448 



FARMERS' R E G t S T j . i ' . 



[No. 7 



incurring so much trouble to comply with these de- 

 mands, present or to come, except the distant prospect 

 held out above, that after all the service lias been per- 

 formed, the writer may possibly subscribe for the 

 Farmers' Register — and that inducement even if mul- 

 tiplied twenty-fold, is not sufficient to engage the ser- 

 vices required, with such "becoming diffidence." 



When the eccentric Dr. Abernethy was waited on 

 and consulted by persons suffering under disorders of 

 the stomach, on which he had published a treatise, he 

 would often for his guineafee return a shilling, with only 

 the advice, "Take this and buy my book, and you will 

 find in it all that I can tell you." If we may be ex- 

 cused for copying the manner of this great man, we 

 would reply (but without a prescription fee) in the 

 same words, to those who ask such advice as the 

 above.] 



TUKICATA CORN. 



To the Editor of the fanners' Register. 



Columbia, (S. C.,) Sept. 2Glh, 1335. 



* * 1 send you a few grains ol 



a curious kind of com. It may not be a stranger 

 to you; for I have, known it for three or four years, 

 anil though strange, it is not, that I know of, of 

 any particular advantage to the cultivator of it. Ii 

 is possible that its particular utility may yel be 

 found out. The (ew grains enclosed in thii 

 were taken from one of the common ears, which, 

 when looked upon with the shuck on, appear ex- 

 actly like any other kind of common corn; but, as 

 you see, each grain is, besides the external shuck 

 that envelopes the whole ear, wrapped up each in 

 a shuck to itself; and so is the case with every 

 grain of the ear. It must be averyprecious grain, 

 that Dame Nature takes such special care in pro- 

 tecting it. The ears are of the usual size and 

 appearance. This corn has, however, another pe- 

 culiarity, which is, that almost every tassel is also 

 furnished with grain. I send you, about the 

 10th or 15th part of one of the tassels, or small 

 blossoms with the grains on. You will observe 

 that the grains ol" the tassels are all round. I in- 

 tend to plant a few grains of it to see what it will 

 come to, and if it will produce the same kind of 

 corn as the grain from the ears. I should like 

 very much to have an opportunity of sending you 

 a full ear and a full tassel of it. 



N. HERBEJIOST. 



[This corn (though larger) is of the kind described 

 at page 75, Vol. II., as the Tunicata, a product of Par- 

 aguay, and supposed to be the original kind, from 

 which all the numerous varieties of corn have pro- 

 ceeded. Each branch of the tassel of this, as appears 

 from the portion sent by Mr. Herbeinont, approaches 

 somewhat in form to a head of wheat or rye, many of 

 the receptacles for the fecundating farina enclosing per- 

 fect grains.] 



FACTS WASTING. 



We take the liberty of reminding all of the many 

 practical farmers who have heretofore contributed to 

 our pages, (and would be glad if our wishes could 

 operate on the far greater number who have not given 

 any such aid—) that the Farmers' Register has latter- 

 ly exhibited a deficiency of practical matter, or of 



facts, the result of observation or experiment — and we 

 earnestly request that such deficiency may not be per- 

 mitted long to remain. It is not that we undervalue 

 pieces of general reasoning and speculation, or that we 

 are not thankful for all contributions of that cha 

 But if a comparison is to be made of the respective 

 amounts of value, as o] on the community, 



there is no doubt of the superior influence and effect 

 intents of facts. The preference for such mat- 

 ter, with very many, unfortunately extends much too 

 far — so far indeed, that false facts are permitted to 

 have more weight than the most correct abstract or 

 theoretical reasoning. Without justifying this degree 

 of preference— or yielding our own preference for rea- 

 soning unsupporb'd : o apparent facts unsup- 

 ported by reasoning — we repeat to our corresp. 

 thai their statements of useful practical results, howe- 

 ver concise and (taken separately) however trivial, 

 will be more generally and attentively read, and will 

 ■ have more beneficial effect, than perhaps any 

 thing else that could be communicated. Hundreds of 

 such useful facts have probably been observed ami 

 noted, even duringthe growth o{' the last crops — and 

 hundreds of our readers could at once furnish still ear- 

 lier observations of useful facts, which now remain on 

 their memorandum books, or merely in their memory, 

 useless to all but themselves. We hope that the next 

 No. will show a more general disposition to draw on 

 ■ ■lives- and thai no new fact will be deemed 

 too trifiingto be communicated, if it was ol an} value 

 server, and is not generally known to others. 



SEASON AND CROPS. 



The commencement of cold weather, accom] 

 by killing frosts, was unusually early. Much grow- 

 ing tobacco has been injured or destroyed. The mid- 

 dle and latter parts of October were warm, while its early 

 part and the last days of September were uncommonly 

 cold. The season and state of the earth have 

 very favorable for putting in the seed wheat in good 

 order and in good time — and the very early frosts may 

 be considered as some security (if any can be at all 

 relied on.) against the attacks of the Hessian Fly. 

 No seed had suffered from weevil — and so far, every 

 thing has favored the preparation for the next crop of 

 wheat. 



The crop of corn, notwithstanding the unusual luxu- 

 riance of growth, will (as we foretold in our remarks 

 two months ago,) fall far short of the general expecta- 

 tion. At least, such is the report of crops in our neigh- 

 borhood — and the effect may be inferred to be a 

 eral and uniform as was the cause, viz: the unusually 

 moist weather of the summer. The price of corn 

 (old) still keeps as high as $4.50 the barrel in the 

 Richmond market — though some crops of new, near 

 Williamsburg, (belonging to persons about to move out 

 of the state,) have been engaged by purchasers at #2. 

 Wheat has kept for the last month above $1.25 — more 

 of ten $1.30 — and both red and white wheats, in the 

 Richmond prices currentof October 27th, are stated as 

 high as $1.35. These are the best proofs of the very 

 short crop, and of the delusive character of the many 

 statements to the contrary which appeared in the news- 

 papers. 



