174 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 3 



Cork, Limerick, Louth, Dublin and Wicklow 

 counties, latitude 52*^ and 53°. In one garden it 

 had flourished for tiiirty years, or li'om its first in- 

 troduction in 1788, and had been found perfectly 

 hardy, during which time it had been only twice 

 but slightly affected by frost in the tops of its 

 leaves. 



If hardy in Ireland, it may be hardy here. 

 Yet though our winters may be more severe, our 

 summers would be productive of a growth far 

 more luxuriant than theirs, as the peach and the 

 maize both flourisli here, but will not grow well 

 there. 



A factory to employ from 200 to 300 workmen, 

 and on a most extensive scale, was begun in 1831, 

 at Grimsby in Yorkshire, England, for the pur- 

 pose of manufacturing cordage and canvass fi'om 

 the New Zealand fiax exclusively. For this ma- 

 terial, they relied on New Zealand and Austra- 

 lasia, where its cultivation has already commenced. 

 Respectfully your friend, ' 



WlLT-IAM KrNRICK. 



Nonantum Hill, Newton, 3Iay 25, 1837. 



From the Maine Farmer. 

 "CAURYING COALS TO NKV/CASTLE." 



The adage which we have used above as a cap- 

 tion, arose fiom the fact, that as Newcastle in 

 England was the grand source of coal, many of 

 the plans and proceedings of mankind, might be 

 considered about as preposterous, as it would be 

 to ship coals to that place. Y'et we see, every 

 day, instances which remind us of this adage. 

 Many of these instances arise, either from the ig- 

 norance or supineness of those who are the re- 

 cipients of those things which others bring them, 

 when by using half of the exertion and enterprise 

 which their providers do, they might have the 

 very articles at their own doors at a less price. 

 We have been led to this subject, by persuing the 

 conclusion of certain remarks of Mr. Ruffin, Ed- 

 itor of the Farmers' Register, in Virginia, respect- 

 ing the bounty on wheat in Maine. After stating, 

 as it was so rare that any legislative body in this 

 country attempted to aid the improvements or to 

 promote the interests of agriculture, he felt a re- 

 luctance to dissent from the measure, he observes 

 that "we believe that there is an indirect, though 

 far more efficient, as well as a far cheaper mode of 

 reaching the end proposed. 



"This would be by giving bounties or rewards 

 for experiments ^scientific and practical) calcula- 

 ted to discover whether there is not some radical 

 defect in the soils of Maine, that unfits them for 

 profitable wheat culture, and thence to arrive at 

 the knowledge of the proper remedy wanting. 

 We liilly believe that such a defect exists, thatit 

 would be ascertained beyond all question — and the 

 remedy^ as clearly pointed out. The lands of the 

 New England states in general (excepting only 

 alluvial river bottoms and olhergood soils, rarely to 

 be met with, and in small quantities,) are very unfa- 

 vorable to the growth of wheat, and its product ap- 

 pears from the general complaint made, to decrease 

 as the country is longer and better tilled, and, as 

 m general, other products are thereby increased. 

 The soil generally, on account of its geological 

 formation, is very slightly provided by nature with 

 lime, an ingredient necessary for every vegetable 

 product, but particularly so, and in large propor- 



tion, for wheat. We have never seen any of the 

 lands of Maine — but have no doubt as to the truth 

 of this opiiuon as lo iheir natural constitution — 

 and also, that to give lime to the lands is all 

 that is wanting to make them yield good wheat. 

 It is a shame to both Maine and Virginia that so 

 much lime is annvally brought from the former to 

 the latter. If Virginia made her ovjn lime from 

 her own abundant materials, and 3Iaine used much 

 of her lime to manure her lands, it would be better 

 for both countries.'''' 



To this latter clause we say amen. What are 

 the farmers of Maine and Virginia dreaming 

 abouf? The latter, with inexhaustible sources for 

 lime, buy the article of us, and we with a soil 

 either already rendered capable of growing wheat, 

 or that may easily be made so, go to Virffinia after 

 it. Verily "this is like carrying coals to Newcastle. 

 Now we would not have the Virginians use a par- 

 ticle less of lime, but they ought to make it at 

 home. Nor would we have our lime burners sell 

 a particle less, but it should be sold to our farmers 

 at home. Commerce would not sutler a farthing, 

 should this take place. There are articles enough 

 grown and manufi^ctured in each that could not be 

 jiroduced in the other, the exchange of which 

 would give full employment to our merchants and 

 seamen. We hold it to be an imperious duty 

 for every people to make the most of their own 

 natural resources, this will give strength at home, 

 and at the same time put them in a situation to 

 extend their commmerce with distant friends to 

 better mutual advantage. In regard to his re- 

 marks on the soil of Maine, he is in part correct. 

 We have much land that is not naturally good 

 for wheat, but we have much more that is. We 

 have- an abundance of limestone — some of" which 

 is magncsian, which is very good manure. Sir 

 Humphrey Davy to the contrary, nowithstanding 

 — some of it secondary, and much more of it of a 

 kind that may be called argillaceous, having a 

 large quantity of argillaceous matter with it. The 

 trouble in Maine is not so much in her^ soil, as 

 the lack of cultivating wheat. 



The bounty spoken o\', is operating as a grand 

 stiinulus. More wheat has been sown this year 

 than for many years past, and as the lumbering 

 and moonshine speculation is on the wane, we 

 hope that industry and common sense will have 

 more sway. If we can get our farmers generall}'' 

 interested in fhe wheat culture, their own good 

 will prompt them to study out what is wanted in 

 the soil, to give them the greatest crop. This 

 puts us in mind of a subject nearly connected with 

 this, viz: Muffin's £ssay on Calcareous Manures. 

 We have in a former volume noticed this work, 

 and given extracts from it. It is decidedly the best 

 work on the subject that has ever appeared; and 

 we wish it could be more read by the agriculturists 

 of the United States. There is much in it, of 

 course, local in its nature, or more applicable to the 

 author's section of the country than to many 

 other parts of the union; but there is also much 

 adapted to the case of almost every section of" the 

 nation. We think it would be a good plan for 

 agricultural societies to purchase quantities of 

 them to distribute as premiums, and thus, while 

 stimulating some to action by the hope of the re- 

 ward of approbation, they would redeem their 

 pledge, by bestowing valuable knoVk'Iedge, lo the 

 successful competitor. 



