152 



NEW EVGLAND FAnMER. 



itttscellanfrs. 



AGRICULTURAL HYMjN^. 



GREAT God of Eden ! 'twas tby hand 



First clad earth in bloom, 

 And shed upon the smiling land 



Nature's first rich ptrfume : 

 Fresh at thy glance the flowers sprang, 



Kiss'd by the Sun's first rays — 

 While plain, and hill, and valley rang 



With life, and joy, and praise. 



God of the Clouds ! thy hands can ope 



The fountains of the sky, 

 And on the expectant thirsty crop 



Pour down the rich supply : 

 The Farmer, when the seed time's o'er 



Joys in the mercies given — 

 Thinks on tby promis'd harvest store, 



And, smiling, looks to Heaven. 



God of the Sheaf! to thee alone 



Are due our thanks and praise. 

 When Harvest's grateful labour's done. 



On Plenty glad we gaze : 

 Then shall our thoughts on Heaven rest 



Thy grace we will adore, 

 And thank that God, whose mercy's blest 



Our basket and our store. 



From the JVcw York Statesman. 



Plants of the Jirracacha, or new South American 

 JPotaloe, arrittd. — Several growing and thrifty speci- 

 Inens of the Arracacha or Ajtio plant, arrived here a few 

 days ago. They were brought to Dr Mitchill by Tho- 

 mas K. Mitchell, Esq. with the following note : " I have 

 the honour to present you a box, containing several 

 plants of the Arracacha, which I have brought from 

 Caraccas ; with a branch of the roots that have been 

 preserved out of the earth ; with a root of the Indian 

 Arrow Root, or Jlfaran(a anmrfmacea ; and two indi- 

 viduals of a vegetable good for food, called CharIola,hy 

 the natives. I can explain the manner of planting, &c." 



The Apio plants, which in their habit and leaves, 

 ■very riluch resemble Celery, (or the Apium graneolens) 

 ■with the other articles of the collection, .ifter having 

 been exhibited and explained to the class of Botany and 

 Materia Medica, at the College of Phvsicians, were all 

 delivered to Mr Michael Floy, with a request that he, 

 together with Messrs. Hogg and Wilson, would take 

 the necessary measures, as active and practical mem- 

 bers of the Horticultural Society, for their preservation 

 and increase. ^ 



At the same time, intelligence wis received of the 

 proceedings at the Royal Botanical Garden of Glasgow, 

 Scotland, which we publish for the useful matter the 

 report contains : 



Glasgo-jo Botanic Garden. — In the Roj'al Bo- 

 tanic Garden of Glasgow there have been lately 

 receiver!, from the Baron de Shack, of Trinidad, 

 along with a larg-e collection of rare and valua- 

 ble plants from that country, several excellent 

 roots of the famous Arracacha. The same libe- 

 ral contributer had indeed, on former occasions, 

 twice sent to our garden, roots, hut they had suf- 

 fered so much daring the voyage as never to 

 have vegetated — whilst the present individuals, 

 thanks to the great care taken in preparing them 

 for the passage by Baron de Shuci{ (who has 

 exerted himself to the utmost for ihe last five 

 years, though until new unsncr.essfully, to intro- 

 duce this plant into Europe) have e\erv pros- 

 pect of succeeding to the ultnost of our wishes. 



The valuable properties of this interesting 

 vegetable were, we believe, wholly unknown 

 to the inhabitants of t!i6 old world until Mr 



A'argas, a natixe of Santa Fe de Bogota, where 

 this plant is indigenous, brought tr> England the 

 information which was published hi the first 

 \n|ume of the admirable Annuls of Botany, by 

 Konlg and Sims. Mr Vargas slates Ihat the Ar- 

 rrcacha is one amongst the most usrtui of Ihe 

 vegetables of that part of America. It belongs 

 to the order of U/nbellifcra', and its habit resem- 

 bles an Apiviii (thus bearing some analogy to 

 the Celcri/ and Parsley of Europe,) and it is in 

 some parts of the country called Apia. lis 

 stalk generally divides from the upper paft of 

 the root in several stems, thick'y beset with 

 large orbicular leaves, gashed into several si- 

 nuses, and supported by large tubular leaf-slalk^=, 

 exceeding a goose quill in thickness. The 

 roots immediately divide into four or live 

 branches, and each of these, if the soil be 

 light and tlie weather favourable, will grow to 

 Ihe size, and very nearly the shape of a large 

 cow's horn. This root yields a food which is 

 prepared in the kitchens in the same manner as 

 potatoes, li is extremely grateful to the pal- 

 ate, more close than mealy ; it is so lender that 

 it requires litlle cooking and so easy of diges- 

 tion, that it is the common practice in the 

 country to give it to convali«cents an<l persons 

 with weak stomachs, being thought ot a much 

 less tlatulent nature than potaloes. Of its fe- 

 cula are made starch and a variily of paslry- 

 work; reduced to a pulp, this root enters the 

 composition of certain tormented liquors, sup- 

 posed to be very proper to restore the lost tone 

 of the stomach. In the city of Santa Fe, and 

 indeed in all places of Ihat kingdom where they 

 can obtain the Arracacha. they arc of lull as 

 universal use as the potalocs are in England. 



The cullivation of the Arracacha requires a 

 deep black mould, Ihat will easily yield to the 

 descent of its large vertical roots. The mode 

 of propogating it is, to cut the root into pieces, 

 each having an eye or shoot, and to plant these 

 in separate holes. After three or four months 

 the roots are of sufficient size and quantity to 

 be used for culinary purposes ; but if sufiered 

 to remain for six months in the ground, they 

 will often acquire an immense size, without any 

 detriment to their taste. The colour of the 

 root is either white, yellow, or purple ; hut all 

 are of the same quality. The most esteemed 

 in Santa Fe are those of Libacon, a village 

 about ten leagues north of the capital. 



Like the potatoe, Ihe Arracaciia dors not 

 thrjve in the hotter regions of the kingdom ; — 

 for there Ihe roots will not acquire any size, 

 but ihrov/ up a greater number of stems ; or at 

 b'jst, thev will be but small and of indifferent 

 flavour. In the countries which are there call- 

 ed temperate, being less hot than those at the 

 foot of the Cordilleras, this vegetable is some- 

 times found to thrive, but never so well as in 

 l!ie elevated regions of those mountains, where 

 ihe medium heat is between 58 and GO oi' Fah- 

 renheit's scale. Here it is that these roots 

 grow the most luxuriantly, and acquire the 

 most delicious taste. 



liy care and attention in gradually inuring in- 

 dividuals of the .\rracacha, or Iheir seeds, to a 

 cooler temperature, there ia every reason to 

 hope that this valuable root may. like the pota- 

 toe (which was introduced to u.s I'rom an 

 equally warm country) be naturalized to our 

 soil, and add one more to our list of important 

 econo-;ru:al vegetablu*.. 



Biinhci's mil. — Dugald Graham, author of a 

 well known metrical history of the rebellion in 

 17-15, being candidate forthe place of town bell- 

 man in the city of Glasgow, was desired to call 

 " Guide fresh herrings new come in at the 

 Broomielaw,'' (it not being the season of her- 

 rings.) Dugald added, 



But, Indeed, my friends, it's a' a blaeflum, 

 For the herring's no catcli't, an' the boat's no come j, 



which procured for Dugald the situation. 



Dugaid was a kind of Scotch yEsop, be had a 

 large hump on one of his shoulders, and like his 

 prototype, had wit. Calling in the street of Ihe 

 Gallowgate, opposite the Saracen's Head Inn, 

 where several officeis of the gallant 42d regi- 

 ment were dining, at the clo*e of the American 

 war, some of whom knew DuL-ald l«efore they 

 went abroad, opening the winlnw, cnllcd out, 

 " what's that you've got on your back, Dugald ?" 

 Knowing what Ihe regiment sutT^rcd at liiiinker'i 

 Hill, Dugald replied, " It's Bunker's Hill, do you 

 choose to moiuit ?"' 



Wealth and Poverty. — In proportion as nations 

 get more corrupt, more disgrace will attach to 

 poveily, and more respect to wealth. But there 

 are two questions Ihat would completely reverse 

 this order of things ; what keeps S(une persons 

 poor? and what has made some others rich? The 

 true answers to these queries would often make 

 the poor man more proud of his poverty than 

 the rich man is of his wealth ; and the rich man 

 more justly ashamed of his wealth than the poor 

 man unjustly now is, of his poverty. — Lacon. 



FRUIT TREES, &g. 

 J 



AMFS BLOODGOOD Si CO. 



liave for salt- at llif ir Nursery 

 at Kiiishing, on I. ong Island, near 

 New York, 



Fruit and Forest Trees, Flowering Shrubs & Plants, 

 of (he most approved sorts. 



The Proprietors ol' this Nursery attend personally to 

 !lie inoculation and engrafting of all their Fruit Tries, 

 and purchasfrs may rely with confidence, that the 

 Trees thev order will prove genuine. 



Orders left with Mr Zebepef. Cook, jr. No. 44 State 

 Street, Boston, -wijl be transmitted to us, and receive 

 our prompt and particular attention. Catalogues will 

 be delivered, aiKi any information imparted respecting 

 Ihe condilioii, &c. &c. that may be required, on appli- 

 cation to bJni. Sent. 4. 



A^cic EstitOlishment. 



rfe"NHE subscriber respectfully informs the public, that 

 1 he iias taken the factory of Capt. A. Stearns, in 

 West Cambridge, where be intends carrying on Ihe 

 C'/o//(/cr'i liusiness, gtncially : — Also, l.aJies' and 

 Gentlemen's garments of every description coloured 

 and cleansed, and furnitures glazed ; Crapes and Silks 

 of various colours dyed and fiiished in the best man- 

 ner, at short notice, and as cheap as at any odier pl:'ce. 



JVool Carding. — At the same place Merino and 

 Common i\ool carded by Cai)t. Stearns. 



CYRUS TARRAR. 



West Cambridge, Oct. IR, 1804. 



TERMS OF THE FA)!i\iER. 

 0:5=- Published every Saturday, at Thr.sf. Di>i.iAr» 

 per annum, payable at the tnd of Ihe year — but tbo.^e 

 who pay wilV.iu sixli^ dni/s from the time of snbsrribiiig 

 will he entitled to a deiUielinn of 1 irTV Ck.mts. 



(t/-Poslage must be paid on all letter! to the Editer 

 or Publisher. 



JOD PRINTING 



executed with neatness and (!e!-)>atch, on reasonable 



t- rnis at Ibis Oflice. 



