434 



FARMERS' REGISTEK. 



[No. 



for eilk-cullurtt. This precept firet ciuue I'roni Eu- 

 rope, and (loubilcs^ is necessary to lie strictly ob- 

 served in that moist climate. If iioi necessary 

 her*, or at least il' it may be pailially neglected 

 wittiout certain loss— and that tlie experiments of 

 Messrs. Pleasants and Archer go conclusively to 

 establish— the liict furnishes a new proof of the 

 great superiority which we have in the greater dry- 

 ness of our climate, wliich seems to courUeracl the 

 evil of too much moisture in the lood and liller. 

 Without KUf'posing that there is any benejil to lite 

 worms in the water given, there will be a great gain 

 to tlie feeder in his being relieved of all the trouble 

 ofdryinrr, and delay in feeifmL', usually caused 

 when the leaves are made wet by rain. The most 

 interesting part of this statement, is that two suc- 

 cessive generations of worms have been thus It'd 

 almost exclusively on wet leaves. 



Though Mr. Archer is a youttg silk-culUirist, 

 and has had very little opportunity to gain instruc- 

 tion from experience, there is no better authority 

 for facts, and his testimony on this liict is as con- 

 clusive as if he had stored up all the existing 

 knowledge, and errors, to be foiuid in boolcs, and 

 also in old usages. If he hai! l)e<Mi previously 

 mor-^ fully instructed and strongly impressed by all 

 estalilished authority, tie would probably never 

 have made this interesting and useful experiment, 

 of a practice, which all aulh<irs, from Dandolo 

 down to DTIomergue. would have pronoimced 

 an erjr(>gious error, which could not have any 

 other than fiital eflecis. This is is one of the thou- 

 sands of cases, whicli we so nuich wish that all 

 our readers would imitate, in which even a begin- 

 ner, a mere novice in a particular agricultural pur- 

 suit, may make observations ami ascertain (acts, 

 the communication of which will afford new and 

 import'int light to long experienced and the best 

 infbrnT'd culturists. There are very few observ- 

 ing men, who e.armot teach some new and use(ul 

 truths; and there are still fewer, even of the best 

 inlorm<-d f irmers, who are too wise to bo instructed 

 by the commuui<-aiinn. — LOn. I''. R. 



Ill3MAr.«R 0\ Till; I'SKFULMCSS or BIRDS IN 

 y\(,liICl I/n iUC A^■|) GAKUKMNG. 



By a. Old. 



rrinn riOiKloirs (Jarilcnor's Magazinr. 



I have been relkcting much upon the conver- 

 sation which we had together, a lew evenings 

 ago, on the subject of the nseliilness o( birds to 

 agriculture. The larmers of Great Dritain, as well 

 as those of North America, are iulluenced by pre- 

 judices vv'hicii a little investigation of the economy 

 of nature v^'onld tend to remove. The rook ia by 

 many twlftonifvl a noxious bird j and j'cL hiu tsei"- 



vices, in the grub-destroying way, are beyond 

 esimalion. 'I'herc is no Unowiug what would 

 be the disastrous result of liis cxinpation. The 

 common 6|)arrow is a liivourilc bud wuh me. 

 Were 1 an English larmer, 1 sliould eucou;age 

 llus industrious and lively lulle lellow to luUe u[) 

 his al»ode vvitii me, under the full persuasion, 

 that tlie little grain he woulil devour would be 

 more than compensated by the thousands oi'liarm- 

 ful insects that lie would destroy. The spar- 

 rows have entire liberty at Walton Hall, the seat 

 of our friend, Cliarles Watcrton, cj-ip ; but we 

 hear no complaint of their dejiredatiuus. Even 

 ot the choice fruit they take but a little, and this is 

 not begrudged them by tlieir generous protector. 

 When residing in tlie interior oi l'enns)lvunia, 

 I made iui intere-ting ex|)criiiicni. Eemg Ibnd 

 of rearing [jouliry, 1 had a large stock at seed-time, 

 between lour and five hundied domestic lowls. 

 My wheat held was near the house, and my liirmer 

 maintained tliat, unless tlie lowls were locKcd up, 

 there would be no cro[). Not being disposed to 

 imprison my lavoriles, I gave orders to sow a 

 piece of ground alongside the barn, about half an 

 acre, with wheat, lijr the sole use of the poultry. 

 I must conless that I did not suppose many grains 

 woukl have the liberty of vegetation, so thorough 

 a scratching did the place undergo. However, 

 the wheat began to spring, and gave imlioatioiis 

 ot a crop. When the grain was ripe, my farmer 

 said he thought it was worth cutting, as il ap- 

 peared to have received but little injury from the 

 lowls. In short, the damage done liy tlie fowls 

 did not, in our estimation, amount to two bushels 

 oi wheat, whilst we liad the bcneht of the |)roduce 

 of the poultry in eggs and chickens, of far greater 

 value than what they destroyed in the way of 

 grain ; to say noiliing of their invaluable services 

 in the insect-destroying wa}'. My farmer was 

 greatly astonished ; and conlessed thai the hens, 

 as lie called them, were not so destructive as lie 

 had always imagined they were. I must observe 

 that il was my practice to feed regularly my poul- 

 try ; under tlie persuasion that a good meal was 

 (juite as benehcial to the fowls as to myselll Let 

 all those who attend to rural economy pay atten- 

 tion to this matter, and they will find their interest 

 in it. 



In my late journey into Holland, I had the grat- 

 ification of observing the good ft!eling of the Dutch, 

 with respect to the fiiathercd creation. Their fond- 

 ness of the stork is well known ; but they also 

 protect the rook, the jackdaw, the wood pigeon, 

 &c. In Rotterdam, 1 lodged in a hotel, situated 

 on the quay of the Meuse, called the Boompjcs. 

 This (juay is ornamented with a row of venerable 

 trees, which arc inhabited by jackdaws, ringdoves, 

 starlings, and sparrows ; all living in friendship, 

 building their nests and rearing their young, m 

 perl(?ct security. A stranger, unaccustomed to 

 such a spectacle in a busy commercial city, would 

 be surprised, as I certainly was, on being awaked, 

 at early dawn, with the cawing of the daws, the 

 chattering of the starlings, and the cooings of the 

 doves, in a place where no sounds would be ex- 

 pected but those whi<'h are the concomitants of a 

 maritime port. Whilst sitting in my wini'ow, to 

 enjoy lire morning air, the ringdoves would alight 

 within a few feet of me, without manilesting the 

 least alarm ; thereby aflording me an opportunity 

 of admirinij ihc^fracelul form, and glossy plumage, 



