1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



467 



he called the attention of the Society, at their 

 meeting July 17th, 1844, to some facts tending 

 to clear up the confusion and errors in the history 

 of the Hermit Thrush, (Tardus SoUtarius, Wil- 

 son.) He said there are three distinct species 

 ■which, by different authors, have been strangely 

 mixed up. Wilson described one as 'lurdus 

 Mustetinus, Tawny Thrush. This is common, 

 and is known as 2\ Wilsonii. The second is de- 

 scribed by Wilson under the name of T. SoUta- 

 rius, Hermit Thrush ; but under the same name 

 he has also given a figure of a third species, ev- 

 ery way distinct. This last is not described in 

 either of the works of Audubon. Swainson re- 

 cognizes three species, but has confounded them 

 in a remarkable manner. The first, he describes 

 as a new species, merula minor ; the second, he 

 describes as merula solitaria, but accompanies it 

 with a plate of the third species, while he con- 

 founds the third with T. Wilsonii. In De la Sa- 

 gra's work on Cuba, all three species are thrown 

 together, and called merula minor. In Audubon, 

 correct descriptions are given of two species, but 

 the habits, locality, &:c., of the third, are given 

 as those of M. Solitaria. The specific marks of 

 the three species are briefly summed up by Dr. 

 Brewer as follows : 



Merida Wilsonii, (Wilson's Thrush,) — Uniform 

 foxy color ; breast clouded rather than spotted ; 

 common in New England, and to the North ; not 

 found in Pennsylvania, except in its migrations ; 

 nests in bushes ; eggs blue, unspotted. 



Merula Solitaria, (Hermit Thrush,) — Rufus 

 brown, back tinged with olive ; cinnamon spot 

 on the under part of wing ; breast deeply spotted 

 on a white ground ; tail slightly forked. Passes 

 north early in April ; a northern species, rarely 

 breeding so far to the south as Massachusetts ; 

 nests on the ground ; eggs bright green, unspot- 

 ted. 



Merula Olivacea, Brewer, (Olive - backed 

 Thrush,) — Back uniformly olive brown ; no tinge 

 of rufus ; tail uniform with the back ; ground 

 color of breast salmon, strongly spotted ; tail 

 even ; nests on trees ; eggs spotted with brown, 

 on a blue ground ; most abundant in the State 

 of Pennsylvania, and to the South. 



I have supposed, with Mr. C. S. Paine, an ac- 

 curate observer of our birds, that there is still 

 one more species of our small woodland thrushes 

 yet undescribed. Any one desirous of pursuing 

 the entanglement in the family of our thrushes, 

 can consult Mr, Baird's report on our birds in 

 the 9th volume of the Pacific Railroad Surveys, 

 page 208. 



JDanversport, Aug. 20, 1861. 



modesty forbid the estimate. On the same gen- 

 tleman's land were several acres of carrots, which 

 he admitted Avould yield thirty tons to the acre. 

 Suppose them to be worth $10 per ton, this 

 would give a produce of $300 per acre, — pretty 

 well, this, for ivar time. My friend was quite 

 astounded to see such crops ; and when he in- 

 quired for the manure heap they used, was shown 

 the beach at the foot of the field, where waves 

 have rolled for years unnumbered. Mr. W. said 

 his men and teams were then engaged in collect- 

 ing material on a distant beach ; all they had to 

 do was to gather it in piles, and then it would 

 soon be in condition to be put upon the land ; 

 with what efi'ect, you will judge from the pro- 

 ducts before mentioned. j. \v. p. 

 South Danvers, Aug. 20, 1861. 



For the Now England Farmer. 

 ONION AND OTHER CROPS, 

 To-day, in company with an intelligent friend 

 from the hills of the Granite State, I visited the 

 finely cultivated lands on the Marblehead shore. 

 There we saw crops of cabbages, carrots, onions, 

 &c., as fine and as abundant as the most av- 

 aricious would desire. Aye, even onions. I was 

 assured that Mr. Alley has a field of onions that 

 will yield 600 bushels to the acre — notwithstand- 

 ing the ravages of the maggot. 1 saw on the farm 

 of Mr. Ware, several acres which I should have 

 estimated 500 bushels to the acre, had not his 



For the New England Farmer. 

 HOW TO BUILD CISTERNS. 



Dear Sir : — I see that you published my di- 

 rections for building cisterns in last week's 

 Farmer, but I regret exceedingly that you did 

 not read proof better. It is very natural for us 

 to have an exalted opinion of our own children, 

 and when I had written those directions, I thought 

 a man could take them, and with a shovel and 

 trowel, a few hundred brick and three barrels of 

 cement, build the cheapest and best cistern in the 

 world. But as printed, I don't know what sort 

 of a thing a man would build if he followed the 

 directions. In the twentieth line from the top it 

 should be "Shave the top sloping inwards," and 

 not shove, as printed, and from the trap door to 

 the waste pipe, it is all wrong, and I will re-write 

 it. Smooth the bottom with a sink in the middle, 

 for dirt to settle in, and lay a flat stone where the 

 pump pipe goes, and plaster with a good thick 

 coat of cement. Put in the conductors, cement 

 around them, and go over the whole inside with a 

 wash of cement, about the consistency of thick 

 whiteivash, and it is done, probably for all ti^ne. 

 These corrections would probably be best under- 

 stood if you were to reprint the directions, leav- 

 ing off the preamble before "Draw a circle ten 

 feet," &c. You can do as you think best. My 

 only object is to enlighten the public upon a very 

 important matter. A. G. Dewey. 



Quechee, Vt., Aug. 26, 1861. 



Remarks. — We read the first article of our 

 correspondent, on building cisterns, with plea- 

 sure, because the subject is an important one, 

 and with our usual care. We are somewhat ac- 

 customed to reading manuscripts, and can read 

 anything that looks like writing at arm's length. 

 We have, also, an experienced and careful proof- 

 reader, and the Farmer is usually quite free from 

 typographical errors. May not those which are 

 detected be fairly attributed to some other cause ? 

 We certainly had to puzzle our head somewhat 

 to make out our correspondent's first article. 

 While we mean to exercise great care ourselves, 

 we beg our correspondents, for the sake of their 

 own credit and comfort, to be equally careful to 

 send us legible manuscripts. 



