1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



259 



"run" between the two parts of the orchard, was 

 covered with grass that would yield all of two 

 tons of hay to the acre. This he had drained by 

 ditching and using stones from the orchai-d land, 

 and made it worth $200 per acre for agricultural 

 purposes alone. He has another orchard, young- 

 er, which is very promising. Farther from the 

 buildings he has reclaimed meadows, containing 

 in all, perhaps, 25 to 40 acres, over a portion of 

 which I passed and found a large, standing crop. 



In his pastures I saw some excellent stock, in- 

 cluding a fine bay mare, which he hud just sold 

 for $300. He wintered 27 horsekind last winter 

 — one-half, or more, of which were boarders. 

 Among his milch cows, were several DurJiams, of 

 superior merit. He declined to take $80, for one 

 ■which I selected and should have been glad to 

 send for. 



By the time I had got round to my starting 

 point, I thought I had learned the secret of his 

 success, — and that it lies in these three things : 

 namely : 



1. Skill, or hiowing how. 



2. Steady application of labor. 



3. The never-ceasing attention to the malcing 

 and 2)reserving of manure! 



A brief glance shows that Mr. Harwood is sy.'<- 

 temaiic. Without this prime and indispensable 

 quality, effort is idle. Skill or application avails 

 little, where business, of any kind, is attempted 

 ■without a plan. In the arrangement of the build- 

 ings, so far as he had gone, and the fields upon 

 which he had entered to reclaim, ^Ir. H. seemed 

 fully to appreciate the wants for which he was to 

 provide. So far as he has gone, he has been thor- 

 ough, and the building or reclaiming which he 

 has done will last, with prudent care, for genera- 

 tions to come. Although the drought was pinch- 

 ing the crops on his dry knolls, and the clover 

 heads were willing in the scorching sun, yet we 

 found a man and team occupied in supplying dry 

 muck to the droppings in the cellar, and as there 

 was little odor about the barn, concluded that it 

 was a part of the system to supply it regularly 



and 



"Make Mack the mother of the meal chest." 



What Mr. Harwood has done, may be accom- 

 plished by thousands. His farm possesses no un- 

 common advantages over many others, and yet, 

 with moderate means, and almost before reaching 

 the prime of life, he has placed his farm in a con- 

 dition which comparatively few reach, after a whole 

 life of confused and uncertain labor, from their 

 owners. To be skilful, men must read, observe 

 and think. It was evident that my host had done 

 all these. Evidences of this were not wanting in 

 the pleasant parlor, or around the social table, 

 where our conversation was continued, and in 

 which the ladies took an intelligent part. 



Returning in the cool and refreshing twilight 

 of a bright and hot day, I was surprised to pass 

 several quite extensive ^je^f/t orchards on the fer- 

 tile hill lands of Littleton and Boxboro'. The 

 crop in those towns must be quite large in a fruit- 

 ful year. 



]3escending from the peak of the aspiring town 

 of Boxboro', I soon came to the forest that is now 

 being cut, and which lies in that town. It be- 

 longed to the estate of Mr. Hr.NDEUSox Inciiks, 

 of Boston. There are something more than 500 

 acres. The parties who purchased it, pay $36,- 

 000. They sell most of the ship timber to the 

 government, to be used at the Navy Yard at 

 Charlestown. Railroad ties and much of the fire- 

 wood will be taken by the Fitchburg Railroad. 



One party has built a saw mill moved by a 25 

 horse power steam engine, with a circular saw, 

 and is cutting the prime timber at • fixed price 

 per thousand. They are cutting about 6000 feet 

 per day. Those cutting ship timber dig around 

 the trees and take out the roots attached to the 

 stumps for knees. They had found trees more 

 than 200 years old. Five quite large buildings 

 are erected on the ground for the accommodation 

 of the workmen, which, with the ponderous 

 wheels, truck, and heavy horses from the city, 

 give the place an appearance of bustling activity. 



I am truly yours, SiMON Buow'.v. 

 Messrs. NeuRSB. Eaton & Touiax. 



For the Netp En;jlnnd Fanner. 

 REMARKS OU CLIMATE. 



The human race have looked upon the lakes 

 and rivers of the earth, and seen the majestic 

 streams as they roll onward to the ocean, m all 

 tlieir majesty and might ; have seen the swelling 

 floods spread desolation o'er the land, and yet, 

 have seldom asked the question, whence comes 

 this vast amount of water, to supply these great 

 rivers far in the interior of continents, thousands 

 of miles from the ocean ? Water always runs 

 down hill, and yet it takes its rise in some of the 

 most elevated parts of the earth and flows down- 

 ward to the ocean. The question is, how are these 

 migiity fountains supplied, which are ever sending 

 forth their torrents from the mountain side, high 

 up above the fountains of the deep? Water 

 never runs up hill, and therefore cannot flow back 

 in any underground courses, to arrive at those 

 elevated |)oints. 



There are some curious properties of water 

 which it may l)e proper to explain, before trying 

 to answer so stupendous a question. Water pos- 

 sesses the power of expansion by both heat and 

 cold. Who has not seen the eflects of its incon- 

 ceivable power, in crumbling the giant rock from 

 the mountain's side, and splitting it into frag- 

 ments? Let a body of water stand in a strong 

 vessel and freeze ; liefore it becomes solid, its ex- 

 pansive power will throw up a miniature mountain 

 in the centre, and allow the pent up waters below 

 to escape. Water, it is said, attains its smallest 

 dimensions in bulk, at a temperature of about 

 38°. Above or below this, it expands. Every- 



