1S38] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



765 



than nny oilier, still, for want of all the ananpre- 1 highly important and valuable to the nianulactur- 

 nietits iind means so long and systematically used ing and trading interests of the slate. In very 



by others, he could noi l.y possibility sell as many 

 copies as would pay hall' the cost. These tnilhs 

 are so well known to all coi-nectcd wiih the trade, 

 that it is very rarely, and under some very pecu- 

 liar circumstances, that any printer in Virginia 

 will dare to publish a book for sale ; and even 

 every southern author, to get his work before the 

 public, either for his honor or his profit, must, of 

 necessity, submit to have it issued, and introduced 

 to his own state, by a norlhern publisher, even 

 though he could have the printing done as cheaply, 

 and more laithfully, at home. 



It may be considered that the means of remedy 

 proposed tor this evil condition of things, are very 

 leeble, and would be but slightly operative. This 

 is admitted ; but nevertheless, as an auxiliary or 

 even single means of diffusing agricultural know- 

 ledge, the measure would be as important as its 

 exercise would be cheap. Suppose the exercise 

 of governmental encouragement and economy 

 united, was limited to the expenditure of the re- 

 gular annual cost of books, of S^3500, which 

 might serve to supply enough asjricultural reading 

 books to all the primary schools for lour years 

 use, and (supposing books for reading to be one- 

 half of all furnished,) this would save to the fund 

 just half that amount, or ,^1750. So much of the 

 effect, the saving of expense, it is presumed 

 would not be objected to by the most frugal and 

 sparing, or most fastidious of legislators. Sup- 

 pose for greater cheapness, the agricultural tracts 

 to be issued in the usual form of the religions 

 tracts, or as neat and well covered pamphlets, and 

 at the ample price of half a mill per page, and 

 $3500 would pay for 10,000 copies of as many 

 works as would amount to 500 pages altogether; 

 or any one book of 100 pages would cost only five 

 cents the copy. This would be lor one, and so 

 small a matter, a great saving to the education 

 fund, and to agriculture a great benefit, in the 

 wider diffusion of so much instruction. 



Further : if the books to be thus republished by 

 order of the state, were judiciously selected by a 

 pompelent tribunal, (which of course ought to be 

 done,) and were as suitable for the use of schools 

 as any others, their great cheapness and high 

 character would insure their being received into 

 all schools of the state, if not of other southern 

 states. And for the chance of meeting this ad- 

 ditional supply, the publisher could afford to issue 

 many thousands of copies more than the state 

 had contracted for. Thus the joint benefits of 

 spreading agricultural instruction, the guarding 

 against unnecessary expense on the part of thou- 

 sands of private individuals, and the building up 

 a profitable manufacture, and both a home and 

 export trade, would all be aided, by the same mea- 

 sure, and more and more with the continuance of 

 the system. Views of economy and profit would 

 alone soon make manifest the advantage of ex- 

 tending such a mode of publication to the best of 

 other kinds of books needed in schools ; and even 

 if public spirit did not forward the result, private 

 interest and economy would soon cause these 

 cheap and standard books to be sought Ihr, and 

 used in every southern school. Putting aside the 

 more important considerations of aiding the dif- 

 fusion of knowledge, and especially of agricul- 

 tural knowledge, this anticipated result would be 



arge editions, the mere cost of" the blank paper 

 becomes the greater part of the whole expense ; 

 and, therelbre, if the gross amount of §100,000 

 should ultimately be so received by the publishers 

 of cheap books, more than §50,000 of that 

 amount would be paid to our paper n)anuf;ictories. 

 This is also a matter of no small importance to 

 the manulacturing and commercial interests of 

 Virginia ; and well worth the consideration and 

 care of the legislature, even if the interests of edu- 

 cation and of agriculture are altogether disre- 

 garded. 



EXTRACTS FROM THE AIJDRESS TO THE AG- 

 RICULTURAL SOCIETY OF FREDERICKS- 

 BURG, ON ITS 21ST ANNIVERSARY. 



By Jaines M. Garncit, President. 



Another experiment was with the Irish potato^ 

 by drawing the shoots fi-om the whole tubers when 

 they were about l()ur or five inches lon<r, and set- 

 ting them as is now generally done in the Caro- 

 linas, with the sweet potato. The drought and 

 heat again prevented me from ascerlainiiig more 

 than the tbllo wing liicts : that the shoots or sprouts 

 will grow with as much certainty as cabbage 

 plants — will produce quite as much (at least they 

 did so in this trial,) as the whole roots ; and that 

 the practice will save both some seed and labor; 

 for the shoots can be drawn and set somewhat 

 sooner than the whole potatoes can be cut into- 

 small pieces, dropt and covered. In regard to this 

 crop it is worth mentioning, that it failed in every 

 part of the state from which I have received an^'^ 

 accounts, except in two cases in my own neiof- 

 borhood. In both these, after the ground was 

 well prepared, the potatoes were deeply covered 

 with straw or leaves, and left undisturbed until 

 they were dug. Both [)roduced, as 1 have been 

 assured, quite as^ well as usual, and the fact, 1 

 think, proves conclusively, that this method is best; 

 at least to the extent to which our own farms will 

 furnish straw and leaves enough to cover the po- 

 tatoes, since the mere labor of collecting and co- 

 vering will not exceed, if indeed it will equal, that 

 of the culture usually given in any of the other 

 methods. The covering plan saves all work, but 

 the first, at the same time that it manures the 

 land, and secures that degree ol" moisture without 

 which no cultivated crop can long withstand the 

 effects of those frequent and excessive droutrjits 

 to which our climate has been subject for sev'eral 

 years past. Our sufieringe li'om this agricultural 

 scourge, especially during the past season, have 

 thorour^hly convinced me of the following facts : 

 that guinea-grass, lucerne and orchard-gra.<s, (as 

 in the order named,) resist drought better than 

 any others yet known to me ; and that the single 

 coulter, freely used, during the early growth%f 

 corn, is worth all other implements in present use 

 put tojrether, for protectinij it against the destruc- 

 tive influence of long continued dry and hot wea- 

 ther. 



The experiment from which I expected most 

 advantase was made with six varieties of white 

 corn— all said by their respective adnn'rers to be 



