1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



36o 



'cross fecundation,' by M-hich it is thought new and 

 valuable varieties of wheat can be established. 



Dr. Parker, U. S. Commissioner to China, is to 

 make an excursion this summer to the northern 

 portion of the 'flowery kingdom,' and has one 

 thousand dollars placed at his disposal for the pur- 

 chase of seeds there. 



Hay is our most valuable crop, yet some of our 

 imported grasses have become much deteriorated, 

 and the real value of many native varieties is un- 

 known. Mr. W. T. Dennis has been commissioned 

 to visit every State, report on its grasses, both na- 

 tive and foreign, and jjrocure seed for distribution. 

 When seed has been procured, experiments will be 

 instituted with a view of ascertaining what grasses 

 are most lasting, most prolific, and most nutritious 

 for stock, in each county of the Union. This is a 

 gigantic task, but one which promises imjjortant 

 results. 



Townsend Glover, whose models of fruit are well 

 known in Boston, has been sent to Iowa, to ex- 

 amine the insects injurious to the wheat crop. It 

 is expected that Congress will make an appropria- 

 tion, enabling him to perfect his collection of arti- 

 ficial fruit, vegetables, &c. 



Dr. C. T. Jackson, of Boston, is permanently en- 

 gaged in chemical experiments of agricultural 

 value. One of these has proved that oil worth 

 seventy-five cents per gallon can be extracted from 

 cotton seed, (hitherto worthless) leaving a cake 

 worth three cents per pound. Another analysis 

 shows that the cob of Indian corn only contains 

 three and a half per cent, of nutritive matter. 

 Experiments are to be carried on, determining the 

 comparative amount of nutriment in cereals — the 

 amount of tannin in barks and other materials — 

 the amount of phosphoric acid in the worn-out 

 soils of the Atlantic as compared with the virgin 

 soils of the West, &c., &c. 



The above paragraphs will give the readers of 

 the Journal an idea of the value of the 'Agricultu- 

 ral Bureau' to the yeomanry of our land. The di- 

 rector, D. Jay Browne, Esq., is a native of Exeter, 

 N. H., and admirably quahned for his task." 



was slowly pacing the deck. "John," said the cap- 

 tain, "what will you take to climb to the mast- 

 head?" John glanced upwards an instant, and then 

 exclaimed with characteristic bluntness, "I'll take 

 five pound." A smile from the group proclaimed 

 the success of this trial. 



The Scotchman was next approached ; he was a 

 sandy-complexioned, sharp-eyed fellow, and was 

 seated upon a sea-chest, darning a rent in an old 

 pair of pantaloons. "Sawney," said the captain, 

 jingling the silver in his pocket as he approached 

 him, "What will you take to climb to the mast- 

 head ?" Sawney's ears pricked up at the sound of 

 the coin, and as he slowly and cautiously measured 

 the height with his eye, without rising from his 

 seat, he replied, with the shrewdness of a true 

 Scotchman, "I dinna ken,mon; what'll ye gie ?" 



The last one approached was the Irishman, who 

 was carelessly leaning over the bulwarks, humming 

 one of the lively melodies of his country ; his old 

 battered caubeen was cocked jauntily over his right 

 eye, while his left was employed in executing a 

 series of expressive winks at a group of the female 

 steerage passengers who were upon the other side 

 of the deck — "Pat, my boy, what will you take to 

 climb to the mast-head?" asked the captain. 

 Pat's blue eye twinkled as he turned it upward, 

 and a look of irresistible comicality played upon 

 his phiz, as he replied, "Shure 1 think I'd take a 

 bad cowld, iniirely." — Traveller. 



NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



It has been said that men will betray the char- 

 acteristics of their nation in their conversation. 

 It chanced that this point was under discussion by 

 a group of passengers and the captain of one of 

 our clipper ships, during a recent passage across 

 the Atlantic. It was a fine day, and most of the 

 passengers, both cabin and steerage, were upon 

 deck. The group above mentioned had l^ieen com- 

 menting upon the bluntness of the English, cau- 

 tious shrewdness of the Scotch, and the ready wit 

 of the Irish, when the captain, taking the segar 

 from his lips, pointed towards the forward part of 

 the ship, where, at different points, he indicated a 

 native of each of the three nations. He then pro- 

 posed to wager that he would ask each of them 

 the same question separately, and that the answer 

 of each would be an illustration of his national 

 characteristic. This proposition being acceded to, 

 it was decided that the question should be, "What 

 will you take to climb to the masthead !" and the 

 party moved forward to put the experiment to the 

 test. 



The first one accosted was the Englishman, who 



For the New England Parmer. 



IN REGARD TO CAPT. SYMMES' HOLE. 



Mr. Editor : — In reply partly to Mr. I. Stearns' 

 questions relative to the time the venturesome cap- 

 tain lectured upon the "theory of this earth's being 

 hollow," "whether his lectures were ever published," 

 &c., &c., I will give him what information I pos- 

 sess upon said matter, premising he will find the 

 same correct, as I glean it from a bona fide publi- 

 cation of the year 1818, which appears from the 

 work in question, to be the period at which Capt. 

 S. flourished. 



Whether his "lectures" were ever published or 

 not, is more than I have the means of telling ; if 

 they were, they were probably the earliest edition 

 of "curtain lectures," and had but a slight circula- 

 tion among the literati in this quarter of the coun- 



The following is a copy of a document issued by 

 him at the time : 



"CIRCULAR. 



Light gives light, to light discover — ad infinitum. 



St. Loois, MissoDRi Territory, North America, ) 

 April 20, A. D. 1818. \ 



TO ALL THE WORLD. 

 I declare the earth is hollow and habitable with- 

 in ; containing a number of solid concentric spheres, 

 one within the other, and that it is open at the 

 poles twelve or sixteen degrees. I pledge my life 

 in support of this truth, and am ready to explore 

 the hollow, if the world will supjjort and aid me in 

 the undertaking. 



John Cleve Symmes, of Ohio. 



N. B. I have ready for the press a 'Treatise on 

 the Principle of Matter,' wherein I show proofs of 

 the above positions, account for various phenome- 

 na, and disclose Dr. Darwin's golden secret. Mv 



