1S39] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



643 



From this view of tlie case, we will at onoe see 

 the error of the opinion so often expressed, that 

 private farmers cannot afford lo mai<e experiments ; 

 an opinion which has had a very great influence in 

 retarding the progress of agricultural science. It 

 is not necessary, in order to try an experiment, that 

 a farmer should risk his whole crop, or even any 

 considerable part ol" it ; it is lar better that he 

 should not that he should experiment on so small 

 a scale that total failure cannot seriously aHect 

 him. 



Having made these general remarks upon the 

 application of scieniitic |)rinciples lo practical pur- 

 poses, 1 will now attempt to illustrate them, in one 

 or two cases more immediately connected with 

 agriculture. 



In one of the back numbers of the Register, the 

 question is asked, " what is the proper distance at 

 which lo place hills of corn from each other," and 

 in connection with this question, the statement is 

 made that, " the results of experiments are dis- 

 cordant," and that " no satisfactory answer has as 

 yet ever been given." In attempting to settle such 

 a matter as this by experiment, there are several 

 circumstances to be taken into account. The 

 most important are, ist., that a plant in order to 

 to thrive, and more especially to mature its seed 

 well, should be open to the action of air and sun- 

 light, and 2nd., that adjacent plants should not be 

 compelled to draw theirnourishmentfrom the same 

 portion of soil. The reason for each of these di- 

 rections have been given in previous chapters of 

 this essay. Bearing these things in mind, we will 

 at once see why experiments have given discor- 

 dant results, and why no satisfaciory general an- 

 swer has been given to the question proposed, or 

 can ever be given. The corn cultivated in differ- 

 ent parts of this country is not all of the same 

 species, and the difTerent species differ from each 

 other in their height, in the size of their stalks, 

 in the num.ber and size of iheir leaves, &c. If 

 we have two species of corn, one of which grows 

 twice as high as the other, in order that they may 

 enjoy an equal amount of sunshine throughout 

 their whole length, and for an equal portion of the 

 day, ihe taller species must be planted nearly 

 twice as far apart as the shorter one. Then again, 

 soils differ much from each other in their texture ; 

 some are mellow and deep, whilst others are light, 

 and rest upon a stiff sub-soil. Plant the same 

 species of corn in each of these soils, and from the 

 manner in which the root grows, it wiil be at once 

 apparent, that in the first, the tendency will be to 

 strike its roots down, whilst in the other, there will 

 be an equal tendency to spread ihem out near the 

 surface. The roots of two adjacent plants, if we 

 suppose those roots to be of the same length, must 

 run together much sooner in the one case than in 

 the other. The proper distance at which adjacent 

 hills of corn should be placed Irom each other will 

 depend upon both the particular species of corn 

 cultivated, and the nature of the soil in which it 

 grows, and in performing any experiments which 

 shall afford valuable inlbrmation respecting the 

 matter in question, both of these circumstances 

 must be carefully noted. If this has not been done, 

 the results of different experiments will of necessity 

 be discordant. 



In the 20lh chapter of this essay, I have stated 

 the principle, that " plants, as a general thing, 

 resemble their parent plants, i.e. the plants from 



which the seed from which they sprung was ob 

 tained, in form, in texture, in the abundance rich" 

 ness and flavor of tlieir fruit, in their liability to 

 disease, and in fact in almost every particular 

 which can affect their value to man." When thiii 

 principle was stated, it was dismissed for the lime, 

 with the intention of resuming its consideration 'ii\ 

 this place. Let us see if it will admit of any prac; 

 tical application in agriculture. 



One of the most common misfortunes which dis- 

 appoints the wheat-grower's hopes in eastern 

 Virginia, is the rust. This I believe is generally 

 considered, a diseased condition of the stalk pro- 

 duced by a peculiar condition of the atmosphere. 

 If it be true that this disease is owing entirely to 

 the influence of the atmosphere, then any attempt 

 to remedy it must be hopeless. But is this certain- 

 ly the case ? May it not be, that whilst a particular 

 condition of the atmosphere, or a particular kind ol" 

 weather,is the immediate cause of its devclopement, 

 a predisposition to the disease exists in the plant 

 itself? And may not this predisposition to the dis- 

 ease be of a hereditary character ? The fact that 

 the rust is now more common than it was former- 

 ly, seems to ftivor such a supposition. If such 

 should be the case, ilien the most effectual means 

 of preventing the disease, would be lo provide 

 seed-wheat li:om a stock \vhich had never been 

 afiected with the rust. 



There is a striking similarity in all these partic- 

 ulars, between plants and animals. We know 

 that in the case ot man, certain diseases, or rather, 

 to state the case more accurately, a predisposition 

 lo certain diseases, is transmitted from parent to 

 child, whilst the immediate cause of the disease, 

 in each particular case, is entirely of an adventi- 

 tious character. The consumption is of this cha- 

 racter. If we place two children of the same con- 

 sumptive parent, children, so far as we can see, 

 equally predisposed to that disease, the one in 

 liivorable circumstances tor ils devclopement, and 

 the other in unfavorable circumstances, the one 

 will die, whilst the other will survive. Or if we 

 take two children of different parents, one of whom 

 has inherited a predisposition to consumption, 

 whilst the other has inherited a sound constitution, 

 and place them both in circumstances favorable 

 to the development of that disease, the one will 

 die, whilst the other will live to a good old age. 

 So far as we can see, the same law obtains in the 

 vegetable as in the animal kingdom in this par- 

 ticular; at any rate, such is the conclusion lo 

 which observation and experiment would lead us. 

 Why may not the rust be a disease of this charac- 

 ter ; depending lor its development upon a particu^ 

 lar condition of the atmosphere, but the predispo- 

 sition to which, is deep seated in the very con- 

 stitution of the plant 1 I do not mean to assert that 

 such is the case, lor I am not sufficiently acquain- 

 ted with the fact of the case, to make up a decided 

 opinion, though all the facts with which 1 am 

 acquainted would favorthis view of the matter. 

 I mean simply to suggest the question, and in case 

 those better acquainted with the matter should 

 think that this is the fact, to pomt out the proper 

 remedy. 



Again ; " plants as a general thing resemble 

 their parent plapts in the richness and abundance 

 of their seed and fruit, as also in the time of ripen- 

 ing that seed." Some years since I tried an ex^ 

 periment to ascertain to what extent this was true. 



