THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



305 



These animalcules possessed one very remarkable property ; the 

 black balls In which they were generated might be dried and kept 

 for five or six years, at the end of which time, although a touch 

 would break it to pieces, yet if they were moistened with a drop 

 of water, the animalcules would revive and ba as lively as ever. 

 Besides the vegetable parasites already mentioned, there were a 

 great many insect foes of wheat. There were aphides of different 

 kinds, which sucked the juices out of the young germ, and so 

 destroyed the plant. There was the wheat midge, which did very 

 great mischief; It was calculated that about one-twentieth part 

 of a crop was often destroyed by these " rogues iu grain,'" and 

 as much even as a third part was sometimes destroyed. The 

 mode in wliich these insects lived was not very well understood. 

 It was supposed by Kirby that they fed on the anthers of the 

 plant, others supposed that they subsisted on the juices; they 

 did not eat anything; but wherever they were the grain never 

 became perfect. The microscope showed many curious points in 

 their structure, proving their wondrous adaptation for the mode 

 of life for which they were destined, forming of themselves a 

 BufRcient refutation of the doctrine of variation or alteration of 

 species; for it passed all belief that any amount of change car- 

 ried on for any length of time could have produced such won- 

 drously perfect adaptation of means to an end as could be seen 

 in these small insects. It must have resulted from forethought, 

 and that alone. One of the most singularoftliese tribes of wheat- 

 destroyers was the saw-fly, as it was called. Dr. Maclean, whom 

 they all knew as such an excellent naturalist, had well described 

 the interesting manner in wliich this little insect would cut the 

 top part of a leaf just sufficient to allow the egg to be deposited 

 within, and thus »o be nourished by the juices of the plant, an 

 operation which it performed by the saw-like instrument with 

 which it was provided for the purpose, and from which it took 

 Us name. These and other parasites were continually attacking 



and consuming the wheat plant, being kept in check by other 

 parasites, which in turn attacked ar.d fed upon them. A great 

 deal that he had that evening said on the subject of his lecture 

 was necessarily imperfect, for the subject was a very wHe one ; 

 but he hoped that his remarls m'ght have the effect ot inducing 

 some of the younger part of his audience especially to study the 

 science of natural history for themselves. It abounded in every 

 part with most interesting matter for observation and thought, 

 and there was no better means of acquiring the art of systematis- 

 ing, and the power of reasoninjf. Ladies might study it with 

 advantage and pleasure. Naturalists were a rather scarce genus 

 in Colchester at present, but he hoped the rising generation 

 would take up the science, and distinguish the town by their 

 future researches and discoveries. He would conclude by reading 

 a sentence upon the subject of agriculture which he thought 

 would be interesting to the audience. It was the speech of an 

 Indian to his tribe, and was related by a Prench traveller, M. 

 Crevecoeur. A North American Indian, a chief of tlie tribe of 

 Mississeau, said, addressing his people, " Do you not see that the 

 white man lives on corn, but we on flesh ? — That the flesh requires 

 more than 30 moons to grow, and is often scarce ? — That every 

 one of the seeds which the white man scatters on the ground 

 returns them more than a hundredfold ?— That the flesh has four 

 legs to run away, and we have only two to catch it ?— That the 

 seeds remain and grow where the white man sows them ? — That 

 winter, which for us is a season of laborious hunts, is to them a 

 time of rest ? It is for these reasons that they have so many 

 children, and live longer than we do. I say, then, to everyone 

 who hears me, that before the trees above our huts shall have 

 died of age — before the maples of the valley cease to yield us 

 sugar — the race of the sowers of corn will have extirpated the 

 race of flesh eaters, unless the hunters resolve to sow." 



THE AGRICULTURE OF DENMARK. 



By Mr. Manley, (Her Majesty's Secretary of Legation). 



Denmark being eminently an agricultural country, agri- 

 culture, in conjunction with the breeding of cattle, forms the 

 main source of wealth to the nation. 



Productions. — The principal productions of Denmark, in- 

 cluding the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, are wheat, 

 rye, barley, peas, oats, beans, buck-wheat, clover, and rape- 

 eeed. 



As no return of the produce of the country has been made 

 for some years, it is impossible to state the exact gross 

 amount of the production at this present moment. The fol- 

 lowing table, which more especially refers to the year 1847 

 and which was considered a good average year, will, how- 

 ever, give some idea of the crops in general : — 



Barrels. Imperial Quarters. 



Wheat 1,350.000 or about 641,250 



Rye 4,700,000 „ 2,232,500 



Barley 4,650,000 „ 2.208,750 



Peas and Beans 1.150,000 „ 546,000 



Oats 6,650,000 „ 3,158,750 



Buck- wheat 600.000 „ 285,000 



From this table it appears that the annual crop of various 

 kinds of grain was at that period about 20,000,000 barrels, 

 or about 9,500,000 imperial quarters. Since that time 

 however, a considerable increase in the production has taken 

 place all over the country, and it is presumed that the 

 annual produce now is about 24,000,000 barrels (about 

 11,500,000 imperial quarters). Of this amount 3,250,000 

 barrels go for sowing, about 9,000,000 barrels for the suste- 

 nance of the population, at the rate of 34 barrels annually 



for one person, 8.000,000 for feeding of cattle, and 3.250.000 

 for exportation. 



The parts of the country most adapted to the cultivation 

 of wheat are the Islands of Lalland and Langeland, part of 

 Zealand, the March, and part of Schleswig and the eastern 

 part of HolstBin. 



Hay is produced only in small quantities, near the far. 

 mers' houses, but not sufficient to meet the wants of the 

 country. 



Clover is the chief article used for feeding cattle in this 

 country. 



Turnips are cultivated in some parts of the country, but 

 not in any quantity, and are not much used for feediug cat- 

 tle, and do not enter into the system of agriculture as in 

 England. 



Potatoes are cultivated all over the country': the pro- 

 duction about five years ago Was estimated at about 

 2,000,000 barrels ; since the potato disease, however, the 

 cultivation of this root has much decreased. 



The cultivation of rape-seed is said to be diminishing, 

 partly on account of the high prices of corn, and partly 

 because it is much exposed to be spoilt by worms, frost, and 

 insects ; besides, it exhausts the soil, and requires very 

 careful treatment. According, however, to the Statistical 

 Returns for 1857, it appears that a slight increase had taken 

 place in that year in the exportation of that article over the 

 preceding year. At the same time the exportation of oil- 



