tio 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



December 31, 1831. 



CORN PLOUGH. 



We observed in front of one of our hard ware 

 stores in this village, a few days since, an instru- 

 ment for weeding corn called a shovel plough ;\ 

 which is an improvement on the article of the 

 same name, (much used by the farmers for 

 sum years past.) It combines the advantages of a 

 weeding plough, with that of a hilling plough, 

 by the simple contrivance of a portable double 

 mould board; which may be removed, and repla 

 red in a half minute at any time.. The whole 

 apparatus appears well constructed, strong and 

 simple in all its parts, and cannot faill of being 

 a desideratum of no small import to the corn and 

 potato grower, nurseryman, vigneron, &c. It can 

 be seen at the store of Messrs. Allcott, Watts 

 and Langworthy, who we understand will have 

 them for sale, early in the next season. 



^coRrTcROP. 



It is a subject of general remark by intelligent 

 farmers from the east, that our farmers, particular- 

 ly those of the Genesee Country, pay but little 

 attention to the corn crop ; and we have often ad- 

 mired ourselves, that so little account is made of 

 so important an item in the system of good hus- 

 bandry, as is generally manifested throughout 

 this whole western wheat growing region. 



It may be a fact, that a bushel of wheat is rais- 

 ed easier than a bushel of corn ; nevertheless, that 

 bushel of corn may be made, when the wheat 

 crop needs no care, and if the spare time is not 

 employed, it is lost. An old proverb says, half 

 a. loaf is better than no bread; so is a big Rhode 

 Island Johnny cake better than a little wheaien 

 loaf. The wheat crop may be cut off with very 

 brief notice, by insects, storms, rust, blast, and 

 the thousand ills that [vegetable] life is heir to 

 The wise man says there is a time for all things. 

 and the prudent and industrious farmer will al- 

 ways endeavor to so manage his time, and labor, 

 as to have a seed time for every kind of crop, that 

 the climate and his soil is congenial to ; even 

 those of almost seeming insignificance, as the 

 Buckwheat, Peas, Beans and Turnip crop, &c 

 which with his Wheat, Rye, Corn, Oats and Po- 

 tatoes, he makes to himself a rational guarranty 

 a°-ainst the ordinary casualties that often threaten 

 destruction to the farmer's prospects, — and he has 

 the consolation that nothing short of general de 

 vastation — nothing short of " war, pestilence and 

 famine" in all his borders, can cut him short of 

 the necessaries of life, and something to spare for 

 market. 



It is certainly good doctrine, that if a common 

 laborer cannot get six shillings a day, he had bet- 

 ter work for four shillings, than do nothing : the 

 same principles will apply in all cases, where la- 

 bor is an important item in the productive sys 

 tern. A bushel of wheat and a bushel of corn i: 

 worth more than a bushel of wheat alone. The 

 industrious farmer will not stand idle because the 

 second day cannot be as profitably employed as 

 the first. Many a little makes a mncklc, and the 

 whole produce of the farm when averaged 

 not fail when properly managed, to render a fair 

 and generous profit for the investment. 



i In the same principle, sound and economical 

 farmers, will cause to be made linen cloth, at a 

 cost, counting labor at a fair price, of eighteen 

 cents per yard : when cotton equally good, can be 

 purchased with cash at eight cents: by which 

 means, at least the eight cents arc saved, as other 



ways, the laborers pn 



mid 



nave oeen 





in the final summing up of productive iudustry. 



LIFE PRESERVER. 

 From late London papers it appears that exper- 

 iments have been made there, to test the efficacy 

 of a sheet of canvass, when stretched, for recei- 

 ving people from upper stories of buildings when] 

 on fire, which are said to have proved beyond a 

 Idoubt, that of all inventions for that purpose, the 1 

 (canvass is the most safe as well as the most sim- 

 Iple. For the purpose of the experiment, a can- 



vass sheet was prepared with leop holes in tin- 

 edges, which served for receiving the hands of 

 the assistants. Several people jumped from win- 

 dows and roofs upon this sheet, without receiving 

 the least, injury. Now it may be well to remem 

 ber this fact, and as it is not to be supposed that 

 every house or neighborhood will be provided 

 with a sheet of canvass, prepared expressly for 

 this purpose, yet, we may expect that they ha 

 sheets of some kind, and as we Yankees find out 

 many ways ofsimplifying things, why not stretch 

 a number of sheets, or blankets either, by the 

 corners, one above another, which would be 

 equally efficacious as one of canvass, and might 

 in most cases be readily procured. 



chanical operations of out ■■'■■._ from an indi 

 vidual whose attention was drawn to the subjec 

 for a different object than publication in the news 

 papers : he has, however, permitted us to use the 

 information as we please, and we think that we 

 cannot use a more forcible argument in favor oe 

 the prosperity of our place, than the publication of 

 these facts, which may be confidently relied on. 

 The individual procuring them, we believe, has 

 no direct interest in the matter. 



The schedule shows a judicious estimate of the 

 money invested in the real estate, buildings & ma- 

 chinery, of the various manufacturing and me- 

 chanical establishments, and their produce per 

 annum. The paragraph in relation to the busi- 

 ness of Rochester the past year, is sufficiently ex- 

 planatory : — 



Investment 

 $281,000 

 50,000 



PERCUSSION POWDER. 

 The best proportions for percussion priming 

 for guns, is found to be 100 parts of oxymuriate 

 of potash, 12 of sulphur, and 10 of charcoal 

 ground together while moist, and for the purposi 

 of graining, pressed through small holes in the 

 bottom of a cylinder, after which they are rolled 

 and dried. Those intended for water proof ar 

 covered with an alcohol varnish. There are ma- 

 ny advantages which such priming possesses o- 

 ver that of common powder ; the charge in tin 

 gun is ignited sooner, and through a smaller as 

 perture : and as this aperture is closed by the ham 

 mer, the quantity of powder within 'lie barrel of 

 the gun may be reduced one third, and communi 

 cate the same projectile force to the shot. Wheth 

 er this priming is used in caps or in grains, it is 

 not easily affected by moisture. 



Factories, <$-c. 

 Flouring Mills, 

 Cotton Goods, 



Woollen do., 70,000 



Lfather, &c, 25,000 



Iron Work, 24,000 



Rifles, &c. 3,000 



Soap & Candles, 6,000 



Groceries, &c, 21,000 



Tobacco^ 4,500 



Pails , Sash, &e 2,500 



Boat Building, 11,000 



Linseed Oil, 3,000 

 Globe building factories, 10,000 



Annual Ami 



$lj331,0*0 



30,000 



112,000 



lGb\000 



46,000 



5,000 



45.000 



32 800 



18,000 



12,000 



40,200 



4,000 



15,000 



$1,857,000 



Hats. — The report of the committee, appoint- 

 ed by the friends of domestic industry, states, that 

 the manufacture of hats, amounts, annually, 

 $10,500,000, of which $500,000 is exported. 

 8,000 men are daily employed, 

 7,000 boys and 



3,000 women. That the meney paid in wages 

 about $1,200,000, which goes to support from 50 

 to 70,000 individuals. The American hats are 

 better manufactured, and cheaper than the foreign 

 : rticle. A foreign hat is rarely seen in the Uni- 

 ted States. It is about 30 years since the first du- 

 ty was laid on hats. 



Caps. — This article has greatly improved in 

 its manufacture of late years. The American 

 far the neatest and most tasty article. There 

 one factory of caps in Albany, which employs 

 daily, about 000 individuals, in dressing skins 

 and making caps,and pays out rising of $100,000 

 a year in wages. The amount made yearly in 

 the United States, is estimated at from 4 to $5,- 

 000,000. 



Manufacturing and Mechanical Opera 

 tions at Rochester. — Wchave received the l'ol 

 lowing estimate of the manufacturing and me 



511,000 



In addition to the above, it may not be improp- 

 er here to mention, that the trade of this place in 

 lumber, beef and pork, pot and pearl ashes, butter, 

 cheese, lard, wool, consumed here aud shipped : 

 business done by the various transportation com 

 panies; building; &c, amount perhaps to more 

 than half a million of dollars. Thereare also, a- 

 hout 100 wholesale and retail stores, (not inclu- 

 ding small retailers,) doing a safe and in many 

 instances an extensive business in dry goods, 

 clothing, hats, groceries, hardware, drugs, paints 

 produce, tin, copper, sheet-iron, /brass foundery. 

 jewelry, &c. &c. We will not hazard a conjee. 



are on the amount of business done in this way, 



COMETS, - 

 Iv 



Two of these eccentric Heaven- 

 bodies return the present year to their perc- 

 helion, (nearest possible distance from the sun.) 

 These are Encke's, whose passage is the 6tb of 

 May, and Biela's, whose passage is on the 28th of 

 November. Halley's periodical return will be 

 1835. 



There are about 130 comets which have had 

 their elements computid. but the time of the revo- 

 lution round the sun of only the above three are 

 considered as known. 



The periodical leturnof Encke's is 1212 days 

 that of Biela's, 2460 do. 



hat of Halley's, about 76 years. 



Encke's comet will be visible in South America 

 — Biela's visible in all parts of N. America. 



Some have feared that the eccentric movements 

 of these bodies would, perhaps, come across the 

 earth's orbit, and possibly affect the earth in their 

 transit : but we believe the fears of such as had 

 honestly entertained them, must vanish when the 

 learned astronomer tells them that Biela's comet 

 will be, at its nearest approach to this planet, 51, 

 000,000 of miles off. The sun is 95,000,000 of 

 miles from the earth. 



