26 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



Jan. 29, 1831. 



to a foreign country. By introducing domes- 

 tic economy, last year, in the shape of Nai a- 

 riaos, I think this sura has been saved within 

 our country. Now if you will persuade the 

 ladies to continue to wear domestic bonnets, I 

 will comply with the terms of your prospec- 

 tus, and send you $2 in advance. R. A. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Ontario, Jan. 25M, 1831. 

 To 'lie Editors of the Genesee Farmer 



As I have been induced by the great demand 

 for sheep, during the ninety days past, to part 

 with my flock, with a view of changing the 

 breed, I would make the following inquiries 

 through your paper. 



What breed of sheep are the most profitable 

 at this time for this section of country? 



Where can they be procured? 



If any of your readers or correspondents 

 will do me the favor to answer the above ques- 

 tions, they will confer a favour mi 



T. CONWAY. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



The ideas of U. are more mathematical than 

 his language. Instead of " tetragon" write 

 tetrahedron, and we will admit the correctness 

 of his solution. V. 



SELECTIONS. 



MICHAEL PLOY, 



V. P. N. Y. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This excellent Botanist and Horticulturist, 

 is scarcely known to the farmers of Old Gene- 

 see, although he certainly ranks among the 

 first in the United States. We introduce him 

 to our readers.as a nursery-man in whose judg- 

 ment and correctness, in selecting valuable va- 

 rieties of fruit, they may place the fullest con- 

 fidence. 



From the New York Farmer. 



A DESCRIPTION OF TREES AND SHRUBS. PRODU- 

 CING A SUCCESSION OF FLOWERS FROM SPRING 

 TO AUTUMN. 



By Michael Floy, Vice Pres't of the N. Y. H. Society. 

 Mr. Editor — A correspondent in your last 

 number.page 150, under the signature of Phlox, 

 requesting a selection of flowering plants and 

 shrubs to ornament a cottage, and flowering 

 from spring to autumn, observes that he has 

 searched in vain for information in many gar- 

 dening books. As this gentleman, with many 

 others, may not know what things to plant out 

 for ornamenting their places, I subjoin a list of 

 trees and shrubs necessary for his purpose, all 

 ef which may be obtained of the nursery-men 

 here at reasonable rates — that is, good large 

 flowering trees and shrubs, at from 50 cents to 

 1 doll, eaoh, or it may be, by the hundred, at 

 less prices. The mode of culture is very sim- 

 ple, the ground should he well dug with some 

 rotten manure, and if planted out at any time 

 from October to December, or eirly in March 

 to the middle of April, no danger may be ap- 

 prehended of their success. They should be 

 kept hoed and clean during the summer. 



The following trees for oustidc plantings for 

 Lawns, Clumps, or Avenues, are all hardy and 

 cheap, at the rates above stated. 



Alianthus glanduhsa, Chinese Heaven-tree, 

 a very swift growing tree, remarkable for its 

 long pinnated ieaves.and iB altogether a straight 

 beautiful and majestic tree, very hardy, al- 

 though not long known.it is getting to be a 

 favourite, and will probably be universally 

 planted. 



JEsculus, or Horse Chesnut. The common 

 European Horse Chesnut, is a beautiful tree > 

 particularly when in full bloom ; it is, howev- 

 er, best calculated for open places, whore it 

 shows itself to the best advantage ; there arc, 

 however, some very handsome species, native 

 of this country, the most remarkable and beau- 

 tiful of which, is the Dwarf long spiked jEs- 

 i ulus mttcrostacnija. The tree seldom exceeds 

 ti feet in height, and may mure properly be 



termed a shrub; the spikes of flowers are com-' 

 monly eighteen inches long, while, and very 

 handsome. 



Acer, or Maple. The sugar maple is a very 

 clean growing tree, the foilane light, and very 

 handsome — from this tree, quantities of maple 

 sugar is made in the country ; the scarlet flow- 

 ering maple, is also very beautiful, and the flow- 

 ers appear very early. 



Aeerpsuedo platahus, or Sycamore tree, is 

 also a very handsome European tree, the leaves 

 are larger every way than the sugar maple. 



Broussenettia, or Paper Mulberry, makes 

 a good shade; is very hardy, and easily culti- 

 vated. 



Balsam tree, Balsam Poplar, or Tacmahac,\& 

 a remarkable fast growing tree, gives a fine 

 shade, and yields a rich balsamic fragrance 

 particularly after a shower of rain ; the bals am 

 which proceeds from the buds, is of a liealin, 

 nature for cuts or wounds. 



Catalpa syringtefolia tree, has very large 

 leaves, and is well calculated for a shade, and 

 the large bunches of flowers which it produ- 

 ces, gives it a most splendid appearance 



Ccrasus.or double flowering cherry.of which 

 there are two varieties; one is called tin 

 French, and the other the English double flow- 

 ering cherry ; the Eoglish comes into flower- 

 ing nearly a month after the former kind— 

 when in full bloom, makes a very splendid ap- 

 pearance, not unlike large clusters of White 

 Roses. They produce no fruit, but the tree is 

 very handsome. 



Cuypressus disttcka, or Deciduous Cypress, 

 and the C. thyoidrs, the former a native of the 

 Southern states, the latter of the middle states, 

 both, however, are quite hardv, and make a 

 handsome appearance. 



Fagus, or Beach : a few of these in partic- 

 ular situations, have a good effect. 



Frazinus, or Ash. One European and two 

 or three American kinds mixed in, to diversify 

 the scene and give effect, with trees of a dif- 

 ferent habit and foliage, is very pleasing. 



Gleditschia triacanthos, — Honey locust, or 

 three thorn Aeacia. It makes a handsome 

 stately tree — the foliage is handsome, but the 

 dreadful long tripple thorns with which the 

 tree is armed, give it a forbidding aspect.— 

 Trees of ibis kind are often used for hedges, 

 and if planted thick, they soon make an impe- 

 netrable fence, against man and beast, but 

 must be kept cut down to 4 or 5 feet every 

 season, or the hedge would soon be spoiled. — 

 Some of them would take the lead, & entire 

 ly destroy the rest. 



Ijirix, or Larch, is a beautiful tree of the Pi- 

 ous kind, yet drops its leaves in winter — thev 

 look beautiful in the spring and during the 

 summer. 



Liriodrndron, Tulip tree, White wood, by 

 some called Poplar, is a noble and majestic 

 tree, the flowers which it produces in June are 

 much of a magnolia appearance, to which ii 

 seems nearly related. The leaves are very 

 singular as if cut off at the end The tree is 

 very symmetrical. 



Magnolia tripetala, or umbrella tree, is very 



majestic, the leaves very large, giving n fine 



shade, the flowers are also large and white. — 



t should be planted in clumps, or for the back 



ground of shrubbery. 



Magnolia acuminata, or Cucumber tree, has 

 blue flowers, the tree is large, and has much 

 the habit of the liriodrndron. 



Magnolia gltntca.a small sweet scented mag 

 noha, is best calculated for the centre row of 

 the shrubbery, or for clumps. This a native of 

 our country, from Jersey, and Carolina, and is 

 perhaps the prettiest shrub in the world, all 

 things considered. It ought to be planted in 

 every garden and shrubbery. It yields its fra- 

 grant blossoms from May to September. 



Platanus occidentals, Button-ball, by some 

 called Sycamore, is a large and majestic tree, 

 calculated for avenuos or large lawns, or for 

 ornamental plantations. It is, however, ton 

 stiff and rigid, having a degree of formality 



nd spreads us branches too much for street 

 planting. 



Iiobiniapseudo acacia, or Locust tree. The 

 foliage is light, feathery, and of a fine green 

 the racimes o>' flowers are white, and is one of 

 our most beautiful as well as roost useful trees. 

 Unfortunately it is in most places attacked by 

 a borer or iviitn, which caU6es the branches to 

 break off Where it is free from this enemy, 

 it is a most desitanle ornamental tree. 



Umlas, or Elm, three kinds, the European 

 E!rn, the American White Elm, and the Amer- 

 ican Slipperj Elm, are all desirable to form a 

 good landscape for lawns or avenues, &c. 



Tilia Jmericana the American Lindin, and 

 the TiUa, Eurnpea, ore both beautiful trees, 

 well calculated for streets or lawns — the trees' 

 1 row handsome, and when m flower, the honey 

 becB are much attracted to its sweet honey- 

 like perfume 



Salyz BabijlonicaoT weeping willow, in pro- 

 per situations, is a most beautiful tree, and 

 from its peculiar mode of growth, very desira- 

 ble. It makes a fine screen shade. 

 [To be continued.] 



AGR1CCL 



From the Ploughboy, vol. I. 

 GEOLOGY APPLIED TO PRACTICAL 

 TCRE. NO. 1. 



The course of lectures, g>ven last winter at 

 the Capitol, before members of the legislature 

 and otbeis, on Geology and Chemistry, as ap- 

 plicable to agriculture, have excited much in- 

 quiry in various parts of ihe state. "What 

 has geology to do with agriculture 7 " is the 

 most common inquiry. Having attended that 

 course of lectures, I can answer the enquiry 

 as far as a concise history of the geological 

 part of it will go. 



At the commencement of that part of the 

 course, large specimens of all the rook strata, 

 constituting the exterior part of the earth, as 

 far as human research has hitherto penetrated, 

 were laid on the table before us. They were 

 arranged from left to right according to the 

 order in which they are actually found in the 

 earth; beginning with granite, (the lowest 

 known stratum) and ending in the highest of 

 the secondary formation. A great number of 

 facts were adduced to demonstrate that such 

 was the true order of the straia. 



A kind of geological alphabet was then pre- 

 sented to us, consisting of specimens of all 

 homogeneous minerals constituting the ruck 

 straia. Their mode of aggregation was poin- 

 ted out and illustrated by speiimens ; so that 

 we were soon enabled to decide the character 

 of any rock, and to locate it in the system by 

 a mere hand specimen. 



By contemplating the regular series of rock 

 straia, we were enabled to locate prece- 

 ding and succeeding rocks, by inspecting an 

 intermediate one. For example, when we 

 examine the rock of argillaceous slate along 

 the bed of the river in the vicinity of Albany, 

 we infrr that the nexi rock to the east, or be- 

 neath it, must be primitive limestone, and the 

 next to the west, or above it. must be gray 

 wacke. Tho same conclusions We were en- 

 abled to form respecting all the strata in the 

 series. 



We. were next taught by specimens and ex- 

 periments, that till earthly soils consist of mi- 

 nute fragments of dissolved or disintegrated 

 rocks. This being, to us, a new fact, most of 

 us were inclined to doubt. But we were soon 

 compelled to resign our objections, alter in- 

 specting numerous specimens of earthy soils 

 under the magnifier. We men, to our sur- 

 prise, perceived that the finest soil was made 

 up of minute pieces of rocks ; and though 

 finely pulverized, each particle was still a 

 little rock. Let it be understood, that it is 

 tho earthy part only to which I now allude. — 

 The decomposed animal and vegetable matter 

 mixed in soils, is here left out of view. 



If earthv soils are actually the debris of rock 

 strata, the quality of soils must depend on the 

 constituents of the rocks, out of which they 



