108 



THE GENESEE FARMER, 



AN INrERESTlNa LSirEE FEOM PKOFESSOS LEE 



Influence of A^riruUural Papers. — The Gexesee Far- 

 mer a cheap Eiiuralioti I Institution. — Premiums for 

 Short Essay 1. — Chinese Sui;ar Cane. — Corn Stalks and 

 Cotton Seed for Cows. — Climate and Soil of Georgia. 



Athens. Ga., Feb. 2;). 18:)7. 



Frirnd Harris : — Since I have been cull i vat iiif;; 

 the soil in uppjr Geurgia, I have read tlie Genesee 

 Fanner with increased interest to avail myself of the 

 many valuaV)le sugy:eslions which it contains. It is 

 a inarvel to tne how sensible men enijatred in tillage 

 of any kind or instoek-husbandi^.so often deny them- 

 selves the advantaffes placed within their roach by 

 the numerous agricultural papers ol" the dc*y. Such 

 neglect is ia many respects a piblic mislbriune; for 

 it not only diminishes the aggregate uealth of the 

 country, compared with what it would be if all farm 

 ers both read and labored to improve, but it tends to 

 keep them in ignorance to their gieat discredit, and 

 to the lasting injury of society. JJow to accoinpli.sli 

 a perfect reform in this matter has lonir been the sub- 

 ject, of thought and study with the writer; ami I am 

 pleased wiih your plan of ofierinir small premiums for 

 short oriiiinal comnninieations on a variety of faj-m- 

 ing processes most familiar to your readers, and easy 

 to discuss. This can hardly fail to impart Jiddilinnal 

 interest to your paper, and increaee its cirt-ulMtioii; 

 and I trust every friend of progie.'-s in agricnltnriil 

 knowledge, ami of inif)rnvement in nuinkind, who 

 now takes the Genesee Fanner, will cooperate with 

 you in enlarging its already wide sphere of usefulness. 

 If the "mite" of the poor widow was acceptable and 

 valua!)le on many accounts, as evincing an excellent 

 heart, and a true christian di.-positidii, letnoone with- 

 hold hi.> (•ontril)uiion to the rural literature of the dis 

 tinguislied age in which he lives. 'J'o youu« per.eons 

 of biith sexes, few accompiihhments are more desira- 

 ble than the ability to wiite propeilyfor the f)re.-s; 

 and this etpially : gr eable and useful attainment, iw 

 acoquir il only l\v practice and due care in lefeience 

 alike to t//t/»J is wriiten, and how h is written. In 

 America, more persons can speak and write with 

 nearly gi-Hmmatical accuracy than in any other ])art 

 of the world; and as a const(juence, we have more 

 popular orator,-!, and a larger number of iiew.-paj)ers 

 than all the rest of the liuman f.imily. To cultivate 

 this ho"Oiab|e feature of our rt'pnblican in.«tiintions. 

 and still farther elevatelhe maa>e.s, who till the earth, 

 what Ri-liool is liHtterihan that, cheaj)est of all schools 

 for ailults, the Genepee Farmer ? 



As an old and bumble pupil, who has learned much 

 from its enlightened correspomlence during the last 

 tweniy-iive years, 1 cherish for it a proluund rcL'ard 

 aw 1)11 educational institution. Viewed in this Sight, 

 It IrdS all the claims that age, chara ter. and good 

 conduit ever impart to public .^vinpathy tind support. 

 Tiirough the medium of its monllily visits, thousands 

 and tens of thousands may teach <>ue another the 

 sound [)racMcal wisdom that grows up from the eul 

 tivated comti'on sen.-^e of persona earnestly devoted 

 to a noble ami common cnllinir. This is levcliiij: a 

 whole comniutiity vpimrd. without piillino- down otK^ 

 member trf so(;iety. It lusters a close dbservaiioii of 

 all au.ricuitnral iiitert'stp juid f)ractices. and a livelier 

 •ppfeciation of both their merits am! their dtifeet.s to 

 extend the one. and corieet the oihtr. }^npp(>se all 

 the Mind, now le>s th«n half tievelopvd, that is em- 

 ployed in tillage, husbandry, Uorlicuiluie, and tiuit- 



culture, in the United States, were as fully enlighten- 

 ed as is clearly practicable? Who does Jiot see the 

 benehts that must, in that case, accrue to this young, 

 growing, and aspiring republic? As one of its citi- 

 zens, 1 would not neglect the duty of reading and 

 studying to learn, nor that of extending a word of 

 encouragement to my brother farnieis that they may 

 do likewise. All must learn before they can teach; 

 and nearly all have learnt many lessons from experi- 

 ence, if not otherwise, which enable them tu instruct 

 others in some things that are worth knowing. 



Not to prolong these introductory reffiarks, I would 

 stale that the cultivation of the Chinese Sutjar Cane 

 is just now the most favored theme of discussion 

 among progressive planters. In the south part of 

 this Stale, two crops from one planting are grown in 

 a year. 1 saw ripe seed at Savannah last autumn 

 from the second growth of the plants, just as a second 

 crop of clover is often produced, with manure seed, at 

 the North. The .«yrup of the Chinese cane has kept 

 well up to this lime, and rei^enibles that made from 

 the sap of the maple tree in taste more than the syrup 

 obiained from the common sugar cane of Louisiana. 

 It is to be regretted^ that the saccharine matter in 

 this recently introduced cane is not, when expressed, 

 in a condition to ciystalize, or only partly in that 

 state. It is in the chemical condition of maple sugar 

 after the buds of the tiee are somewhat developed, 

 when the sy.up refa.ses to "grain," or granulate. In 

 a word, the sugar is partly that of grapes in charac- 

 ter, and partly that of the profier sugar cane, and 

 crystal izable. As a forage plant, and especially for 

 soiling cows, it jiromises to supersede corn. 



I spent a part of the months of November and 

 December in W^ashington, and saw the crops grown 

 to sup{)!y the Patent Office with seed, and was satis- 

 tied irom personal ol)servat!on that Mr. Browne, (the 

 successor of the writer in taking charge of the Agri- 

 (iultural Department of that Bureau.) has rendered 

 tlie country an important service, by introducing the 

 seed of this new suuar plant fiom Fiance, where it 

 first attracted his attention. Mr. WHrrxKY, the first 

 projector of the Paciiic Railway, raised most of the 

 seed for government distributicm. lie Keeps a fine 

 herd of cows, and .^ells milk in the federal metropolis; 

 and such was the obvious value of the Chinese cane 

 fur dairy purposei^ and fattening dry cows, avS to leave 

 no doubt in my mind that the plant is a great acqui- 

 sition to tlie country. Members of congress will dis- 

 tribute somethinsr over one hundred bu.hels of the 

 .'seed; and it is to be hoped that it will fall into good 

 hands, bnch cs liave if, should plant it on good land, 

 and not too closely so as to injure the lull maturity 

 of tlie seed. The writer will plant, and cause to be 

 plant* d. over sixty acres this season. Mr. Petkrs, 

 who made several barrels of the syrup last \ear, will; 

 plant. I am told, one hundred acre.e. Soutliern plant*: 

 ers will oive the crop a fair trial soon. In this quar'ter> 

 of ihe Union, where hay is so expensive, a good sub- 

 stitute for Ijtgii-h era.-j.'jes is a great desii^eiatum.— 

 T made a good sized barn fnll of corn hpy last season, 

 which answers all rny expectations this winter. That 

 and cotton seed keep cows in fine condition. Their 

 butler, however, is very white: but the seed gives it 

 no unpleasant taste. Not raisinir any co ton, I pay 

 ten cents a bushel for seed, which yiekls excellent 

 manure. 



'I'his region is favored with nn admirable climate^ 

 having pure air and water, and a mediuai tenvpera* 



