102 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



and thouizli iis appearance in ihe spring indicated 

 that it had survived the winter (i-ost, it was feeble 

 when compared Id the other. It was taken liy the 

 ppring fly, and I did not get more lium imlf the 

 crop reaped from the other. Last year I prepared 

 a lot for irrass. It had been highly improved by 

 marl and pnlrescen; manures. 1 desired to show 

 the grass early, and at the same lime to obtain a 

 crop of wheat from it; the wheat was sown on 

 the 22(id ol' September, and grar^s seeded on it. 

 The wheat came up (]uickly and made a beauti- 

 lijl appearanc-e, but was attacked by the fly in its 

 early vegetation. This spring from its appear- 

 ance, [ entertained the hope that I should gel some 

 crop, but I did not gather the seed. I commenced 

 my general sowinij on tlie 7ih ol" October and fin- 

 ished on the 24ih. Some of the wheat last sown 

 was a little damaged by the fly, but not materially. 

 A (jentleman whose farm adjoins mine commenced 

 sowimx his crop the 1st of October, and I under- 

 stand his early sown wheal has been much injured. 

 From these circumstances I have come to the 

 conclusion that the best chance to escape injury 

 from the fly is to sow after the state of the vveaiher 

 aflbrds good reason to believe thai the fall fly has 

 been checked, and then to sow as quick as possi- 

 ble, thai the wheat may obtain such root as will 

 give vigorous growth in the spring belbrethe fly 

 comes out. I am aware that my notions may 

 seem in contradiction to the e.xperience of 1836 

 and 1S17, when the failure in the crop w^s gene- 

 ral ; some gentlenien now present may recoiled 

 the early burst of warm weather in 1S36. In 

 1817 we had summer days in March, which is im- 

 pressed on my mind fiom this circumstance : Mr. 

 Monroe was inaugurated president on the 4!h,and 

 some gentlemen at Washington were speaking of 

 the splendor of the scene in the presence oJ' the 

 Portuguese minister, when he remarked that the 

 brilliancy had been increased by borrowing a day 

 from Brazil. This remark 1 learned from report. 

 I did not attend the inauguration, and I lake this 

 method to say that I lament the increasing inclina- 

 tion among the American people Cor public shows 

 and spectacles ; they divert our citizens from the 

 sober and solid pursuits of business. It is there 

 the young and unwary are sometimes seduced into 

 schemes of desperate and jirofligate ambition, by 

 the masterspirits who circulate ihrousrh the coun- 

 try. History records that the declining days of 

 the Roman republic, upon which the throne of 

 the Caesars was erected, was attended by ban- 

 quets and revels, and iTiarked by the exhibition of 

 rhretoricians and gladiators. 



Among the important inventions in agricultural 

 machinery, Mr. Hussey'e reaper.may be justly es- 

 teemed. His first invention has (or two years 

 been in successful operation on the farm of Mr. 

 Wm. DeCourcy, and I understand other gentle- 

 men of the county have used them. I purchased 

 one upon a new construction, which I pre/erred on 

 account of Ihe greater simplicity of its works. It 

 broke, in the second day's cutting, in an important 

 though not a costly part. I attempted to have it 

 repaired by the agency of a blacksmith, but was not 

 successful. Mr. Ilussey came to my house near 

 the close of liarvest to put it in order ; it did ex- 

 cellent work lor part of two days, and iiar three 

 days in my oat harvest. It saves wheat better 

 than the most expert cradlers or hooksmen, and in 

 heavy wheat I think it will do the work of eight 



cradlers. An advantage not the least in my esti- 

 mation is, that it relieves men Irom heavy and ex- 

 hausting work, which, in very hot weather, often 

 produces disease and sometimes death. 



Indian corn is the valuable crop of our countr}-, 

 not because our soil is unfavorable to the produc- 

 tion of wheat, as some persons who are but little 

 acquainted with its qualities have erroneously sup- 

 posed, but on account of the pro[)erties of the two 

 crops and circumstances connected with them. 

 Wheat has many enemies to contend with : Hes- 

 sian fly, severe frost, rust and scab, and storms in 

 its maturation. Indian corn is a hardy plant; it 

 is sometimes injured by Ihe cut worm, ihe ant and 

 the chinch bufr, but lands which are in a condition 

 10 produce 20 bushels of wheat to tiie acre in a 

 good season rarely fail to yield forty bushels of 

 corn, if judiciously cultivated. We have months 

 then to gather the corn crop. If wheat be not se- 

 cured soon after it arrives at maturity it is lost. A 

 large extent of country in Ihe United States pro- 

 duces excellent wheat, and when a full crop is 

 made, the price is generally depressed. Indian 

 corn is a precarious crop, further north than Jersey 

 and further soulh than North Carolina. They 

 do nol srow a sufficiency for home consumption ; 

 within these limits the eastern states get and must 

 continue to receive their sufiplies. I understand 

 under the hiirh prices of 1838 and '39, corn waa 

 shipped from New Orleans to New York ; but 

 when corn is from fifty to sixty cents per bushel, I 

 do not apprehend rivalry Irom that quarter. The 

 cost of transportation is too heavy, and corn is lia- 

 b'e to be injured in the hold of a vessel, particu- 

 larly in passing through a hot southern climate. 

 In the present year there has been a great fall in 

 the price. The full crop of last year may have 

 had its efl'ect, but I consider the great cause is to 

 be Ibund in the extravagant and pernicious spirit 

 of internal improvement. It has been ascertained 

 that a certain number of ihe stales to aid these 

 companies have issued bonds and certificates to 

 the amount of two hundred millions of dollars, and 

 many of the banks by purchase or pledge have 

 been d^-aling largely in these securities. The 

 money paid out tiy them to the internal improve- 

 ment companies has been abstracted from the or- 

 dinary channels of trade. This has led to embar- 

 rassment and derangement, and its kindred evils, 

 low prices and a spurious currency. 



I have submitted for your consideration matters 

 of common interest to the cultivators of our soil ; 

 you may deem many of my notions visionary. If 

 they shall excite a spirit of inquiry I shall be con- 

 tent. By tracing the errors oi' others we some- 

 times obtain just views and arrive at true conclu- 

 sions. VVai. Carmichael. 



ASPARAGUS. 



From tlie SoiiUiern Agriculturist. 



The name of this plant is of Greek origin, 

 sifrnifyinga young shooi before it unfolds its leaves. 

 It is evidently a iiative of this country, being Ibund 

 wild in Essex and Lincolnshire, li is also found 

 on the borders of the river Euphrates, in Asia, 

 where it grows to a very large size. 



Asparagus is Bald lo promote appetite, but is 

 not considered to afford much nourish ment, and is 



