i82r).] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



373 



would then escape the fly — as I have never 

 known this insect to Histiirb crops here sown 

 after the 28th July. Make an experiment upon 

 my plan, that i<, sow the flat sorts on your stub- 

 hie ground, and the others upon a clover sod. — 

 You will lind them valuable lor cattle." 



Dear Sir, Albamj, Dec. 6, 1823. 



" Do you recollect seeing in the American 

 Farmer of February last, my report in the house 

 of assembly, on the project of an Agricultural 

 School? 1 beg of you to give it a perusal, as 

 you without doubt preserve the tile, and view 

 it in its diflerent bearings upon the tiscal, moral 

 and political interests of our country. The 

 study which I have given the subject has con- 

 vinced me that it is one of the deepest interest ; 

 and I eouldadd many and weighty considerations 

 in its favour, suggested since Imade the report ; 

 but it is doubtful whether the public mind is in 

 a temper to listen to, or to be persuaded by 

 them. I consider the plan suggested by the Al- 

 bemarle Society as defective, inasmuch as it 

 makes agriculture an auxiliary study. It ought 

 to be principal ; and botany, chemistry, polite 

 literature, &c. made subservient to this great 

 study. The pupil should go to it with the ex-i 

 press view of learning to be a farmer, and should 

 be taught so much science, blended with exper- 

 imental and practical knowledge, as should best 

 promote this prim.iry end. Of what vast impor- 

 tance would a well conducted experimental farm 

 connected with such mi institution, soon become 

 to the agricultural interest, and to the Union at 

 large. The fact is self evident, that under the 

 best management, our farms might be made to 

 double, treble, quadruple, their ordinary pro- 

 duct=i. What method so likely to produce Ihi." 

 result, as to that which T suggest ? A botanic 

 garden, among other important advantages, 

 would make us acquainted with our native grass- 

 es, and those of value from abroad ; and instruct 

 in the l)est method of mixing and cultivating 

 them. The labours of the Horticultural Socie- 

 ty of London have, in a short time, produced a 

 striking improvement in that branch of rural e- 

 conomy ; and its agents ha\e already visited ev- 

 ery quarter of the globe, and drawn from them 

 every thing valuable in the vegetable kingdom." 



From Dary'^s JigricuUural Cliemislry. 



FRUIT TIIEES, &c. 



The decay of the best varieties offrrtit-bear- 

 ing tree.s which iiave been distributed through 

 the country by grails, is a circumstance of great 

 importance. There is no 7no<le of preserving 

 them ; and no resource, e.'jcopt that of raising 

 new varieties by seeds. 



Where a species has been ameliorated by 

 culture, the seeds it affords, other ctrciimslan- 

 ces being similar, produce more vigorous and 

 perfect plants ; and in this way the great im- 

 provements in the productions of our fields and 

 gaidens seem to have been occasioned. 



Wheat in its indigenous state, as a natural 

 production of the soil, a|]pears to have been a 

 ■very small grass : and the ca^e is still more re- 

 markable with the apple and the plumb. The 

 crab seems to have been the parent of all our 

 apples. And two fruits can scarcely be con- 

 ceived more different in colour, size, and ap- 

 pearance than the wild plum and the rich roag- 

 num bonum. 



The seed.^ of plants exalted by cultivation 

 always furnish large and improved varieties ; 

 but the flavour, and even the colour of the fruit 

 seems to be a matter of accident. Thus a hun- 

 dred seeds of the golden pippin will all produce 

 tine large-leaved apple trees, bearing tVuit ofa 

 considerable size ; but the tastes and colours of 

 the apples from each will be different, and none 

 will be the same as those of the pippin itself. 

 So^he will be sweet, some sour, some bitter, 

 some mawkish, some aromatic ; some yellow, 

 some green, some red, and some streaked. All 

 the apples will, however, be much more per- 

 fect than those from the seeds of a crab, which 

 produce trees all the same kind, and all bear- 

 ing sour and diminutive fruit. 



The power of the horticulturist extends only 

 to the multiplying excellent varieties by graft- 

 ing. They cannot be rendered permanent ; and 

 the good fruits at present in our gardens, are 

 the produce ofa (e\\ seedlings, selected proba- 

 bly from hundreds of thousands ; the results of 

 great labour and industry, and multiplied expe- 

 riments. 



The larger and thicker the leaves ofa seed- 

 ling, and the more expanded its blossoms, the 

 more it is likely to produce a giod variety of 

 fruit. Short leaved trees should never be se- 

 lected ; for these approach nearer to the origin- 

 al standard ; whereas the other qualities indicate 

 the influence of cultivation. 



In the general selection of seeds, it would 

 appear that those arising from the most highly 

 cultivated varieties of plants, are such as give 

 the mo«t visjorous produce ; but it is necessary 

 from time tu lime to change, and as it were, to 

 cross the breed. 



Rv applying the pollen, or dust of the stam- 

 ina from one variety to the pisti! of another of 

 the same species, a new variety may be easily 

 produced ; and Mr. Knight's experiments seem 

 to warrant the idea, that great advantages may 

 be derived from this method of propagation. 



Mr. Knight's large peas produced by cross- 

 ing two varieties, are celebrated amongst horti- 

 culturist^, and will, I hope, soon be cultivated 

 by larmers. 



I have seen several of his crossed apples, 

 which promise to rival the best of those which 

 are gradually dying away in the cider countries 



TO MAKE JAPANESE CEMENT OB RtCE GI.UE. 



This elegant cement is made by mixing rice 

 flour intimately with cold water, and then gent- 

 I}' lioil it. It is beautit'ully while, and dries al- 

 most transparent. Papers pasted together by 

 means of this cement, will sooner separate in 

 their own substance than at Jhe joining, which 

 makes it extremely useful in the preparation of 

 curious paper articles, as tea trays, ladies dress- 

 ing boxes, and other articles which require lay- 

 ers of paper to be cemented together. It is in 

 ever}' respect preferable to common paste made 

 with wheat flour, for almost every purpose to 

 which that article is usually applied. It answers 

 well, in particular, tor pasting into books the 

 copies of writings, taken oflf by copying ma- 

 chines, or unsized silver paper. With this com- 

 position, made with a comparatively small quan- 

 tity of water, that it may have the consistence 

 similar to plastic clay, models, busts, statues, 

 basso relievos, and the like, may be formed ; 

 when dry, the articles made, of it are suscepti- 



ble ofa very high polish; they are also very 

 dural)le. The Japanese make quadrille fish of 

 this substance, which so nearly resembles those 

 made of mother of pearl, that the officers of our 

 East Indiamen are often imposed upon. — Ameri- 

 can Farmer. 



TO DESTROY RATS AND MICE. 



Mix flour of malt with some butter, and add 

 thereto a drop or two of oil of anniseed ; make 

 it up into balls, and bail your traps therewith. If 

 you have thousands, by this means you may 

 take them all. — Ibid. 



A simple and ingenious method of condens- 

 ing smoke, and metallic vapors, and other sub- 

 limed matter, not liable to be inl'used by ad- 

 mixture with ^vater, has lately been made pub- 

 lic by Mr. Jeffreys, of Bristol, England. It con- 

 sists of having connected with the tire, or fur- 

 nace, two parallel funnels communicating to- 

 gether at the top, up one of which the smoke 

 or vapor ascends, and then passing into the 

 other, is immediately condensed and carried 

 down by a shower of water, which falls unceas- 

 ingly from above, and passes off by an opening 

 below. 



QUACKERY. 

 We note the following particulars for tiic ben- 

 efit of those, who are in the habit of employing 

 the most illiterate of mankind, to doctor their 

 horses, cows, hogs and sheep. A gentleman ic 

 this vicinity, having lost 26 of his merino flock, 

 ofa disease, which he ascertained by dissection 

 to be, ' worms in the head,' was advised by one 

 of his neighbours to inject, into the heads of his 

 sheep, spirits of turpentine and vinegar, the pro- 

 portion, -a tea-spoonful of the former to a gill of 

 the latter,' as a preventive. The next day the 

 flock was got up, the lotion prepared was in- 

 troduced vigorously to ths olfactories of 15 of 

 his sheep, 14 of which were in perfect health 

 — and in about twenty minutes, seven of them 

 were dead, one more died in about two hours, 

 and another lingered till the next day! — fVal- 

 pokj (^JV. H.) paper. , 



An Association has been formed in London, 

 with a capital of g5,000,000, for Agricultural 

 purposes in Colombia ; and one object appears 

 to be to reduce the price of imported flour. 



Great quantities of excellent wheat are ex- 

 pected at Rio Janeiro, from the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



Steam Engines. — Tt is calculated that the steam en- 

 gines now in England, represent the power of 320,000 

 lioises equal to that of l,y'20,(J00 men — which being ia 

 fact managed by 3,600 men only, adds actually to the 

 power of the population, l,8G4,OU0 men. 



The Mexican Republic has 22,000 regular troops, 

 including 10,000 cavalry. It has also 40,000 active 

 Militia. 



The Montreal Herald, of the 21?t inst states that ar- 

 rangements were making in England to send fifteen 

 thousand Irish emigrants to Canada, during the present 

 summer. 



Mr Wilson, of New-York, has invented a Steam Boat 

 which rests on large transverse cylinders or -wheels, 

 which, as it were, roll over the water, buoying the vca- 



sel. 



