268 



Anecdote of the Horse. — American Institute. 



Vol. XI. 



Last season in taking out a patch of pota- 

 toes from an orchard on the colleg-e grounds 

 adjoining me, it was discovered that under 

 the shade of the trees the potatoes were 

 sound, while those in the spaces, in open 

 ground, were considerably affected by the 

 rot. The disease therefore is owing to the 

 influence of the atmosphere — heat with 

 great humidity, unnatural spring-like wea- 

 ther that sets everything to growing and 

 blossoming; affects also the potatoes to be- 

 gin to grow, as if they were planted for that 

 purpose; hence we can easily imagine that 

 when this action is produced, the stalks or 

 vines that were still vigorous and adhered 

 •to them, would immediately lose their hold 

 on the roots below, and die. 



When I recommend deep planting on 

 light dry soils, I mean only as deep as would 

 be safe to go — say six inches. Every body 

 is aware that they could be planted so deep 

 as never to come up, and that potatoes 

 planted deep in wet stiff soils will rot in all 

 reasons. 



I have thus, through a deep and abiding 

 regard for the interests of the farmer, been 

 Jed to question the soundness of your re- 

 spectable correspondent's views upon the 

 disease and culture of the potatoe. He is 

 too generous, I know, to ascribe to me any 

 motive but the right one, and I am as free 

 to acknowledge his disinterestedness and 

 zeal in the same common cause. 



Respectfully, your obedient servant, 



James Gowen. 



Mount Airy, Philad., Feb. 15th, 1847. 



Anecdote of the Horse. 



ATTACHMENT TO MAN. 



In subm'ssion and attachment to man, the 

 horse is equalled only by the dog and ele- 

 phant. He soon learns to distingui.sh his 

 master's voice, and to come at his call ; he 

 rejoices in his presence, and seems restless 

 and unhappy during his absence; he joins 

 with him willingly in any work, and appears 

 susceptible of emulation and rivalry; and 

 though frequently fierce and dangerous to 

 Btrangers, yet there are few instances on 

 record of his being faithless to those with 

 whom he is domesticated, unless under the 

 most inhuman and barbarous treatment. 

 Colonel Smith relates the following affect- 

 ing incident of attachment in a charger, 

 which belonged to the late General Sir 

 Robert Gillespie. When Sir Robert fell at 

 the storming of Kalunga, his favourite black 

 charger, bred at the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 carried by him to India, was, at the sale of 

 his effects, competed for by several officers 

 of his division, and finally knocked down to 



the privates of the eighth dragoons, who 

 contributed their prize money to the amount 

 of £500 sterling, to retain this commemo- 

 ration of their late commander. Thus the 

 charger was always led at the head of the 

 regiment on a march, and at the station of 

 Cawnpore, was usually indulged with taking 

 his ancient post at the colour-stand, where 

 the salute of passing squadrons was given 

 at drill and on reviews. When the regi- 

 ment was ordered home, the funds of the 

 privates running low, he was bought for the 

 same sum by a relative of ours, who pro- 

 vided funds and a paddock for him, where 

 he might end his days in comfort; but when 

 the corps had marched, and the sound of the 

 trumpet had departed, he refused to eat, and 

 on the first opportunity, being led out to ex- 

 ercise, he broke from his groom, and gallop- 

 ing to his ancient station on the parade, 

 after neighing aloud, dropped down and 

 died. — Home Magazine. 



American Institute — Farmers' Club — 

 Gardens. 



March 2nd, 1847. 



Judge Livingston in the chair. 



Chairman — The subject for the day is the 

 Kitchen Garden. 



Mr. Meigs — I have been a gardener by 

 choice for a great many years, in connexion 

 with my professional employments. As to 

 the general plan of a garden, I am pleased 

 with the idea given by Chancellor Livmg- 

 ston many years ago to our old Agricultural 

 Society. He said that on the north of the 

 garden should be placed the talle.-^t trees, 

 and then all other trees, shrubs and plants 

 in succession towards the south side of it, as 

 they diminished in height down to the creep- 

 ing plants, such as the strawberry. So that 

 looking on the garden, the tops of all the 

 plants would be rising gradually one above 

 the other, like the benches of an amphithea- 

 tre from the south to the north, where the 

 tall trees would break the northern blasts. 

 One thing I recommend in a garden. Let 

 the paths be turnpiked and raised to at least 

 the level of the tops of the beds — in order 

 that in damp or wet weather one can walk 

 over them comfortably — and that in show- 

 ers, the water may settle on the beds rather 

 than form, as it does in our sunken garden 

 paths, so many muddy ditches. And it will 

 be found, that every square yard of every 

 garden has its appropriate fitness for one 

 plant more than another. I used to supply 

 my neighbours with very superior celery 

 plants, by planting the seed in a bed par- 

 tially shaded by trees. Shade is requisite 

 as well as the son's rays — some plants need 



