156 



SILK M A N U A L , A N D 



tlie fl^cree of o!i)nii)ot.f'i)f.e, that nations shall ad- 

 vance or retrograde, -^ that man shall rise or fall, 

 from every point of time in his existence. Bnt 

 there is a consideration by which we must be ac- 

 tuated, in whatever we undertake, (ar above ttie 

 attainment of the ohjoct sought. '! lie means to 

 be employed, the luhor bestowed, the excitenjent 

 })roduced is of.inhnitily greater Qonsequeiice th;'.n 

 the advantage of actual achiext;merit. Tjie latter 

 is temporary, and often of litlJe n)oment, while 

 the former are of universal benefit and abiding 

 influence. '] here are results of mightier import 

 than those of mere acquisition, which are to be 

 sought in the excitement, which is given to the 

 most dignified attributes of the mind and the 

 heart, and in those riianitestations of genius, talent 

 and enterpiise, which the study, ])ursuitand exer- 

 tion unfold. Education, insUad of being confined 

 in its scope and duration, is thus mad»! co-exten- 

 sive with individual existence, and the exalted 

 characters which are formed in this rigorous 

 school of inteiJectual discipline, are for a;l nations 

 and all time. There is a moral grandeur in their 

 lives, which i-endersihem perpetual exami)les for 

 etnuiOus imitation, and the salutary efi'eci on the 

 Ijuman race, is as miiversal as the admiration in 

 which their distinguished benefactions are held. 

 T'lan can only estimate his own natural resources 

 by experiment. We know not their extentor pro- 

 ficiency, until placed in those trying exigencies, 

 those self-relying positions, v/here th(;y become 

 indispensable for immediate extrication, or to give 

 assurance of ultimate success. It is from repeated 

 trials of strength, that the eagle launches forth 

 U(jon the tempest, from the lofty eyry of the 

 mountain clifi', with the fullest confidence in the 

 sustaining power of its wing, in the longest, 

 highest and most daring flight. 



If the principles which have been assumed arc 

 founded in truth, and the facts which have been 

 alleged for their illustration are deserving of credit, 

 why should there not be changes produced here, 

 in relation to a subjc^ct, in which every citizen is 

 so deeply interested, correspoiifling with those 

 which have ai)pearcd in other nations? 



May we not, then, confidently hope, that at no 

 very distant period, the taste Vv'hich has hitherto 

 so unfortunately prevailed, will be revers -d, and 

 the country become the admired residence of 

 those, who are most able to im[)rove its natural 

 features, by the assistance of the arts, There it 

 is, that virtue and patriotism, benevolence and 

 hospitality, philosophy and rtdigion, innocence and 

 poetry have most delighted to dwell. It was on 

 the summits of mountains, or in the awe-inspiring 

 shadows of the deep forest, that the ancient divin- 

 ities were worshipped ; and how much more 

 appropriately are they the true temples of the 

 living God ; ibr w'.iere can man more fitly pour 



out his aspirations and present the olTerings of 

 gratitude and praise, than when standing under 

 the blue vault of the firmament, an.idst the sub- 

 lime and glorious works of creation. 



(rroni tlie iNtnv Kn;.! md Farmer.) 

 INDIAN CORN. 



T. G. Fessp.ndk.n, Esq. — Dear Sir: In Decem- 

 ber, 1834, you published in the N. E. Farmer a 

 ponununication from me, concerning a species of 

 Indian corn, which I had ])lanted the precediirg 

 season, the seed of which 1 had })rocnred of Judge 

 IJuel. Its chief recommendation, in m'y estima- 

 tion, rcs\dte(l from the fact, that it came to matu- 

 rity about a fortnight earlier than any kind of 

 field corn which the farmers in my neighborhood 

 were accustoiiied to])lant; thus ainicipating the 

 early autnnnial frosts, and enabling me to sftw my 

 corn land with wheat in tolerable season. I ex- 

 jtressed the r)pinion also, that it had been as j)ro- 

 diictive Ks any other corn which I ha<l ever plant- 

 ed';' but as i had tried it but once, 1 di(' not feel 

 so confident of its productiveness, as to commend 

 it on that account, i have planted the same kind 

 of corn the past season, and no other; and the 

 rosidt has fully equalled hiy expectations. I was 

 ab!e to gather my corn leisurely and finished sow- 

 ing my corn and potato gromul by the 3d of Oc- 

 tober, in former seasons, with a different sj'ecies 

 of corn, I was always hmried, and was seldom 

 able to finish sowing wheat till about the middle 

 of October, and in some seasons, not until after the 

 20th. Wlieat sown so late, is more liable to blast, 

 and is more ex[)osed to i)e winter-killed, than that 

 which is sown earlier, and has opp'ortimity t(» get 

 well rooted before the ground freezes up. Late 

 sown wheat will p'~>mt'times y>roduce a fair crop, 

 but success is so uncertain, that it should be avoid- 

 ed when jtracticable. 



I have taken somn pains the past season to 

 ascertain the productiveness of this corn, witii 

 some degree of certainty. In order to try the 

 exi)eriment, I selected a piece of ground, which, 

 by actual admeasurement, contains one acre and 

 twelve rods. This grotmd was planted the pre- 

 ceding year, about one ha'fof it with [)otatoes, the 

 other half with corn. This selection was made, 

 not from choice, because I do not a|)i)rove of 

 planting the same ground for two successive 

 years, and more especially with the same kind of 

 cj-op. The restdt of this experiment shewed evi- 

 dently that it is bad husbandry to plant the same 

 ground twice in succession witli the same crop, — 

 for the corn on that part of the piece where corn 

 grew the preceding year, was rot so well eared, 

 nor were the ears so large, as on that part which 

 had been planted with potatoes. 



In the beginning of May, twelve loads of coarse 

 manure from the barn yard, were spread upon the 



