42 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



Feb. 12, 1831 



or planting without cross-ploughing or break 

 ing up the sod. I would be much obliged if 

 any of the friends uf agricultural improvement, 

 who have given it a fair trial, would be kind 

 enough to give the result of their experiment*, 

 through the medium of your paper, accompa- 

 nied with such directions as will enable those 

 unacquainted with the method, to put it in 

 practice in the most approved manner. 



Economist. 



Mr. F. could introduce this in a work so well 

 and judiciously selected, and written, is mat- 

 ter of special wonder. I can only account for 

 it by supposing the said vegetable not indige- 

 nous with our yankee brethren at the east ; 

 nd although it is correctly described, yet with 

 us a flower pot would figure as well if filled 

 with coke weed, or skunk's cabbage. W. O. 



FOB THE GENESEE FARMER. 

 HOGS. 



Messrs. Editors — There has been much 

 said for a few years about the real grass breed 

 of hags. Now I am not much of a Hogologist, 

 and do no' know where this breed originated. 

 I do not remember to have heard of the im- 

 portation of any of them, and yet, all at once, 

 many of my neighbors had them, and I have 

 never been able lo learn where they procured 

 them from ; but so it was, they had the real 

 grass breed, l'hey say they are much more 

 valuable than other hogs, and some of them 

 have sold a number of them for breeders, at a 

 high price. Oie instance came under my notice: 

 A friend of mine wishing to chango his breed, 

 purchased a pair of full bloods — they were small 

 boned, and very fat, and the man of whom he 

 purchased assured him they were inclined to 

 bo fat and quiet, two very desirable properties 

 in swine, or at least one of them is, and the 

 other follows of course. After my friend had 

 kept his new breed of hogs one year, he could 

 not discover anv difference between his new 

 and old breed, and they did not fatten on grass 

 as he expected. This lie communicated to the 

 man of whom he purchased, carrying the idea 

 that he had been overreached in the bargain; all 

 this the man ht-ard with r uch composure, an 

 then *aid, " when- 1 sob! you the grass breed of 

 bogs. I did not sell you my corn crib with 

 them;" thu satisfied my friend that the repu- 

 ted grass breed were in fact nothing more than 

 the old corn breed under a new name. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Mr. Fessenden. in his American Gardener, 

 gives ihe following description of the Lime 

 Plant, which, like all things terrestrial, looks 

 well upon paper, but fades in ihe reality, 



•'Lime Plant. — This p\ant(Pod<tphyllumpetta 

 lam) is a singular production of nature. The 

 stem foliage, flower, and fruit, are formed in 

 the earth; and, after the plant has come up, 

 there is nothing more than the extension ol 

 parts. The stems, a' the height offrom eigh 

 to twelve inches, branch out in two arms; at 

 the extremity of each is a large palmated leaf 

 In the fork proceeds the fruit stem. The first 

 that i. seen in the spring is a delicate membra- 

 neous cap. which is soon burst open by the flow- 

 er-bud, which is large, white, and round Tb 

 shoulders and arms lying close to the stem or 

 trunk, -ooii appear, and, as the plant rises, the 

 fruit stem elongates, and the arms elevate 

 themselves. The fruit is about the size of a 

 large lime, green while growing, and yellow 

 when ripe ; has the flavor of a pine-apple ; 

 and, as to eating, is but little inferior to thai 

 fruit. The plant requires a moist soil, in a 

 shady situation — may be propagated by seed, 

 bu' best by dividing ihe roots, which are cree- 

 ping and jointed. The root is medicinal." 



A number of person in these parts, who are 

 find of curious plants, immediately on read- 

 ing it. made up their minds to procure it, but 

 on searching all of the New York and Albany 

 lists, could noi find it named at all, and there- 

 fore concluded it was a new thing from " far 

 thorest Ind." — and of course a wonderful cu- 

 riosity, and were determined to send to Bos- 

 ton to procure it, until some one looking for 

 its botanical name in Eaton's Botanical Manu- 

 al, found it to be no more nor less than that 

 pestiferous weed the Mandrake, of which I 

 f<now more acres nver the whole state, of New 

 York, than I do of the Canada thistle. How 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



We have lived through a long night of for- 

 eign delusion, and have willingly submitted to 

 the dictations of those whose interests were 

 diametrically opposed to our national prospe- 

 rity. But thanks to the march of intellect, 

 we at length behold the day break of reason, 

 before which the spirits of foreign interests 

 are crowding to their European confines. The 

 idea, that the western world was but the re 

 fuse of the east, and although peopled from 

 that country, its inhabitants were so degener- 

 ated, that they were not capable of doing 

 things most common with the inhabitants oi 

 Europe, is no longer received as orthodox. — 

 Americans begin to think and act for them- 

 solves. It was said a few years 6inco, that we 

 must ever be dependent upon England for our 

 calicoes ! Where is now the delusion ? Then, 

 ihat silk could only be produced in the favor- 

 ed climates of Europe ! A few experiments 

 have been made, and their own artists have 

 pronounced the American productions superior 

 to their own ! And now some lingering, how- 

 ling spirit says that wine was never meant for 

 the uncultivated Americans. Ere anoiherage 

 shall pass, we humbly trust that silk and mine 

 wilt be ranked among the first productions of 

 our country, each claiming superiority over the 

 most favored productions of Europe. Z. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Messrs. Editors — As the fahsion if shaving 

 the beard is likely soon to become extinct, I 

 am anxious to communicate through your pa- 

 per, to those who have not entirely given over 

 r .he use of the razor, an improvement in keep- 

 ing that instrument in order, in hopes that I 

 may be ranked among the inventors of the 

 day ; for ysu mutt know that I am in favor of 

 cutting off the beard, instead of pulling it out, 

 or what is worse, of pulling some and cutting 

 some, which hapens when the razor has be- 

 come very dull. Most of us know that honing 

 a razor is rather a long job, as very tew of ut 

 resort to it, as long as we can possibly avoid 

 it by using the strop. I have been in the ha< 

 bit of setting mv razor with a Scotch hone 



mind with admiration." Where in the great 

 and chequered drama of life is there a spot 

 more fit for meditation than the garden and 

 the field. Where a more suitable place for 

 contemplation. There can we "see God in 

 'he stones and sermons in the trees," — there 

 can we see that his immortal hand has been 

 engaged. and there can we worship and pay re- 

 verence duvoutly. Again, the healthful exercise 

 the garden and the field require, tend to free us 

 from the many "ills nature's heir to," to invig- 

 orate the system, to stimulate the body, and to 

 cheer the mind. Who is there that does not 

 envy the apparent happiness of the '-honest 

 farmer," as he wends his way to his cot. from 

 his daily toil, unmolested by the " busy hum" 

 or the city or village, and'who, as the oyster 

 that contains the pearl, seeks the deepest wa- 

 ter — aliko seeks retirement and contentment, 

 frugality and prudence in all his worldly affairs. 

 Bni Messrs. Editors, 1 am encroaching on the 

 limits of your paper, and will concl ude by say- 

 ing that I am glad to see the course you arc 

 pursuing with your publication, and the manv 

 scientific men you have enrolled, as contribu- 

 tors to your columns ,The profit as well as pleas- 

 ure I shall derive from your paper this winter. 

 1 hope may enable me to attend to the mani- 

 pulations a garden of mine may require in the 

 summer' You have taken up the right sub- 

 ject — one not hackne\eil by "stale, flat, and 

 unprofitable" discussions. 1 wish you "God 

 speed." Nil Desptrundum. X. 



SELECTIONS 



which I believe are in general use, and it is 

 known that they are so fine that il lakes a long 

 time to set a razor that has been used long. — 

 When performing this operation a few days 

 since, I rubbed upon the face of my hone a lit 

 lie rotten stone, which had the effect to make 

 the hone equal to the best Turkey Isle-stone ; 

 the task was completed in a lew minutes. The 

 ige was line and smooth. I therefore recom- 

 mend it to all who wish to keep up the civili- 

 zed practice of shaving the beard. 



Yours, &.c. Anti-Mustachio. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 

 I hold tilt* world but us [he world, 

 A stage whore every maomusi play his part — Slinks. 



And ho it is, Messrs. Editors; — wu all have 

 our parts to play; with this mundane sphere 

 for our stage, — the various parturitions and o 

 bits; our exits and our entrances, — and lha 

 manifold evolutions, and ups and downs we Hre 

 subjoel to, while wo "live, move, &- have our be- 

 ing," present alternately a diversified and Ctr- 

 cean cliange of soenery We as the dramatis 

 personac, are required to sustain apart, alike 

 The innocent employ- 



useful and honorable 



rnent of " ploughing and tilling the land," wa* 

 first taughl to man in his primitive state by 

 him who made the "heavens and the earth." 

 and to whom also was then given a pre-emi- 

 nence over all things, Let us embrace it as onn 

 that fills every tongue with wonder, and evory' 



From the Nt.. -Voik Farmer. 

 A Description of Tiees and Shrubs, pro- 

 ducing a succession of Flowers from 

 spr<ng to autumn. 

 By Michael Floy, V President of the N. Y. H. Society 

 [Concluded from Page 35.] 

 Viburnum opvlus, or Guelder rose, other- 

 wise called Snow-ball, is a very showy shrub, 

 with lame balls of snow white flowers in the 

 greatest profusion ; and is indispensably ne- 

 cessary to every shrubbery. 



Vitex annus caslus, or Chaste tree, a pretty 

 and singular shrub, flowering the most part of 

 the summer. 



In enumerating the above list, I have omit- 

 ted all such kinds of shrubs as were dear mid 

 scarce. There are soup, more kinds of an in- 

 ferior nature not mentioned : the above list arc 

 all to be obtained at tnc prices mentioned, and 

 the cultivation of them is in the power of any 

 person, though but little acquainted with gar- 

 dening. I shall now subjoin a li.,t of a few 

 Vine* and Creepers, either to train on fences or 

 trellisses, or to run up the trees. These 

 have an effect beautiful and natural. 



Uinnonia radieans, or Trumpet creeper,with 

 bunches of large red trumpet flowers, large and 

 showy. 



Bignonia grandifiora, mnch like the former 

 in habit and appearance, but the flowers arc 

 much larger— It is said to bea native ofChina, 

 and the former a native of this country. They 

 are both perfectly hardy, and will climb up 

 brick work or wooden fences, without any as- 

 sistance. 



Clematis, or Virgin's bower. There are se- 

 veral species, some of them tender, or not suf- 

 ficiently hardy for our severe winters, without 

 proteotton. The Clematis virginica, Viorna, 

 I iti.-lla, and Vkalba, are perfectly hardy. — 

 Glycine sinensis, or Wistaria sinensis, is a hand- 

 I me China creeper, of recent ntroduction 

 from China, and is not yet common in our nur- 

 series It is a beautiful vine, running to a great 

 height, and loaded with long racemes ofpurplc 

 flowers, and is highly spoken of in the Gar- 

 dener's Magazine. 



Glycine frutcseens, or Wistaria fru'.cseens.— 

 This beautiful brother of the Chinoso kind, is 

 a native of our Southern States, grows much 

 in 'he same way as the other, anil perhaps not 

 inferior. Although tins line creeper bad been 

 long known in England, wu have not heard 



