THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



405 



oat is sometimes cultiva'.oJ, but I know no advan- 

 tage which it has over any other. 



Hye appears to be scarcely cultivated here. I 

 saw in my journey only one field. Where as 

 much wheat can be ot)iaitif(l as rye, lioni the 

 same extent of land and with no greater expense 

 oC cultivation, the superior value ol' the wheal 

 product leaves no ground /'or hesitation as to 

 which to choose. 



JBarley. —Ol' barley I saw many fieKis, and 

 some very heavy. The average yield stated to 

 me was "2S bushels. Wm. Garbut, of Wheat- 

 land, gives me as the average product of his 

 (ieids, Ibriy bushels. He sows the double in pre- 

 ference to the four rowed barley, and considers 

 one bushel of barley as lood for any stock, equiva- 

 lent 10 a bushel ol' corn. Some extensive fields 

 on the Genesee flats must yield more than forty 

 bushels to the acre. The breweries in the 

 country formerly created a large demand for 

 barley, but the progress of temperance has great- 

 ly abated this demand. 



Peas.— Peas are considerably cuhivated, and 

 under successful management yield forty bushels 

 per acre. This, however, is an extraordinary 

 yield. They are mainly cultivated for stock, the 

 grain being quite equal to corn lor sheep, and the 

 haum, when well saved, is as nutritious and as 

 much relished as any long feed which can be 

 given them. A pea called the grass pea i found 

 growing in two instances, in the one for the use 

 of bees, for which purpose it was sown broadcast 

 and much esteemed ; in the other, as matter o( 

 experiment, in order to ascertain its yield and its 

 value. It did not promise much. 



Indian corn. — This may be considered as a 

 rare crop in the Genesee valley, and the cultiva- 

 tion of it inferior. Mr. Wadsworth gave it as 

 his opinion that the average yield was not over 

 25 bushels per acre; but Mr. Bond, an experi- 

 enced and intelligent farmer, stated that with 

 good cultivation fifty and seventy-five bushels per 

 acre might be had, and he had himself known 

 instances of 116 bushels per acre. Indian corn 

 is evidently not a favorite, and is lairly distanced 

 by its great competitor, wheat. There may, in 

 the condition of the maiket and various local cir- 

 cumstances, be good reasons for this ; but when 

 the value of the grain and the value of an acre 

 of well-cured corn Ibdder are both considered, 

 when sheep, or horses, or horned cattle are kept, 

 I believe that the corn crop deserves much more 

 attention than it receives. 



1 was surprised at the statement of Mr. Brooks 

 of Brooksgrove in Mount Morris, that corn, to use 

 his own expression, will not grow there upon 

 newly cleared land, even when it has been burnt 

 over; and that the land must be sometimes under 

 cultivation belbre a crop of corn can be produced. 

 This is contrary to almost universal experience in 

 other places, where newly cleared and burnt land 

 is considered highly favorable to corn. 1 am at 

 a loss to account (or this, but I cannot demur to 

 BO high authority. Large crops of wheat are 

 obtairied here. The growth is principally oak on 

 the high lands, with some sprinkling of hickory ; 

 on the lower and moist lands we find much rock 

 maple and elm. 



Potatoes are not largely cultivated. They are 

 valuable tor seep ; but the present prices of pork 

 and beef give no encouragement to their cultiva- 

 tion for awine or cattle. That potatoes are much 



more valuable lor sheep and catile than ruta baga, 

 I have no doubt ; but as many bushels are not 

 usually obtained on the same extent of land ; and 

 the care of preserving and ihe cost of seed, and 

 the labor of harvesting la vor strongly the cultiva- 

 tion of ruta baga in preference. 



Esculent vegetables — In so hasty an excursion 

 through the country and so superficial a view as 

 was m my power, it would be presumptuous in 

 me to speak with confidence on any subject con- 

 nected with the husbandry of the country, or 

 think to afford much knowledge in relation to it. 

 I can only say that I saw but a sini^le instance of 

 the cultivation of esculent veiietables lor stock. 

 This was on the farm of Mr. Garbut in Wheat- 

 land, who had several acres in carrots, beets and 

 mangel wurizel. I must leave it to some other 

 occasion to discuss the pros and cons in relation to 

 this matter. 



Oi'flax, I saw only one field, and that at the Sha- 

 ker village in Groveland. It appeared well. The 

 habits of this industrious people, who, as a gene- 

 ral rule and as far as it can be done, produce and 

 manufacture all their own clothing, lead them to 

 the cultivation ol flax, which is in a great measure 

 abandoned by other farmers. This crop I am 

 persuaded might be cultivated to advantage by 

 many farmers. Where 300 lbs. ol lint and Ibur- 

 leen bushels of seed can be obtained to an acre, 

 and this is not uncommon under good cultivation, 

 the crop will yield an ample compensation for its 

 expense. 



FOREST TREES. 



From the Cultivator. 



It must be a subject of astonishment, to observe 

 the wonderful intermixture and seemingly insepa- 

 rable connexion between both moral and physical 

 good and evil — to see that the same thing which 

 we at one time dread with abhorrence, at another 

 time, and perhaps under a little diflerent circum- 

 stances, becomes a sutject of pleasing admiration. 

 We often hear heart-rending tales ol the gloomy 

 and dismal forest, and yet to a person o/ good 

 taste, there are no charms in the compass of 

 nature's works, surpassing those of the forest. 



The emigrant to a unsettled country, looks upon 

 the trees as so many savage enemies, which he 

 must conquer and exterminate before he can hope 

 for the enjoyment of peace and tranqu'llity. When 

 other emigrants settle around him, and they be- 

 gin to direct their united efforts towards arriving 

 at a state of civilization, they see nothing in their 

 mind's eye, but cultivated fields, with meadows 

 and pastures, with all the stumps eradicated, and 

 not a single cluster of trees to interrupt the view. 

 If a single patch is left lor firewood, it is often 

 sneered at, as it is cheaper to buy wood than to 

 devote the ground to its incumbrance. 



But the population increases, perhaps becomes 

 a city. The demand for firewood increases, and 

 timber is wanted in all the various departments of 

 ship and house building, and every patch of forest 

 vanishes before the footsteps of cultivation, like 

 patches of snow belbre the vernal sun&hine, until, 

 as is the case in some countries in Europe, and 

 even in some parts of this country, every piece of 

 timber has to be brought from great distance, if 

 not even imported from a foreign country, and 

 coal dug from the earth for fuel. 



