THE GENESEE FARMER- 



'S 



Transactions of the North Western FKrir Growers' Associ- 

 ation, at their Annual Meeting at Chicago, October, 1S53. 



We have received and perused with unusual interest, a 

 copy of the Transactions of the Association above named. 

 The Address of Mr. J. A. Wright deals freely in flowers 

 and fruits, and is calculated to kindle in the reader a love 

 for the beauties of Flora and the healthful sweets of 

 Pomona. We have marked some pas-'^^es for our pages, 

 •when they are less crowded than at present. 



Mr. Knowles and Mr. Stetson have kept curculios 

 from iniuring their plums, by winding cotton batting about 

 the bodies of their trees. Mr. K. applies the cotton near 

 the ground ; Mr. S. prefers to use it about the trunk, high 

 up, near the limbs. Mr. Edwards, of Bureau, has tried 

 the plan recommended by Mr. Brewster last year : put- 

 ting soap-suds, refuse whitewash, and urine, about the 

 roots of the tree frequently in the curculio season. This 

 • ■ practice he found entirely successful, and regards it as a 

 * perfect protection. Mr. Brewster being present, stated 

 tliat the tree he spoke of as bearing so profusely last year, 

 had done the same this season. He would recommend to 

 apply the wash frequently and profusely on the ground, as 

 ■far as the limbs over it extended. Mr. Handford kept 

 - hens and chickens in coops under his plum trees, when 

 ■ the curculios propagate their kind, and thereby destroyed 

 ' the insects, and had an abundance of plums. 5Ir. Bel- 

 LAXGEE had been equally successful with poultry in his 

 fruit yard. 



The discussions of the Convention were eminently prac- 

 tical, pertinent, and in the main, instructive. The Presi- 

 dent of the Association, Dr. Kexnicott, and others, de- 

 serve commendation for getting up and sustaining so use- 

 ful and prosperous a Society. The Letter of Mr. Kirt- 

 LAND, on tlie Pear, contains facts and suggestions of suf- 

 ficient value to be recorded and stereotyped in the Gene- 

 esee Farmer. It will appear in our next, with some 

 comments by the editor. 



h New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States : By 

 TnoMAS Baldwi.v, and J.Thomas, M. D. Philiidelphia : Lippen- 

 OOtt, Grambo & Co., 1S54. 136i pages, 8vo. 



This is unquestionably the best Gazetteer of the United 

 States, by far, that has ever been placed before the Amer- 

 ican public ; and its value is increased by the fact that it is 

 brought down as far as practicable, to the year 1853. 

 Some idea of the accuracy of the work, and the amount 

 of labor which has been expended upon it, may be ob- 

 tained, when we state that the author procured the services 

 of some two thousand correspondents in all parts of the 

 country, and accounts of all the cities and other places of 

 importance, were derived from actual residents. It con- 

 tains about 10,000 names in addition to those of any other 

 Gazetteer of our country, yet published ; and unlike most 

 others, contains an accurate review of the present state of 

 a rapidly improving country. The full and comprehensive 

 Statistics which are furnished, up to the latest date, are of 

 the most satisfactory character. 



Tbb Second Annual Meeting of the U. S. Agricultural 

 Society will be held at Washington, D. C, Feb. 22, 1854. 



Tempest Issuraxce Compasy. — A Stock Insurancw 

 Company, with a capital of $250,000, has gone into opera- 

 tion in Cayuga county, in this State, designed to insure the 

 dwellings and other buildings of farmers, or isolated build- 

 ings, and no other, against loss and damage by fire and 

 lightning. By refusing to take risks on city and village 

 property, which is many times more exposed to conflagra- 

 tion than isolated farm buildings, the responsibility of the 

 Company is substantially insvred, while it is able to insure 

 houses in rural districts on much better terms than could 

 be done were its business less restricted. The principle of 

 insurance has gradually risen in the public confidence, in 

 all civilized nations, during the present century. Like 

 other useful inventions, it is liable to abuse ; but from all 

 we know and believe, the Company, whose advertisement 

 may be found in tliis number of the Fasmek, is entitled to 

 confidence. 



Noluts to C^orrtsponiitnts. 



Mb. D. B. Stuart, of Laurel Point, (Ta.,) gives us a 

 favorable account of the railroads in progress in that State, 

 and awards censure and commendation to such as are de- 

 serving, with apparent impartiality. The Merino sheep 

 are not liked so well as the Cotswolds, as mutton and com- 

 mon wool are more saleable than fine wool in that district. 

 Their " meat cattle are wofully defective," though Eastern 

 Virginia is thought to be worse ofl'. Hogs are their best 

 domestic animals. WUl not Mr. Stuart gi\e our readers 

 some account of the value of farms and wild lands in that 

 region? What are your principal crops ; and how much 

 corn, wheat, and oats do you raise per acre ? 



Mk. Joseph Harris has sent us a letter, with a request 

 that it be published, complaining that in our brief notice 

 of several gentlemen who have been successfully connected 

 with this journal during the last twenty -five years, sufiicient 

 prominence and minuteness of detail were not accorded to 

 his services. We were under no obligation to name Mr. 

 H. or his prosperity at all ; and we regret that he should 

 constrain us to believe it almost impossible to extend kind- 

 ness and consideration to a young Englishman, and not 

 induce him to take on airs as unbecoming as they are char- 

 acteristic. 



Mb. Thomas Habpeb, of Berrysburg, writes that the 

 farmers in that neighborhood are improving their lands 

 very much, by the application of lime, at the rate of from 

 50 to 100 bushels per acre, during wmter and spring. 

 Their system is to plant first with com, then sow oats, 

 manure, and seed with wheat and clover ; soil, red shale. 

 Lime costs six cents at the kiln, and is hauled from five to 

 six miles. Mr. H. has our ttianks for the interest he haa 

 taken to extend the circulation of the Farmer. 



Mr. R. Thorp, of Taylor, Ulinois, writes that the 

 Genesee Farmer induced him, Mr. Arnold and Mr. Eakl, 

 the past year to experiment in growing each an acre of 

 com. The results were, that Mr. T. raised 139i bushel* 

 of shelled corn on an acre ; Mr. A. 122.^ bushels ; and Mr. 

 E. 93J bushels. We wish that alt our subscribers did as 

 well. 



