194 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



ENTOMOLOGT.-^The Legislature of this State at its late 

 Bession. jjlaced $1,000 in the hands of the New York State 

 Agricultural Society, to be expended in niakinsi an exam- 

 ination and descrij)tion of the insects of this State, inju- 

 rious to vegetation. At the last meeting of the Board, 

 Dr. Asa Fitch, of Salem, Washington County, was ap- 

 pointed to carry tliis object into effect. A better selection 

 could not have been made, and we learn that he is to de- 

 vote his attention this season, mainly to the investigation 

 of such insects as depredate upon fruit-bearing trees. His 

 re))ort will be looked for with interest, and we doubt not 

 will prove of great economic and scientific value. — Country 

 Gentleman. 



Dr. Fitch's essays on Wheat Flies would have been 

 more intelligible to farmers and useful to the public, had 

 he either avoided the use of so many technical terms, 

 descriptive of the anatomy of insects, or explained their 

 meaning in language plain to unscientific readers. We 

 heartily approve, not only of the a])propriation, but of the 

 selection made of a person to study and describe the insects 

 injurious to vegetation in this State. Our word of criticism 

 above is prompted by the most friendly feeling toward Dr. F. 

 that he may not again fall into a natural and too common 

 error in scientific writers for the million. 



The Natural History of New York was undertaken with 

 the pretence that a geological, botanical and agricultural 

 survey of the Commonwealth, would do its agriculture a 

 service of almost inestimable value. The writer advocated 

 the undertaking to advance the great farming interest of 

 the State, and popularize the natural sciences ; but he has 

 lived to see over half a million dollars expended on this 

 Natural History, which not one farmer in ten thousand has 

 ever read, or ever will read, if the work be continued by 

 Prof. Hali., his heirs and administrators, for a century. 



Milk and Butter Cows. — A statement is published, 

 verified by a responsible name, of the product of milk and 

 butter, of 14 Ayrshire cows, the property of Edward M. 

 Shepakd, of St. Lawrence county. New York, which is 

 worthy of being laid before our readers. It is briefly as 

 follows : — 



"Mr. Shepard had 14 cows, Ayrshires and their cross- 

 es on natives, half-bloods, six heilers milking for the first 

 time — time, the first week in June — feed, grass only. 



" Allowing one cow for family use, and deducting 40 per 

 cent, from heifers, and his trial stood thus : 



Cows 8 



Huifers 6, reduced to cows is 3.6 



11.6 

 Deduct one cow for familj', is 1.6 



" 1 he product for the week was 13 fcs. 12 oz. per cow. 

 The lirst week in July, feed, grass only, and much affected 

 by dniught, he milked twenty, eight of which were heif- 

 ers, milking for the first season, and his trial stood thus : 



1- cows, Itss one for family, is 11 



8 lieifers, 40 per cent, off, is 4.8 



Full cows... 15.8 



•' Tiie product for the week, per cow, was 14 Bbs. 13 oz. 

 and a fraction over. 



" I'.ut lest you might think my allowance for heifers too 

 much, which, however, is consfdered a just allowance bv 

 the dairymen of this country, the result of the last trial, 

 with.. ut any deduction for their being heifers, and four of 

 them only two years old at that, was 12 lbs. 5 oz. and a 

 fraction per head, for the week." 



■ ■ 



Potatoes were first cultivated in the U. States in 1719. 



Gates vs. Bars. — Mr. Cyrus Gray, of St. Paul, Min- 

 nesota, has favored us with a drawing of a common farm 

 gate, and some sensible remarks showing the advantages 

 of gates over bars. It is indeed strange that more farmers 

 do not discover the economy of making gates to all their 

 fields, rather than lose so much valuable time in taking 

 down and putting up bars. IMr. G. says he " can make, 

 hang and set the i)osts of three gates in a day, and follow 

 it up after the materials are on the ground." He sets the 

 main post on which the gate hangs three feet into the 

 earth [would not four be better?], and uses for the gate 

 five boards 12 feet long by G inches wide, one inch thick ; 

 one 4 inch scantling, 8 feet long, hung by hinges to the 

 main upright post ; one 5 feet long, 2 by 4 inches, for the 

 end, to which the latch is applied. In addition to the 

 above, two boards are used for braces — the one extending 

 from the top of the 8 feet scantling diagonally across the 

 gate to the bottom of it, below the latch ; and the other 

 brace starts from the bottom of the main post and extends 

 diagonally upward till it reaches the top of it, above the 

 latch. Thus double braced, if the work be properly exe- 

 cuted, a very durable gate will be had. Long bar dove- 

 hinges are preferred by our correspondent. 



Periodicals. — Among the numerous periodicals issued 

 from the teeming press, there are none that can be read 

 with so much satisfaction as the able Revieivs, (the London, 

 Edinburgh, North British and Westminster Quarterlies), 

 and Blac/cwood's Magazine, re-published by Leonard 

 Scott & Co., 79 Fulton Street, New York. These stand- 

 ard works are afforded at so low a price in this country, 

 that every one who takes an interest in the literature of the 

 age, or in the progress of arts and sciences, will find little 

 difficulty in possessing the four Reviews, which cost but $8 

 a year. These and Blackirood's Magazine cost but $10 ; 

 and no library should be without them. Farmers' 'Sons 

 ought to unite their efforts and means to obtain good libra- 

 ries, both professional and literary ; and all County Agri- 

 cultural Societies would strengthen their popularity, and 

 increase their nsefidness, by subscribing for such Reoietcs 

 as those above named. Sensible persons appreciate the 

 value of cultivating the ma?i as well as the soil. Our 

 language abounds in the choicest intellectual treasures ; 

 and there is no good reason why Americans should not 

 enjoy them. 



Horticulturist. — It is but simple justice to both Edi- 

 tor and Publisher of the Horticulturist (both of whom have 

 been some years connected with this Journal), to say that 

 they have not only sustained, but decidedly improved, that 

 valuable work thus far in the volume for 1854. Horticul- 

 ture, Fruitculture, Arboriculture, are justly esteemed as 

 the most health-giving and agreeable, as well as useful and 

 ornamental, of the Fine Arts. It is their legitimate func- 

 tion to create a refined taste where it is not, and to culti- 

 vate and improve its rude beginnings wherever a yearn- 

 ing after the beautiful in rural scenery exists. Horticul- 

 tural literature and science are receiving increased and de- 

 served attention in all parts of the country. The Horti- 

 culturist is published in this city at $2 per annum, bj. 

 James Vick, Jr.; P. Barri, Editor. 



