Vol. 1.— No. 39- 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



:io«) 



it may be safely affirmed that it is in the power 

 of every farmer to manufacture an excellent ci- 

 der from orchards of (ingrafted fruit. Som. years 

 ago, a large orchard, chiefly of natural fruit fill 

 into my hands. The former owner had for ma- 

 ny years made Ins family cider from this orchard 

 with much care; but it was seldom good. The 

 first part of the barrel was sometimes tolerable, 

 but by the time a third part was drawn it became 

 too sour for any common sober stomach. Con- 

 sidering sour cider as worse than none, I resol- 

 ved on a reformation. As the apples were ripe, 

 I went through the orchard and struck a hatchet 

 into every tree whose fruit was bitter or unpleas- 

 ant. The following winter, the trees so marked, 

 about 100 out of 250, were cut down and convey- 

 ed to the woodpile. The next season my cider 

 was made as usual, being strained through sand. 

 Two barrels were selected for bottling, and bet- 

 ter cider I venture to say was never made. Its 

 decided excellence was admitted by gentlemen 

 from New- York, curious in preparing their own 

 eider, and for thirty years conversant with the best 

 varieties of that market. It is easy to perceive 

 that a few bad trees may ruin an orchard. 

 Cleveland, Ohio. E. Y. 



BREEDING. 

 Breeding in ami in is defined in page 36 of the 

 Genesee Farmer, to be breedmg from the best ani- 

 mals and ejecting the worst. I understand it to 

 consist in selecting animals from the same line or 

 family; in other words those nearly related, not 

 excluding the degrees of consanguinity forbidden 

 by the canonical law. It was in this way that 

 Mr. Bakewell, the celebrated grazier, advanced 

 his cattle and sheep to such a pitch of improve- 

 ment as to be regarded as the founder of a new 

 family It might be a curious study to trace the 

 effect of similar connexions in the. human family. 

 Some historians assert that the royal races of 

 Europe, and especially the house of Bourbon have 

 been in this way essentially impaired in mmd and 

 body ; but may we not rather impute this degen- 

 eracy to hereditary disease and continued de- 

 bauchery ! The finest race horses, possessing not 

 only beauty, but the greatest speed and bottom 

 have been the product of such unnatural connex- 

 ions. E. Y. 



THE SWEET POTATO. 

 The sweet potato is cultivated in Ohio. It is 

 common in the Cincinnati market, and a few hun- 

 dred bushels are annually raised in the vicinity of 

 Cleveland. But though a pleasant and desirable 

 article, they have not the flavor and relish of those 

 from Virginia. An intelligent horticulturist from 

 Detroit assures me that those in that market are 

 not to be named in the same day with those of the 

 southern states. But from my own limited expe- 

 rience, I am inclined to suspect that their inferior- 

 ity here is rather owing to the cook than the cli- 

 mate. Though called a potato, it is wholly un- 

 like our common potato, being a species of Con- 

 volvolus. Its origin and history are involved in 

 much obscurity. By some writers it is said to be 

 a native of the east, and to have been early dis- 

 persed throughout the continent of Europe. By 

 others it is said to have originated in the West 

 Indies, to have been taken thence to the Philip- 

 pines, and afterwards scattered through Asia and 

 Europe. Its true botanical name is Convolvolus 



batatas. Our common potato is a species of Sj- 

 lamim or night shade, a genus of plants which 

 includes the egg plant, the Jerusalem artichoke, 

 tomatoes, &c. E. Y. 



g^-Our correspondent E. Y. says, "our com- 

 mon potato is a species of solanum or night shade, 

 a genus of plants which includes the egg plant, 

 the Jerusalem artichoke,tomatoes, &c." This was 

 probably a mistake, as the potato belongs to the 

 5th class, Pentandria, Order Monogynia, winch 

 class includes all plants with perfect flowers, eon- 

 taming five stamens, which do not grow upon the 

 pistil ; but the Jerusalem artichoke belongs to the 

 18th Class Syngcncsia, order Polygamia Fivs- 

 tranca. This order is distinguished by having 

 the florets of the disk, or centre of the flower per- 

 t" t, while those of the ray, or edge are neuter. 



SELECTIONS. 



From the New York Farmer. 



THE COUNTRY FARMER.-No. III. 



Alii. Fleet — My work, this morning, has 

 been rather protracted, so that you may per- 

 ceive it, in the trembling of my blistered fing- 

 ers. Yet, Sir, this is the only way to disci- 

 pline the mind, in actual culture, so that it-> 

 instructions may be of any use to otheis. 

 The school of knowledge, is a school of la- 

 bo . While I was busy with my hoe in the 

 Garden, long before the sun peeped ovei the 

 hills, I beard the notes of our family Hurp, 

 and am now prepared to como in-doors, and 

 complete my promised sketch of the labors of 

 a Household of Husbandry. The men and 

 boys have all had their breakfasts, a fine dish 

 of baked beans, with a square of old pork on 

 the top of the disii ; the teams have been fed 

 with chopped hay and rye meal, moistened, 

 and all have gone off to their labors in the 

 field, and I have lour hours to devote to you. 



Wool and Flax duly prepared to their 

 hands, sets all the energies of my in-door 

 household in action. Two pieces, at least, 

 of woollen out-side cloths, must be prepar- 

 ed for our own use, good, substantial home- 

 spun, one for us, and one for the manufac- 

 turers, besides Flannel, for under garments, 

 and for bedding. All they make, more than 

 this, is their perquisite, for laying up such 

 things as may be wanted, by-and by. Stock- 

 ing yarn, and stockings keep the little fingers! 

 in business; with which, besides supplying 

 all our own wants, in this way, they get aj 

 good many sixpences, by sale of these aiti- 

 clec, and have always something to help oth-l 

 ers, who need, and deserve nelp. Something [ 

 has to be done, rather more frequently than 

 I could wish, towards keeping up the neces- 

 sary supply of carpeting, and they are now 

 engaged in that way. The weaving is to be 

 done at Hudson, but they mean to send yarn 

 enough to make all their carpets, and pay for 

 the weaving So, you see, I cannot com- 

 plain. One yard, I know, and by experience, 

 of the carpeting they made a few years since, 

 is worth two, for service, compared wit') the 

 best that is ' made for sale.' Some of our 

 acquaintances have adopted the opinion, per- 

 haps on the.persuasions of the Factory folks, 

 that it is cheaper to purchase their carpeting, 

 and save all this ' fuss of spinning, dyeing, 

 &.C.' as they call it : but such Farmers are 

 not Farmers, and will, sooner or later, discov- 

 er this, a :d to their sorrow. We know many 

 such ; but it is pride, Mr. Editor, which gets 

 the better of their understanding. At all 

 events, we are, and mean to be, Farmers, 



out-doors and in-doors, at home and abroad. 

 By-and-by, when 1 shall have disposed of the 

 groitnd-« oik ol the work of the Farm, we 

 will come to the Education of a Farmer's 

 Family, upon which much may be said. 



Butter and Cheese, Mr. Fleet, as 1 hope 

 you will remember, are essential articles on 

 the table of the Husbandman, as well as in 

 supplying that which keeps all the wheels in 

 oider, even this old ' Fly-wheel of the Farm.' 

 To be sure we do not use so much money as 

 some folks, and therefore we have the more 

 for use, when the wet day conies, as come it 

 will, to all men. The Dairy, and I am sorry 

 to say it, attracts much less general attention, 

 in this state, than it deserves. A well man- 

 aged dairy, is among the most profitable of 

 va ion- par • f a Husbandman's business. 

 That is, on a suitable Faun, a matter that will 

 be discussed hereafter. OurDairy is small, an 

 appendage, a soit of family convenietice.jbe- 

 cause our Farm is not adapted to any thing 

 more ; but it supplies us with plenty of butter 

 and cheese, of good qu ijity, besides some do- 

 zeno! 'fine cheeses for our friends in town and 

 at a goodround puce. With some people,you 

 know, a cheap thing is a vulgar thing, which 

 does not happen to be our notion, and so we 

 are willing to let other- have their own way, as 

 we have ours, always honestly speaking our 

 r sentiments. Town notions, at any rate, 

 will not do lor the Farm house, where living 

 is to be made by Farming. 



Taking in the business of a whole year, 

 Soap is to be made, hard and soft ; Candles, 

 wick-yam, and a supply of flax thread; 

 leaching to be attended to, dyeing, pickling, 

 and something in the foun of preserves, to 

 say nothing of heibs, for cookery and med- 

 icine, besides dried fruits, and some pump- 

 j kins, for Yankee pies, all which must receive 

 attention at the right time, as well as the ev- 

 jery day concerns of the household. Bon- 

 jnets,- also, for which the straw must be cut, 

 to a day, in order that the girls may save a 

 g,>od many dollars, and karn how to save 

 them, by the dexterity of their own little 

 fingers. Th gir that annot, o will nol, 

 ma e he o n bonn ts, either rom straw 

 b aid or any thing else, is not fit to be the 

 ■ f of the Fa.:, r, and uch less io h.cve 

 h educato i of h ch Idren f a F mer's 

 family . 



We use some ' printed goods,' as they now 

 call calicoes and chintzes; some cotton shir- 

 tings, and sheetings, and muslins, which come 

 in by purchase, but always from the surplus 

 o the household. \\ e use none however, ex- 

 cept of American fabric, for winch the Fac- 

 tory folks are always glad to get the things of 

 the farm in exchange; a business that accom- 

 modates all parties, and is besides conducive 

 to national prosperity and the public good. 

 The body is preserved in health, by a due cir- 

 culation of the blood, toward which labor con- 

 tributes so much. So, also, in the body pol- 

 itic, the community, the stat , or common- 

 wealth, where the fruits of industry have free 

 action, all the energies of all the members are 

 stimulated into vigorous activ ty and health- 

 fulness, and that which is salutary to each, is 

 sure to be to all. There is nothing of that 

 narrow policy of conclusive selfishness, in all 

 this, which would set the dairy Farmer at en- 

 mity with the grain Farmer, the producer 

 againt the consumer; nor is there, in the 

 principles of the real Farmer, whether he 

 raise pork, beef, grain, or cotton, rice, indigo, 

 or tobacco. Whatever, in shoit, is best for 

 the greatest number of individuals, is besi for 



