114 



THE FARMERS' CABINET. 



VOL. J, 



these being plants best adapted to moun- 

 tainous, cool and moist regions ; and clover 

 and wheat seed from England and Holland, 

 which are comparatively low, warm and 

 dry, and better adapted to their produc- 

 tion. 



It is well known that in America, our Oats 

 are not good, they have little kernal or meal; 

 and the quality of our Barley is not what it 

 ought to be. 



It is to the following circumstance the 

 present address owes its existence. 



In the year 1833, a well informed practical 

 farmer visited Pennsylvania with the object 

 of seeing as much of our practice of farmmg, 

 soil and climate, as a short stay here would 

 permit. On his return to Scotland, he pro- 

 cured and sent to his friends in Philadelphia 

 some Angus Oats, Hopeton Oats, Barley, 

 Wheat and Rye-grass; the cask containing 

 the seed miscarried and did not arrive here 

 until the Fall of 1835. 



Some of each kind of these seeds have 

 been sown here; the wheat came up very 

 thin ; it is presumed the seed suffered from 

 the long voyage. On the 18th April, 1836, 

 the Oats and Barely were sown on rather 

 poor but fresh loam. It is true, the season 

 has been cool, damp and favorable to these 

 grains, still their success has surpassed any 

 thinf that could have been calculated on. 

 The Barley and both kinds of Oats are of 

 superior growth in strength of stem, as well 

 as thinkness on the ground; they would lose 

 nothing in a comparison with the crops of 

 Oats or Barley of any country, and are likely 

 to suffer loss from excessive growth, causing 

 them to lodge. One kind of the Oats com- 

 menced shooting into ear about the first of 

 July, and the other about the tenth; the 

 marks which were placed to distinguish the 

 one from the other have got displaced, and 

 this accident prevents knowing whether it is 

 the Angus or Hopeton Oats that first puts out 

 the ear. 



Now let us inquire into the economy of 

 farmers adopting the practice of annually 

 supplying themselves with new seed grain — 

 and found our calculations on a farm where 

 about twenty bushels of Oats are sown each 

 year ; the farmer of such a piece of land 

 could supply himself with an annual change 

 of his Oat seed in the following manner. It 

 is presumed that each busliel of the imported 

 Oats he sows, will produce ten bushels ; then 

 by annually buying two bushels, their pro- 

 duce would yield tiie twenty bushels required 

 for sowing on his farm. Suppose the price 

 of the imported Oats to be !|1,50 cents a 

 bushel, the two would cost $3 — and the 

 price of country oats was .^O cents, the two 

 would cost $1 — The expense of changing the 

 seed would be per annum $3. The estimate 



is not given as a matter of accuracy, but as a 

 formula by which every one can make his 

 own calculations. 



In procuring a change in seed, there are 

 other points necessary to be attended to be- 

 sides the quality of the grain, and one of these 

 is to guard against bringing with it the 

 weeds incident to the country or fields where 

 it has grown: for want of attention to this, 

 there are farmers who have introduced into 

 their fields, along with the clover they 

 sowed, the narrow leafed plantain, which 

 arrogates to itself a place which would oth- 

 erwise be occupied by clover, to the detri- 

 ment of his hay both in quality and quantity, 

 and that more serious curse, Bensalem clover 

 or white daisy; all this is the result of their 

 not taking sufficient care in the selection of 

 their clover seed. 



In the British Islands, their Oat and Barley 

 fields at some seasons, are entirely yellow; 

 nothing is to be seen save the bloom of the 

 wild mustard, in some districts called Shel- 

 dricks; and this is not the only one of this 

 class of yellow flowering spring weed, — in 

 Wheat they have what is here called Cockle, 

 the seed of which is detrimental to superfine 

 flour; all these should be guarded against 

 by the European agent; and to prevent mis- 

 chief, the seed after it arrives here should be 

 re-sifted in a sieve that will separate the 

 weeds from the pure grain, always collecting 

 and burning the obnoxious seeds. 



In proof of the sincerity, that the writer 

 entertains a favorable opinion of the system, 

 he will import for next season's sowing, one 

 hundred bushels of selected Barley, one hun- 

 dred of each variety of Oats, already spoken 

 of, and, it being too late for receiving wheat 

 for the ensuing sowing, measures will be ta- 

 ken for bringing to this country wheat for the 

 following year. 



Such persons as take an interest in renew- 

 ing their seed grain, are invited to apply to 

 the subscriber who will furnish them with 

 any quantity, not less than a bushel. The 

 cost will be governed by the price abroad, 

 and the expense of bringing the articles here. 

 The transaction will be attended with con- 

 siderable trouble, and the limited extent of 

 the operation will satify all who reflect, that 

 there are other motives for undertaking thei 

 business than that of making money. 



Letters, post paid, will be duly attended to» 

 addressed to 



JAMES RONALDSON, 



No. 200 South Ninth street, Philad. 



P. S. Editors of newspapers who take an 

 interest in the advancement of our agricul- 

 ture are rcciuesled to insert the preceding in 

 their papers. 



