1852. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
53 
valuable acquisition to our varieties of the potato. Mr. 
B. has some of them for sale—price $2.50 per barrel, 
delivered at the depot. Address D. A- Bulkeley, Wil- 
liamstown, Mass. - 
Ayrshire Cattle.— Mr. J. C. Tiffany, of Coxsackie, 
has lately purchased of E. P. Prentice, Esq., of Mount 
Hope, an Ayrshire cow, two yearling heifers, and a bull 
calf. They are all animals of superior excellence, and 
with the other stock of this breed which Mr. Tiffany 
has in his possession, will form a good breeding herd. 
Mr. Prentice procured from Massachusetts, in No¬ 
vember, some valuable Ayrshires; viz, from Mr. Benj. 
Shurtleff, of Chelsea, five cows, two yearling heifers, 
and a heifer calf, and from Mr. Peter Lawson, of Dra- 
cut, a yearling heifer and heifer calf. Those from Mr. 
Shurtleff were of the stock formerly owned by Capt. 
Randall, of New-Bedford, and one cow and several of her 
progeny, imported by Mr. S. Those from Mr. Lawson 
were from cows imported by him, the cows being in calf 
when imported. They are all good animals—some of 
them quite extra in points compared with the general 
standard for this valuable breed. 
Address before the Penobscot Hort. Society.— 
This address, delivered by Col. Henry Little, of Ban¬ 
gor, shows much practical acquaintance with horticul¬ 
ture, and abounds with suggestions, which, if rightly 
heeded, must prove largely beneficial to those for whom 
they were intended. The state of Maine has much land 
that is well adapted to the production of apples, and it is 
well known that winter apples from that section are not 
surpassed in value by those of any part of the country, 
on account of their quality of long keeping. It is a sub¬ 
ject of surprise, that the advantages of this state, in re¬ 
ference to this article, have not been more fully improv¬ 
ed. Her “ mission” is, clearly, the production of win¬ 
ter apples on a large scale, for exportation to other pla¬ 
ces less favored by nature for a profitable trade in this 
fruit. The truth is, it has been the custom—and the ci¬ 
tizens of Maine, are in common with others, chargeable 
with the fault—to underrate the value of that region in 
respect to its agricultural and horticultural capabilities. 
It is gratifying to witness such effectual efforts as this of 
Col. Little’s, to check this suicidal current of opinion. 
If the population of Maine will only direct their energies 
to the proper improvement of the resources of their own 
state, instead of carrying their capital to the u far west,” 
they will find no cause to complain that they are not well 
rewarded. ——— 
Death of S. W. Cole, Esq. —We regret to learn that 
this gentleman,—long connected with the agricultural 
press, late editor of the New-England Farmer, author 
of a treatise on fruit trees, and another on the diseases 
of domestic animals,—died at his residence in Chelsea, 
Mass., on the 3d of December last. He had suffered 
long from a painful illness. 
Subsoil Plowing.— The condition of the ground, as 
to moisture, greatly affects the results of this operation. 
If the subsoil is tenacious, it should be in so dry a state 
when the implement passess through it, that it will be 
pulverised, and left in a loose state; if it is worked when 
wet, the effect is only to pack the earth more closely to¬ 
gether. The various opinions in regard to the utility of 
subsoil plowing, have arisen in a great measure from 
these circumstances. It should be remembered, more¬ 
over, that on tenacious soils, thorough drainage is essen¬ 
tial to the development of the advantages of subsoiling. 
Nature of Serpents.-—A Boa Constrictor, in the 
Zoological Gardens at London, swallowed a woolen 
blanket on the 3d of October last, and disgorged it on 
the 8th of November. It was supposed by the keep¬ 
er that the serpent wanted food, and a couple of rab¬ 
bits were therefore put into his cage, but he swallowed 
the blanket instead of the rabbits. 
AYike-worms.- —In the Working Farmer for October, 
Prof. Mapes refers again to the subject of killing wire- 
worms with salt, and in reference to the experiment 
spoken of by us, sometime since, in which salt, at the 
rate of 40 bushels to the acre had no effect on the worms, 
he says — 1 “ If so the wire-worms are not so well behaved 
as with us, for the slightest application of salt kills them 
at once.” The New-England Farmer of Oct. 25th. has 
an article which shows that the wire-worms of New- 
Hampshire are no better “ behaved” than those on which 
we experimented. The writer says—He has tried va¬ 
rious experiments, such as putting a small quantity of 
salt in the hill and sowing it upon the surface, but with¬ 
out effect. Finally, he made a brine as strong as it could 
be made, and placed several wire worms in it, and let them 
remain three or four hours. Upon examination, they 
were found not only alive, but. in excellent spirits, and 
not at all affected by the -pickle they had been in.” 
Market Gardening about London. —J. Cuthill 
states in Hovey’s Magazine, that the number of acres 
under cultivation to supply the various London Markets, 
is about 12,000 acres occupied by vegetables, and about 
5,000 by fruit trees. Some 35,000 people are employed 
in their cultivation. Besides these, occasional supplies 
and sent by the more distant counties; and hundreds 
of acres in Cornwall and Devonshire are employed in 
growing early potatoes, broccoli, peas, 8tc. which reach 
London by rail. 
A Domestic Picture. 
The following lines, written by C. G. Eastman, editor 
of the Vermont Patriot, are u full of nature, truth, and 
tenderness % n 
The Farmer sat in his easy chair, 
Smoking his pipe of clay, 
While his hale old wife, with busy care, 
Was clearing the dinner away. 
A sweet litlle giri, with tine blue eyes, 
On her grandfather’s knee was catching flies. 
The old man laid his hand on her head, 
Witli a tear on his wrinkled face; 
He thought how often her mother dead 
Had sat in the self-same place. 
As the tear stole down from his half shut eye, 
“ Don't smoke,” said the child, “ how it makes you cry,” 
The house dog lay stretched out on the floor, 
Where the shade after noon used to steal, 
And the busy old wife, by the open door, 
Was turning the spinning-wheel; 
And the old brass clock on the manlle-lree, 
Had plodded along to almost three. 
Still the Farmer sat on his easy chair, 
While close to his heaving breast, 
The moistened brow and the cheek so fair 
Of his sweet grandchild was pressed; 
His head bent down on her soft hair lay, 
Fast asleep were they both that summer day. 
