124 



£!)c .farmer's ittantljlij Visitor. 



"The Camels are Coming." 

 We understand that a well-concerted move- 

 ment is now actually being made by prominent 

 citizens of Boston to carry out the suggestion 

 thrown out so.ne time since at Washington, 

 through the columns of the National \ \ ' I j i y; and 

 Intelligencer, in favor of the immediate impor- 

 tation of camels for the uses of the commerce of 

 the Prairies of the great South-West. A tho- 

 rough examination of the whole subject has 

 convinced us of its great commercial import- 

 ance, and surprised us by the extent of the con- 

 tingent results which are shown to be conse- 

 quential upon this novel movement. The won- 

 der is when the extraordinary returns, which 

 may be clearly expected from such an enter- 

 prise, be considered, that it has not been under- 

 taken before by some of our heavy capitalists. 

 A citizen of the well-known prominence of 

 Robert Runtoul, Jr., having taken the initiative 

 among us in this movement, there is a prospect 

 of its immediate accomplishment. Our shrewd 

 Yankee merchants will open their eyes when 

 they come to see the heavy profits of this un- 

 dertaking, as a purely commercial enterprise, 

 shows ; and not the least feature of importance 

 will be found in the peculiar adaptation of the 

 dromedary for the exigencies of prairie warfare. 

 The idea of a regiment of dromedaries — such 

 as Napoleon had in Egypt and the Mexicans in 

 the war with Old Spain — introduced, which 

 should scour, with their invincible fleetness and 

 endurance the pampas of California, in pursuit 

 of the nomadic plunderers which infest then), 

 bus something exceedingly oriental and striking 

 in it, when combined with the wild and remark- 

 able associations already connected with that 

 country. The company forming may fairly look 

 forward to heavy contracts with government for 

 the importation of the animal. — Boston Times. 



From the American Agriculturist. 

 The Best Merinos. 

 A purse of one hundred dollars having been 

 offered for the twenty-five best Merino ewes, and 

 the twenty-five best Merino lambs, under one 

 year old, by a private gentleman, the exhibition 

 to be at the Fair of the New York Stale Agri- 

 cultural Society, I purpose to he a competitor in 

 that exhibition, against any and all flocks of .Me- 

 rino sheep that may he brought against me. 1 

 give this out, not as a challenge, but simply as a 

 proposition, which shall call forth my brother 

 farmers throughout the length and breadth of 

 the land. My object is to convince myself where 

 the best Merino sheep are. If I have not got 

 them, 1 must havj them ; for 1 aoi resolved to 

 improve from the best, whatever may be the 

 cost. By a fair ami manly competition, we may 

 compare the best specimens from the best flocks, 

 and by that means learn where the best sheep 

 are to be found. 



For a si ties of years, I have spared no pains 

 and • X] ense to possi ss myself of the best sheep 

 of the pure Merino race the United Slates could 

 afford, or to be found in the Old World, It re- 

 mains 10 he seen whether these efforts have been 

 successful ; and to ibis end, I earnestly invite 

 the Merino wool-growers, throughout the Union, 

 to meet, me on the show ground, at Syracuse, 

 next September, in honorable competition, to 

 compare the twenty live best ewes, and the same 

 number of lambs from our respective docks, and 

 thus add another feature to this somewhat na- 

 tional exhibition, which will he made at the 

 ."■ w York State Fair. 



A. L, BINGHAM. 

 Cornwall, Vt., July 1C, 1849. 



Soap Suds. 



This is a most valuable article, and should be 

 strictly economized by every farmer who is de- 

 sirous of increasing the fertility of his lauds 

 Where no provision has been made to secure 

 the advantages resulting from a systematic eeon- 

 omization of this valuable liquid, by its convey- 

 ance to the compost heap, a large reservoir 

 should be constructed, into which the suds may 

 he conveyed daily, as fast as made, and from 

 which it should he removed every three or four 

 days to the fields, for purposes of irrigation. 

 Grain and grass crops watered frequently with 

 this valuable liquid exhibit surprising luxuriance, 

 and are usually much more forward than crops 

 of the same kind which are not so assisted. 

 Some fanners have a low carriage, on which 

 they place a hogshead, or old wine pipe, so fixed 

 as to admit of the contents being let off in vari- 

 ous directions over the soil as the carriage pro- 

 ceeds, and in a manner somewhat similar to that 

 in which our watering machines desseminate 

 their cooling contents in our streets during the 

 heat of summer. These irrigating machines, 

 though of unquestionable utility to the farmer, 

 are yet of moderate expense: the carriage may 

 be constructed by any laborer who can use an 

 augur and handsaw, and as to the "tank," or re- 

 servoir, it may he either a wine pipe, molasses 

 hogshead, or box. All that is necessary is to 

 procure a vessel that is tight, and sufficiently 

 strong to withstand the jolting of the carriage 

 when driven rapidly over rough lands, when full. 

 Of all the articles used for purposes of irriga- 

 tion, this is unquestionably and without doubt 

 the most valuable. It contains the food of plants 

 in a state of ready and complete solution, and is 

 consequently immediately available to the spon- 

 gioles, on being applied to the medium or soil 

 in which they grow. By waterinsr garden beds 

 with this liquid, we have found the ravages of 

 bugs and aligerous insects of all kinds, as well 

 as the depredations of slugs and worms, almost 

 immediately arrested. The striped bug, so fre- 

 quently found on viuiineous vegetables, although 

 it will not wholly forsake, will yet cease in a 

 great measure to infest them, if copiously water- 

 ed with suds. It is also highly beneficial to fruit 

 trees. By washing the trunks of plum, cherry, 

 peach, and apple-trees with fresh suds, many 

 cutaneous tliseases are speedy and permanently 

 cured. In many instances, cases of inveterate 

 barrenness, of long standing, have been reme- 

 died, and the trees rendered surprisingly healthy 

 and prolific. — Maine Cultivator. 



An Affectionate Gobbler. — A friend, w ho has been 

 very successful in raising poultry, stales that a 

 turkey of his recently had a large brood, and 

 then suddenly died, and " made no si^n." The 

 uhl turkey cock, immediately upon her demise, 

 took charge of her young family, conducting 

 them abroad ill the day-time, and at night shei- 

 tering them under his whins with all the care of 

 a mother. The widowed gentleman with the 

 red gills is in all respects a pattern of kindness 

 and affection, not often seen among the di so nd- 

 auts of the tin key line. — Lrjirdl Courier. 



We are informed of a still more singular case 

 than Ibis, which has occurred in a neighboring 

 town the present season. The turkey hen had 

 laid the proper complement of eggs, hut did not 

 incline tn sei ; therefore Master Gobbler took it 

 into his head lo do the setting, w Inch he did, and 

 hatched a fine brood. He attends to them with 

 truly maternal care, and more than maternal os- 

 tentation, and gives even promise of a most suc- 

 cessful experiment. — Worcester Spy. 



He who knows himself best esteems himself 

 least. 



Wheat Crop and Culture—Best Varieties. 



Under this bead we find the following article 

 in the Ohio Cultivator, and we would call the 

 attention of farmers in New England lo the im- 

 portant fact that the rust and grain worm injures 

 wheat in Ohio, as well as in this section, and to 

 another fact that is worthy of consideration, 

 which is, that the average wheat crop ill Oh'o 

 does nut exceed twelve bushels to the acre. 

 Then why, with these disadvantages of blight * 

 and depredations, and lean crops, generally, 

 should farmers in Ohio raise wheat for farmers 

 in New England, or even a supply for our large 

 markets ? — New England Fanner. 



"The recent failure of our wheat crop by rust 

 and insects, has afforded opportunity to observ- 

 ing farmers for gaining much valuable know- 

 ledge in reference to wheat-growing; and we 

 trust this knowledge will be made generally 

 available for the purpose of introducing such 

 improvements as will tend to lessen the chances 

 tor similar failures hereafter. 



"In almost every neighborhood, some wheat 

 fields measurably escaped both insects and rust. 

 Now, we want to urge upon our readers the 

 importance of their carefully noting all the par- 

 ticulars in reference to such fields — especially 

 the nature, and condition of the soil, its elevation 

 and exposure, the mode of tillage, time and 

 manner of sowing, and last, but not least, the 

 variety or kind of wheat. These and ;my other 

 facts that may tend to throw light on this subject, 

 if carefully and extensively observed and pub- 

 lished, cannot tail to prove of immense public 

 advantage. We hope, therefore, that quite a 

 number of our intelligent and patriotic corres- 

 pondents will promptly favor us with communi- 

 cations, giving the results of their observations 

 on these points. Remember it is the simple 

 facts we desire, rather than opinions, or theories 

 based thereon. 



"We have already received several communi- 

 cations of this kind, which we intend to use 

 idoog with many others expected in our next. 



" In reference to varieties of wheat, we would 

 state, that in nearly all parts of the country, it 

 appears that the Mediterranean has done the 

 best. Perhaps, however, other early kinds, as 

 the Alabama, Virginia, &c, have done as well 

 under similar circumstances; and these we be- 

 lieve are considered of better quality for market 

 than the Mediterranean. We ask further infor- 

 mation on this point. We also suggest to farm- 

 ers, that it is not in the least probable, that we 

 shall often experience so disastrous a wheat 

 season as the present one, and in districts where 

 the crop has seldom before been injured by the 

 rust, it may not he advisable to abandon the 

 well-tried and hitherto most profitable kinds. 



"Colonel Medary, of this city, it is generally j 

 known, cultivates several early varieties of wheat. 

 One of these, called by him the reed straw, has, 

 for two or three years past, ripened earlier than 

 any other within our knowledge ; and many 

 other farmers have procured it for seed. This 

 year, although quite early, Col. M. informs us, 

 the berry is not quite as good as usual, being 

 slightly injured by rust ; and another early varie- 

 ty, called .Missouri, a bearded variety with brown 

 chaff and berry — has turned out heller than any 

 other with him. Roth these varieties are a litllo : 

 earlier than the Mediterranean, and of better 

 quality for market or for flour. He offers to fur- 

 nish either kind i'nr seed, to those who desire, at 

 .*! 25 to $1 50 per bushel." 



Alarming Depression of Trade. — Fourteen hun- 

 dred tailors are now in London totally unem- 

 ployed, and hundreds daily applying for relief lo 

 the houses of call ; the funds are, however, ex. 

 hausted. Nine hundred shoemakers out of work, 

 have their names on the bonks, and seventeen 

 hundred are working for half wages. The cur- 

 riers and leather dressers are in the same situa- 

 tion. There were never known so many work- 

 ing jewellers out of employ, and meetings of 

 the trade are now holding to petition Parliament 

 for protection against the competition of foreign 

 labor. — Morning Post. 



