276 



Soil — Rats. 



V. 



tentions to sow all he had raised (120 bush.,) 

 this spring. 



Extract of a letter from Jay Hathaway, Esq. 

 dated Rome, N. Y., February 19, 1838. "I 

 have lately received a sample of Italian 

 S^yring Wheat, from the celebrated wheat 

 growing county, of Cayuga, — it is very fine, 

 and the grain is increased in size at least 1-4 

 — it was raised by Levi Hopkins of Sennet. 

 He bought six bushels lust spring in Rome, 

 sowed it on eight acres of rich sandy land, 

 amd had a splendid crop; — has tlireshed, 

 measured and sold it, — he had 202 bushels 

 from the five acres, and it netted him $65 

 to the acre, this is 40| bnshels per acre ! Mr, 

 H. — had 16 acres of winter wheat adjoining 

 the Italian, and had less from it than 200 

 bushels. It was proven here, in Rome, the 

 year past, tliat wheat sown as late us \st of 

 June, yielded 25 bushels to the acre ! 



The genuine Italian Spring Wheat, may 

 be known, beingg'e?ter«ZZ2/ofa reddish yellow. 



Tiie above wheat may be had (direct 

 from Jay Hathaway, Rome, Oneida county 

 N. Y.) by applying to John L. Peirce, Bull's 

 Head, North Third street, Philada. 



Philadelphia, jVIarch IS, 1838. 



For the Fanners'' Cabinet. 



Be Kiud to tlic §ob1. 



I was gratified with the publication of the 

 remark made by Wm. West, the good old 

 farmer of Delaware county, at page 250 of 

 your last No., that 



"HE LOVED TO SEE FARMERS KIND TO THE SOIL." 



He did not die indebted to it, though he 

 borrowed much from it, durin g the cour.se of a 

 long, well-spent life ; but he annually return- 

 ed as much or more tlian he borrowed, with 

 interest; and in this way the benefits were 

 reciprocal and always on the increase. Since 

 his death, which took place in 1808, when he 

 was in the 84 yearof his age, tiie farm, which 

 was a scourceof so much pleasure and profit 

 to him, and which was left in a high state of 

 fertility, passed into the hands of tliose wlio 

 appear to liave been moved by a very different 

 set of principles than those were which ac- 

 tuated the good, the kind, the intelligent, the 

 industrious, the pious VVilliam West,* the 

 great Pennsylvania farmer. For in common 

 with numerous other farms in our country, it 

 now appears, I am informed, as if it had been 

 in charge of those, who are not only not 

 kind to the soil as was Mr. West, but who at- 

 tempt to gQl something, for little or nothing ; 

 those who are borrowing from it, without pay- 

 ing much either of principal or interest. This 

 was not the plan of the patriarchal farmer of 

 Delaware county, for he held it as a point of 

 duty, " in every man who occupies land to en- 



• Kldtst brother of Benjamia West the celebrated 

 painter. 



deavoras far as he is capable, to keep it 

 improving state, for the benefit of hir. 

 his connections, the public, and posterity , 

 he who can make an addition or improvem 

 though small, to what is already known, wo 

 be doing more good than giving alms all tl>^_ 

 days of his life." 



His biographer says, "a visit to his ferm 

 was well repaid. The inquirer found always 

 a hospitable reception, a pleasant companion ; 

 and saw every tiling about the land bearing 

 the strongest marks of industry, care and 

 skill. TJie most luxuriant grass, the native 

 production of the soil, every where met his 

 eye ; not a weed to be seen ; the fences in the 

 most perfect order, a compost bed ready pre- 

 pared or in preparation in the field next to be 

 dressed, and every improvement effected in 

 tlie most substantial manner, as if he had 

 been just entering the farm early in life." 

 "He made ample pecuniary loans, without 

 the smallest compensation. Against this he 

 was principled. He had known the advantage 

 himself of some capital in the commence 

 ment of his agricultural operations, and there- 

 fore, freely advanced it, when convenient, to 

 those proper objects whose necessities in- 

 duced an application to him." It was his firm 

 settled conviction that a farmer could not 

 make a more secure and profitable invest- 

 ment of capital than by the most liberal ex- 

 penditure of it, in increasing the fertility of 

 ins farm, so as to cause it to produce the 

 greatest quantity of grass; and, this accon> 

 plislied, all the rest was easy, pleasant and 

 profitable. 



This has now become the settled convic- 

 tion of the most intelligent and successful 

 tarmers in our country, and any attempt to 

 controvert it is considered little short of 

 heresy in agriculture. 



Now let us all resolve hereafter to amend 

 our ways, and make reparation for our long 

 continued disobedience to the sound advice of 

 the wise and good, and in time to come, re- 

 member to 



" Be kind to the soil." 



Springfield. 



March 2l5th, 1S38. 



Fur the Fanners' Cabinet. 



Rats. 



Mr. Cabinet: — I suppose I need not tell 

 you that rats are an abominable nuisance, 

 that they do a vast deal of mischief, and that 

 they exist in vast numbers about many of our 

 barns, corn-cribs, and granaries. I have no 

 doubt that many farmers lose as much by 

 them in a year, as would hire a good hand du- 

 ring the whole summer. Now what I want 

 is that some of your ingenious correspondents 

 would inform us through your paper, how to 

 get rid of them. 

 Chester County, March 31, 1838. 



