NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



309 



iild command $-,75, will not now sell (or more 

 u ^t,'Jj." The cause of (he business being at 

 •sent at a stand, is not mentioned ; but the real 

 use is, tliu immense importation ot" hats and 

 finets from Leghorn, at all prices. Mr. Bay- 

 staled in a recent debate on the TaritT, that 

 ing the last year g800,000 worth were iin- 

 ted. With the view of enabling; the Ainci- 

 n fabrics to compete with the Leghorn, the 

 mmittee on Domestic Manufactures proposed 

 increase the duty from one dollar to three 

 lars, upon all Leghorn hats or bonnels of 

 iw, chip, or grass, which at the flace 

 ence imported, with the addition of ter per 

 tum,. shall have cost less than three do lar«. 

 e resolution, it appears fwm the sketch uf 

 debate on the occasion, was supported by 

 Baylies of Mass. and Mr. Rich of Vermont, 

 opposed by Mr. Cambrcleng, of New York, 

 tirm and decided enemy of domestic iadus- 

 (ship building excepted) and Messrs. Mar- 

 aud Sharpe, of New York, and Fiord of 

 ■ginia. 



The proposition was not adopted. The ma- 

 ity against it is not given in the paper. I 

 erely regret the loss of the motion, because 

 manufacture in the United States is rao.-edc- 

 ving of encouragement and protection, tlian 

 t of bonnet and hat making, for the ftllow- 

 obvious and strong reasons. 

 . Whether made from grass or straw, taate- 

 .a of comparatively small value, are conrerl- 

 into articles of great value, some of them of 

 / great value. 



. Because the manufactory gives employ- 

 it to females and children, a class of people 

 uliarly deserving the fostering care of all 

 ernments, by reason of the inlluence which 

 r labor may be made to have upon the wealth 

 he nation and the happiness, safety, and mo- 

 ty of society ; and of their inability to avail 

 mselves, as men do, of various other trades 

 employments, when the one by which they 

 support themselves is cut off. 

 . Because the articles which are the pro- 

 te of their labor, would add to the national 

 •enue by their being exported, and exchang- 

 ffor others of a foreign growth or manufac- 

 !, upon the importation of which duties 

 lid be paid. Until the British laid a heavy 

 y upon American hats and bonnets, they were 

 rofitable article to export to England, and a 

 ; English paper stated that " by a return 

 ie to Parliament, it appears that in the year 

 ing the 5th April, 1823, there were 176,- 

 I straw bonnets or hats imported into Eng- 

 i from America, and 3512 lbs. of straw plat- 

 ;. There is no probability of the trade ev- 

 lioing renewed for the people of England 

 ig made acquainted with the whole se- 

 t of the manufacture, will push it to its 

 lost possible extent, and fill the world 

 B it. What goods therefore are hereafter 

 lorted from England, which might be pur- 

 sed by the sale of American bonnels, had no 

 y been laid, must be paid l^or by thrift re- 

 ved from other sources, but what these are, 

 lainsyet to be discovered. 

 . Because it is a manufacture that does not 

 uire those engaged in it to be collected in 

 ;e work shops, but may be carried on at home, 

 may occupy the leisure days of the females 

 children. Thus morality is promoted, 

 its of neat industry are instilled, happiness 



insured, and profit obtained, of which, without 

 such employment, they might be deprived. 

 Considering these arguments, it is really to be 

 wondered at, that our Congress should rel"use to 

 increase the duty upon Leghorn hats and foreign 

 straw bonnets, so as to enable the domestic fab- 

 ric to compete with the imported articles of the 

 same kind ; esjiecially too, after hearing from 

 Mr. Baylies, of the many thousand women and 

 children who depended upon the manufacture of 

 bonnets as a means of support ; of the poverty 

 to which the loss of their usual employment 

 must inevitably reduce them ; and of the great 

 value of their labor to the nation. 



The members of Congress and the people of 

 the United States, of all parties, are requested 

 to ponder on these facts, to draw the conclu- 

 sions from them which cannot fail to arise in 

 their minds, and to remember them when they 

 are told by the enemies to domestic industry, 

 that the statesmen of the old world are relaxing 

 their restrictions upon trade. Dr. Cooper in 

 particular is requested to attend to them., in case 

 he comes out with another pamphlet and more 

 memorials against encouraging domestic manu- 

 factures of the United States. Miss Sophia 

 Woodhouse (now Mrs. Wells.) and Miss Sally 

 Ilanmer, of Wetherslield, Connecticut, had the 

 merit of shewing at the exhibition of the Ag- 

 ricultural Society of Hartford, in 1820, the first 

 bonnet made in imitation of the Leghorn hats, 

 from native grass, called in that State, Tickle- 

 moth. We learn from the survey of the county 

 of Rensselaer, New York,* that its botanical 

 name is Jlgrostis Alba. It is a common grass of 

 the Northern and Middle States, but the excel- 

 lent ^0(1 viridis, or green grass which is a na- 

 tive of the United Stales, and forms the green 

 sward of Pennsylvania, would doubtless answer 

 equally well if prepared in a manner similar to 

 that pursued with the Agrostis Alba. If taken 

 from the fields where it spontaneously grows it 

 would answer for common hats ; but for making 

 those of a finer kind, the seed should be collect- 

 ed and sown very thick early in the Spring. — 

 These seeds are doubtless to be purchased at 

 seed stores. The grass for bonnets should be 

 collected before they have attained their ma- 

 turity. 

 A Friend to Agriculture., Commerce and Manufactures. 



* Made at the expense of Stephen Van Rensselaer 

 President of the New York Board of Agriculture. — ' 

 See Memoirs of the Board, page 31, vol. i. 



It is not certain that the Ticklemoth Grass, is the A- 

 grostis Alba, but this latter species is called "The 

 American Leghorn Grass" in the suvvey ; and their 

 identity is therefore taken for granted. — At all events 

 the Agrostis Alba will answer the purpose of making 

 Leghorn Imitation Bonnets. 



{To be continued.'^ 



From the American Farmer. 



TURNIPS. 

 Pittsfidd, Mass. Jan. 20, 1824. 



Sir, — Some months ago I was induced to 

 write you a communication on the subject of 

 turnips., in consequence of an article of one ot 

 your correspondents, tending to discourage the 

 cultivation of them — and as I then promised to 

 give you the result of this year's crop, I avail 

 myself of a little leisure, to redeem my pledge 



According to the weather, I have for six 

 years practiced sowing turiaips, from the 1 5th 

 to the 25th of June. But this year, a severe 



drought through the whole of June, and until 

 the fore i>art uf .luly, obliged me to delay it un- 

 til the 10th— (too iate by 15 days, at least, to 

 warrant the hope of a crop oi' rma toga.) The 

 land (gravel) had been previously manured, at 

 the rate of 20 ox cart loads to the Here, htimr- 

 diately after sowing and rolling, gave the drills 

 a top dressing of 12 bushels^f slacked ashes 

 per acre. They were ploughed, and hoed out 

 twice. On the lUth of November, began to 

 harvest them — and had at least 450 bushels (o 

 the acre, cstimat ing an os Ciwt at M bushels. 



The ex[)ense of cultivation, and harvesting, 

 does not exceed that of corn — of which the 

 average crops of the country may be staled at 

 25 bushels. The corn I raised this year, was 

 manured in the same manner as the turnips, and 

 we had about 50 bushels to the acre. In my 

 estimation, six bushels ruta b;\g:\, are equal to a 

 bushel of corn for any kind ot live stock. 



It is objected by some, that it is a troublesome 

 crop to secure through our long, and severe 

 winters; — It is not more so, however, than po- 

 tatoes and the value of stock, especially sheep, 

 at the close of winter, and until grass will afford 

 a good bite, (which is not generally until the 

 10th of May) can only be duly appreciated by 

 experience. 



it is doubtful in my mind, if the cultivation of 

 turnips will answer to any extent, so far south 

 as Blaryland ; but for the eastern and western 

 states, it must, methinks, as we progress in 

 agricultural improvements,become an important 

 item in the rotation system of every good far- 

 mer, who combines arable and grass farming. 



I have long been of opinion, that we might 

 cultivate rape to advantage, in this section of 

 our state, (at least for sheep,) being ignorant of 

 the best mode of cultivating it, its proper soil, 

 and the manner of curing and securing it, if 

 raised for the seed. I beg leave to ask of you 

 to appropriate a place in your valuable paper, 

 to an article on the subject, in belief that it 

 would be interesting to this vicinity. 



AGRICOLA 



From the Connecticut Courant. 



While the newspapers are teeming with the 

 exertions of farmers to out do each other, and 

 at the same time to stimulate them to greater 

 exertions, it may be satisfactory to some of your 

 readers to know, that on one half acre of ground, 

 by measure, there were raised the season last 

 past three hundred and twenty-four pounds and 

 thirteen ounces of well-dressed flax ; and from 

 the same, ten bushels and twenty-four quarts of 

 seed, well cleaned, in this place, by me the 

 subscriber. JOSEPH B. BLODGET. 



East- Windsor, March 15, 1824. 



Warm Water. — Warm water is preferable to 

 cold water, as a drink, for persons who are sub- 

 ject to dyspeptic and bilious complaints, and it 

 may be taken more freely than cold water, and 

 consequently answers better as a diluent for 

 carrying ofi bile, and removing obstructions in 

 the urinary secretion in case of stone itnd gravel. 

 When water,of a temperature equal to that of the 

 human body, is used for drink, it proves consid- 

 erably stimulant, and is particularly suited to 

 dyspeptic, bilious, gouty and choleretic eub- 

 jects. 



