342 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



ARVllL.Zi,lfH 



ANn HORTICULTURAL RRGISTER. 



Sdlted 1)y Joseph Breck. 



Boston, Wednesday, April 24, 1844. 



STATE SOCIETY'S CATl LE SHOW, &c. 



We are gralififiil to learn tlial the Massachusetts Soci- 

 ety for the Promotion of AgricuUure have decided to 

 hold a grand Cattle Show and Exhibiiion of Agricultu- 

 ral Implements, Dairy Products, &c., at Worcester, on 

 the Oil) and IDth of October next. We shall probably 

 be able to give the list of premiums in our next number. 

 The well-directed efforts of this Society for the encour- 

 agement of agricultural improvement, will, we hope, be 

 as successful as they are praisewortliy. 



SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF CLOVER, &c. 



The sudden appearance of clover and other plants in 

 places where ihcy have not for a long period appeared 

 before, is an occurrence which has been often noticed, 

 and excited much wonder. Cases oftliis kind (if^'e do 

 not mistake,) were mentioned in the article on " Sulphu- 

 retted Hydrogen," by L. Bartlelt, Esq., published in a 

 lale number of this paper. It is a well-known fact thai 

 after the clearing of woodland, species of plants often 

 appear, of which no traces had been seen tor many 

 years previously, if ever. 



That clover reappeais in fields where it had not shown 

 itself (or a long period before, may be, and is, a some- 

 what curious circumstance, but not at all inexplicable, 

 if it be known that it ever had existed in the same place ; 

 for, seeds excluded from the influence of air and fructi- 

 fying agencies, will often lie dormant for an almost in- 

 credible period of time, and of a sudden shoot forth with 

 their wonted vijjor. Seeds found in sealed vases exca- 

 vated at Herculaneuin, readily vegetated upon being 

 planted, though they had lain there for centuries. In 

 unrolling an Egyptian mummy at the British Museum, 

 a few years ago, seeds of wheat were found, and plant- 

 ed ; and though some thousands of years old, they vege- 

 tated and matured their products. 



To suppose that any species of vegetation could be 

 rpoiitaueoushj generated in a soil, would be absurd ; 

 since in order that such a circumstance should occur, the 

 laws of Infinite Wisdom must be altered; and never, 

 since llie Omnipotent spoke creation into birtli, institu- 

 ted the p)slem of nature, and '* pronounced it g<'od," 

 has any such deviation from its principles occurred, to 

 the knowledge of man, as the production of a plant 

 toitkout the agency of a pre-existent germ. It is estab- 

 lished — and finite power cannot change it — ihat causes 

 shall precede effects, and that the attainment of all ends 

 depends upon the exercise ol certain j/reseribed means ; 

 and the spontaneous generation of a plant is as absolute- 

 ly impossible as the spontaneous generation of a race of 

 animals. Robert Owen, the infidel, remarked to John 

 Randolph, that he might live to See the lime when the 

 principle of vitality would be discovered, and human 

 life be perpetuated ; and in support of tins probabilily 

 he observed — " Do you not know that in Egyjit, by arti- 

 ficial heal, the people create thousands of chickens.'" 

 " Yes," replied Randolph — " but pray tell me where do 

 they get the eggs? Show me the man who can lay an 

 'gg, and I will admit the force of your illuslralion.'' 

 Not less marvellous would be the production of a plant 

 without the af;ency of a pre-exislenl germ, than the 

 production of a chicken without the agency of an egg. 



That there is something mysterious, to human com- 

 prehension, in the appearance of plants in some cases. 



unknown to have existed before (or certainly not for a 

 great length ol time) in the same place, we do not deny ; 

 and the fact furnishes an interesting subject for study to 

 the inquisitive mind ; hut to account fur it by spontane- 

 ous generation, is to impute mutability or inconsistency 

 to nature's laws, — and this — to call it nothing worse — is 

 the height of presumptuous folly. 



Much as has been learned of the mysteries of vegeta- 

 ble physiology, within the htsl half century, there is a 

 vast deal more that is mystery still, and which baffles 

 the penetrating vision of science. And the same is true 

 of animal physiology. Tfie mysterious processes of di- 

 gestion, formation of the blood, &c., have not yet been 

 discovered, nor — as another has observed — " hardly a 

 plausible conjecture offered " in their explanation. 

 " When man is able by any artificial process, to form 

 one drop of blood, to compact one ounce of bone, or to 

 form or color a single flower or leaf," then, and not lill 

 then, will he have diiscovered the key to the wondrous 

 mysteries of nature's processes in animal and vegetable 

 growth. The attainment ol' this knowledge may not be 

 impossible, — we can imagine it is not, — but they v^ho 

 engage in the search for it, cannot fail to be reminded 

 of the exclamation of the enraptured psalmist, in con- 

 templation of ihe Almighty's works — " How unsearcha- 

 ble is Thy wisdom, and Thy ways past finding out !" 



and not befoie." Notwithstanding this injurious e 

 of leached ashes on potatoes, Mr Stetson considurs t 

 " one of ihe most valuable manures for grass, grain o 

 soria, peas, beans, &c." For wheat, especially, he 

 he knows of" no manure so valuable, according I 

 cost, as leached ashes." 



ASHES AS MANURE. 



The value of ashes for manure has not been duly ap- 

 preciated by farmers generally in this section. On Long 

 Island, as is well known, they are extensively used and 

 highly valued. Vessels are often sent fiom there to the 

 seaport towns along the eastern coast, for the sole pur- 

 pose of procuring ashes ; and many cargoes are annually 

 carried away from Boston and adjacent towns. The 

 leached ashes from S(>me of the soap-manufactories in 

 Roxbury, we are informed, ate usually sold to ihe Long 

 Island farmers. These facts should lead our farmers 

 who have light soils, to ascertain whether they might 

 not reap equal benefit from the use of ashes, as those 

 elsewhere; and instead of permitting this valuable fer- 

 tilizer to be bought up, as it were, at their very doors, 

 and transported to other sections, perhaps they would 

 not lessen their reputation for sagacity, nor do much det- 

 riment to their own interests, should Ihey purchase and 

 use these ashes themselves. 



The section of Dr. Dana's Essay published in our last 

 paper, treats of the value of ashes as manure, and we 

 commend his remarks to the attention of all who are in- 

 terested in the subject. The great value which he gives 

 even to spent ashes, may excite surprise in some, as it 

 did with us ; yet his statements are, no doubt, based on 

 well ascertained fads. 



A late number of the Maine Farmer contained an ex- 

 cellent article by Mr Samuel Stetson, on the use of ash- 

 es. One statement of his develops something new to 

 us, though it may not be so to others. He says : — "I 

 have found that wherever a fair dressing of leached ash- 

 es, say from 200 lo 200 bushels per acre, is used in one 

 year, where potatoes are planted, that for several years 

 afterwards the potatoes grown there are so scabby as to 

 be entirely unfit for the market or for table use. * * I 

 have had to dig this knowledge out to my cost, and this 

 provoked me to inquire of others, and 1 found the same 

 result — wherever leached ashes were used, scabby pota- 

 toes came after." Mr S. accounts for this effect by the 

 potatoes coming in contact with the lumps of ashes, 

 which " eat off the skin, and leave the potatoes scabby" 

 — and says; "1 expect the same result must follow, 

 until tile bunches of ashes are dissolved by the plow, 

 rain and frost, and then I expect the mischief will cease, 



DEMAND FOR FRUIT TREES. 

 From what we know and hear, we judge that lh(i 

 mand fur fruit trees this spring, exceeds that of any 

 villus season. Attending to orders for trees, and ext 

 ing our own nursery, has kept us so closely emph 

 of late, that wo have had little time to devote to o 

 business. In fact there seems to exist a sort of fruit 

 mania, (if the ti^rm is pardonable,) aud the fact is a 

 ter of gratulation, — not, particularly, on account of 

 profit which it may insure to vs, as dealers in fruit t 

 — oh, no ! — it would be uncharitable lo charge oui 

 joicing to that motive, — but because we believe 

 business of fruit-raising is one which may be n 

 profitable lo all. It is a business, we are quite sur* 

 which those who engage need fear no great detrii 

 from competition, at least for many years to come ; 

 one which is not likely to be " overdone," since thi- 

 mand for good fruits — apples, in particular — is such 

 warrant their far more extensive cultivation. Fan 

 who are favorably situated in respect to a market, c 

 not, we believe, more surely promote their intei 

 than by making the culture of good fruits a leading 

 jeet in their husbandry. 



THE AYRSHIRE CATTLE. 



This breed of cattle, we hear, are coming into fii 

 with our farmers, as their merits are ascertained. ♦ 

 Uanilall, Esq., of New Bedford, who h;i8 imported 

 bloods of this breed, says : "In my opir;ion, the i 

 shires are better adapted to the short p.isture and fi 

 climate of New England, than any breed of cattle ' 

 which 1 am acquainted They are not great consul 

 of food, and 1 think give a greater return in butter 

 milk, for the food they consume, than other bree 

 (Trans. N. Y. Ag. Soc.) One of ihe most dislinguif 

 iarniers of Massachusetts— -a gentleman whose judgn 

 in matters pertaining to husbandry, cummands the h 

 est respect — recently informed us that he was tuii 

 his attention lo the Ayrshires, as being preferabl 

 other breeds for New England, and was about impor 

 some of that breed for liis own (arm and use. 

 Holmes, of the Maine Farmer, remarks upun the 1 

 ness of an Ayrshire cow, given in his paper, as folio 

 " The cut is said to represent the breed well, and 

 certainly looks like a good-hearted, motherly, thi 

 cow, and such a one as any farmer would not be ash 

 ed of.'" Most of these callle in New England were 

 tained from the importations of Mr Gushing, of Wu 

 town, and Mr Randall, of New Bedford. We presi 

 animals may be had from either of those sources, tho 

 of this we are not certain. 



NEW ENGLAND FRUIT BOOK. 



Messrs. Ives, of Salem, have published in a liandsi 

 volume, a practical treatise on Fruit and its culiure. 

 gives a descriptive catalogue of the most valuable v 

 eties of the Fear, Plum, Apple, Peach and Cherry 

 New England culture, by Robert Manning. To wl 

 is added other varieties : also the Grape, (Quince, Go* 

 berry , Currant and Strawberry, with outlines of m; 

 of llie finest Pears, drawn from natuie ; with direct! 

 for pruning, budding, grafting, and general modes 

 culture. Second edition, enlarged, by John M. Ives 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS. 



Saturday, Jlpril 20, 184'; 

 Win. E. Carter, of the Botanic Garoeii, Cambiic 

 exhibited two bi^autifiil specimens of the Azalea, v 

 variegata, and another beautiful variety. 



For the Committee, J. BRECK, Chm't 



