48 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 1 



nals in the United States, there have been many arti- 

 cles announced as new and valuable, puiTed into noto- 

 riety, thfnce eagerly sou2;ht afte*. by purchasers, tried, 

 and found wantin'^— anil fim.lly abandoned and foro-ot- 

 ten. And !t is so mucii more pleasing to mankind to 

 be flattered by vain hones, and be deceived, than to be 

 warned of the danjjer of, and 3;uarded against decep- 

 tion, that editors will always advance the popularity of 

 their publications, by floating with the general curroi)t, 



the former kind will be much the most productive to 

 the acre. Many, not content with deep grains, seek 

 for the smallest sized cobs — that the larger propoition of 

 each ear may be of grain rather than of cob. On the 

 contrary, John Taylor, our great and distinguished ag- 

 riculturist, preferred ears with the largest cobs, for 

 seed, because, a-* is evidently aiid ma'hematically true, 

 if the grains are of equal size, there will be more of 

 them encircling a larjre than a small cob. Some seek 



and falling in with evL'ry such fashionable error, while ^or large ears; others for many ears upon one stalk, 

 it lasts. By thus flattering and ministering to the fan- I Many farmers are as curious and particular in select- 

 cies of the ardent and sang-uine, (who are also general- j i",2: seed-wheat, either for the large size of the grair» 

 ly the most zealous and active,) among their readers, { tl's large number of grains in the head, the large num- 

 ber of stalks and quantity of grain from a single seed; 

 and all confide equally in thereby securing more pro- 

 duct in general, from the land. Now we have no 



at least to them they will render the publications most 

 interesting. And though almost every new hobby 

 may, in its turn, be found worthless, yet but few read- 



ers will find fault of the favor previously shown. All j ^'^'fh in any of these modes of reasoning, and therefore 

 that the editor has to do, is to dismount, silently and [ '^one in the supposed results. Without denying that 

 quietly, from the exposed and disgraced hobby, and i particular varieties of plants may be somewhat more 

 mount the next one that seems most likely to en- i productive than others which are equally suitable to 

 gage attention and interest. | the same soil and climate— and admitting that the 



With such aid, and by such recommendations, the j f^mallest well ascertained advantage of superiority is 

 public attention has been at different times solicited to 1 vvorth securing — yet, in general, and in the absence of 



not only various new varieties of the more important 

 grain crops, but also to such minor articles of cultiva- 

 tion, as millet, (of various kinds.) the bene plant, 

 Cobbett's "Russian turnips," (which, as Swedish tur- 

 nips, had been long known, and valued for their real 

 advantages, in England, and treated of in English books, 

 but which it required humbug and false appreciation 

 to bring it into use here — ); and as great expectations 

 of profit were thereon built, as are now on sprin-^ wheat 

 and the several new kinds of prolific corn; and as proba- 

 bly soon will be, on the Egyptian, or many-headed 

 wheat. 



Do not let tis be understood as denying all viMue to 

 these over-rated novelties — nor as wishing to discour- 

 age trials of new plants, or new (supposed) improve- 

 ments of any kind. On the contrary, we would en- 

 courage trials, if made carefully and accurately, as be- 

 ing calculated not only to amuse and gratify all culti- 

 vators of inquiring minds, but also as sometimes lead- 

 ing to results which, if correctly appreciated, will be 

 of important value to agriculture. But we do mean to 

 avow a very general distrust of these many newly' dis- 

 covered values in particular varieties of seeds, &c. and 

 especially when it is manifest that he who makes or 

 sustains the recommendation of the article, has a pri- 

 vate and pecuniary interest in raising i*:s reputation, or 

 maintaining for it a high selling price. Let all the at- 

 tendant and connected circumstances be borne in mind, 

 and the trials be economically, as well as cautiously 

 and accurately made, and we would urge the trial of 

 every new thing that was even plausibly recommended. 



In addition to all the supposed more productive kinds 

 of grain, which have been made generally known to 

 the agricultural public, there are hundreds of individu- 

 al farmers who, silently and privately, cherish their 

 own particalar fancies as to the superiority of their 

 own selections. One aims, by selection of seed, to o-et 

 the deepest grained corn, because an ear of such must 

 have much more grain than one of equal size, but 

 shallow-grained; and thence he erroneously infers that 



all positive proofs of exceptions, we maintain that corn, 

 or wheat, or other grains, will produce according to 

 the degree of fertility and mode of cultivation of the 

 soil, and according to the adaptation of the kinds of 

 grain to the soil, climate and season. Perhaps every 

 variety of grain may be the most productive in some 

 particular situation and season; for all varieties are pro- 

 duced by nature, in the never-ceasing effort to accom- 

 modate a mis[)laced plant to its new, and comparative- 

 ly, inhospitable location or circumstances. It is higli- 

 ly important to adapt the kind of seed to the soil, cli- 

 mate, and usual seasons; and the want of such adap- 

 t tion may reduce a crop to less than half of what 

 might have been obtained from other seed. But we 

 have not the slightest faith in any of the many pre- 

 vailing opinions, that larger crops are to be obtained 

 by choosing seed on account of the form, size, or num- 

 ber of grains, or the size or number of ears. Sic. In- 

 deed, (as we stated in a former volume, when touch- 

 ing incidentally on this subject,) when ears of corn, 

 wheat, -or other grain, are remarkably large, for the 

 particular variety grown, or a single root is remarka- 

 bly productive, either in number or size of ears, or 

 quantity of grain, it furnishes sufficient evidence of in- 

 sufficient product from the land; or in other words, 

 that there was too little seed to the acre; and that a 

 greater number of stalks would have yielded a better 

 crop, though by reducing the product of every indi- 

 vidual stalk. 



These views are not opposed to the fact, that the 

 Maryland twin corn, the J3aden corn, or the Button 

 corn, (for example) in certain situations, may be 

 more productive than our ordinary kinds. But they 

 are utterly opposed to the belief of either of these va- 

 rieties, or any other, being more productive in all, or 

 in viost situations — or of being more productive in a 

 very great degree, in any situation. Mr. Carmichael, 

 who was among the first to recommend the Maryland 

 twin corn, through the pages of the Farmers" Regis- 

 ter — and whom we still deem amonj: the best authori- 



