94 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



by their conductors, of which the rest of mankind 

 are ignorant — Nothing can be more liiiiaciousthan 

 such a notion, and it is one of a most pernicious ten- 

 dency to tiie great cause of agricuhural improve- 

 ment, and, consequently, to the besi interests of 

 the country. True, the conductor of an agncullu- 

 ral paper, it a i)raclical farmer, should, and if well 

 qualified for his task, he will, leel that solicitudelbr 

 the improvement of his occupation which will in- 

 duce him, not only to reason and to reflect on the 

 subject, but often to reduce to the inlidlible test 

 of actual experiment, the suggestions of his own 

 mind, as well as those which may be made by oth- 

 ers. But were the promulgation of the knowledge 

 thus acquu'ed by a single individual, no matter how 

 accomplished a farmer he might be, the only benefit 

 to be derived fi-om the persualol his paper, its ben- 

 eficial influence would necessarily beconfined with- 

 in comparatively very narrow limits indeed. It 

 must be reccollected that there are thousands m 

 every civilized country on the globe, who are con- 

 stantly engaged in efl'orts, by the same means, to 

 acquire a more perfect knowledge of their proles- 

 eion, and who are every year contributing largely 

 to the existing stock of agricultural knowledge. To 

 disseminate as widely as possible, tiot only the new 

 discoveries thus made by this vast number, both 

 of scientific and practical farmers, and, what is 

 perhaps of even still greater importance, to dilfuse 

 throughout the great mass of larmers the existing- 

 knowledge, now confined to a few, to illustrate the 

 benefits, both public and private, which must re- 

 sult from reducing it generally to practice, and to 

 urge on all engaged in agriculture the adoption of 

 such a course, by appeals, not only to their patri- 

 otism, to their ambition tor distinction in their pro- 

 fession, but to the still more powerful motive of self 

 interest in most men. These are the great objects 

 aimed at by agricultural papers — objects, to the 

 attainment of which they are admirably adapted, 

 and objects which they have actually accomplish- 

 ed to an Immense extent inevery country in which 

 they have received an extent of patronage in any 

 degree proportioned to their intrinsic value and 

 hif^h importance. Were this notoriously correct 

 view of the subject geaerally entertained, self inte- 

 rest alone would effectually secure to agricultural 

 publications, at least among fin'mers and planters, 

 a far more general and extensive patronage than 

 they have ever yet received, for it may be safely 

 asserted, that while they are among the cheapest 

 periodicals of the day, no farmer of common intel- 

 ligence can regularly peruse an agricultural paper, 

 conducted with ordinary ability, without being ac- 

 tually benefited, even in a pecuniary point ol' view, 

 to an amount at least tenfold greater than the price 

 of his subscription — besides the salutary and the 

 almost incalculable benefit which the farmer's chil- 

 dren cannot fail to derive from the intellectual and 

 moral improvement produced by the reading of 

 Buch a paper. The general circulation of such 

 works should, therefore, be zealously promoted 

 and encouraged, not only by the agricultural com- 

 munity, but by all who feel any interest in the vve!- 

 lare and prosperity of their country. 



REMKDY FOR THK " MURRAIN" OR "CARO- 

 LINA distemper" in cattle. 



Amelia, jjprll \5lh 1836. 

 Take the boughs or twigs of common cedar, 



No. 2 



(those boughs having the most berries are to be 

 preferred,) pack them in an iron pot or boiler as 

 closely as you can— fill the vessel vviih water and 

 boil it moderately until about half the quantity of 

 water is boiled away— then let it stand one hour 

 to cool. Give one quart of tile tea by drenching the 

 sick animal as we do a sick horse— repeat the dose 

 every hall' hour untd it operates. I have tried this 

 remedy for the above disease, and with confidence 

 recommend it to the citizens of Virginia where the 

 cattle are subject to it. It operates as a very pow- 

 erful diuretic as well as cathartic. I have relieved 

 horses of violent attacks of stranguary by this ce- 

 dar tea, when everv other remedy had failed. 



il. B. 



PROaiPT SUBSCRIPTION TO TIIE EASTERN 

 SHORE RAILROAD. 



"We learn (says the Richmond Compiler) that 

 all the stock for tlie Eastern Shore Rail Road, has 

 been taken in Philadelphia. This scheme propo- 

 ses a connexion of Philadelphia, by means of a 

 railway through Delaware, Maryland, and the 

 Eastern Shore counties of Yirginia, with the Ports- 

 mouth and Roanoke Rail Road. The completion 

 of this magnificent work will add greatlv to the 

 trade and travel of the latter road, and will divert 

 much of it from Baltimore." 



This route is, for much of its length, on a ridge, 

 and is one of many such lines presented in the 

 tide water region of the Southern States, where na- 

 ture has executed the grading, and better than art 

 could possibly have efiected it in any route across 

 the course of streams. When the immense su- 

 perior facilities of these level ridge-routes, are 

 known and properly appreciated, there will be con- 

 structed on them numerous branch rail roads, any 

 of which, if named now, would draw ridicule up- 

 on the proposer. Every ridge between adjacent 

 streams in lower Virginia and North Carolina, is 

 almost a perfect level: and for many miles on such 

 ridges, the wooden railroads, for ordinary wheel car- 

 riages on Williams' plan, (described in Vol. I. Far. 

 Reg.) might be constructed with pine timber cut 

 down along the track, and which would serve to 

 create means for cheap transportation, v.'here none, 

 or only the most laborious and cosll}-, now exists, 

 and thereby would give a new value to timber and 

 all other heavy commodities, to the lands produc- 

 ing ihem, and to the business of the railroads, and 

 to the market towns, to which there^new products 

 would be brought for transportation and for sale. 

 Many tributary branches to both the Portsmouth 

 and Petersburg railroads will yet be opened, 

 which have not been proposed, and scarcely 

 thought about. 



FOWL LICE. 



When confined, or when simply roosting, in an 

 enclosed house, hens are apt to become infested 

 with lice, in the warmer months. Dry wood 

 ashes, put on the ground where thev dust them- 

 selves, will very soon ti-ec them. 



