1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARjVIER. 



403 



seems another power is used. "We counted eight 

 windmills on the place for irrigating. They were 

 of every variety, from Derrick's best, to the worst 

 form of the 'spinning' sort." By a "volunteer" 

 crop, we understand a second crop, which grows 

 without sowing from the scattered seed of the for- 

 mer crop. 



The "improvement" which we would make from 

 these hints is this, that if it is found that it would 

 pay in New England, we might almost anywhere 

 sink a well which would supply all the water for 

 irrigation. We have long had the impression 

 that such an experiment might be very successful, 

 where the hay crop is the chief object. Much of 

 our land which we are obliged to plow after two 

 or three crops of hay, might be kept permanently 

 in mowing, by two or three waterings in May and 

 June, and as many after the first cutting as the 

 character of the season might demand. To do 

 this, the field must, of course, be carefully pre- 

 ared with water-furrows carried along the slopes 

 so as to conduct the water evenly over the whole 

 surface, and the water must be applied at the high- 

 est point. These furrows need not be deep 

 enough to impede the mowing machine or horse 

 rake, and the labor of superintending the irriga- 

 tion would be very slight. Who Avill give us an 

 experiment in irrigation from a well on this side 

 of the Rocky INIountaius? And wiH not our 

 friends on the other side give us details of their 

 successful operations in this department ? 



For the Neic England Farmer. 

 CLOVER IN OKCHABDS. 



Mr. Editor: — In the Farmer of July 12 you 

 call for experience and opinion in relation to the 

 management of orchards. I have a young orch- 

 ard which I have always kept plowed and cultivat- 

 ed until this season, but find many difficulties con- 

 nected with it. In addition to the extra labor 

 and danger of breaking root and limbs and bark- 

 ing the trees, the fruit gets sandy, and requires a 

 great deal of cleaning, and continued cropping 

 with hoed crops seems to injure the growth of the 

 trees, even if manure is applied ])retty liberally. 

 Last spring I concluded to keep the surface mel- 

 low by a liberal use of the cultivator and harrow, 

 but the land not being quite level and a heavy 

 shower following soon after my first experiment in 

 this direction, there was not sufiicient depth of 

 ])orous earth to absorb the rain, and much of the 

 fine rich surface soil left for "parts unknown." 



With this unfavorable experience in cultivation, 

 I intend to try seeding to grass or clover, and ap- 

 ply a liberal dressing of manure in September and 

 October, which, I think, will soak into the ground 

 and give the trees an opportunity to appropriate a 

 fair proportion of it before the grass has time to 

 absorb it all. I expect, also, to gain another advan- 

 tage by leaving a sufficient growth on the land to 

 retain the leaves in the fall, which I think equal 

 to a pretty good dressing of manure. Some care 

 will, however, be necessary to protect the trees 



from mice, unless, as in my orchard, several good 

 cats take good care of them. 



Clover is supposed to derive much of its mate- 

 rial for growth from the atmosphere, and on this 

 account would be better for an orchard than grass. 

 The only objection to clover, that occurs to me 

 now, is its liability to winter-kill, and this might 

 be obviated by sowing seed occasionally. 



Aslijield, July 15, 1862. ^M. F. Bassett. 



Remarks. — Thank you, sir. We hope to get 

 the opinion of many good farmers on this subject. 

 It is quite probable that there is a less expensive 

 way of managing orchards than the course now 

 generally adopted. 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 FAKMEKS AND NATUBAL HISTORY. 



Mr. Editor : — Your correspondent of July 

 19th found "many uncandid sneers at students 

 of natural history who endeavor to benefit oth- 

 ers," &c., in my communication of July 5th. I 

 have carefully looked over that article to see on 

 what such charges was predicated, and found 

 nothing, in my judgment, to justify it; and as 

 your correspondent quoted nothing to illustrate 

 his statement, it is regarded as entirely gratui- 

 tous. It is true, I referred to the charges of ig- 

 norance, made against farmers, by students, pro- 

 fessors and divines, and attempted to justify the 

 tillers of the soil from the attacks of such assail- 

 ants, not designing to make, neither am I aware 

 of making, any ^■uncandid sneers," nor "candid 

 sneers." [Would the latter be justifiable ?] 



But, says your correspondent, "If the farmer 

 unll not, or cannot study the works of nature, he 

 must be at the mercy of every ignorant pretend- 

 er." Nay, Mr. Editor, he gives such empirics no 

 quarters. As little as he knows, he soon learns 

 that they really know much less than he does. 

 The farmer has learned the habits and uses of 

 many quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, insects and 

 plants, though quite unable to name them system- 

 atically. The learned pundit begins at once, if 

 botany be the topic, to utter "long-jawed" names, 

 such as ampelosicyos, chama^nespilus, helmintho- 

 stachys, pogoyne, scniverechia, splenchnomyces, 

 zetragonotheca, hysmalobium and zuccagnia ; and 

 because the farmers laugh over such a lingo, they 

 are charged with ignorance. Let the farmers turn 

 upon these botanical pundits, and ask them the 

 meaning of these unmeaning sounds to them, and 

 what is the answer ? Let those who have tried it 

 testify. The same is true of the various depart- 

 ments of the animal kingdom. 



I remember once of asking a learned botanical 

 professor some questions concerning the qualities 

 and uses of certain plants with whose systematic 

 names he seemed to be quite familiar. His curt 

 reply was, "Such inquiries concern not the scien- 

 tist." Very well, said I to myself; there are men 

 who know nothing of the systematic names of 

 plants, who are, nevertheless, familiar with their 

 habits, uses and economical value. Thinks I to 

 myself, the knowledge of the latter is greatly pre- 

 ferable to that of the former, for one who is to 

 earn his food and raiment in a world where both 

 must be had. 



