132 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



June 



DESTRUCTION OF WHEAT, CORN AND COTTON IN 

 THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



Probably more than half the wheat that would 

 have been harvested this season in the States south 

 of North Carolina, has been destroyr 1 by the suc- 

 cession of severe frosts which begv 1 on the night 

 of April 15, and continued nearly a week. Some 

 fields examined by the writer, were so forward as to 

 be out of blossom. The price of cotton was .so low 

 last year that an unusual breadth of land was sown 

 in this grain. About two-thirds of the cotton in the 

 principal cotton growing States was up, and killed 

 dead. Where seed could be had, it is planted anew. 

 The prospect is poor enough for this important crop. 

 Corn was killed down; but some grows again, and 

 in some fields it is re-planted. Peaches, grapes, figs, 

 and other fruits are mostly destroyed. More snow 

 fell in Augusta, Ga., on the 15th of April than had 

 been seen before in several winters. In many places 

 the foliage on oak trees was killed; and tender trees, 

 like pomegranates and lagerstrtemias were smitten 

 to death. Hessian flies, which are very abundant, 

 came out perfect insects, twenty miles south of this 

 city, on the tenth of April. Augusta, May 2, 1849. 



CHESS -TRANSMUTATION. 



We have before us eight well written communi- 

 cations on the transmutation of wheat into cheat or 

 chess. It is a subject we dare not again open our 

 pages to, as it is interminable, and we almost regret 

 having published Mr. W.'s article in our March 

 number. 



Let us premise that we think the transmutation of 

 vegetable, animal, or any material substance, is 

 philosophically, physically and mathematically im- 

 possible — and that opinion fire can't burn out of us, 

 until we can see a plain and indisputable instance to 

 the contrary. And yet we admit there are some facts 

 which cannot be explained, that seem to favor that 

 doctrine, and it requires a little faith sometimes to 

 keep us from being skeptical on the subject. All of 

 our communications are from experienced, and prac- 

 tical farmers, and every one takes the affirmative. 



H. W., of China, N. Y., cites instances where 

 wheat in the spring was cut to feed a traveller's 

 horse, which came entirely chess, while the rest of 

 the field was fine clean wheat. M. T., another in- 

 stance, where a horse was tied in the corner of a 

 fence, and eat the wheat to the length of his tether, 

 and that was chess alone. These are not solitary 

 instances of the like. 



J. R., of Pekin, Niagara Co., says he has the 

 ability to convince the most skeptical, and asks if the 

 $100 premium is yet alive, or the man that offered it; 

 as he is prepared to carry off the prize, and desires 

 us to name some one in that county to call on him to 

 have it settled at once. We take that bet. 



J. A., of Yates county, states some strong rea 

 which he thinks are conclusive; but we think his 

 reasoning unphilosophical when In 1 applies it to the 

 planting of a vineyard of choice grapes, which 

 turned to wild ones. If the seeds were planted, then 

 a variety might be expected, but not ;i differenl ordi r 

 and genus — and no one will pretend but what cut- 

 tings, or rooted vines, will produce the same as the 

 parent plant forever. 



L. R., of Clyde, relates three very strong cases, 

 which, if there were no deception or hidden causes 



to account for them, would be a settler to our views 

 on the subject. 



"A subscriber," of Oakfield, is rather severe on 

 Mr. W., and asks if pigeons are more apt to disgorge 

 chess on ashes where logs and stumps have been 

 burned, than other places, as those places are usually 

 full of chess. He also says that clean seed, that 

 had chess growing among it, is more liable to produce 

 chess than that that had not any, and therefore not 

 impregnated with the pollen of the chess — a sugges- 

 tion that may be worthy of notice, and as far as we 

 are informed, is original with our correspondent. 



And last, though not least, comes our friend E. F., 

 of Rose, Wayne Co., with several cases of transmu- 

 tation, which are difficult to account for, without 

 occular examination. He winds up with the " proof 

 positive," of the following certificate, duly sworn 

 and subscribed: 



This may certify that 1, Simeon J. Barrett, of the town of 

 Rose, county of Wayne, about twenty-four years ago, in the 

 fall of the year in picking over some wheat to thrash for seed, 

 pulled out some chess and found it grew in a wheat head of 

 the usual length, and seven kernels of chess grew out of one 

 side of it, about one-third of the way up. In July, 1848, I 

 was passing through a field of wheat and saw a head of 

 wheat witli chess on it; I plucked the head, which was of 

 usual length, and about half way up the head, there grew 

 out eleven kernels of chess. Simeon J. Barrett. 



The above statement was verified before me the 7th day 

 of April, 1849. P. Guitchell, Justice. 



Now, in order to set this subject at rest, exhibit to 

 us this lusus naturae, this rara avis, and we will 

 cry pecavi, and give a premium for a knot-hole to 

 creep into, and forever after hold our peace. 



We must beg of our correspondents to excuse our 

 not giving their entire articles, and to let this mooted 

 and unsettled question rest until some proof can be 

 adduced beyond cavil or dispute. 



AN EXAMPLE FOR THE BOYS. 



Many of our youthful readers have responded to 

 our offer in the March number, by sending lists of 

 new subscribers. The zeal manifested shows that 

 there are some boys in the country who desire to im- 

 prove their minds, and become men in the fullest 

 sense of the term. It has afforded us real pleasure 

 to hear from our young friends. The orthogrs 

 and penmanship of their letters, in most instances, 

 are quite creditable. Among various similar letters 

 received from boys residing in this and other States, 

 we copy the following from Master Wm. H. Hunt, 

 of Geneseo: — 



"After I saw your offer to the boys, I started oul 

 to obtain subscribers to the Genesee Farmer, and in 

 a short time I got five. I am satisfied from my inex- 

 perience, and the success attending such feeble efforts, 

 that if but one boy in each School District in New 

 York was to engage with zeal worthy of the cause, 

 in obtaining subscribers for your useful journal, that 

 your list of subscribers would be greatly increased, 

 and many minds stored with practical knowledge, 

 that now are filled with worse than useless trash. I 

 find it very agreeable to go on this business, as it 

 brings into practice my lessons in arithmetic, in ma- 

 king change with the subscribers. I intend to add 

 some each year, as 1 have eight years of minority to 

 labor in this pleasant vineyard, if my life is spared. 

 I herewith enclose $2 for five subscribers. * * * You 

 may send me Johnson's Catechism of Agricultural 

 Chemistry and Geology." 



