94 



NEW ENGLAND FAiaiER. 



Feb. 



are occupied in its growth, chiefly cultivated by 

 slave labor, the product of which, at two pence per 

 pound, would yield thirty-seven millions of pounds 

 sterling. The time would fail to tell of the vast 

 amount of smoking in Turkey and Persia ; in In- 

 dia all classes and both sexes indulge in this prac- 

 tice ; the Siamese both chew and smoke. In Bur- 

 mah all ages practice it — children of three years 

 old and of both sexes. China equally contributes 

 to the general mania ; and the advocates of the 

 habit boast that about one-fourth of the human 

 race are their clients, or that there certainly are 

 100,000,000 smokers ! 



For the Neie England Farmer. 

 THINGS I liOVE TO SEE AND BEAD. 



I love to read the Farmer; its extended circu- 

 lation fulfils its given name, Neio England. It 

 finds its way into every nook and corner of intel- 

 ligent New England, the industrious and enter- 

 prising umpire of this continent. I love to read 

 agricultural papers, whose con-espondents are live, 

 practical men, untrammelled by jn'ofsssors' theo- 

 ries, infinitesimal manure men, who will carry 

 manure in one coat pocket, sufficient for an acre, 

 and the crop in the other, if their theories are car- 

 ried out, which they seldom or never attempt. 

 It is all theory, and no practice ; practice gives 

 the lie to theory. 



I love to see young men's experience in type, 

 even if it shoidd controvert the theories of pro- 

 fessors of old Harvard. Facts give the lie to 

 theories. I love to see facts from any young man, 

 without inquiring how much his beard has grown ; 

 fects from his experience will weigh more than 

 ten thousand theories. 



I love to see the honest name of a writer af- 

 fixed to his communication ; his recorded name ; 

 it looks honest ; it has weight ; it is an endorse- 

 ment. Who will take a note of hand Avith a fic- 

 titious name ? None but flats, such as would 

 give credence to anonymous writings in agricul- 

 tural papers, which have a great bearing on the 

 weal or woe of farmers and gardeners. They read 

 such papers for information and instruction in 

 their calling, wliich is the basis of all callings 

 known to man, to multiply and increase the pro- 

 ducts of the earth. 



Who would put confidence in a theoretic writer 

 on hydraulics, whose theories contradicted all facts 

 of the science ? Who Mould em])loy a chimney 

 sweej) to paint his portrait ? Then why should 

 agriculturists employ ignoramuses to enlighten 

 them ? It is like the blind leading the blind ; 

 both will fall into ^he ditch. 



I love to see a paper, which is intended for the 

 advancement of any particular calling, contain 

 practical matter and fticts, tending directly to cor- 

 rect errors, and to point in the right direction to 

 advancement ; such I believe the N. E. Farmer 

 to be in an eminent degree, because it seems to 

 be wedded to facts instead of fancies ; facts gath- 

 ered from those who are supported by their farms, 

 not those who support their farms by money pro- 

 cured in some other way. Such a paper never 

 tires a subscriber ; in it he meets his fellow-crafts- 

 ma!i in good fellowship ; face to face he reasons 

 Avith him ; he is of the brotherhood ; equal meet- 

 ing equal ; no collegian intruding his classical lore 



upon bis unappreciating tastes ; no kid-gloved 

 farmer comes up to his ideal ; it is the practical, 

 toiling farmer that gains his attention ; the one 

 that goes straight to the point, in a straightfor- 

 ward manner, in plain, unsophisticated language. 

 South Banver's, 1859. J. S. Needham. 



Fur tlw Neto England Parmer. 

 THE LA-VP-TOIvr BLACE^BREY. 



Mb. Editor : — I have just read an article in 

 your paper, by Wm. F, Bassett, upon the black- 

 berry. I think he must be mistaken in the vari- 

 ety which he calls the Lawton — if not, I must be 

 in mine. I purchased my vines, indirectly, of 

 BroAV & French, of New York, and I positiveli/ 

 know that they produce very mveet, and in every 

 way most delicious fmit, as many individuals 

 Avho tasted it will testify. Mr. B, says they are 

 so acid as to be unfit for the dessert, even when 

 allowed to remam on the bushes until perfectly 

 ripe. When are they perfectly ripe ? 



There is a nile that I never knew to fail in case 

 of the Lawton, viz. : Lot them remain on the 

 bushes until they are veiy sweet. Don't be in 

 too much haste to pluck them. After they are 

 perfectly black it will require fi-om 7 to 10 days 

 to ripen them. 



Since writing the above I have showed Mr. B.'s 

 article to one of our most reliable horticulturists, 

 who stepped in to my office, and he imhesitating- 

 ly says, "Why, he don't know anything about the 

 Lawton Blackberry ; 'tis a very sweet and fine 

 fruit." He also says it is not "full hai'dy," but 

 what he should call "half hardy." 



Had I not seen him, I should hare called it 

 hardy, for the reason that mine have not winter- 

 killed, but last summer produced good fruit at the 

 extreme end of the vines. I would say to all who 

 like good fniit, don't hesitate, from what been said 

 against the Lawton blackberry, to set out good 

 genuine vines, in a deep, light, rich soil, Avith a 

 northern exposure — say the north side of a high 

 fence or building — and you Avill have abundance 

 of SAveet fruit from about August 1st to Septem- 

 ber loth, and probably still later. When my first 

 fruit commenced to turn, blossoms were to be 

 seen on the same bushes, and their fruit ripened 

 subsequent to the latter date, but Avas not so good 

 as that Avhich ripened in Avarm Aveather. Several 

 other persons in our city with whom I am ac- 

 quainted, have been as fortunate in raising thern 

 as I have, in quality, but perhaps hardly in quanti- 

 ty from the same number of vines. I counted 

 thirteen fine berries in one cluster, and a great 

 many more had from nine to tAvelvo. G. w. H. 



New Bedford, January, 1860. 



Remarks. — We are happy to learn that our 

 corresjjondent secures an abundance of good fruit. 

 All we can say about the Lawton is this : we pro- 

 cured vines from Mr. Lawton himself, and there- 

 fore cannot doubt but they were true. We culti- 

 vated them Avith care, and produced an astonishing 

 amount of the superb looking iiZac/c-beriies, but 

 not one among them all that any person on the 

 fai'm could eat, on account of their acidity. Even 

 in the early part of October of one year, some of 



