378 



THE GENESEE FAR31EK 



December 3, 1831- 



THE GRAPE. 



Many persons, who are truly the friends of 

 temperance, we think are over fastidious, and are 

 doing injury to the cause they would support, by 

 showing an enmity to the introduction of the vine, 

 because it produces wine, and wine, if used to ex- 

 cess, creates drunkenness; the same objection 

 might with equal force be urged against all the 

 grains, and bread stuffs, the potato, apple, and ev- 

 ery aliment of the human body. Our own experi- 

 ence and observation of its effects in those coun- 

 tries where wine prevails as the common and univer- 

 sal beverage, are entirely atopposites with such a 

 supposition, as is all the testimony of writers and 

 travellers in those countries. We were led to these 

 remarks by lately hearing a prominent individual 

 throw out some observations unfavorable to the in- 

 troduction of the grape into his region, where it suc- 

 ceeds so well; and from some remarks in the a- 

 musing and ably written travels of a young A- 

 merican, entitled, "A Year in Spain," which we 

 extract : 



" Val-de-Penias is likewise famous for the de- 

 lightful wine of the Burgundy kind, which grows 

 in its neighborhood. There is, perhaps, nopleas- 

 anter table wine than this; for it adds the strength 

 of port, to the rich and pleasant flavor of the ori- 

 ginal stock; and yet, it is so plenty, and so cheap, 

 that you may buy a bottle for two or tliree cents. 

 This is quite a fortunate circumstance, for the wa- 

 ter in La Mancha is generally very bad, and 

 here, is hardly drinkable. The people of La 

 Mancha drink freely of their generous wines 

 from necessity; as is done in other parts of the 

 country from choice ; and yet, there is no intoxica- 

 tion. 



"Indeed,drunkenness is so rare in Spain, that it 

 may be said to be unknown. The French are 

 deservedly praised for their temperance; but this 

 praise, both for eating and drinking, is due in a 

 ."•reater degree to the Spaniards. During nearly 

 a year that I remained in Spain, I do not re- 

 member to have seen one man reeling drunk; — 

 whereas, in my own favored country, the land to 

 which the world looks to for fair examples, one 

 can never go forth into the public streets, without 

 seeing on the face of many, the sure indications 

 of habitual intemperance, or being staggered a- 

 gainst and breathed upon by those walking nui- 

 sances. The comparison is unpleasant; I blush 

 while I make it; nor can I avoid thinking any 

 measure, however strong, that would tend to the 

 substitution of wines for stronger drinks, would 

 confera moral benefit on our country, of infinitely 

 more value than the supposed economical one — 

 of being independent of other rial 



If such are the benefits to result from the intro- 

 duction of the grape, let influential individuals be- 

 ware of false premises, for they may inflict an in- 

 jury where they meant a benefit To say nothing 

 of the successful introduction of the vine, to that 

 degree as to be able, to supply the country with 

 wine; yet, it is one of the most pleasant, safe and 

 able fruits the earth produces; it is delicious 

 ii taste and harmless in its effects, and may be 

 atl a by the invalid, the child and the healthful, 

 with the same impunity, and is produced under a 

 proper culture, with as little trouble as pole beans, 

 or marrowfat peas. We heartily coincide with a 

 writer in an eastern paper, that u man ought to In- 

 set down as a sluggard, and an enemy to his fel 

 1 ow men, who has in his power ten square feet of 



ground, whether on rent, or his own, who does 

 not stick into the earth as insignificant and un- 

 costly a thing as a cutting of a good American 

 vine; an armful of which any one can have, by 

 asking any person who has them, as nine tenths 

 of the growth of every year is pruned off : if it 

 should prove no benefit to him, it would to his 

 successor, and in much shorter time than any of 

 the fruit trees. ' 



HORTICULTURAL. 

 There appears tobe a general excitement through 

 our the country at this time, on the subject of hor- 

 ticulture. This is well. There is a time for all 

 tilings, and the present prosperous state of our 

 nation, will justify the refinement upon the for- 

 mer modes of cultivating orchards, fruit, gardens, 

 &c. In the early settlement of our country, it 

 was thought sufficient if a Fanner planted an 

 orchard of a few hundred uncultivated apple trees. 

 As we increased in means, others planted orch- 

 ards in part with cultivated varieties; but at pres- 

 ent, no good farmer thinks of planting an orchard 

 without procuring the choicest varieties, both for 

 the table and cider. It has been one misfortune 

 which we havelabored under, that we have had no 

 standard woiks by which those persons unac- 

 quainted with the different varieties of fruit, could 

 be guided in their selections. Circumstances 

 have changed. We have now not only standard 

 works on gardening and orchards, but vineyards 

 also; and we anticipate that within half a centu- 

 ry, the state of New- York will not only manfac- 

 ture wine sufficient for its own consumption, but 

 for exportation. In order to prevent confusion, 

 there is one point which we hope every friend of 

 horticulture will keep steadily in mind. Scatter- 

 ed as the population of the United States are, o- 

 ver a vast extent of country, all favorable more or 

 less for the cultivation of different kinds of fruit, 

 as apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, grapes. 

 &c, all of which are continually reproduced from 

 seeds, and are yearly producing fruit in their nat- 

 ural state — considering the extent of country and 

 tlii quantity of fruit grown, it would not be 

 thought extravagant to suppose, that there are as 

 many new varieties of choice fruit produced in 

 America, as in Earope. Now it becomes an ob- 

 ject to have each valuable kind known by name, 

 in order that they may be compared with others, 

 and their relative qualities ascertained, that the 

 most valuable may be retained, and those less so 

 rejected. According to the present custom among 

 botanists and horticulturists, any person discov- 

 ering a new variety of plants or fruits, and bring 

 ing the same into notice, has the priviledge of giv- 

 ing to it sucn name a 6 is thought most advisable 

 Now the point referred to, is to avoid a kind of 

 plagiarism in naming plants, This has already 

 produced much comparison, and will be the cause 

 of more, unless more care is used in naming.- — 

 For instance, a choice apple was discovered ma- 

 ny years since, and called a Spitzenawrg, which 

 soon became acelebrati dapple ; since which inn 

 more than twenty different ones have been called 

 Spttzenbwrgs, until at this lime, every grocer thai 

 lias an apple to sell will till you it is a Spilzen- 

 burg. The same observation will apply to most 

 of our valuable varieties. Tins contusion causes 

 many disappointments to thus who are setting 

 out orchards, or fruit gardens. This error does 

 not arise for want of ingenuity among the Yan- 



kees, sufficient to discover names suitable, but from 

 a habit of aping or using great names. As a spe- 

 cimen of inventing names, one ' if those Yankee 

 looking fellows, calleda few days since, and ask 

 ed if we would buy some apples 1 We askei I what 

 kind 1 Grafted fruit.jhe replied : by what name. 

 — he did not know: we replied, we did not wish 

 to purchase that which was not worth naming : 

 upon which his ingenuity was taxed — he quickly 

 replied, they call them Pizlisadoes: This name, 

 though applied for the occasion, was better than 

 to have a fine apple without a name, or to call it 

 after some other celebrated one. 



FRANKLIN INSTITUTE. 

 At a meeting of the members of the Franklin 

 Institute, at their hall on Friday evening. 18th 

 Nov. 1831, the following gentlemen were elected 

 officers, and form the Board of Managers for th< 

 ensuing year : 



Jacob Graves, President. 

 Lyman B. Lanworthy, 1st Vice Prest 

 W. W. Reid,2d do do 



Joseph Penney, Corresponding Sec'y 

 John A. Sprague, Recording do 

 Sidney S. Allcoti, Treasurer. 

 ' N. Goodsell, Librarian. 

 L. B. Langworthy, Cabinet keeper 

 J. D. Cummil s, Controller. 



From lite \*-w Voiik farmer. 



THE COUNTRY FARMER. No. X. 



Of the projier extent of Farms, and of the 

 advunce of knowledge in Husbandry. 

 Mn. Fleet — Fanning operations, like 

 many others, are often attempted on too 

 huge a scale for the means of the operator. 

 There is no fault more common than this. — 

 Our Fauns are almost all too large, and yet 

 it is useless, perhaps, to speak of it. except to 

 remind those who have small Farms of the 

 fact, and that they can. if they manage their 

 business well, make more cleai profit than is 

 made by those who own too much land. It 

 is all idle to pretend to lay dow n exact rules 

 for the number of acres, in each Farm; but 

 this may be assumed, that no F. inner should 

 occupy more land than he can cultivate, tho- 

 roughly, and these keep in a constant slate of 

 improvement, as to capacity for crops. Its 

 extent, will then depend on the ability of 

 each occupant, not only as to physical force, 

 but this combined with other considerations, 

 such asevrit Farmer can estimate for him- 

 self. In other cases, he would do this safe- 

 ly ; but as to quantity of land, each one de- 

 sites more! 1 have known many a Fanner 

 made absolutely poor, by owning loo large a 

 Farm ; and others to become rich, by own- 

 ing too small 3 Farm! If it were not foi 

 giving offence, instances, of both kinds, 

 might be cited here. To avoid this, let roe 

 invite every one to task his own recollection 

 a little, and produce instances from his own 

 observation. When he shall have done so, 

 let each be a lesson to him. A ' thrifty Far- 

 mer,' generally persuades himself that he 

 must be buying more land, a piece from this 

 neighbor, and from that; and readily per- 

 suades himself that those who sell, must be 

 unthrifty. Both positions may be true, and 

 both may be false. The very idea. to most lar 

 mers.of selling off pieces of their land, isof the 

 extremely repulsive kind, a sort of damper, 

 mortally dreaded. Yet I have known men 

 who have hail the courage to do it, because 

 they thought it best, and who have never 



