18^7.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



581 



distiince. They are evidently wooded to the sum- 

 mit. Continuing onwards, on both sides, many 

 beautiful residences are pai=sed ; and thecuhivated 

 liUhl extends, wiih well defined edu'cs, to the river, 

 till wiihin a mile of Albany, where the river geAs 

 inui-h broken vvilh island?, and th.e banks become 

 low, but not desiitute of that shade, which is .so 

 characierisiic of American scenerv. 



Between Albany and Lake Chaniplain, the 

 ground in <r''neral is in an excellent slate of culti- 

 vation ; and t)eing well watered, is rendered, in 

 con8e(]uence, an aii;reeable situation lor the settler. 

 There it was that we first caught a sio-ht of the 

 j^hiea CanadennTS, (hemlock spruce,) and the loi'ty 

 white-bark American elms, in native stations. 



Entering another steam boat upon Lake Cham- 

 plain, from the westward, the course is winding 

 and narrowed. The woods on both sides, tor the 

 first sixteen miles, are various, the principal trees 

 being the wild cherry, (Pnnius virginica,) elms, 

 walnut, sugar maples, with the aspen poplar, 

 ( Pnpnhis Iremulnides.) The rocky grounds again 

 abound in arborvitse. After having (airly entered 

 upon the expanse of the lake, the ap|>earanee of 

 the lofty white or Weymouth pine, (Pinusstro- 

 bus,) towering above the deciduous trees, on rising 

 grounds at the base of the hills, ofa dark aspect, 

 nearly destitute of branches was remarkable. 



About IJssex, half way alonii, the lake widens 

 much, and all at once the wooded rocky land by 

 the wafer's edire, is changed for a rich liirtile coun- 

 try. The dilferent farms having their fields laid 

 ofl" in squares, and a large orchard attached to 

 each, render this trnct, with its natural beauties 

 verj'^ agreeable. The soil around seemed a light 

 rosy-colored clay, and the wood on the lower 

 grounds was not very plentiful, but Jhe rising 

 grounds behind were densely studded withscragg}' 

 pines. 



On reaching St. John's, the northern extremity 

 of LakeChainplain, tjie forests presented the same 

 appearance as they did vvhere we first entered 

 upon the Lake, with the addition of the jJbies bal- 

 sajnea, (or balm of Gilead fir,) and the sugar ma- 

 ple, which is here in greater quantities, and larger 

 than we had hitlierto seen. Notwithstandmg the 

 great mutilation which the trees are subjected to 

 in early spring, for their juices in the manufacture 

 ol sugar, they appear all in the most perfect state 

 of health. 



Passing onwards to Lapraire, on the St. Law- 

 rence river, the only tree observed of any interest, 

 and deserving of notice, was the Canoe birch 

 ( Betnla papyracea.) 



Several dense masses of these trees occupied 

 the lower ground: but from their closeness, none 

 had attained a great size. Till reaching this 

 point, birches were by no means plentiful. 



From the Soutliern Agriculturist. 

 ON GRASSES FOR SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Columbia, S. C, Oct. 28, 1836. 



Dear Sir, — Having been long deeply sensible 

 of the importance of a successful cultivation of 

 the grasses in our state, I have applied my atten- 

 tion to that subject, with some considerable assidu- 

 ity and care, for several years past ; and am sor- 

 ry to say, I have not as yet met with that encour- 



agement I had very earnestly hoped for, and had 

 anticipated. Nevertheless, I am not so much 

 discouriiged as to deter me fi-om further trials; 

 nor do I, in the least, despair of ultimate and 

 complete success, if the experiments should be 

 persevered in, with an assiduity and a sound dis- 

 criminating judgment, commensurate, in any mo- 

 derate degree, with the vast in)portance of the 

 object. "Every planter and farmer is fully sensilile 

 of the prodigious disadvantages under which he 

 labors, fi-om the want of rich and abundant pas- 

 turage and Torage grasses. He cultivates richly 

 renumerating staple productions, and receives 

 very handsome annual incomes of money : but, 

 from the steril fiice of the country, as regards 

 the grasses and forage, he finds his income una- 

 voidably and deeply encroached upon and drain- 

 ed, by the annual purchase of mules, horses, pork, 

 and beef. In tact, he finds his seemingly lucra- 

 tive employment rather a tantalizing fiction than 

 a substantial reality. Indeed, it has been assert- 

 ed, by some of the profoundest writers on agricul- 

 ture, and I am inclined to believe, with much 

 truth, ''that no country was ever known to be 

 really and permanently flourishmg, that was des- 

 titute of rich and succulent grasses." 



That South Carolina is incapable of producing 

 a rich supply of the grasses, it would be absurd 

 to suppose. I remember the time myself, when 

 almost the whole surface of th.e soil, especially in 

 the upper country, was a rich natural meadow, 

 of the most succulent ami niitritious herbage and 

 grasses : and a soil so fertile as her's is, in the 

 production of other valuable articles, it would be 

 preposterous to conclude, is sleril in the grasses. 

 The truth is, we forget that every climate and soil 

 has its own peculiar adaptations to certain vege- 

 t;d)le productions ; and not less so to certain spe- 

 cies of grasses than to any thing else. That our 

 climate is too hot and arid for the grasses, is a 

 mere chimerical assumption. We know that the 

 richest pasture lands in the world are found be- 

 tween the tropics ; and the species of grasses 

 which luxuriate there, would at once dwindle and 

 fail in a hiiih northern latitude, as certainly as the 

 northern kind do at the south. Our error, hereto- 

 tofore, has manifestly lain in seeking our grass 

 seeds in climates entirely too cold. We have per- 

 sisted m endeavoring to force the culture of the 

 northern grasses in our southern climate, instead 

 of seekini; them amongst the indigenous and suc- 

 culent kinds in our own soil, and elsewhere still 

 turther south. It would be absurd to attempt to 

 force the culture of clover and blue grass in the 

 island of Jamaica ; but the Guinea-grass, first in- 

 troduced by accident from Afi-ica, luxuriates there 

 in a most extraordinary manner, and has proved 

 to be a mine of wealth to that people. In like 

 manner, we have no reason to despair, that with 

 a proper spirit of enterprise and perseverance, we 

 may yet succeed in finding some species of the 

 grasses, that may flourish and revel in Carolina, 

 equal to the clover and timothy of the northern 

 states, or the Guinea-grass of Jamaica. 



And althouo'h it is to be feared that many spe- 

 cies of the native sfrasses best adapted to our soil, 

 liave become extinct by our negligence, yet per- 

 haps it is not the case with all of them. And, by 

 diligent observation, perchance, a solitary, vigo- 

 rous, and succulent tussock may be found in some 

 unfrequented nook, or perhaps in more exposed 



