822 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



We have thus gone over ihe most common 

 growths among us, and endeavored to point out 

 the qualities of soil they rcspeclively indicate. 

 In conciueion, we would say, il" land in the in- 

 terior is wished, make poplar and walnut the first 

 trees to be sought for. iC you cannot get land with 

 those — look (or ash — magnolia — sassalras, of 

 large size — beech, or large sized white oaks. 

 As a third choice, take land with large red oaks 

 and hickories. It' you want a dry sandy soil, 

 look lor scrubby black jacks and liickories — if a 

 tenacious wet one, look for post oaks or willow 

 oak. If you go among pine, take first the land 

 which has large trees, scattering and intermixed 

 with other growth — and leave as the last chance 

 such spots as grow no other tree, particularly if 

 they are snsall. If you go into the swamp — look 

 first ol' all lor what are called the cane prairies— 

 spots covered with cane ol a large growth, with 

 the timber so scattering as to look almost as if 

 it had been cleared. The only rule of choice in 

 our swamps is generally the elevation of the 

 ground and its freedom irom over-flow. All our 

 swamp land nearly is rich alike — and where free 

 I'rom over-flow, is exceedingly productive. A 

 stiff cane brake of large high cane, is one of the 

 best marks of high land, and those cane prairies 

 are nearly infallible. Look too (or those kinds of 

 trees which we have specified as growing only 

 on high land ; and avoid trees that have a great 

 inequality between the size, a little above the 

 roots, and the size of the main stem — such as 

 spring from the ground as if they would make a 

 large tree, but fall off at a few (eet in height, to 

 perhaps less than half the size of the but. Avoid 

 too, on the other hand, trees which have no fall- 

 ing off from their size at the ground — such as 

 appear like immense piles driven down into the 

 eanh. That appearance is given to them by the 

 settling of the dirt around them, caused by fre- 

 quent over-flows. The roots of euch trees may 

 be many feet below Ihe surface. See that the 

 roots are to be traced plainly on the surface with- 

 out being covered in this way. Look too to see 

 if the leaves which have fallen annually, have 

 accumulated and lie evenly on the surface, with- 

 out being washed off or lodged against trees and 

 bushes, by the currents of an over-flow. Avoid 

 such lands as have the appearance of numerous 

 hog-beds — little hills and hollows over the sur- 

 fijce. This is occasioned by currents, which in 

 over-flow drift the earth into these inequalities. 



We firmly believe, however, that the time is 

 not a century ott, when every foot of the immense 

 bottoms of the JVlississippi will be redeemed to 

 cultivation, and be found valuabfe. 



MOREL FARMS IN FRANCE. 



By Martin Doyle. 



(From " A Cyclopffidia of Practical Husbandry and Rural 

 Afl'airs in general.") 



There are in France three large model farms, 

 supported chiefly by contributions from individuals, 

 or by the zeal and liberality of a single person, as 

 in the instance of the school at DoviJle, hear Nancy, 

 of which that eminent farmer, M. Dombasle, is 



the founder and director. Grignon (founded in 

 1827) is the chief, having 1,100 acres of varied 

 soil in connexion with it. Giignon is one of the 

 royal demesnes, and the present king, anxious to 

 promote the interests of agriculture, gave the 

 buildings and land lor forty years to the society 

 which had been lormed of many of the nobility and 

 great proprietors, by whom the sum of 600,000 

 (rancs was funded as a capital, in shares of 1,200 

 francs each. The only condition on the part oi'ihe 

 crown is, that at the expiration ol the term the im- 

 provements ehail be the property ol the crown. At 

 this great seminary there aie two classes of pupils, 

 as at Hohenheim. We are informed by John 

 Evelyn Denison, esq., that the best implements 

 from England and Germany are put to irial at 

 Grignon, and that the best systems of husbandry 

 are (bllowed, under the guidance of an able pro- 

 lijssor ; theory and practice going hand in 

 hand. 



The internal pupils pay ftom 30Z. to 60/. a year 

 each, and the external from 8L to 20/. Diplomas 

 are granted after a public examination, and the 

 shortest course occupies two years. The same gen- 

 tleman has itilormed the public that the three chief 

 veterinary schools at Allorl, Toulouse, and Lyons, 

 afl'ord a course of education which lasts four years. 

 Botany and chemistry, as well as anatomy, are 

 taught in those establishments, in which there are a 

 great number of pupils, who are lodged, boarded, 

 and instructed, for 14/. a year ; and as it is intended 

 that they should be instructed in the points of useful 

 practice relating to agriculture, in order to be as 

 serviceable as possible in the farming districts, an 

 establishment of bulls and cows, sheep, pigs, and 

 dogs, is kept up, in order to illustrate the diseases 

 of these animals, and invalided horses are taken in 

 at a moderate rale and treated in the hospital. 



" The departmental model farms, of which there 

 are several, and many of them insignificant, are 

 difl'eren'ly managed. They are principally sup- 

 ported at the expense of the department in which 

 they are established, after previous approval by 

 the prefect. We have inspected one of these 

 useful and inexpensive schools, near Rennes, and 

 ascertained precisely the details of its establish- 

 ment and operation. The farm consists of seven- 

 ty-two acres of arable land, held by lease of fifteen 

 years from a wealthy proprietor, by M. Bodin, 

 who was assisted by the principal authorities of 

 ihe department of He et Vilaine to take the 

 direction of it. M. Bodin had been a pupil at 

 Grignon, and subsequently managed a small 

 farm in a similar capacity, before he obtained the 

 present one, which was in 1837. The rent of the 

 (arm, is 3,500 francs (140/.), of which the de- 

 partment pays 2,000 (rancs, and the director the 

 remainder, with taxes and repairs, which amount 

 to about 500 francs more. He also supplies all 

 capital for improvements, and all outgoings, clears 

 all losses, and of course has all the profits. 



There are in this school twenty pupils, paying 

 12/. a year each ; the department in which the 

 school is situated pays for six, and the govern- 

 ment pays lor the remaining fourteen, who are 

 nominated by the prefects of three other depart- 

 ments in Brittany. In case of dismissals for mis- 

 conduct, the prefects nominate other pupils, and 

 they are unwilling to select youths (rom the towns, 

 or any not accustomed to field labor ; they are 

 generally the sons of well-conducted farmers, and 



