THE CULTIVATOR. 
221 
AGRICULTURE OF SEEKONK. 
Messers. Editors.—I offer to you for insertion in 
your paper, a statement in regard to Seekonk, in Bristol 
county, Mass., its productions, the market for the same, 
cost of production, and the farm capital required there, 
for common cultivation, &c. 
Production, fyc .—The usual articles produced in See- 
konk, are corn, rye, oats, potatoes, onions, carrots, hay 
and vegetables. These articles, for the most part, find a 
sale in Providence. Seldom is any thing sent to Boston, 
except poultry, and of late less of that than in former 
years. Much greater attention is now paid to the pre¬ 
paration of manure in the barn-yards; and compost heaps, 
with rock and seaweed manure, swamp and beach mud. 
This manure is worth $2.00 per cord. Manure in large 
quantities is brought from Providence at the cost of $3 
or $4 per cord. Besides a large amount of night soil, 
also brought from that city. The land is and has been 
greatly exhausted by hoeing in winter rye, and leaving 
the land in corn hills without hay seed. There are but few 
sheep in the town, and but little flax or hemp is raised 
for sale. The cultivation of fruit as such, in the vicinity 
of Providence river, is not attended with much profit. 
The apples here raised are mostly made into cider. 
Beef and pork are raised for the consumption of the in¬ 
habitants merely. Seekonk furnishes yearly about 1,000 
barrels of potatoes, and probably 1,000 bushels of 
onions to the merchants of Providence for shipping. 
There is greater attention paid to the repairs of build¬ 
ings, &c. embracing the health and comfort of both man 
ami beast. The cost of cultivating one acre of corn, 
with the operations of plowing, planting and hoeing, 
together with twelve loads of manure, at $1 per load, 
(the fodder being estimated to pay for harvesting,) will 
be about $20 per acre. In 1843, one farmer here plant¬ 
ed three acres in corn, put forty loads of manure on it, 
plowed and planted it four feet between the rows, 
and three and a half feet apart, at the cost of $24 per 
acre. Cost of manure $40. Harvested therefrom 50 
bushels per acre. 
FARM CAPPITAL. 
Live Stock. 
1 yoke of oxen,. 
6 cows at $25 each,*-** 
2 horses at $75 each, • • • 
4 yearlings,. 
10 sheep at $1, .. 
€ shoats, . 
12 fowls 25 cents,. 
3 turkeys, 75 cts.,.- 
$70 00 
J50 00 
150 00 
40 00 
10 00 
18 00 
3 00 
2 25 
$443 25 
Farm. Implements. 
1 wagon, . 
2 hairows, . 
1 _-_ 
J. piU-W}.-. V W 
1 hnr«p firs .... 1 fifi 
6 rakes at 42 cents, •• 
2 dung forks, . 
O tv i ? /* L fnrl;e ........ 
• • • 2 52 
X 11 iUl ndj.. " 
2 shovels, . 
• - 2 00 
2 wood axes,. 
4 noes,. 
1 Iron bar,. 
2 oxchains, .. 
1 set of horse chains. •• 
1 bridle and saddle,••• • 
Ox yokes and bows, ••• 
3 scythes, . 
3 snaiths,. 
2 sickels, 42 cts ,. 
1 cultivator,. 
1 churn, cheese press,* 
Garden spade and iron 
rake,. 
1 horse wagon, &c., •••♦ 
2 50 
2 00 
3 00 
3 00 
10 00 
2 50 
2 50 
1 50 
83 
4 00 
3 00 
2 00 
60 00 
Live stock,. 
Farm implements, 
$443 25 
261 68 
$704 93 
Rockweed will cost here $4 per cord, which it is 
worth when pulled off the rock. Seaweed if carted two 
miles with four ox teams will cost $2 per cord. 
In the vicinity of Boston four or five cords of manure 
per acre at least, and in some instances more are regard¬ 
ed as requisite to advantageous or successful farming—that 
is taking into view the permanent impovement of the 
farm; and by many this item ought to be marked as capi¬ 
tal, and perhaps in reference to the actual cultivation of 
vegetables, &c. it ought to be included under capital, 
while in mixed husbandry I should be inclined to class it 
under the head of the necessary expenditures. Some¬ 
thing ought to be set down for the necessary furniture, 
which depends very much on he pleasure, disposition, 
or objects of the farmer; though in my opinion it ought 
to be put at $50 to $75. In regard to repairs, blacksmith 
work, labor, &c. you have as good means of forming an 
estimate as myself. 
Cambridge, April , 1844. Wm. Jennison. 
More old men are found in elevated situations than in 
valleys and plains. 
GRAFTING. 
I noticed with some surprise in an article in the 5th 
number of the Cultivator, a recommendation to graft al¬ 
ways on a short stump not more than an ineh above a 
strong lateral shoot, which shoot is to be left growing for 
one entire year afterwards. Observation, it is stated, has 
proved its success. 
Having inserted, in my day, many hundred grafts, I 
am compelled to say that however successful this method 
may have been, a different one has proved much more 
so. Why is it that in grafting a small tree, every nurse¬ 
ryman is always careful to rub off all the buds os shoots 
on the stock? If this is not done, the communication be¬ 
tween these shoots and the stock being complete, and 
between the stock and the graft very imperfeat, all the 
sap will flow into the former, and the latter will dwindle 
and perhaps die. The sap must be thrown into the 
graft, or its buds cannot swell. They must swell, or the 
new leaves cannot beMormed. And unless these are 
formed, the carbium or newly hardening wood cannot be 
sent down to make a permanent junction between the 
stock and graft. Who has not observed a graft, even af¬ 
ter its buds had expanded, remain stationary in growth, 
by the side shoots around it abstracting all the nourish¬ 
ment from it, instead of imparting support to it? The 
side shoot, which e< E.” recommends, and the graft, are 
both feeders from a common fund or stock; but the for¬ 
mer, for the reason just given, is rapid, hungry and vora¬ 
cious, while the latter is at first, a very sparing and 
delicate feeder. I imagine, then, that this side shoot is 
going to help the graft, would be about as absurd as to 
suppose that a strong hungry pig would fatten a weak 
and sickly one. by eating from the same trough. 
As for the alledged nourishment which the graft gets 
from the leaves of the side shoot, “ E.” himself shows 
unintentionally, that this cannot be; for why, as he says, 
does a closely cut wound heal over speedily, while a 
short stump does not heal ? Simply because in the latter 
case there is a fork, and juice can no more flow from the 
leaves, down one branch, and then up another however 
short, than the waters of the Monongahela can flow down 
to Pittsburg and then up the Alleghany. X. 
THE NEW VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONS. 
An eminent philanthropist of this state, who has been 
for many years a most strenuous opposer of capital pun¬ 
ishment, has lately remarked that he thought of changing 
his mind—as his communications for the press are so hor¬ 
ribly mangled and murdered by the mistakes of the print¬ 
ers, he thinks if any body deserves hanging they are the 
men. It is not my business to say whether he is right or 
wrong; I have, however, just been strongly reminded 
of his remark by looking over the last volume of the 
Transactions of the State Ag. Society, where on page 
504 the writer is made to say that he spreads several bu¬ 
shels of potatoes [instead of plaster ] over his compost 
heap;—on p. 205, where the exuded sap, is printed ex~ 
eluded sap;” on p. 449, where it is remarked that the soil 
is sandy, and generally loam, instead of gravelly loam as 
intended;—on page 454, where Gilson's Root Shears 
[. sheer ] is mentioned,—and others equally amusing or 
provoking, as the reader's temper may chance to be. X. 
Editors Cultivator —Permit me to ask your respect¬ 
ed correspondent “ Junius,” who writes so feelingly on 
the subject of applying pretty names to ugly cows, if he 
intends also to exclude ugly and unamiable human beings 
from the benefits of those good names? Or is a cross 
woman never to have any name at all? Now as I hap¬ 
pen to know of some specimens of the latter class, that 
are infinitely more debased, sunken, and self-degraded, 
than any of the lower orders of animated beings, which 
though they perfectly fulfil the purposes of their crea¬ 
tion, excite so much horror in the mind of “ Junius,” I 
wish to know whether he as arbiter-general of all fe¬ 
male names, will permit such to have even a well¬ 
sounding name, as “ Emma” or « Julia” or no name at 
all. I wish to avoid controversy, anil hope he may an¬ 
swer (( Yes,” or “ No,” as the case may be, or at least 
write no more than I have done. Brutus. 
