^i)t im-mcr's illmitiili) iHsitor. 



187 



so iis to iniilin llii'in liwir every year. Arcorrliii!;- 

 ly lie si'k'clid ;i certiiiii iniiniier oi' tlieiii, iilid in 

 A|iril scr.-iped iIih roiijjii li:irU fioiii lljcitj, ujislie<l 

 the 111 wit 1 1 soft soa[>, (Mil otViill iiiterlerin;; liraiieli- 

 es, I'ainiiiii; over llio cms vviili uliiu; paijil to 

 kee|i llie water out, and tlieii slit the hark of the 

 hody ill s^everal plai'es Croiii the uroiiiid lo the 

 first liiiilis, so as to prevent their heiii;;' hidehoiiiid. 

 He then, in July, placed a peck of oyster sliell 

 lime at the root of each tiec;, which in Novem- 

 ber was diifr ill. 



The l<'ariiiei''.s Cahiiiet, from which wc ohtain 

 this inforiiialion, slates tliat llie foilowiiii;- year, 

 which was last year, he jralhered from these trees 

 1700 harrels ol' lyiples, and tiiat this year ihey are 

 airaiii heiidiii;;' to the L'^roiiiul with (iaiil. He sold 

 his iipples ill llie iVew York iiiariiet foV .S-1 per 

 liarrel, and the remainder in the London niarkei 

 at ff'J per harrel. This Is ijfviil doinj:. 



Chinese Agricultuiie. — We passed the bat- 

 teries which had so recently been the scene of 

 such dreadful slani^liler, and steinmin.^ a slroiij; 

 current, proceeded rapidly up the river. The 

 country tlirou;.'li which it wends its way was a 

 perfect flat as ihr as ihe eye could reach, and in as 

 lii}.'h a stale of cnliivalion as the niarkel-itardens 

 nroiiud London. Small llirmhoiiscs slood in ev- 

 ery ilirerlion, neatly encircled wilh flower-;!ar- 

 'dens, llie whole nresenlin;.' a perli'Ct pirhire of 

 wealth, ferlilily, industry ami comfort; and when 

 we were informed (a circumstance we had every 

 iT.-.soii to believe perfectly true) that the same 

 Male of thing's existed, not only tiiroii^honl the 

 wlM)le of this, hut of all the iieijilihoriii;; provin- 

 ces, any one of which, as rej;ards ej>Ielit, would 

 make a handsome kinsdoni for a European po- 

 tentate, some sliulit idea may be formed of the 

 endless internal a'iricnltnra! weailh of the Chi- 

 nese empire, and the Utile concern the Emperor 

 of this miahiy coniitry has been accostomed to 

 bestow on foreiuii iiaiioiis, their commerce, trade 

 or any tliinj; else concernins lliein. Nnmerons 

 iniplements of a^ricuhure, which we siipfiosed 

 only lo be known loihomost scientific and hiuh- 

 ly-inslriicled Eurofiean nations, were discovered 

 in great uiimhers, and in constant use anionj? 

 ihi'iii, from the [ilough and common harrow lo 

 the winnow and ihreshiiifr machine, wilh which 

 scarcely any farndjouse, however small) was un- 

 provided. Addi'd lo w hicli,for ihe purpose of irri- 

 fialioii, scarcely any considerable field that ilidnot 

 possess itschain-piiiiip, liirthe purpose of irri^'a- 

 tiii;.'' their crops by drawinj; water from the low- 

 er levels, wilh cmparaiively small labor to liiem- 

 n.dvcs; from which iiioileis 1 have not the least 

 <loubt those at present in use in our navy or nier- 

 chantmen were taken. — Recotledions of Service 



H. CoLMAN, in comparing.' the business of the 

 fanner with that of others, says: "I am anxious to 

 assist ihe di/iiiity of a pursuit which I reaard the 

 most hononrablf, as it is among llie most inno- 

 cent and useful in life; and 1 uonlil, if possible, 

 sofieji its aspecis and iiiultijily its altraclions lo a 

 larire class '.'f persons who have been accuslom- 

 e<l lo look upon it with iudilTerence or disdain, 

 hut who would hi: sure to find in it, if ardently 

 juid inlelligemly lUirsiied, health fur the hody. 

 and prarc and sati^fiiclion — nay more, the stron- 

 frest and most (lelii;litfnl interest for the mind.'' 



FioTii the Washington Co. Post. 

 The Potato Insects or Worm. 



These insects, which are novel visilers in inir 

 viciniiy, are c(;mniiiling extensive ravaiieson the 

 potato crop. Th.ey vary in size and siruclure. — 

 III August, my atiention was first called to the 

 sickly and deeayiiij; appearance of ihc polalo 

 lops in many of the field.s. inteliiyent iurniers 

 assijrned the dryness of the seas'in as a reason 

 for the premature decay of the phmt. • Iconver- 

 •sed will' several business men from Western 

 New York, where ihe potato disease had pro- 

 vailed for two preceding seasons, Init we receiv- 

 ed nothing satisfactory on the subject — I exaln- 

 iued tjie Cultivator an<l other publications which 

 fijiiiishcd no sohiiion to the mystery. 



About the first of September I opened a fen- 

 hills of pink eye potatoes having decayed tops, 

 when hundreds of small white iiLiecls were seen 

 on the potatoes — some of the potatoes were en- 

 tirely rotten. I however resolved to jrivo the sub- 

 ject a more llioron^ii iiiyeslifialion. ilaving 

 washed a few of thi;m iierfecilv clean, i e,\.-im"- 



ined and readily discovered that ihere were first 

 minute pnnctiires Ihroii^h ihe skin into the sub- 

 slance of ihe polatoe — llie liealhy appearance of 

 Ihe skin for a short dislance around ihe perlora- 

 lions was clian;;ed to a brown color — sec(md, a 

 visicalion or blisicr — third, a ve^ielahle abscess of 

 limiied extent filled with purulent miitter— evi- 

 denlly >howiiii;- that the polali) is very much in- 

 fested by llie insc'cl.s, and were jioinj; to decay in 

 conseijiience of the ravajres of these borers — 

 fourlli, the appearance of moisl i:aii;;reiie of a 

 livid or pm|ile color, which is only a variety of 

 decoinposiiion resulting li'oni the injury infiicle<l 

 by those insecls. 



A Ibiftalo paper stated lliat ihey had consider- 

 able complaint from the farmers in that vicinity, 

 thai the polalo crop was beginning lo rol, Ihe 

 tops were suicken with the rust anil living be- 

 fore the plant has come to inainriiy. Thisslale- 

 nient corresponded precisely w itii the appear- 

 ance fpf the plain ill our town. A late iSio. of 

 the Journal of the Koyal Agricullinal Soeieiy of 

 England has also a paper writieii liy a Ku.-sian 

 on dry gangrene or a disease which may he des- 

 ii;naled by some oilier iiaiVe which has alfecled 

 the potato crop for several years in Great Brilain, 

 Germany, Russia, and Sweden, and I would ask, 

 was the polalo rot or potato ivcniii heard of in 

 Americ-a before the irnporlaiion of foreign po- 

 latoes — as every one knows the origin of the 

 Hessian fiy. 'I he public mind begins to he ex- 

 cited on this siihj<:ct and the (piesiion is often 

 asked what is lhe_caiise of the polalo rol ? 



'i"he perlorations in ihe skin appe.-ir lo be made 

 by ibe (iifiercnt kind of worms, '['ho most iin- 

 inerons are above half an inch in lenglh, of a 

 brown Color, l-.ody oval, when full size. 'J'lie 

 oljier is a small brown worm, body round, Jiiul 

 the size of jiin w ire an inch in length ; on the 

 potatoes are small while spots resembling pota- 

 to starch, which 1 first misiook fm- irKUild, hut 

 proved to be the castings of these deslriiclive 

 liorers. A short time since I called al the resi- 

 dence of A. Livingston, Esip, Greenwich, who 

 spoke of ihe potato roi, and expressed his fears 

 th.it he should lose at least one third of his crop 

 and perhaps one halti hiil had not learned the 

 cause of the disease. 



We went out inio his gardpii and examined, 

 when he became convinced by denunislraiion 

 Ihat it was these liltle miners which were work- 

 ing the destruction of this very valuable article 

 of domistic liiod — now he wished to know llie 

 remedy, and indeed shnnld not our wdiole com- 

 munity, as well as the fiirmer, li'el a deep inler- 

 est in this impoilant suhji.'et, especially when wo 

 consider ilial according to ihe report of Mr. Ells- 

 worlh, cominis^ioner of the patient ollicc, ihe po- 

 tato crop of this Slale alone exceeds 30,000,000 

 bushels a year. Wilh regard to ihe necessity and 

 rroprieiy of taking the subject into .serious con- 

 siileraiion, I would recommend the examinalioii 

 of the vcdnable rrporl of Mr. 'i'liaddons W. Har- 

 ris, reported hy him to ilie Legislalure of i\iassa- 

 chiisells, on ihe insects injurious lo vegetation. — 

 I now leave liie subject hopi4t:! ih.ii ihe iniciii- 

 geiitand careful cnljivatorsof thesoil and others 

 may soon discover and sngaest a c nieily. 



As liie poialocs were' p.ist llx- fjoweiing season 

 when 1 commenced my ••bs^-rvaiicn, 3 bad no 

 opporliiiiily lo Irace the htslciry of liicsi; in.socts 

 any liiriher, and coiisefpii'nily (!:eir larva are un- 

 known lo me— a good description of ihe larva 

 and a more full accounl ol' iheir babiis, seasons, 

 ch.inges and irausliirmiilion ihey undergo are sliil 

 wanted — it is probably Ihe cnrcidio, a geiins of 

 insecis belonging lo Ihe coleopI"ra or hee'lle (U'- 

 der — judging from a few experimcnis wich i have 

 made by siiiiug iiir liine both on liie sound and 

 -those which have been pniicluated by ihe "insect 

 — 1 believe that it will destroy many of ihe insects 

 and have asalnlary efitict on ihir polaiocs. 



AKCH'D McAllister. 



Salem, Sept. 20, 1844. 



- How TO SUSTAIN AoiilCtJI/J L.i.w, .,...„■;. li-S. 

 — Those who desire lo see theirCoiinty Agricid- 

 Inral Socii'li-s increase in nninliers, and in sjiirii 

 and usefiiiness, slionhl laki' pains to iiicreuse (.'ic 

 cifcululion of agiicuttttrcil papers among. the fiirni- 

 ers of their coiinty. In no other weai'an lin'ob- 

 ject be so easily gained. All experience and ob- 

 servation have sh.ow n th;il ref!dinzfcrmt:r.i are Ihe 

 only ones that can be relied tm to sustain tind 

 carrv I'orw.-ird ibefe gnuid meaiiS of innirnve- 



meni. 'f';d<e your horses, then, ya; fiiends ol ag- 

 ricnllnre, and spend a day m- tivo in iMlling on 

 the farmers of xonr town or connlf, and iniluco 

 them all to become reading liniiiers : ihev, or 

 iheir children will thank yon lor it heiealier. — 

 jYew deiiesec Fanner. 



Com Crop. 



Our Indian corn is ihe pride of our ilgricnl- 

 liirC; as well as the great staple of ihe coiinlry. 

 Nearly five hundred millions of bushels arc re- 

 pmted as ihe crop of 18^3: bin what would this 

 have swelled to, had Ihe average, inslead of 

 iweniy bushels per acre, been the li.-ilf of what 

 is given below as ihe prodnci; of mir friend 

 Wadsworth's four acres! Lei us not healnrined 

 at such an increase of grain as ibis would throw 

 itilo our garners. We need not le;u- bin that with 

 increased fiicililies of living, an increased popu- 

 lation will be prepared to sweep oft' all that iho 

 earth will yield. To mulliply the nn .'ins i:f liv- 

 ing, is lo multiply life itself, as well as lo aiiiMiient 

 its comfbrls. We lake llie following slaiemenls 

 from OiK^lourican Fanner, which credits iiio ilic 

 Connecticut Farmer. — Far. Cabinet. 



If ihere is any spot in ihe Universe where 

 more corn can he raised upon an acre of ground, 

 ihaii has been produced upon ihe finin of iMr. 

 Wadsworlh, of Durham, Mididcsex <'oiml_\, in 

 old Conneclicut, we should like lo know where 

 the spol can he found. 



The following extract from the llepnit of ihe 

 Mirldlesex County Agricultural Socieiy's Com- 

 iniitee on Field (^rops, is perli-i-lly aslonisliiiig; 

 Ill-ad il, yon who are in Ihe hah'ii of' skiniiiiig 

 seven acres to ohtain the |iroduct (d' mte, under 

 proper ciillure. 



'J'he Indian corn, entered bv Sir. Wadswoith 

 for preminin was one qiiarleiMf an acre, selected 

 from near the iniddht of a field of four acres. — 

 The field was plained with the "Improved Diii- 

 1011 Corn," about tlii! first of May, in hills, ihicr: 

 feet apart, each way. The land on which it was 

 planted was "sward ground," manured with 

 cnminou yard manure, ai llie rale of 20 to .30 

 cart-loafis to the acre, iiiriied over fiat, and rolleii, 

 and tliS' corn planted on ll-e furrows. It was 

 hoed four times without hilling, or turning n|i 

 ihe-flirrows between ihe rows. The seed with 

 which it was planted, appi^ared lo,he a mixture 

 of ihe common Diuion emu, and a verj large 

 kind of eight rowed corn, and ihe whole crop 

 was comprised ofa niixlnre of ihe t:\i> varieties, 

 in about equal |)iopniiion ; a bushel id'each kind 

 of which was laid heloie umr commitlci- flir in- 

 spection. The ears of l.iiih kinds were very 

 large and long, many of them nie;:sming iiearlv, 

 or tpiile 14 inches in lenglh. The kernels upon 

 the eight rowerl wen; vtny large, and ihe cob 

 small. The kernels on the uvelve rowed were 

 Wilt much hirger ihaii the common Dulion con:. 

 And your Commitlee are of Ihi; opinion, that if 

 Mr. W'ad-^worlh will coniinne ihis cross mix- 

 ture l(n' a livv jears, hcvvill have a kind of corn 

 far supeiior lo any now in use. On ihis field <d" 

 cove, llie suckers Were allowed lo remain nnlil ihe 

 cusKnnary lime for cnlliMg the st:iiivs. The |;ii:- 

 (biel of ihat porlic n of ll.t; t!(dil ei ii-eil li'r prcr 

 inlnm. was at llie rale of ot.e hundred uvdfpjiorie 

 hushds and eighteen (jninis to Ihe acicl Your 

 Commiltce are auiiif that il haidl\ seems pos- 

 sible that so large a (jiianliiy' coniil he ij.ised 

 fi-mnan.acre, in ihis old hidebound Slale of' 

 Co-inecti(Mit, yet, from ibe ceiiilic-iie of the 

 lowii Commillee of Durham, and frmn theslale- 

 ineiil of Mr. Wadswonli, ninhn- oath, such was 

 proveii lo be the fact. , Think of' this, _\e farmers 

 of Middlesex comity ! Oae Iwrdrcd and /}/!;/- 

 one bushels and eifsldecn quarts q/' f.he'.'.ed corr.fiom 

 one acre! 'i'his eclipses even iIk; l;ir famed corn 

 regions of ihi^ great \alley of the West. With 

 facts like this before ihc ir eye.s, onr \ouiig fiirin- 

 ors, we think, will h.udly fi'cl disposcii m (piit 

 ihe lii'allhliil home ol' iheir .-ires, lo seek a I'or- 

 liine among ihe Wolvercins !:ii(r Housiiis of tin; 

 weslern pr.iiiies; l.i.l ho content lo siMlle down 

 amid the hills and dales, wliere dwell iht; lovely 

 lasses of (:iir(!wn dear Yankee laiid. 



In compeliiinii wi:h the foregoing, was a qnnr- 

 terofaii acre of eight rowed corn, eiileied hv 

 Jo(d M. Clark, s'sip, <d' liie ■Society of Weslfield, 

 ill Middleiown. This corn was riiised ongicen 

 sward lau.!, ploughed plain and rolled. Two 

 coals of hog-pen mannre were ajiplied. One 

 coal bein;_' coarse, was pu; upon ihe land .-.inl 



