1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



435 



of general cultivation. Nos. 9 and 15, pot vines 

 of 18G1, good growth. No. 19, large and hand- 

 some layers of 1861 ; a very vigorous grower — 

 equal to any in my collection. This grape proves 

 to be of good quality, hardy, prolific, and earlier 

 than the Concord. Berries never drop, and keep 

 well. Bunch and berry large and handsome. 

 Several good (amateur) judges in my acquain- 

 tance pronounce it a much more desirable grape 

 than the Concord. A small layer of 1859, planted 

 in 1860, gave thirty large layers in 1861, every 

 one of winch is growing well in 1862. In two 

 neighbors' gardens, the grape is ripened about 

 one week before the Concord. 



Sage. — A well-known "Shaker grape," of rath- 

 er poor quality, but hardy and vigorous. 



Taylor's Bullitt. — Layer of 1861 ; a very vigor- 

 ous grower, but canes look tender, and leaf 

 smooth, tender, and badly eaten. Of doubtful 

 hardiness. 



Union Village. — Pot vine of 1861 ; good 

 growth ; rather too late for this section. 



Warren's Seedling. — Layer of 1861 ; a strong 

 growth ; looks Avell, and is well spoken of. 



In my next, I shall take a look at the pear 

 trees. 



ELEGY ON "POOR CHARLEY," 



Who, having reached the age of dry bones, (23,) in attempting 

 to kick up his heels, like a colt, broke one of his legs. Not able 

 to commit suicide, as Plato did when he broke his finger, one of 

 the farmers shot him: 



Here lies a faithful steed — 

 A stanch, uncompromising "silver-gray" — 



Who run the race of life with sprightly spesd. 

 Yet never ran — away. 



Wild oats he never sowed, 

 Yet masticated tame ones with much zest ; 



Cheerfully he bore each light allotted load ; 

 As cheerfully took rest. 



Bright were his ej'es, yet soft. 

 And in the main his tail was white and flowing ; 



And though he never sketched a single draught, 

 He showed great taste for drawing. 



Lithe were his limbs and clean. 

 Fitted alike for buggy or for dray ; 



And like Napoleon the Great, I ween, 

 He had a martial neigh. 



Oft have I watched him grace 

 His favorite stall, well littered, warm and fair. 



With such contentment shining from his face, 

 And such a stable air ; 



With here and there a speck 

 Of roan diversifying his broad back ; 



And, martyr-like, a halter round his neck. 

 Which bound him to the rack. 



Mors omnibus ! at length 

 The hey-day of his life was damped by death ; 



So summoning all his late remaining strength, 

 He drew — his final breath. T. Spoox. 



A Hat and a Horse. — If caught in a shower, 

 and you get your hat wet, brush it before it is dry. 

 And so of the horse. When he comes in, wet 

 with perspiration, smooth his hair with a coarse 

 brush — a common broom is better than nothing — 

 in the direction you wish it to lie when he is dry. 

 The animal will feel better, and it will be only 



half the trouble to clean him the next time he 

 needs it. Mr. S. will be kind enough to try this 

 on his new "beaver," [made of silk, perhaps cot- 

 ton, now,] and Mr. W. on his four-year-old dap- 

 ple grey colt. 



For the New England Farmer. 



AGKICTTLTUBE IN THE HAWAIIAN 

 ISLANDS. 



Makawao, MAni, Hawaiian Islands, \ 

 May 16, 1862. \ 



My Dear Sir : — It is quite time to address you 

 after reaching my island home, and getting things 

 somewhat straightened about me. I am sony that I 

 could not see you again at your office, but though 

 I called twice near the time of my leaving Boston, 

 I could not find you. This was all right, as you 

 were doubtless where duty called. "Duty, stern 

 daughter of the voice of God !" Since I last entered 

 your office in obedience to her call, I left the land 

 of my birth, and am now in the land of my adop- 

 tion, some 8000 miles, the most direct way from 

 your goodly city. The Lord bless old Boston, the 

 metropolis of New England. 



Your readers will not care very much to hear of 

 my voyage to San Francisco and the Islands ; 

 rather will they desire to know how I found things 

 on shore and things pertaining to agriculture. To 

 the extent of my ability I will gratify so reasona- 

 ble a desire. 



I arrived in San Francisco, November 6, and re- 

 mained there about a week. I visited Oakland, 

 and the mission, so called, about a league distant 

 from the city, a ])lace which I saw in 1829 then 

 occupied by the Mexicans, and the most thickly 

 settled of any part of San Francisco. I hoped to 

 make a longer stay, that I might go into the inte- 

 rior a short distance, and see the products of the 

 country ; but an opportunity ofiering for Honolulu, 

 I felt it my duty to leave at once. In visiting the 

 San Francisco markets, I was much disappointed 

 in finding the vegetables, potatoes, turnips, beets, 

 carrots and onions, of so diminutive a size, com- 

 pared with what I had been told to expect. I sup- 

 posed that I should find beets of the size of a man's 

 thigh or, perhaps, body, and potatoes like one's 

 head, but 1 saw no such mammoth vegetables. 

 My impression is that Boston market has as fine 

 a show as San Francisco in the line of vegetables ; 

 and in many things, as meats, fish, butter and 

 cheese, Boston is, of course, far before the city of 

 the Pacific. At one thing only was I astonished — 

 the seeing, the hearing of, and tasting the fruits of 

 California. I should hesitate to tell you the meas- 

 urement of some of the apples and pears which I 

 saw. What would you think of a pear that weighed 

 four pounds and a quarter ? Such a pear grew in 

 Oakland last year ! The fruit, too, is most excel- 

 lent. Nothing so good did I taste in 1860, in my 

 travels from Bangor, Maine, to Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 and you know that 1860 was an extraordinary sea- 

 son lor fruit. California will be a fruit country, and 

 no mistake. 



Let m^now tell you of Hawaii. It is now more 

 than two years since I wrote you from Makawao, 

 so I must give you an account of the products of 

 two seasons, 1860 and 186L The crop of wheat 

 of 1860 at Makawao and vicinity was a very fair 

 one, but the market was very soon supplied, and 

 the surplus was sold at so low a price, that our 



