1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



117 



company wlio have brought the lights of science 

 to their assistance, the carbonate of lead is now 

 preserved with great care, and considered the most 

 valuable ore. 



The mine in Daviilsou has been purchased by 

 Mr. Roswell A. lviii<>-, whose skill and persevering 

 industry are well known, and insure success. 



LATE WORKS OF MASSACHUSETTS IN AID OF 

 AGRICULTURAL. IMPROVEMENT. 



We have received several valuable publications, 

 which exhibit evidences of the recent progress made 

 in Massachusetts in promoting agricultural interests, 

 both by the action of the government and the people. 

 In addition to the other and greater merits of these se- 

 veral publications, one, far from unimportant, is, that 

 they are published in the uniform and handsome form 

 of large octavo, and the paper and typography are such 

 as to be worthy of the subjects, and to facilitate the 

 use, as well as to induce the binding and preservation 

 of these and similar publications. In this minor re- 

 spect, of form and appearance, these pubhcations are 

 very greatly superior to the documents published by 

 the legislature of Virginia; though even that great in- 

 feriority is as nothing when compared to the immea- 

 surable inferiority of the substance — the acts and works 

 — of the commonwealth of Virginia in support of agri- 

 culture, compared to those of Massachusetts. 



Among the most important, and the first in order of 

 these publications, is the 'Agricultural Report of the 

 County of Essex, Mass.' This is the first part of the 

 labors of the Rev. Henry Colman, commissioner of 

 the agricultural survey of Massachusetts, ordered by 

 the legislature of that state; and though the subject is 

 a county which is one of the least agricultural of a 

 state which, if compared to Virginia, is generally but 

 little fitted to reward cultivation, or improvement, still, 

 the report is an earnest of the value of such surveys to 

 agriculture, and of the ability of the surveyor and re- 

 porter selected for this noble work. In the foregoing 

 pages of this number, we have copied parts of this re- 

 port, which our intelligent readers will doubtless find 

 interesting, if not instructive, notwithstanding the 

 great difference of the circumstances of Essex in Mas- 

 sachusetts, and every part of Virginia. There is not 

 a county in all the wide extent of Virginia, and no 

 matter whether it be the best or the worst cultivated 

 at present, of which a similar minute and careful re- 

 port would not be highly interesting, and highly in- 

 structive, to a large portion of the farmers of our state; 

 and if a general agricultural survey of Virginia were or- 

 dered, and properly executed, such as is now in progress 

 in Massachusetts, it would do more good to agricul- 

 ture, and to the general interests of this commonwealth, 

 than the worst and most stupid course of any recent 

 legislature has done harm; and that is a very strong 

 assertion. But it is in vain to expect any such things 

 here; and useless to refer to them, except to denounce, 

 in deserved terms of reprobation and contempt, the le- 

 gislation of a great state, much wanting and highly 

 susceptible of profiting by agricultural improvement. 



which has continually refused the smallest aid to such 

 improvement, and lends all its energy, and gives near- 

 ly all its labors, and all the spare revenue of the state, 

 to endless and useless talking about federal relations, 

 sustaining the baid<-ocracy in its every iniquity, help- 

 ing demagogues to the o/Jices they seek, and giving 

 fat jobs and profits to numerous individuals, under the 

 false pretence of aiding pubhc improvements. 



The other publications referred to, whicii are strict- 

 ly agricultural, arc the 'Transactions of the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society, for 1837,' and separate memoirs of 

 the commissioner of the agricultural survey, 'On the 

 cultivation of Spring Wheat,' and 'On Bone Manure.' 

 Another, which is principally and most usefully, 

 though not entirely directed to benefit agricultural 

 improvement, is the 'Re-examination of the Economical 

 Geology of Massachusetts,' by Prof. Edward Hitch- 

 cock; which, in its general features, seems to compare 

 with the geological reports of Virginia, pretty much in 

 the same manner as the business-like and matter-of- 

 fact doings of the legislature of Massachusetts, witli the 

 eloquent declamation and endless and fruitless speech- 

 making in that of Virginia. Some extracts from this 

 excellent and practical report, and also some animad- 

 versions on particular portions of it, may be given in 

 this journal at a future time. 



NATURAL COKE FOUND IK VIRGINIA. 



"There seems to be no end to the mineral trea- 

 sures of Virgirua. Yesterday we heard of another 

 discovery, which, according to present appear- 

 ance, is destined to prove of incalculable service. 

 The reader will recollect, that during ihe last au- 

 tumn we spoke of a rich vein of iron ore, which 

 was in a course of exploration, on the south side 

 of the James River, near the coal pits, and iiom 

 two to three miles of the river. The ore has been 

 further opened ; and we are happy to learn, pro- 

 mises to be of great value. It is under the auspi- 

 ces of John lieth, Esq., and is immediately on 

 the new rail road, which will soon be opened, 

 from the coal pits to the river. 



But the discovery embraces a new object — a 

 large and rich bed of natural coke, which is just 

 below the iron ore — and is suspected of being in a 

 large field— and of being near 17 leet thick. The 

 coke was first discovered by those who are engaged 

 in laying down the rail road. They thoughr of 

 burning it as fuel, and the experiment has an- 

 swered. It is said that Professor Rogers has pro- 

 nounced it to be a natural coke — and we under- 

 stand, that Mr. Deane is about to try its virtues in 

 his iron rolling mill. Should it correspond with 

 the indications which have so far transpired, it will 

 prove a source of great wealth to its worthy, libe- 

 ral, and enterprising proprietor — as well as of 

 advantages to the rising manufacturers of Rich- 

 mond. — Enquirer. 



We have seen experiments made in the foun- 

 dry of this city, upon specimens of the coke, 

 found in Chesterfield county. In the course of an 

 hour and 39 minutes, near 1200 lbs, of iron, 

 brought from the mine near Fredericksburg, were 

 fubcd; and the castings were uncommonly smooth. 



