VOL. XV III. no. s. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



41 



CHANGE OF FOOD. 



Tlipre seoins to be a natnral disposition in nan, 

 II the brute, ami in the vegetable, to a chanire or 

 Iteratiim of food, alike conducive to the gratifica- 

 ion of the appetite and the promotion ij^ health. 



This propensity in man is apparent to all. 'I hat 

 change is conducive to lieallh, is evidenced by 

 le fact, that persons long confined to the same di- 

 t ire much more liable to di.-oiisc th.in those who 

 uliilge in a variety. This is seen in long voyages 

 nd in the army, where men subsist daily upon 

 18 same rations. If there is any exception to the 

 lie, it is where the food is of the simplest kind, as 

 le brose of the Scotch, the potatoes of the Irish, 

 rthe rice of the people of the tropics. 



The general principle bjin« admitted, or that 

 rena change is not prejudicial to health, how ini- 

 3rtant is it to our comfort, and economical in re- 

 ird to expense, to multiply around us the fruits, 

 jgctables, &c., which aie the subjects of garden 

 id field culture, and to select for this purpose the 

 ;st varieties; and these are undergoing constant 

 crease and improvement by means of culture and 

 cundation. Every season brings to our notice 

 ;w species and new varieties, particularly in gar- 

 :n productions, favorable alike \o health and to 

 nocent gratification. The tomato and the rhu- 

 irb, both of recent introduction to our gardens, 

 e of this character. 



"By means of new varieties," says I?ishop, "the 

 oduce of our gardens and fields are not only in- 

 eased in a ten fold degree, but the quality of the 

 oduce is increased in a still greater proportion, 

 id the difl^erence between varieties that have 

 rung from the same species, fit them for diiferent 



rposes, different soils, situations and climates 



lus in edible plants and fruits, we are supplied 

 th an agreeable change throughout the year, 

 )m a difference in varieties that have sprung 

 ira the same species. Nothing is more obvious, 

 on comparing original species with their varie- 

 s produced by culture, than that we, by means 

 the latter, enjoy a vegetable food far preferable 

 that of our forefathers; and as it is probably be- 

 nd the power of man, of cultivation, or of time, 

 determine the degree of excellence attainable by 

 rieties over the species whence they have sprung, 

 d as that degree is unknown, we are justified in 

 jarding it as progressive, and to consider the 

 )duction of a good variety as the sign or harbin- 

 r of a better.' i 



The disposition of animals to change their food, ' 

 evidenced by their habits and their disposition j 

 pluck a variety of herbage, and to select that I 

 ich is new to them. That a change is condu- ! 



together, not only contribute to the health and thrift 

 of the animals depastured upon it, but that the 

 product was greater, considerably, and exceeded 

 that of the best old pasture grounds. From these 

 f.cts Sinclair and others argue, that wo ought, in 

 stocking down our grounds, to avail ourselves of 

 all the grasses that we can procure, and that our 

 soil will nourish. Groom observes, that out of 

 more tlian 200 grasses suitable to England, only 

 one genus, the rye grass, has as yet received gen- 

 eral culture ; and that of (50 species of clover,°on- 

 ly three or four have received attention. The pre- 

 sumption is, that many indigenous grasses which j 

 have hitherto escaped the notice of our farmers, 

 wo^ild be improved by culture to as great an ex- ' 

 tent as the wild carrot, parsnip, cabbage, potato, 

 apple, plum, peach, &c. 



That the vegetable is improved by a change of 

 food, is not only evidenced by the natural law of 

 alternation, witnessed in forests and in cultivated 

 grounds, but by the improvement which takes place 

 from a change of seed. It has become a well es- 

 tablished principle, that a change of seeds from one 

 soil and from one district to another, is highly ad- 

 vantageous. We have had this particularly veri- 

 fied in the potato, where foreign seed, of like varie- 

 ty and size as that raised on our farm, produced in 

 the same field one-third the largest crop. Grow, 

 ing from the same seed, without change, seems to 

 be a sort of vegetable breeding in-and-in. The 

 progeny seems to deteriorate in both cases, and ul- 

 timately to become worthless. Upon these princi- 

 ples we should not only recommend an alternation 

 of crops, but a frequent change of seed, to ensure a 

 healthy vegetable constitution and vigorous growth. 

 ■—f^hany Cultivaior. 



the most handsome wheat we ever saw, which pur- 

 ported to be the Wliitington ; in consequence of 

 which, and of its being represented to bo a spring 

 wheat, we sowed one busliel early in April. But 

 it evidently is a winter grain; as only an occasion- 

 al plant shows an indication of producing seed at 

 this time, .Inly 15. We are satisfied "that the 

 Messrs Thorburns, as well as ourselves, have been 

 imposed upon by the foreign advertisements and 

 circular which accompanied the wheat from Lon- 

 don. We purpose to mow ours, in the hope of get- 

 j ting a crop from it in 1840. 



[Remarks. — We had two bushels of the " Whit- 

 ington New White Spring Wheat," and sold it to 

 our customers for spring wheat, as the circular 

 from England which we published in the N. K 

 Farmer described it to be : we received it from 

 Geo. C. Thorburn, of New York. It was the finest 

 sample of wheat we had ever seen ; and thinking 

 it very desirable to have it distributed as much a« 

 possible, declined soiling over a pint to one person, 

 except in a few instances. 



We regret that we have been deceived in its 

 character, and are willing to make all necessary 

 satisfaction -to those who have been disappointed in 

 it. — The idea of mowing it, as suggested by Mr 

 Buel, is a good one, as it may thus be made to 

 produce a crop next season. 



JOSEPH BRECK & Co.] 



From the Cultivator. 



WHITINGTON NEW WHITE WHEAT. 

 Mbom/, Jabj \Zlh, 183P. 



Mr j. Buel — Dear Sir— In the month of March 

 (ast, I received from my brother, Geo. C. Thorburn, 

 two bushels Whitington New White Spring Wheat.' 

 From the high recommendation the wheat received 

 at the Liverpool .\gricultural Society of England, 

 and its fine appearance, (a largewhite plump grain) 

 I was induced to recommend it to our farmers, and 

 would not sell over two to four quarts to any one 

 person, (except in a few instances) in order to give 

 this wheat a wide circulation through our country. 

 I have reason to fear it is a lointer wheat. " From 

 the circulars sent from England with the wheat, I 

 sold it in good faith as a spring grain ; I never 



Free Marti.ns. — When a cow has twin calves, 

 one a bull calf and the other to appearance a heifer 

 calf, the last is called a free martin. It is a singu- 

 lar law of nature, and apparently limited to cattle, 

 that twin animals so produced, are unfit for the 

 propagation of their species. 1 he free martin is 

 to appearance a cow, exhibits at times sexual in- 

 clinations, and some have been known to receive 

 the male, but always without effect. These singu- 

 lar facts led Dr Hunter to a physiological examina- 

 tion of their structure; and recently, Dr Allnatt, of 

 London, has examined several with the same ob- 

 ject. The cause of this singular animal phenome- 

 na is found to result from a peculiar vaginal art! 

 uterine organizatiim, which effectually preven .-i 

 conception. The expulsion of the urine was, m 

 the animal examined by Dr A., propelled in jets 

 rather than a continued stream, and a singular 

 mal-conformation of the parts, on examination after 

 death, satisfactorily explained the cause. Free 

 martins work well in the yoke, are strong and kind 

 workers together, or with another ox. When al- 



