AGRICULTURE. 



per annum, and incidentals bring it up to about 

 $125. In 1862 the college had 110 students. 



The tendency, especially in the Western 

 States, to perform the heavy labors of gather- 

 ing and securing the crops by the aid of ma- 

 chinery, has stimulated the inventive genius of 

 the people to the utmost, and every year, even 

 at a period when the great interest seems to 

 centre in firearms, projectiles, and other im- 

 plements of war, witnesses the applications at 

 the Patent Office of a host of inventors of mow- 

 ing machines, reaping machines, machine rakes, 

 hoes, cultivators, corn shellers, threshers, drills, 

 seed planters, steam ploughs, cow milkers, Arc., 

 &c. In 1861 about 400 patents were issued for 

 agricultural implements, and the number was 

 not much less in 1862. 'Among these were 25 

 for beehives, 51 for cultivators, 26 for churns, 

 70 for harvesting implements, 26 for corn plant- 

 ers, 41 for ploughs, 45 for seeding machines, 19 

 for threshing machines, and smaller numbers 

 for a great variety of other implements. At 

 the international exhibition at London in 1862. 

 11 of the 85 awards to American exhibitors 

 were for agricultural machines and implements. 

 One of them, the milking machine of Kershaw 

 and Colvin, attracted much attention from the 

 English farmers. 



The culture of fruit is yearly becoming a 

 more important branch of American agricul- 

 ture, and the improvement of the qualities 

 and the selection of the best varieties for 

 cultivation, is a topic of great interest. Many 

 portions of the Northern and Western States 

 possess especial adaptation to fruit crops; 

 amons these are notably Northern New York 

 and Ohio, the lower peninsula of Michigan, and 

 Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, for apples and 

 pears; and New Jersey, Delaware, Southern 

 Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, Kentucky, 

 Tennessee, and Southern Indiana, Illinois, and 

 Missouri, for peaches. In the size and luscious- 

 ness of its fruits, California bears away the 

 palm, though it will find a formidable rival in 

 Eastorn Oregon, which is destined to be the 

 fruit garden of the Pacific. 



Efforts have been made during the past year, 

 and with considerable success, to obtain opin- 

 ions from large numbers of intelligent fruit 

 growers in different sections of the country 

 relative to the varieties of fruit best adapted to 

 profitable cultivation in their respective re- 

 gions. The following statement, condensed 

 from the "American Agriculturist" for May, 

 1862, gives the result of the opinions of seventy- 

 seven eminent fruit growers in the different 

 sections of the Union, in regard to the best 

 varieties of apples, sweet and sour, winter and 

 summer, for cultivation in each section. 



In New England reports were received from 

 IT fruit growers, all of them distinguished for 

 long experience and thorough knowledge of 

 fruit culture. Fourteen of these pronounced 

 the Early Harvest the best summer apple (not 

 sweet), and fifteen the Sweet Bough the best 

 sweet summer apple ; after these the Red 



Astrachan had 13 votes, William's Favorite 7, 

 Saps of Wine 3, and Golden Sweet 6. For 

 autumn apples the Porter and Gravenstein 

 had each 13 votes, the Fall Pippin 8, the Fa- 

 meuse 4, and the Maiden's Blush and Northern 

 Sweet 3 each. For winter apples, the whole 

 17 pronounced the Baldwin best, and of other 

 varieties, the Rhode Island Greening had 14 

 vote?, the Roxbury Russet 11 ; Hubbardston 

 Nonsuch 7 ; Peck's Pleasant 6, and the Esopus 

 Spitzenberg and Northern Spy 3 each. The 

 Ladies' Sweeting was the only winter sweet ap- 

 ple commended. In New York the first pref- 

 ences in summer apples were the same as in 

 New England; of 17 fruit growers all declared 

 for the Early Harvest, 16 for the Sweet Bough, 

 and 13 for the Red Astrachan. In other vari- 

 eties the selection differed from that of the 

 New England fruit culturists ; the American 

 Summer Pearmain and Early Joe receiving 4 

 votes each, and the Early Strawberry and 

 Primate 3 each. In autumn apples, in the 

 State of New York, the Fall Pippin stood 

 highest, receiving 14 votes, the Gravenstein 

 next with 13 votes, the Porter 11, the Hawley 

 4, and the Twenty Ounce and Primate each 

 3. The northern sweet autumn apples most 

 approved were Jersey Sweeting, Autumn 

 Bough and Northern Sweet. Of winter ap- 

 ples, New York, like New England, gave the 

 first preference to the Baldwin, and the sec- 

 ond to the Rhode Island Greening ; but after 

 these, the Esopus Spitzenberg had 11 votes, 

 the Roxbury Russet 7, Northern Spy and King 

 of Tompkins County each 6, Hubbardston Non- 

 such and Swaar each 4, Westfield Seek-no-fur- 

 ther and Newtown Pippin each 3. Of sweet 

 winter apples, the Talman Sweeting was the 

 first favorite, having 10 votes, and the Ladies' 

 Sweeting the next. From New Jersey, Penn- 

 sylvania. Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, 13 

 fruit growers reported. Their preferences for 

 summer apples were the Early Harvest,, Red 

 Astrachan and American Summer Pearmain, 

 and for sweet apples the Sweet Bough and 

 Golden Sweet. In autumn apples the Rambo 

 stood highest, receiving 7 votes ; next the Fall 

 Pippin and Porter, each having o votes ; and 

 the Maiden's Blush and Smokehouse each 4. 

 The Jersey Sweeting was the only autumn 

 sweeting approved. In winter apples the 

 Baldwin was the first choice, having 9 votes, 

 and next in order the Rhode Island Greening 

 and Smith's cider apple, having 6 votes each; 

 the Roxbury Russet and Fornwalder, having 

 4 votes each, and the Northern Spy and Ridge 

 Pippin, having 3 each. The Ladies' Sweeting 

 was the only winter sweet apple named. 



From Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan 16 fruit 

 growers reported, and of them 12 gave their 

 suffrages for the Early Harvest, and 6 for the 

 Red Astrachan. among summer apples ; while the 

 Summer Queen, and Summer Rose, the Caro- 

 lina Red June, and the Benoni had each then- 

 admirers. Of sweet summer apples the Sweet 

 Bough and Golden Sweet were the favorites. 



