272 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



the rancje of ihc thermometer about 100°. In 

 this country we have chanixes of from 30" to 40° 

 in twenty-fiur hours ; there the greatest rarely 

 exceeds six or eight. The thermometer ranee fn 

 the United States' is more than 120°, — in Enfrland 

 not more than 45'^. Tiiere the thermometer rare- 

 ly descends but a few deo;rees below the freezing 

 point; here it is below (or weeks or months. In- 

 deed it is probable that, in the colder parts of the 

 United States, the thermometer falls below 0°, as 

 often as in En3;lanii it does below 82'*. 



This statement will show that there must be a 

 material difference between the ao;iicultural opera- 

 tions proper to two countries so situated, so far as 

 those operations can be affected by climate. To 

 give one instance ; — Indian corn it is ascertained 

 cannot be jjrown in any country where the ther- 

 mometer ior more than one month is not above 

 70°, and that in a temperature of 75° or 80° it ar- 

 rives at its greatest perfection. This is the rea- 

 son why, notwithstanding all the eflorts made to 

 introduce corn into Great Britain, it has proved a 

 complete failure. It is not killed with the frost 

 there as here, but the degree of heat will not 

 bring it to maturity during the summer months. 

 Cobbett was confident he should succeed, and did 

 grow some tolerable crops of early Canadian, but 

 like some trees which flourish and mature their 

 seeds here, but will not ripen in England, the corn 

 would not in all cases mature so as to vegetate, 

 and, spite of his boastings, he was compelled to 

 abandon the culture. On the contrary, wheat is a 

 crop that requires a lower temperature than maize, 

 and is not adapted to a hot dry climate. Great 

 Britain is therefore one of the best wheat countries 

 on the globe, and perhaps produces, in proportion 

 to the land in tillage, a greater amount than any 

 other. The low temperature and moist climate of 

 England is found to agree with this plant perfect- 

 ly. ° Scotland is too cold ; but no part of the Island 

 is too hot, as is the case with no inconsiderable 

 portion of our southern states. 



In another important resjject the climate of the 

 two countries exercises a decided influence, and 

 that is the planting and growth of timber or orna- 

 mental trees. Mr. Prince of the Linnean Garden 

 at Flushing, remarks on the acclimation of trees, 

 " that the deciduous trees of Portugal, Italy, and 

 Spain ; and of South Carolma, Georgia, and Lou- 

 isiana, will endure the winters of New York, 

 when the evergreens from the same places perish 

 if unprotected. Though in England where the 

 winters are moderate these survive and flourish, 

 while from the want of heat in their summers, 

 many of the deciduous trees do not ripen their 

 wood sufficiently to support their climate in win- 

 ter; whereas beneath the powerful sun of our 

 country, the wood becomes so well matured, that 

 it, in many instances, resists the rigor of our win- 

 ters uninjured. A consideration of these circum- 

 stances, and effects of climate, may greatly aid 

 those concerned in the acclimation of trees." In 

 the work on Planting published in London, speak- 

 in"" of American forest trees, the following re- 

 marks are made. "But the oaks of North Ameri- 

 ca, claim the deepest attention of the ornamental 

 planter. Ranging through many degrees of lati- 

 tude, and growing at difl'erent elevations, conse- 

 quently under much variety of climate, some of 

 them are hardy with us, some tender, but all ab- 

 horrent of wet or clayey soils. Deprived of the 



cloudless sun, and high temperature of an Ameri- 

 can summer and autumn, they cannot ripen their 

 shoots sufficiently to be fi'ost proof except in warm 

 places and soils of a light nature." 



As an instance of the effect of climate on trees 

 we may mention the Platanus occidentalis, the 

 common sycamore, or buttonwood, of our forest ; 

 a tree which every one knows fringes the margin 

 or most 01 our streams, and rears its majestic 

 trunks in the rich alluvion of all parts of our coun- 

 try, one of the hardiest and most rapid growing 

 forest trees of the northern states ; yet of this 

 tree, the work on planting to which we have re- 

 ferred says, "that it has proved incompetent to 

 withstand the spring frosts, sunless summers, and 

 clouded autumns of England. About twenty 

 years ago a great proportion of the individuals in 

 England, without respect to age or bulk, were kill- 

 ed outright by a spring Irost. Since then we have 

 seen them repeatedly injured, and, when half re- 

 covered by the operation of a summer of more 

 than average warmth, again replunged into the 

 same state of debility." 



To this difference in climate must be attributed 

 the difficulty we have found in the United States 

 of growing hedges from such shrubs or trees as 

 are used in England lor this purpose. From wit- 

 nessing their excellent effect, and beautiful ap- 

 pearance there, it was perfectly natural that we 

 should adopt the same plants for the same purpose 

 here, but after the repeated and persevering efforts 

 of fifty years, it may be questioned whether there 

 are five miles of tolerable hedge from imported va- 

 rieties of thorn or holly plants, in the United 

 States. The difference between the moist, tem- 

 perate, and equable climate of England, and the 

 hot, dry, variable climate of this country, seems to 

 have been overlooked ; when a recollection of this 

 fact would have convinced any one acquainted 

 with the physiology of plants, thar our seasons 

 must be fatal to English hedges. Whether there 

 are any of our native plants that will supply this 

 desideratum, remains to be seen. 



Not immediately connected with agriculture, 

 but still closely associated with its prosperity, is 

 the effect of climate on roads. In England all the 

 principal roads are Macadamized or covered with 

 a thin layer of finely broken stone, that uniting by 

 its own ansles forms a pavement of rock imper- 

 vious to water and smooth as a floor. Vast sums 

 of money and labor have been spent in this coun- 

 try in attempting to give some of our principal 

 roads such a surface, but mostly without success. 

 The frosts of our winters penetrate below any coat 

 of metal thai can be applied, and the lifting and 

 heaving thus produced will break up and destroy 

 the pavement annually. There can be no doubt 

 that more labor and stone broken, has been ap- 

 plied on the Seneca turnpike between Utica and 

 Canandaigua, than on any similar road in Eng- 

 land ; yet while one is as smooth as if composed 

 of solid rock, the other for some months in the 

 year is almost impassable. This is owing to the 

 greater intensity of our frost ; and in constructing 

 our roads, by overlooking this difference of cli- 

 mate, or not properly guarding against it b}' deep 

 and effective draining, we have followed a system 

 not adapted to our country. Against this additional 

 difficulty our lines of rail road must contend, and 

 any system of construction that shall place them be- 

 yond the action of frost, will be a national benefit. 



