1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



223 



Agricultural Products of the U. S. and France. 



A writer in the English Agricultural Gazette 

 makes an interesting comparison of the products 

 of the United States compared with those of 

 France. The population of the United States 

 is set down at twenty millions, and that of 

 France at thirty-five millions. The proportion 

 of the agricultural population in America is 

 given as 80.4 per cent. ; commercial 2.5 ; and 

 manufacturing 17.1. The writer observes that 

 the agricultural productions of the United States, 

 compared with its inhabitants, is enormous, viz : 



UNITED STATES. FRANCE. 



HomeJ Cattle, 14,971,583 9,936,538 



•Sheep, 19,311,374 32,151,430 



Horses and Mules, 4,335,(569 3,192.337 



Pigs, 26,301,293 . 4,940,721 



He also contrasts the grain crops of the two 

 countries, showing the comparative amounts 

 produced of each kind, in hectolitres, as follows : 



Wheat, 

 Barley, 

 l^ye, 



Oats, 



Indian Corn, 

 Buckwheat, 



UNITED STATES. FRANCE. 



30,000,000 69,000,000 



1,500,000 16,000,000 



6,000,000 27,000,000 



44,000,000 48,000,000 



135,000.000 7,000,000 



2,500,000 8,000,000 



" The United States," (says the writer,) " pro- 

 duce annually 70,000 tons of wool, 600 tons of 

 hops, 300 tons of beeswax, 10,000,000 tons of 

 hay, 95,000 tons of hemp and flax, 100,000 tons 

 of tobacco, 40,000 tons of rice, 395,000 tons 

 of cotton, 60,000 pounds of cocoons of silk 

 worms, 77,000 tons of sugar, and 5,000 hecto- 

 litres of wine. The produce «f the farm yard 

 or cow house, is estimated at £7,000,000 ($'35- 

 000,000;) that of the orchards, £1,-560,000; 

 forests, £2,720,000." The total amount of 

 agricultural produce amounts to the enormous 

 sum of £138,730,160 sterling, or $693,650,800. 

 The manufactures of the United States, though 

 yet in their infancy, are rapidly increasing, 

 and the writer puts down the amount of capital 

 embarked in manufactories of various kinds, at 

 £56,757,912. Considered in all respects, there- 

 fore, he concludes : " America may be classed 

 next to Great Britain, as the second agricultural 

 and commercial country in the world." 



Origin of Various Plants. 



Every farmer ought to be so far acquainted 

 with the history of all ordinary plants and trees, 

 as to know their nature, country and condition. 

 Such knowledge, besides being on every account 

 proper and desirable, will sometimes explain 

 phenomena in their habits that would otherwise 

 appear anomalous and inexplicable. 



Wheat was brought from the central table land of Thibet, 

 where its original yet exists as a grass, with small meally 

 seeds. 



Rye exists wild in Siberia. 



Barley exists wild in the mountains of Himalaya. 



Oats, wild in Northern Africa. 



Maize, Indian Corn, was brought from America. 



Rice, from South Africa, whence it was taken to India, 

 and from thence to Europe and America. 



The Garden Bean, from the East indies. 



The Horse Benn, from the Caspian Sea. 



Buckwlieat came originally from Siberia and Tartory. 



Rape Seed and Cabbage grow wild in Sicily and INaples. 



The Poppy from the East. 



The Sunflower, from Peru. 



Flax or Linseed is, in Southern Enrope, a weed in the 

 ordinary grain crops. 



The Raddish from China. 



The Garden Cress, out of Egypt .nnd the East. 



Hemp is a native of Persia aud the East Indies. 



The Nettle, which sometimes furnishes fibres for spin- 

 ning, is a native of Europe. 



Of Dye Plants the Madder comes from the East. 



Dyers weed grows in Southern Germany. 



Safflower from Egypt. 



Dyers Knotgrass from China. 



Hops come to perfection as a wild plant in Germany. 



Mustard and Carry way Seed the same. 



Anise from Egypt and the Grecian Archipelago. 



Koriander grows wild near the Mediterranean. 



Saflron from the Levant. 



The Onion, out of Egypt. 



Horseradish from South Europe. 



Tobacco is a native of Virginia, Tobago, and Calfornia. 

 Another species has also been found wild in Asia. 



Fuller's Teazel grows wild in Soutliern Europe. 



The Grasses are mostly native plants, and so are the 

 Clovers except Lucerne, which is a native of Sicily. 



The Gourd is probably an Eastern plant. 



The Potato is a well known native of Peru and 3Iexico. 



Turnip and Mangold Wurzel come from the shores of the 

 Mediterranean. 



Moalrabi and White Turnip are natives of Germany. 



The Carrot is supposed by some to have been brought 

 from Asia, but others maintain it to be a native of the same 

 place as the White Turnip. 



Amongst other kitchen garden plants, the Spinach is 

 attributed to Arabia. 



The Cucumber from the East Indies. 



The Melon, from Kalmuck. 



Parsley grows in Sardinia. 



Celery, in Germany. 



Of Fruit Trees and Shrubs, the Currant and Gooseberry 

 came from Southern Europe. 



Medlar Pear and Apple are likewise European plants ; 

 but tlie Seckle, the best of pears, is traced to near Philadel- 

 phia, as its original locality so far as known. 



The Cherry, Plum, and Almond came from Asia Minor. 



The Walnut and Peach, from the same country. 



The Citron from Media. 



The Quince from the Island of Crete. 



The Chesniit from Italy. 



Of Forest Trees, the majority are native plants of England 

 except the Pine and Horse Chesnut, the former of which 

 was brought from America, and the latter from Thibet.— 

 But the greatest variety of Oaks and other fine timber treea, 

 are natives of North and South America. 



The Hurtleberry is a native of Asia, Europe, and A merica. 



The Cranberry of Europe and America. 



Facts in regard to cutting unripe Corn. 

 — It is stated in the American Farmer, that Indian 

 corn, if cut many days before it is fairly glazed, 

 will ripen, and that, too, in most instances, with- 

 out any diminution either in quantity or quality, 

 of the grain. In several instances, which have 

 fallen under the observation of the editor of that 

 paper, it has, when cut at the roots before the 

 kernels had become fairly "specked," filled even 

 more rapidly than while standing. That the 

 stalks afford nutriment, even for some days after 

 cutting, he says has been fully demonstrated by 

 the fact, that an ear, plucked at the time of cut- 

 ting, will shrivel and be very imperfect ; whereas 

 those that remain, will "fill out" and become 

 sound corn. 



