THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



155 



pi,i;-s aiul ruta "baga, in less than sis months. Be- 

 fore twelve he closed the concern, and again sailed 

 for England. Naked he came into America, and 

 naked he retnrned from thence; his whole goods 

 and chattels, a few minor articles excepted, con- 

 sisting only of ruta baga and smoked hams from 

 the hind quarters of his black pigs; he shipped 

 cue case, however, which by some estimation was 

 beyond all price — viz.: a rough Albany deal board 

 formed into a square bcx, and in this box was de- 

 posited the pnjfound skull and dry bones of the 

 venerated Thomas Paine, author of "Common 

 Sense," etc. Out of these bones Cobbett meant to 

 Lave made political capital, but they were seized 

 by the custom house at London for duty, and sunk 

 (if report S[)eak true,) in the deep green sea. 



'' From this subject it may be profitable to ob- 

 serve how similar are the movements of political 

 quacks in all countries and at all periods. It is but 

 a few years since that our political jugglers turned 

 the world upside down about Morgan, his dry 

 bones and split skull ; Louis Phillippe, too, and his 

 Fi'ench radicals, must needs parade the bones of 

 Buonaparte wherewitii to make a bank political. 



'• But enough of this long preamble. . It is only 

 meant to let his friends know that Grant yet lives 

 — his eye as clear, his head as sound, and his health 

 as good as in 1801 — and this being the first day of 

 spring, he is provided with the usual supply of 

 goods, (as they say in Pearl street,) to accommo- 

 date his friends; and his being only a branch from 

 the tree at 15 John street, the seeds, on trial, will 

 prove good. American and European flower seeds 

 just received. Boquets prepared for the ladies in 

 the neatest order. Catalogues gratis. Gentlemen 

 supplied with gardeners, &c. — Grant Thorburn." 



His grandsons, under the name of J. M. TnoR- 

 BURN & Co., still carry on the seed store at 15 John 

 street, and we rarely go to New York without 

 paying a visit to this time-honored establishment. 

 It is one of the largest, most enterprising, and reli- 

 able seed houses in the United States. Another 

 branch of the family have for thirty years carried 

 on a similar establishment in Albany. So much 

 for the poor emigrant boy of seventy years ago. 



Wha-T is the Cause ? — It seems to be a fact that 

 the buds on the Early Crawford peach trees are 

 considerably injured, while some other varieties 

 have escaped. What is the reason? Eev. Mr. 

 Freeman, of Pai'ma, asks us the question. He says 

 that his Early Crawfords are materially damaged, 

 while the white-fleshed varieties, such as the Sweet- 

 waters, Kensingtons, Early Purples, &c., are not 

 injured at all. Is it the eflfect o? cold, or is it the 

 want of vitality in the tree? The fact that last 

 year his Early Crawfords bore profusely, while the 

 white-fleshed varieties bore only moderate crops, 

 seems to indicate the latter as the true cause. "Will 

 our experienced correspondents give their views on 

 the subject? 



UNDEEDKAINING GARDENS AND OKCHARDS. 



The great objection to underdraining farm land 

 is the expense. In sections where land is cheap, it 

 is somewhat doubtful whether it will pay to expend 

 $20 or $25 per acre in underdraining; but where 

 the price of land is high, we are safe in asserting 

 that no money can be more profitably invested — 

 none will pay a higher interest — than that laid out 

 in judicious underdraining. 



The same is true of a garden. It is more highly 

 cultivated than ordinary farm land. Much more 

 labor is expended upon it. The seed, plants, trees, 

 &c., are costly, and we can afl:brd to manure more 

 highly and cultivate more thoroughly than for crops 

 which are less valuable. On such land, on which 

 so much labor, time and money are expended, it is 

 the bight of folly to render tlie whole compara- 

 tively useless by refusing to expend a few dollars 

 in underdraining. Yet few things are more com- 

 mon. In our cities and villages, where horticulture 

 is pursued more for recreation than as a source of 

 profit, where excellent gardens are trequently 

 found, this neglect is not so general ; but among 

 farmers how rare is it to find a garden or orchard 

 thoroughly underdrained? And, as a consequence, 

 how rare is it to find a farmer's garden worthy of 

 the name! 



There is no climate in the world where under- 

 draining is more imperatively needed than in the 

 Northern States "and Canada. Our springs are 

 late and the ground very cold. Hot days arc m.t 

 unfrequent, and the buds start and growth com- 

 mences while the soil is so cold as to entirely 

 check the growth of roots. A tree or plant in 

 such circumstances cannot be healthy. It is now 

 fully proved that all parts of a healthy tree grow 

 together — if the branches grow the roots must 

 likewise grow ; and it is essential that the temper- 

 ature of the soil should correspond with the 

 temperature of the atmosphere. If the soil is 

 cold the formation of roots is prevented, and the 

 sap which should go to form roots is thrown back 

 into the circulation, and not unfrequently becomes 

 deseased. We believe this is the chief cause of 

 the " curl of the leaf" in peaches, and probably of 

 the " black knot" in plum trees. It should be our 

 aim, therefore, to render the soil as warm as possi- " 

 ble. 



It has been proved by actual experiments that a 

 soil which is full of stagnant water is at least 10° 

 colder than one which is underdr.iined. The reason 

 of this is owing to the well-known fact that heat can- 

 not be transmitted downwards through water. 



