292 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 5 



are particularly ada|)te(l for retaininix ihe moisture 

 that has been deposited by rains and dews. Who 

 has not observed the rich unciuons appearance ol' 

 giound where clover has been cut shortly atler Ihe 

 (lepositioh of the nsoisture 1 — I ho|)e, and believe, 

 that I have now proved my assertion, to the satis- 

 faction of all wiio may honor this paper with their 

 perusal. Let it be remembered too, that, in refer- 

 ring to the reci|)roral advantatres which arise from 

 a proper rotation of crops, I have not once alluded 

 to manures. If proper changes troni grain crops 

 to green crops, anil vice versa, would almost of 

 themselves. sulFice to keep the land "in heart," 

 what might we not expect, when, in addition to 

 this, one fourth oi' it would be well rnaniu'(>d annu- 

 ally? This part, of the subject briiiirs me now to 

 the important question already noticed. — How is 

 the manure to be produced^ 



Agricola. 

 March 29. 



THE IRISH OR GIAIVT lYY. 



To tlie Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Yoli will pardon me for suggesting to you that 

 I trather, from reading your description of the ivy 

 at Shirley, [p. 18G, vol. v.,] that it is not the Eng- 

 lish, but the Irish or giant ivy, (hcdera vcgeia.) 

 This is a vastly superior variety, conipared to the 

 common or English, (hedera helix,) ol'a less shrub- 

 by nature, grows with much more luxuriance, a' d 

 presents a far more striking and beautiful foliage, 

 just such as you have dcscribetl. This noble 

 climber, in almost every situation suited to its 

 growth and lull developement — whether mantling 

 the artificial ruin or rockvvork of flower garden or 

 pleasure ground, or shrouding with a mass of the 

 most beautiful foliage the immense masses of ruins 

 of abbejs, cathedrals, monasteries, and the battle- 

 mented walls and turrets of baronial castles of 

 feudal origin, which are scattered over Great Bri- 

 tain and portions of continental Europe — is impo- 

 ivingly beiiutiful, Ibrminga striking contrast to the 

 rude ruins which it often covers, and adding much 

 to the beauties of surrounding scenery, and greatly 

 heightening the interest with which the spectator 

 contemplates these monuments of by-gone ages. 

 But, though highly beautiful and ornamental at 

 all times in such situations, it is, in my opinion, 

 doubly so when viewed as a moonlight scene. In 

 the lone hour when all is hushed and still, the 

 borrowed and sulxlued light of the queen of night, 

 renders it at once a striking and imposing object; 

 and if there is a gentle breeze stirring its leaves 

 and branches and sighing sadly, yet sweetly, 

 through the ivy-latticed windows and crevices ol' 

 these ruins, echoed from different parts of the 

 mouldering edifice, with an astonishingly distinct 

 and whispering sound, it requires no great stretch 

 of the imagination of the intruder lulo these long- 

 deserted halls, to fancy that it is the whispering of 

 the spirits of by-gone centuries, who, at the still 

 hour of night, revisit the once familiar scenes of 

 their mortal existence, and remarking amouir them- 

 selves in audible, but to mortal ears unintelligible 

 whispers, the cliange which all-corroding time has 

 wrought on th? ir once nuich esteemed possessions 

 — themselves how changed but now unchanginij — 

 unconsciously he treads with a light and cautious 

 step, fearful lest he should disturb or break the 

 indescribably enchanting charm, which exists 



around him. JN'l any such an hour have I spent 

 amid such scenes, and I do not think that any 

 other scene is so ca[)able of imparting a soothing 

 delight, or of subduing every unholy passion within 

 the himian breast. 



Ruins of this description, from the many asso- 

 ciations connected with them, can hardly ever fail 

 deeply to interest the spectator; but, when covered 

 with ivy, their time-worn appeorance is softened, 

 if not concealed. Nature, as it were, thus kindly 

 concealing from our view, with a beautiful cover- 

 ing, the dilapidations and inevitable decay which 

 overtakes and levels to the earth'the proudest struc- 

 tures raised by men; and the wintl, which moans 

 through naked ruins with a rather unpleasing 

 sound anil effect on the listener, is, by its action on 

 the ivy leaves and covered windows, softened into 

 a music, whose plaintive cadence is soothing and 

 delightfully pleasing. To those familiar with sucli 

 scenes, the sight, or even mention of the Irish ivy, 

 is always interesting; and the reading of your ac- 

 count of it, as seen at Shirley, brought up to my 

 recollection, with striking vividness, the pleasing 

 hours which I have spent under its massive foliage. 



Though all of the ivy family are beautiful on 

 ruins, or even on large and decaying trees, they 

 are, from the great quantity of moisture which 

 their foliage retains, injurious to the thin walls of 

 modern edifices. I once witnessed the removal of 

 a magnificent plant of the Irish ivy from the front 

 of a mansion house, where it had been planted 20 

 years previous, and which, for this reason, it was 

 necessary to remove. On taking it down, it was 

 Ibund to liave penetrated in many places a solid 

 wall of stone masonry upwards of three feet thick, 

 and also to have penetrated a joint of the wainscot 

 of a staircase about ten feet fi'om the wall. 



REMARKS ON MR. GAY S LETTER. 



To tlie Editor of tlie Fanners' Register. 



July m, 1836. 



It is with regret that I find from Mr. Gay's com- 

 munication, in the last Register, that my remarks 

 in the preceding number, on the communication of 

 "R. D. K.," (in the concluding number of the last 

 vol.,) relative to his (Mr. Gay's) practice as a far- 

 mer, should hav^e been by him considered as being 

 "made more in the spirit of ridicule, than from a 

 desire to acquire inlbrmation." Nothing could 

 possibly be farther from my motives. Who "R. 

 D. Iv." is, I do not know; and, I believe that you, 

 at least, will credit me when I state, that with Mr. 

 Gay I am also entirely unacquainted, either per- 

 sonally or by report, beyond the communication re- 

 ferred to, nor do I know more of Goochland, from 

 personal observation, than I do of Liberia; hence, 

 there could be no personal motive on my part, 

 which could, were I even inclined, induce me to 

 throw the slightest shade of ridicule on the prac- 

 tice of Mr. Gay, and I trust that the above expla- 

 nation will satisfy him that my object was not ridi- 

 cule, but a desire for information, and to see the 

 statements of "R. D. K." supported by practical 

 results. 



I thank Mr. Gay lor the frankness with which 

 he has detailed some of his modes of cultivating 

 corn, &c., and if I am not convinced of the gener- 

 al superiorilj' of rakes over hoes, they at least may 

 on some soils be as beneficial, and more convenient. 



