done, shi 

 be to procure a book for a journal or diary, in w 

 should be recorded every day's operations — the sta 

 the weather, the appearance of birds, insects, ani 

 fact every thing that occurs of interest on the farm. 



irWe acknowledge the receipt of a box of a( 

 from Mr Jacob White, of Hope, Me., including foi 

 five varieties, all seedlings. Unfortunately, some o) 

 varieties were somewhat shriveled and in a deca 

 state. The " Crane" apple, which we suppose 

 from an orchard of a neighbor of that name, is a 

 handsome one. 



We should be very glad to have seedling apples 

 other fruit of supposed excellence, sent to us from e' 

 section of the country, as we have facilities for coir 

 ing one variety with another, which are not enjoye 

 many other sections. New varieties may thus be bro 

 into noloriety, and supposed good ones may be uisca 

 for those which are better. 



CiiEniT. — We are not very tenacious about ha 

 credit given to our articles when copied into other pa) 

 If any iliing we can communicate will interest oi 

 struct, we are willing to have it go the whole lei 

 and breadth of the land, for the benefit of all, caring 

 little who shall h.ive the credit. But as we percci' 

 to be very fashionable among editors to " flare up 

 such occasions, we would just Bay to our friend of 

 American Farmer, that he forgot to give credit tr 

 article on Poudrette. 



Thk Ai.banv Cultivator. — The January numb 

 this valuable agricultural periodical, (wh:ch comme 

 a new volume,) appears in a new form — a large oc 

 of 32 pages — which makes it more conveniint for | 

 ervation. It is beautifully printed, and contains ser 

 fine illustrative engravings. The editors announce 

 Mr Sanford Howard, of Ohio, will be associaled 

 them in the future general management of the " C 

 vator" and " Museum." 



A correspondent of the Albany Cultivator says 

 makes "nest eggs" as follows: '•Make a hole in 

 large end about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, 

 one in the small end of the size of a pin's head ; thrr 

 this blow out the contents. Tlien take calcined 

 Slim and Spanish white, about equal pans; mix t 

 with water to the consistency of stitf paste, and nl 

 shells quite full with it, and place them in a warm f 

 to dry. When dry, the substance will be quite hai 



