136 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLV VISITOR. 



should be removed and the laud and bogs of- 

 fered for sale at the regular market price. This 

 cave him the right to enter upon the land, and it 

 was all he asked. It was readily granted. 



" After this, Dr. Perrine came to the north aiid 

 spent considerable time in Boston, making in- 

 quiries into the wants of manufacturers, the kinds 

 of libre most likely to be demanded, and the 

 kinds of machinei7 which would best cleanse it 

 from the pulp and the skin. He did this with a 

 prudent forecast for the final prosperity of his es- 

 tablishment. He was waiting, also, for the ter- 

 mination of Indian hostilities, that he and such 

 coadjutors as might associate with him in the 

 enterprise, might sit down in security. His 

 plan was to collect a number of poor tamilies, 

 who were industrious and of good character, and 

 willing to migrate to Florida. He would then 

 have given them lands from his grant, and would 

 for a time have insured them a subsistence, till, 

 by their labor in carrying out his project, they 

 might support themselves or acquire wealth." 



It is among the most pleasing of our discove- 

 ries on the subject of soils and their different ca- 

 pacities, to find that there is a general and a mis- 

 taken notion that the land which is usually con- 

 sidered barren or sterile possesses not the innate 

 qualities of becoming useful cither for cultivation 

 or for any thing else. Nothing has been created 

 in vain ; and we rejoice in the conviction that 

 even the most apparently useless sand-hills are 

 full of the material which may conuibute to the 

 earth's greatest fertility. 



There is a county in the State of Kentncky 

 called "Barren," having originally derived its 

 name from its apparent light and w orthless soil. 

 Cultivation commenced upon it ; the land was 

 better than it seemed to be— it grew better the 

 longer it was worked, and this Barren county is 

 now among the most flourishing agricultural dis- 

 tricts of the State. _ , ^ , 



In the State of New Hampshire, much of the 

 light soil considered of no value has, within the 

 last twenty years, been taken up and converted 

 into productive fields. Some of the most feasible 

 and profitable farms are now found upon the 

 ground that was first avoided ; while the stronger 

 soil, at first highly fertile, has degenerated and 

 been probably abandoned. 



We have read much about the barren sands of 

 tlie extensive peninsula of Florida, and its nu- 

 merous islands or keys ; these barrens we had 

 supposed to be inconvertible from a desert waste. 

 We now believe this supposition to be an entire 

 mistake. Since our South Carolina acquaintance 

 presented the fact of the great agricultural im- 

 provement upon the Ediste island, we are of the 

 decided opinion that most, if not all, of the sands 

 of the Keys of Florida, on which scarcly a green 

 vegetable "has ever been seen grow ing, may be 

 changed into fruitful soil. These sands, which 

 have been brought out of the deep by the ebbing 

 and flowing of the sea, are rich in all the calca- 

 reous qualities so useful in field inoduction ; they 

 only require a change of from seven to ten per 

 cent, of the first foot of surface, in the course of 

 two or three yeai-s, to become a black, rich soil. 



We have seen, for the last two years, various 

 publications with the signature of Dr. Perrine, on 

 the subject of the climate and productions of 

 Florida. It is a public calamity that such a man 

 should be prematurely deprived of life by a clan 

 of hostile savages, whose equals for treachery 

 and ferocity are perhaps hai-dly tc be found in 

 the world. Dr. Perrine, in relation to the capa- 

 city of the Florida soil, has touched upon a 

 theme that we hope to see pursued by scientific 

 men. We hope his death may not put an end to 

 the agitation and discussion of this subject. Bet- 

 ter wonld it be for the prosperity of this country 

 to convert its arid sands, or its drowned, useless 

 swamps into fields of cultivation. That both 

 sands and swamps possess the elements of great 

 vegetable produce and increase, is our firm con- 

 viction. The efforts of scientific theorists, as well 

 as practical men, to extend the consumption of 

 the country by increasing its sup])lies, arc worthy 

 the men of mind — those intellectual champions 

 whose gloi7 is the greatest good of the greatest 

 number. May some Elisha rise up on whom the 

 mantle of the departed Perrine shall fall. 



From the Rileigh Star of 1019. 



Receipt for making; cider, and preaervlng it 



sound for years. 



Three months ago, I was at the house of Nich- 

 olas Nail, Eeq^., ^vho lives near Deep river, at the 

 upper extremity of Moore county, where I drank 

 old cider of a very superior quality ; and as the 

 habitual use of cider is eminently conducive to 

 health, insures sobriety, imparts the agreeable 

 sensation of strength and vigor, and as it is a 

 pleasant beverage that can be aftbrded at a small 

 expense, 1 took care to be exactly informed of 

 his manner of making, refining, and preserving it, 

 in the hope that advantage might accrue in the 

 publication of it. Mr. Nail had in his cellar, as 

 well as I now remember, about 8 or 10 liogsheads, 

 and fifty or sixty barrels, of cider, of difterent 

 ages. The oldest w as best ; nor did he think any 

 fit to drink until it was at least a year old. 'J'hat 

 which I drank was three years old, and it was 

 excellent. His oldest cider I did not taste, as he 

 intends it as a treat for his executors. He com- 

 plained that his stock was too small to drink it 

 of the age he w ished, but intended to fill another 

 cellar. I here copy Mr. Nail's receipt, as he gave 

 it to me in writing in April last : — 



" All apples fit to be eaten will make good ci- 

 der. The grand secret is the cleansing it from 

 the filth and dreg'^ as early as ])ossible. Each 

 sort of apples are to be beaten and pressed by 

 themselves. Two kinds of juice, both good, 

 would, if mixed, often make bad cider. Throw 

 out all imperfect, sorry, and sunburnt apples, as 

 well as dust and trash. Beat your apples before 

 nuich mellowed, as they lose their strength, 

 soundness, and si>irit, if too mellow. Let them 

 stand half a day after being beaten, before put 

 into the press, then press them slowly. Discon- 

 tinue it as soon as the juice appears thin and wa- 

 tery. The advantage of slow pressure is in mak- 

 ing the liquor run pure. Let your casks, previ- 

 ously well cleansed, be filled quite full, to per- 

 mit the froth ami pumace to discharge itself at 

 the bung. When the fermentation abates, cover 

 the bung closely with something that may be 

 lit\ed by the fixed air that escapes during the fii- 

 ture fermentation. In a week, rack oft" the cider 

 carefully, ceasing the moment you observe it to 

 run muddy. Now stop the cask more firmly. In 

 ten days, rark it oft' a second time, and in fifteen 

 days a third time. In every instance, the casks 

 are to be clean and ])erfectly well filled ; and 

 w hen filled for the last time, to be bunged close 

 in a deep, dry cellar, never to be moved until 

 drawn for use. Late eider need not lie racked 

 until March, and then one racking, or at most 

 two, will be sufficient. Be very careful that no 

 water, not even the little that will adhere af\er 

 rinsing a cask, is mixed witli the cider. The 

 smallest quantity of rain water will render cider 

 unfit to keep. The addition of any quantity of 

 distilled spirits is not only useless but injurious." 



Mr. Nail's method is the result of long experi- 

 ence, and its success justifies me in recommend- 

 ing it to the public. I hope it will be tried. 



CALVIN JONES. 



Raleigh, July 25, 1819. 



A man last year,in Vermont, made .4(1000 dol- 

 lars in alteiKling to his own aflTair!*. 



An English Summer. 



Descriptmn of an English Summer, in the year 

 1768 — extracted from a letter of Horuee li'alpole, 

 dated June 15. 



"I perceive the deluge fell upon you before it 

 reached us. It began here on Monday last, and 

 then rained near eight and forty hours, without 

 intermission. My poor hay has not a dry thread 

 to its back. I have had a fire these three days. In 

 short, every summer one lives in a state of mutiny 

 and murmur, and I ha^e found the reason: It is 

 because we will atlV'Ct to have a siiinmer, and we 

 have no title to any such thing, (hw poets learn 

 their trade of the Romans, and so adopt tlie 

 terms of their masters. They talk of shady 

 groves, purling streams, and cooling breezes, and 

 Me get sore throats and agues with attempting to 

 realize their visions. Master Damon writes a 

 song, and invites Miss Chloe to enjoy the cool of 

 the evening, and the deuce a bit have we of any 

 such thing as a cool evening. Zephyr is a north- 

 cast >vind, that makes Damon button up to the 

 chin, and pinches ('hloe's nose till it is reil and 

 blue ; and then they cry, this it a bad summer, as 

 if we ever had any other. The be:^t sun we have 

 is mnde of New onsllo cnni. and I ,nm determined 



never to rsckon upon any other. We ruin our- 

 selves with visiting our foreign trees, and make 

 our houses clamber up hills to look at prospects. 

 How our ancestors would laugh at us, who knew 

 there was no being comfbitable, unless you had 

 a high liill before your nose, and a thick warm 

 wood at your back. Taste is too freezing a com- 

 modity lor us, and, depend upon it, will go out of 

 fashion again. 



" There is, indeed, a natural warmth in this 

 country, which, as you say, I am very glad not to 

 enjoy any longer — I mean the hot liouse in St. 

 Stephen's chapel. My own sagacity makes me 

 very vain, though there was very little merit in 

 it. I hail seen so much of all parties, that 1 had 

 very little esteem left for any ; it is most indifler- 

 ent to me who is in or who is out, or which is 

 set in the pillory, Mr. Wilkes or my Lord Mans- 

 field. I see the country going to ruin, and no 

 man with brains enough to save it. That is mor- 

 tifying ; Imt what signifies who has the undoing 

 of it y I seldom softer myself.to think on this 

 subject ; my patriotism can do no good, and my 

 philosophy can make me Ije at peace." 



The late season lias been a return of the old 

 fashioned summers of thirty and forty years ago. 

 Indian corn in the three northern States of New 

 England, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, 

 has had ample time to grow and come to matii- 

 ritv. If a series of seasons like this shall conti- 

 nue, New England will soon have no further oc- 

 casion to procure bread stuffs from a distance. 



\ strong evidence of the melioration of the 

 season is given in the abundant production of 

 fine melons, and especially in the extraordinary 

 perfection of grapes and peaches in those places 

 which used to produce them in the olden lime. 

 Peaches, which grew in the towns about Lowell, 

 of fine flavor and quality, were selling in the 

 first week of September, for from one dollar to 

 one dollar and fifty cents the bushel. 



The peaches raised in Massachusetts this year 

 were of a better size and flavor than those 

 brought fiom New Jersey. The most beautiful 

 peaches we ever saw were sold in the Boston 

 market at the price of one dollar the dozen. 

 They exceeded in size and exquisiteucss of co- 

 loring any pictorial representation of a peach that 

 ever came within our view. They were the pro- 

 duct of a tree on the premises of David Hill, 

 Esq., of AVest Cambridge. 



from tlic All>any Areus of 1819, then published by the 

 lite Judge Buel. 



Treatise on Agriculture. 



SECTION I. 



On the rise and progress of Agriculture. 

 The origin of this art is lost among the fables 

 of antiquity , and \\ e have to regret, that in the 

 present state of knowledge, ^ve are even ignorant 

 of the tinxe when the plough was invented, and 

 of the name and condition of the inventor. When, 

 therefore, we speak of the beginning of the art, 

 we but allude to certain appearances which in- 

 dicate its existence, and the employment given 

 by it to the minds as well as to the hands of 

 inankiud. Such were the artificial canals and 

 lakes of Egy))t. Menaced at one time by a re- 

 dundancy of water, anti at another by its scarcity 

 of wanl,"the genius of that extraordinary people 

 could not but employ itself, promptly and stren- 

 uously, in remedying these evils, and eventually 

 in converting them into benefits; and hence it 

 was, that wlicn other parts of the world exhibited 

 little more of agricultural knowledge than apper- 

 tains to the state of nature, imagined by philoso- 

 phers, tlie Egyptians thoroughly understood and 

 skilfully iirartised irrigation, tiiat most scientific 

 and profitable branch of the art." Like their 

 oMii Nile, llieir jiopulation had had its overflow, 

 which colonized Carthage and Greece, and car- 

 ried with it the talent and intelligence of the 

 mother country. The former of these states, 

 though essentially commercial, had its planta- 

 tions, and so highly prized were the agricultural 

 Avorks of Mago, that when Carthage was captur- 

 ed, they alone, of the many books found in it, 

 were retained and translated by the Romans. A 

 si:nilar inference may be drawn from tlie history 

 of Greece; for assuredly that art could not have 



- The best praciir.il iilustralion of this opinion is found 

 in llie valley of the I'o— wlieve -■ every rod of earth main- 

 t:iin9 its m-in." 



