FARMERS' REGISTER— THE HUMMING BIRD. 



495 



bly to produce so general a disbelief in all such ac- 

 counts, as greatly to retard the introduction of nu- 

 merous highly useful inventions. Even where a 

 fe,\v may be prevailed upon to try them, the least 

 short-coming of the reconmiendation itself Is apt 

 to check farther experiments, and to cause the im- 

 mediate disuse of the thing recommended, al- 

 though it may really be very valuable. Such 

 misrepresentations too, help much to sustain the 

 silly prejudice against what has been called, by 

 way of derision ^'Book Farming,'''' which ought 

 to be, and, in fact, generally is, nothing more 

 than the printed records of the experience of prac- 

 tical agriculturists and husbandmen. The s[!ecu- 

 lations, with which these records are often blended, 

 may always be separated from the tacts upon 

 which they are founded; and, therefore, ought 

 never to invalidate the facts themselves, in any case 

 where the latter are sustained by creditable testi- 

 mony — however visionary the former may some- 

 times appear. 



We have now an agricultural paper peculiaVly 

 adapted to our whole southern country — I mxean 

 the Farmers' Register, wherein a greater mass of 

 such useful tacts will always be found embodied, 

 than can elsewhere be found together; and I avail 

 myself of this occasion to recommend it most ear- 

 nestly, to all who are not ahead}- subscribers. Even 

 the remarks of the editor himself, who has long- 

 been a practical and highly successful farmer, are, 

 in my opinion, fully worth the price of the work, 

 to say nothing ol the lumierous valuable commu- 

 nications with which it is enriched by agiiculturists, 

 as practical as he is. If now and then, a few hob- 

 by-horses are permitted, (speciali gratia,) to prance 

 through his columns, they always carry a brand 

 upon them, by which they maj- easily be known, 

 and rendered harmless. For my own part, how- 

 ever, they are heartilj^ welcome to the small share 

 of the field which they occupy, since they serve 

 to diversify and enliven a scene which, otherwise, 

 might appear to some too uniform m its character. 

 Variety, both in bodily and mental food, seems, in 

 the present times, to be almost a necessary of life; 

 and hence the use of such fantastic cavalry, as 

 these agricultural hobbies generall}^ form, in a 

 work devoted solely to the great interests of hus- 

 bandry. To laugh occasionally, ail doctors saj-, 

 will aid the digestion of food for the bod}^; who 

 then will venture to assert that it doos not produce 

 an equally beneficial effect on the food of the mind, 

 since the intimate connexion between the two is ac- 

 knowledged by all. The editor of the Farmers' 

 Register, like a good cook, sometimes seasons his 

 viands with condiments not directly nutritious, but 

 such as may act the part of stimulants to some 

 appetites too fastidious for the plain, substantial, 

 unseasoned aliment of which he furnishes in 

 every paper as much as reasonable men ought to 

 require, when they reflect for what a variety of 

 tastes he has to provide. 



I am the more earnest in pressing my recom- 

 mendation of this agricultural journal, — (the only 

 one now in Virginia,) from a thorough conviction 

 of longstanding, that the vast superiority of north- 

 ern and eastern husbandry to ours, is attributable, 

 in a great measure, to the number of agricultural 

 papers and journals, which for many years past, 

 they have constantly encouraged among them. 

 These in co-operation with their numerous and 

 flourishing agricultural Bocietieshave steadily main- 



tained so vigorous a spirit of improvement in al' 

 the branches of husbandry, that they have far 

 surpassed us in everj^ one, although both their soil 

 and climate are much less auspicious, than our 

 own. 1 am well aware that it is the fashion with 

 some, who have never taken the trouble to study 

 the subject, or to think for themselves in regard to 

 It, deeply interesting asitcertainly is, to ascribe thia 

 superiority, solely to our slave population. But 

 allowing every draw-back that can reasonably be 

 attributed to this cause, still, the circumstances 

 which I have stated will be found, upon a thorough 

 examinnlion of the whole ground, to contribute 

 very largely towards that remarkable difference 

 which has always existed between southern hus- 

 bandry, and that in the northern and eastern states. 

 It is so striking that "he who runs may read it;" 

 and so beautiful as to excite our wonder at the 

 snail-li!-:e tardiness with which we agriculturists 

 of the south, creep on in our feeble eflbrts to follow 

 such praise-worthy and profitable examples. 



I cannot, I believe, close my remarks more 

 usefully, than by repeating my most earnest re- 

 commendation of the Farmers' Register; for I am 

 thoroughly satisfied, that very many of our agri- 

 cultural brethren have not yet grown too wise in 

 their own conceits to learn; and that they will 

 gladly seek", as soon as they know where it may 

 be (bund, the highly useful information relative to 

 all the branches of their profession, which this pa- 

 per is so well calculated to disseminate among ue. 



From the Philadelphia Friend. 

 THE HUJiailKG BIRD. 



Some time in the seventh month of the present 

 j'car, one of my family caught a small humming 

 bird, which appeared quite debilitated for want of 

 food. We presented it with some sugar and 

 cream mixed together, which it sucked up with 

 avidity, after which, it was restored to liberty. In 

 the course of a short interval it again made its ap- 

 pearance, was taken in the hand, and a mixture 

 of sugar and water made into the consistence of 

 syrup, was poured into the corrolla of th^ tumipet 

 honey siickle, from which it er^geriy extracted it. 

 From this time forward it became quite familiar, 

 and vv'ould come a dozen times a day or more to 

 be fed. After fluttering a few seconds at the door 

 or window to attract nodce, it would alight on the 

 limb of a neighboring tree, or rose bush, until its 

 food was prepared for it, and then upon calling 

 "Peet, Peet," it would dart in a straight line with 

 the velocity of an arrow to receive it. We gene- 

 rally filled two or three oi" the tubes of the iioney 

 suckle with the syrup, which it extracted while 

 on the wing, buzzing around the flower held in 

 our hand, and insertmg its bill, which was about 

 three-fourths of an inch in length from which it 

 protruded its tongue, at least half an inch longer, 

 with which it sucked up the liquid. 



This generally sufficed it; but sometimes it did 

 not appear satisfied, but would repair to its resting 

 place and wait until the flowers were again filled, 

 when upon being called, it would return and finish 

 its repast. But if, after flying to its perch, it wiped 

 its bill on the limb, we were then a&sured that it 

 wanted no more at that time, and all the solicitations 

 we could make would have no other effect than to 

 hasten its departure. In the course of half an 

 hour it ^vould be back again after more food, and 



