MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



when of established and pure lineage, by citing 

 the example of illustrioiis men. To other great 

 names he might have added that of the immort- 

 iil Linnaeus, who say.s, among otlier things, "he 

 is the most faitliful of all creatures ; dwells with 

 man ; fawns on his returning lord ; hears not in 

 his memory the stripes he miiicts upon him ; 

 nuis before him on his journey ; looks back at a 

 cross-way, and seeks obediently that which is 

 lost; holds watch by night; aimounces tlie ap- 

 proach of any one. and guards the property." 



"The Farmer's and Emigrant's Hand- 

 book," is an acceptable offering, from the prolific 

 press of Messrs. D. Appleton & Co. distinguish- 

 ed for discrimination and enterprise in "their 

 Une." It has already gone to a second edition, and 

 ought to be valuable,— " comprising the clearing 

 of the forest and prairie land— gardening— fann- 

 ing generally — fan-ieiy — cookery — and the pre- 

 vsn'ion and aire of diseaites !" All these guide 

 books, by the bye, seem to take it for granted, 

 that everj- man fi-oni abroad, is to wend his way 

 to the far West ; as if there were not millions 

 of acres of uncultivated land left in the "old 

 thirteen!" We wish the Southern people 

 would take measures to let Europeans know 

 that there is such a water as the Chesapeake 

 Bay, and such a region as the mountain sides 

 and mountain vallies of cheap and rich land, in 

 a climate so healthy as to need no books to teach 

 either prevention or cure ;— where there are no 

 fevcrs,and where none die of consumption e.xcept 

 Doctors ! If they will provide a conveyance 

 to these lands, and employ a certain " writer, 

 under the signature of William Darby," to 

 write a " guide book," the New- York public 

 works will no longer cany all the emigrants 

 that come to America, through to the lakes on 

 their way to Oregon. 



ly Bocissingault's Work o^ Rural 

 Economy has been well reprinted by D. Apple- 

 ion & Co., and is without doubt a work which 

 well illustrates the existence of- a highly im- 

 proved taste in what concerns the science and 

 the literature of Ag-riculture. True, " Mr. Geo. 

 Law, Agi-iculturist," repudiates the translation, 

 as not being genuine ; but, bating any want of 

 literal accuracy, or nicety in the translation, the 

 book conUiins a ma«s of very valuable informa- 

 tion for every Fanner who desires to keep pace 

 with the progress of scientific development in all 

 that is connected with his pursuit and chief bu- 

 siness in life. 



^., To Mr. S. S. Randall, General Deputy 

 Sni.erint.;ndcnt of the Common Schools of New- 

 York, we are much indebted for a copy of his 

 clear and admirable " Digest of the Common 

 School System," and for the Report of the 

 Superintendent of Common Schools for 

 (110) 



1845, no less for the manner than the matter of 

 tlie offering. Well dofcs this volume accomplish 

 the "design" of the author, as thus announced 

 in the preface : — 



"A historical sketch of the origin and progress 

 of the system from its inception to the present 

 period, accompanied by a brief e.xpo.sitiou of its 

 present condition, has been annexed to the 

 work, with the design of rendering it more ac- 

 ceptable as well to our own citizens as to those 

 of other portions of the Union, who may feel an 

 interest in tracing the gradual advancement of 

 our legislation on this important subject, and in 

 ascertaining the prominent features of our sys- 

 tem, as moulded by the succes.«ve improve- 

 ments consequent upon an experience of nearly 

 forty years." 



With the concuiTence and hoped-for aid of 

 Mr. R., we shall use these volumes in a manner 

 which may serve to assist the particular efforts 

 of true philanthropists in other States where en- 

 deavors are beginning to be made to establish 

 general and practical systems of education — a 

 matter which is never to be lo.st sight of in all 

 plans for the improvc7nent of the AgricuUvre of 

 the Stales. For as surely as the continued fer- 

 tility of land depends on the naUire of the sub- 

 stratum, .so surely does the .success of every 

 scheme for meliorating the condition of any 

 people, in any and in all their branches of in- 

 dustr\% as well as in their morals, depend on 

 their being well instructed in all that pertains 

 to the occupations on which they are to rely for 

 their support. An ignorant people can never 

 be a prosperous one ; they are ever liable to 

 be abused, for there are always demagogiies 

 and hj-pocrites on the lookout, ready " booted 

 and spurred " to ride them. 



It shall not be our fault, aacording to our poor 

 ability, if the AgriculUiral class does not get its 

 share of knowledge of ^^■hat science is discov- 

 ering and experience putting in practice for 

 their benefit. 



Vegetable Silk.— The latitude of Tripoli, in 

 Barbary, whence this plant was received, is 

 3-2^ 51' 50" North, longitude 13= 11' 4?" East of 

 Greenwich. 



The general result of the meteorological ob- 

 ser\-ations which accompanied the paper on 

 Vegetable Silk was, first, as to Rain : The ag- 

 gregate for the year was 18-05 inches, and the 

 writer says that in fourteen years' residence 

 there he does not recollect ever seeing a long- 

 continued rain, nor a day of " entire cloudiness." 

 As to Heat, the maximum was in July 106^ 

 Fahrenheit; the minimum 42^ in Januarj-. 



There are other meteorological \-iew8 pre- 

 sented in this table, such as observations on the 

 Winds and Currents, which may piove in- 

 teresting to Professor Silliman, Mr. Espy and 

 others, whose researches have contributed to 



