168 



American Agriculture. 



Vol. V. 



age. — No one can take time to make observa- 

 tions in his business, if he be always three 

 weeks or a month behind, by having too much 

 on his hands. To get along, and keep in 

 eight of where he should be, every thing like 

 order or system is dispensed with. The 

 ground, in such cases, is often ploughed too 

 wet, the crop spoiled, and the land greatly 

 injured. Now, every practical man knows 

 that this is literally true with respect to over- 

 cropping, and we think it will apply to too 

 many farmers of Tennessee. We repeat, the 

 farmer who raises the heaviest crop per acre, 

 and the aggregate amount, does not always 

 cultivate the most land — but desirous to im- 

 prove his practice, and increase his product 

 in the right way, he curtails his amount of 

 land, and doubles the labour upon the remain- 

 der — whereby he not only has a better crop, 

 but his lands are brought into a much better 

 state of cultivation. 



A remedy for the evil arising from over- 

 cropping, exists with our agricultural socie- 

 ties. Let them offer liberal premiums for the 

 best crop on given quantities of land, and for 

 the best system of practice, and then we 

 shall see vast improvements made in our 

 modes of farming. — Southern Cultivator. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Amei'icau Agriculture. 



Sir, — In an enumeration of the advan- 

 tages to be found in this country, over that of 

 England, in the pursuits of agriculture, the 

 excellent and intelligent President of the 

 Philadelphia Agricultural Society, in his ad- 

 dress at its late exiiibition — and for a pecu- 

 liarly neat and correct copy of which we are 

 indebted to the Cabinet — has omitted to par- 

 ticularize a circumstance whicli appears to 

 be, of itself, an addition, to the value of about 

 25 per cent. ; I mean the greater length of 

 the winter days. Now, hero we are, almost 

 in the depth of winter — yet our out-door la- 

 bours might still be commenced in daylight 

 at 6 in the morning, and be continued until 

 ^ past 5 in the evening, with the most per- 

 fect comfort and convenience. To be sure, 

 we do not yet make the most of this Divine 

 arrangement, for few of us conceive that 

 from the time of husking, until that of 

 ploughing in the spring, we have much to do 

 in the fields; but when the value of compost- 

 making, fall-fallowing, draining, road-making, 

 fencing, &c., is more fully estimated, and the 

 advantages resulting therefrom are better un- 

 derstood, we shall then know and feel the 

 privilege of having that portion which is cut 

 from our longest days — and which we can 

 very conveniently spare — tacked to our short- 

 est days in winter ; a most beneficial arrange- 



ment truly, and one that we shall then be 

 able, properly, to appreciate; for the hours 

 which are thus given to us, at that leisure 

 season of the year, will enable us to improve 

 our fields, to beautify our houses and home- 

 steads, and repair substantially the fences 

 about our premises, adding fifty per cent, to 

 their appearance, and double that to the in- 

 ward pleasure and comfort, arising from the 

 contemplation of so much internal and exter- 

 nal convenience and happiness. 



In conclusion, I would ask your readers, 

 what is their opinion of the theory contained 

 in the " Dialogues," at page 16, of the 4th 

 volume of the Cabinet, relating to the cause 

 of the difference in tiie length of the morn- 

 ing and evening twilight in this country, 

 when compared with that of England 1 Is 

 the view, which is there taken, correct] I 

 confess that, to me, it appears new, and, so far 

 as I can see, reasonable; but I should wish 

 to ascertain what are the opinions of those 

 amongst your readers, who are more compe- 

 tent to form a judgment on this interesting 

 subject than I am. That the morning twi- 

 light is by much the longest, in this country, 

 every one must often have noticed ; but why 

 this should be, I am at a loss to conjecture, 

 when, on reference to " Gummere's Observa- 

 tions in Astronomy," page 51, we find it 

 stated, that the morning twilight commences 

 when the sun has approached within 18 de- 

 grees of the horizon, and the evening twi- 

 light ceases when the sun has sunk 18 de- 

 grees below it. I grant that this may be all 

 correct according to the book, but when we 

 see that the fact is not so, nay, that it is strik- 

 ingly otherwise, I cannot but think that the 

 cause pointed out in the Dialogues is just; — 

 namely, that the great ocean being westward 

 in England, the rays of the sun, when setting 

 over it, are refracted by the surface of its wa- 

 ters, and the air thus remains illuminated, long 

 after it has sunk beneath the horizon; while 

 here, on the seaboard of America, this order 

 of things is reversed, the great ocean being 

 eastward, and the sun setting amidst the 

 dense forests of the west, from whence no 

 rays can be refracted — and if so, and the idea 

 be original, I think the suggestion is entitled 

 to notice. R. Dean. 



Philad'a. County, Dec. 5, 1840. 



Whatever devastation may be committed 

 by the fungus tribe to trees or plants, I am 

 convinced that by far the greatest extent 

 of injury, from what is placed to the ac- 

 count of canker, mildew, &c., if correctly 

 investigated, will prove to originate in 

 the unwholesome supply or impurity of the 

 food. 



