DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



149 



blight on the entire foliage of this tree. Many 

 other varieties, alter long cultivation, are found 

 to be affected in a similar manner here by the 



leaf-blight. Those that have the least culture 

 are the most affected by this blight, whioh would 

 go to sustain your position, that " It is undoubt- 

 edly owing to a want of specific food in the soil." 

 But my observations here do not sustain the con- 

 jecture, that the spots on the fruit are a necessa- 

 ry consequence of the disease in the leaves. I 

 find, and have found for the last three years here, 

 that the Oswego Beurre, and many ocher varie- 

 ties, have been more or less effected by the leaf- 

 blight, while the fruit was entirely free from fun- 

 gus or other spots or cracks. 



The desiderata in relation to this leaf-blight in 

 the pear, are its causes, consequences, and reme- 

 dies. On these points may we hear more from 

 you and your correspondents. On one point, I 

 think my testimony may be given now; which is, 

 that this leaf-blight, on a particular tree or branch 

 of a tree, (for it often attacks some branches more 

 than others,) has the effect to deteriorate the fruit 

 of that particular tree or branch, both in size and 

 quality. Is not this one great cause of many fine 

 pears varying so much in quality? 



I shall, " Deovolente," soon give you the result 

 of my observations for several years in this locality, 

 destined to be the great pear section of the states. 

 Respectfully yours, /. W. P. Allen. Oswego, 

 N. Y., August 15, 1849. 



[This is the same leaf-blight known in this part 

 of the country. It first makes its appearance on 

 a few leaves, then gradually extends, and finally 

 attacks the fruit. Whether it is a fungus or a 

 blight, we shall perhaps be better able to speak 

 after some microscopic examinations, now being 

 made. But we are satisfied that its appearance 

 indicates feebleness in the vital action of the tree ; 

 and we believe plenty of food and deep soil will 

 prevent it. Ed.] 



Mulching Gooseberries. — The English goose- 

 berry has always hitherto mildewed here ; and I 

 have been familiar with bushes of the best sorts 

 for many years, without ever being able to gather 

 any perfect fruit. 



I have lately " mulched" some old bushes, 

 which had heretofore borne this worthless fruit. 

 I covered the surface of the ground under them a 

 foot deep with wet, half rotten straw, extending 

 this mulching as far as the branches grow. 



Imagine my delight at finding the gooseberries 

 on the bushes so mulched now ripening off finely, — 

 the fruit twice as large as I have ever seen it 

 before, and quite fair and free from mildew. 

 Yours, James C. Reed. Dalton, Ohio, July 2, 

 1849. 



The Gold Mines of Ohio. — While so much 

 is said about land in the world, and the evils of 

 having too much, and the misery of many who 

 have none, it may be an interesting problem to 

 test the capacity of an acre of ground in Ohio to 



support man or beast. In the Agricultural Re- 

 port, made to the hist legislature, there are some 

 curious facts on this head. Some of the county 

 agricultural societies distributed premiums to those 

 who raised the largest crops. The following are 

 the largest crops of corn reported. The measure- 

 ment is of shelled corn: 



Guernsey county — 3 acres, 345 bush. 9 qts. 



Hamilton " — 1 acre, 159 " 



Harrison " —3 acres,. .. .392 " 30 " 

 Mahoning " —2 acres,. .. .202 " 7£ " 

 Union " —1 acre, ....126 " 16 " 



Total, 10 1,175 " 28i 



Average per acre, 117 10 



Let us now look into the price of cultivation on 

 this land; that will show the diii'erence between 

 good and bad cultivation. 



In the county of Harrison, the cost of culti- 

 vating three acres of land, (not the same as 

 above) was $19.37±, including the gathering of 

 the crop. This the reader will say is enormous, 

 being $6.45 per acre. But let us see the result. 

 The three acres produced 33 1-$ bushels, which 

 sold for 26 cents per bushel, a moderate price. 

 The account then stood thus: 



Price of crop, 82 87^ 



Cost of cultivation, &c., $19 37^ 



Nett profit , $63 50 



This land then brought $21.50 per acre for a 

 single crop! Or, take this view of it: It pro- 

 duced money enough to buy sixteen acres of 

 government land, as good as itself ! This is fairly 

 and truly the profit of sixteen fold the MMrtnal 

 capital in a single crop ! 



Such crops are not common, but it is common 

 to find fields of corn, with eighty bushels to an 

 acre. This is a very common crop fox bottom 

 lands. The average crop of Indian corn in seve- 

 ral counties in Ohio were — 



Clermont, 45 bushels per acre. 



Coshocton, 50 ' ; 



Franklin, 50 " 



Darke, 50 " 



Greene, 50 



Guernsey, 45 



Miami, 65 



Richland 35 



Ross, 45 " 



Seneca, 40 " 



Warren, 50 



Wayne, 35 



Average of 12 counties, 4(>5 

 This includes upland as well as lowland. These 

 counties mav be a little above the average of the 

 state. Taking all the arable land in Ohio, culti- 

 vated in Indian coin, in the year 1848, and the 

 average of the whole is not less than forty bushels 

 per acre. 



The average price of Indian corn, when raised, 

 has been twenty-live cents per bushel. The ave- 



