1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEIMEH. 



49 



A PAIK OF CRESTED DTJCKS. 



Mr. Be:ment, of Albany, author of the American 

 Poulterer's Companion, says these ducks are a 

 beautiful and ornamental variety. They are of all 

 colors, having in fact no other common features. 

 He has had them pure white, black, and mixed, 

 black and white, with large turbans or top-knots. 

 The white are considered the most beautiful, as 

 they have yellow legs and bills. 



In speaking of this duck, Mr. Latham says — 

 "This inhabitant of the extremity of America is 

 of the size of the wild duck, but is much longer, 

 for it measures twenty-five inches in length ; a 

 tuft adorns its head ; a straw yellow, mixed with 

 neatly colored spots, is spread over the throat and 

 front of the neck ; the wing blue beneath, edged 

 ■with white ; the bill, wing, and tail are black ; 

 irides red, and all the rest of the body ashy 

 gray." 



Cranberry Culture. — Obed Brooks, Esq., of 

 Harwich, has carefully compiled a statement of 

 the cranberry crop of the towns of Harwich, 

 Brewster and Dennis, for 1859. An aggregate 

 value of $23,622 is no small income to the fami- 

 lies owning these cranberry meadows. We can 

 give no estimate of Barnstable. A large number 

 of persons severally own small lots ; but the ag- 

 gregate must be a number of thousands of dollars 

 worth. Mr. Solomon Hinckley, residing in our 

 immediate vicinity, sold to the amount of $740 j 



and Dr. Jenkins, of West Barnstable, $600. The 

 cranberry culture is now attracting much at- 

 tention in most of the Cape towns, and very nu- 

 merous lots of ground are being prepared for the 

 vines. — Barnstable Patriot. 



COMMONWEALTH OP MASSACHUSETTS. 

 AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 



State House, Boston, Dec. 7, 1859. 



Dear Sir: — The Legislature, by the Act oi 

 1859, chap. 203, proposed to ofl'er some encour- 

 agement for the establishment of Farmers' Clubs 

 in the various towns of this Commonwealth, and, 

 to some extent, to aid those already established. 

 The Committee of the Board appointed to make 

 provision for carrying the aforesaid Act into effect 

 have instructed me to say that if there is any de- 

 sire among the farmers of your town to establish 

 such a club, and to have the aid of any sugges- 

 tions that might be offered by an agent employed 

 by the State Board of Agriculture, it would be 

 ])roper for them to hold a preliminary meeting and 

 decide upon some definite time and place when 

 and where they would lilce to have such an agent ; 

 will you please inform me of it at an early day, 

 stating the time fixed upon, which should be suffi- 

 ciently long after the date of your letter to give 

 time for the necessary preliminary arrangements. 



In cases where a Farmers' Club is ah'eady es- 

 tablished, and is in operation at the present time, 

 and desii-es to avail itself of the aid offered by the 

 State, a copy of the constitution or form of organ 



