70 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 1. 



Exi)ense of Improvement. 



We have receive! ved for publication, a communica- 

 tion signed "Old Farmer;" but as it is written in a 

 Btyle which we should be sorry ever to see introduced 

 into our columns, we shall make only a brief abstract, 

 and reply to the objections of the writer. He com- 

 plains chiefly of the practice of charging for the in- 

 troduction of improvements in agriculture — objects to 

 the high price of Rohan Potatoes, and of Durham, 

 and other improved cattle — and seems to consider it 

 extortion for the owner of a fine bull, to ask five, ten, 

 or twenty dollars for his use. Many of his remarks 

 we perfectly just; but be has condemned, indiscrinii. 

 nately, the innocent and the guilty. His attack is not 

 eo much upon impositions — humbugs — as upon the in- 

 troduction of really valuable improvements. 



We believe that if "Old Farmer" will candidly ex- 

 amine the subject, he will find that the charges of "sel- 

 fishness," "avarice," and a disposition lo "strut and 

 gobble," which he so freely bestows upon all advo- 

 cates of improvement, arc far from being just. We 

 think "the laborer is worthy of hie hire;" and that 

 when an enterprising individual has, at great expense, 

 made or introduced an improvement, he deserves, at 

 least, some compensation. We know, as a general 

 rule, he never gets a full one. Charles Collinge spent 



a life in the improvement of the breed of cattle he 



surely had a right to ask something for his labor. Oth- 

 ers have spent thousands of dollars in the importation 

 of that breed to this country — with what face of libe- 

 rality or honor can "Old Farmer" ask such men to 

 pre him the cost of their fortunes? He reminds us 

 of « parsimonious traveller who complained that the 

 inn-keeper charged more for a peck of oats than they 

 cost him— not remembering that the inn-keeper had 

 house-rent, stable-rent, and ostler, to pay, besides 

 making a living for himself and family. A young man 

 purchased a bushel of Rohan Potatoes, for four dol- 

 lars, and as long as his neighbors thought he had paid 

 dearly for his whistle, they were willing to ridicule 

 him for his "book farming;" but as soon as they 

 found that this variety posseessed extraordinary pro- 

 ductiveness, they magnanimonslij came forward and 

 asked him to give them some to try. "Old Farmer" 

 should not ask improvers to give him the result of their 

 labors, without reasonable compensation, until he has 

 gicm away the result of his labors, — his crops of 

 corn, wheat, and oats, and his cattle. But even ad- 

 mitting that money has been actually made in some ca- 

 ses by the introduction of new and valuable improve- 

 ments; a man who risks much, and often loses much, 

 is certainly entitled occasionally to some profit. Is a 

 man never to make any thing ? Must he always sell 

 every thing at cost ? Would "Old P'ariner" be wil- 

 ling to do this 1 If the actual cost of his crop of corn 

 is only twenty cents per bushel, would he be willing 

 to sell it at twenty cents per bushel ? If his wheat 

 crop of forty bushels the acre, has cost him only ten 

 dollars an acre, is he willing to sell his wheat at 

 twenti/'five cents per bushel ? Until he has done so, 

 we hope he will retract his charges. * 



Enconraging Improvements ! 



I am surprised, sir, lo see the great lack of that true 

 spirit of improvement amongst my neighboring farm- 

 ers. They call nic the Book Farmer, because I en- 

 courage the American Farmer, the Cultivator and the 

 Register; and yet I find they are, (many of them) 

 pleased to borrow occasionally, which gives me an op- 

 portunity of ruiibing them now and tlien. If I suc- 

 ceed in my experiments, they say nothing; but if I do 

 not, then they say, " I told you so." 



I purchased a Rohan potatoe last Spring, and tried 

 •» keep it a secret from them, through fear of ridicule; 

 but it leaked out, and I had not only to show it, but 

 tell the price — I paid a dollar for it. "A dollar," tliey 

 exclaimed, and I believe one of them would have call- 

 ed me a fool, if he dared, ibr he got quite in a rage 

 about it, wondering that I could allow myself to be 



so imposed upon. Well, sir, the potatoe was cut into 

 sixteen pieces, and I gathered from these sixteen hills, 

 two bushel baskets full — but when I told my Iriend of 

 it, and assured him by my witness, he made no fur- 

 ther remark than "I must aek you for two or three 

 to try ! ! !" Spirit of Buel ! what feelings for an A- 

 merican Agriculturist I Respectfully, 



AmeTican Farmer.'] A Yot so Book Farmer. 



United States Census of Agriculture. 



It is known to most of our readers that this is is the 

 year for taking a new census of the United States. — 

 We have been favored with a copy ol' the instructions 

 given to the marshals and their assistants, by which it 

 appears that the reports are to embrace a vast amount 

 of highly important information, which has not hereto- 

 fore been obtained. We are particularly pleased to 

 find that the statistics of our agriculture are to occupy 

 a prominent place in the census. We annex a list of 

 interrogations which are to be proposed to every farm- 

 er, and we hope all will be prepared to answer them 

 correctly. Had this been done every ten years, what 

 a vast fund of interesting and highly important infor- 

 mation the successive reports would contain ! 



The marshals and their assistants will commence 

 their operations in June next, and proceed through 

 their respective districts as fast as due regard to cor- 

 rectness will allow. 



The interrogations respecting the number of inhab- 

 itants, and cattle, horses, &<;., are to be answered 

 with reference to the Ist. of June, 1840; but those re- 

 lating to crops, value of produce, &c., are for the 

 past season, 1839. 



Interrogations— Agvicnlture. 



What is the number of your horses and mules ? 



How many neat cattle have you ? 



How many sheep ? 



How many swine ? 



What is the estimated value of your poultry of all 

 kinds 7 



How many bushels of wheat did you grow in 1S39 1 



How many bushels of barley ? 



How many bushels of oats ? 



How many bushels of rye ^ 



How many bushels of buckwheat ? 



How many bushels of Indian corn ? 



How many pounds of wool ? 



How many pounds of hops ? 



How many pounds of wax ? 



How many bushels of potatoes? 



How many tons of hay ? 



How many tons of hemp and flax ? 



How many pounds of tobacco 1 



How many pounds of rice 1 



How many pounds of cotton have you gathered 1 



How many pounds of silk cocoons 1 



How many pounds of sugar ? 



How many cords of wood have you sold 7 



What is the value of the products of your dairy 7 



What is the value of the products of your orchard ? 



How many gallons of wine have you made ? 



What is the value of your home-made, or family 

 goods 7 



Horticulture. 



What was the value of the produce of your market 

 garden in 1839 7 



What was the value of the produce of your nurse- 

 ry and green-house 7 



How many men were employed by you 7 



What is the amount of your capital invested 7 



Best Varieties of Corn. 



We believe that a very common error in the culture 

 of corn, is the selection of too large and late vaTietiee. 

 The result is a large growth of stalk and cob, at the 

 expense of the grain. Farmers cannot bring them- 

 selves to think that a field of small, insignificant looking 

 corn, can produce like one of large and broad-leaves, 

 and luxuriant appearance. The largest crops, howev- 

 er, which have been cultivated in this country, have 

 been raised in tlie northern states, with the smaller 

 varieties. 



At a late agricultural meeting at Boston, E. II. 

 Derby, Esq., of Boston, gave a statement of his tarm- 

 ing in New Hampshire, and more particularly of his 

 culture of com. He had six seres; the product of 



which was 400 bushels. Of this one acre yielded 131 

 bushels. The variety he plants is the Golden Sioux. 

 This, it is well known, is one of the very earliest and 

 smallest varieties, being more so than the early Cana- 

 da. It was planted in hills of three stalks each, at a 

 distance of two feet, by two feet eight inches. Lar- 

 ger varieties planted so thickly, would be dettitute ol 

 ears; but with this, the small size of the stock admits ol 

 a greater number. We haye cultivated it successfuUj 

 in drills two feet apart, and si.T inches asunder in th< 

 drills. 



A very important advantage from the culture of thl 

 smaller varieties, is their early maturity, and consf. 

 quent escape from early frost. This quality is also a 

 very great consequence, when it is intended to folio* 

 the corn by a crop of wheat. 



Scotch Oats. 



Mr. E. Hakmo.n, of Wheatland, has left at tht 

 Rochester Seed Store a few bushels of a variety o 

 Scotch Potatoe Oats, which are the heaviest we havi 

 ever seen raised in this country. They weigh 44 

 pounds the bushel. Mr. H. has raised this kind foi 

 three years past, and thinks very highly of them.— 

 The seed was first brought from Scotland, and fron 

 less than half a bushel sown, he obtained 33 bushels 

 He has grown them in connection with common oats 

 and gives the Scotch a decided preference. The; 

 yield with him from 60 to 70 bushels per acre, whicl 

 is more, by measure, than the common sorts produce 

 besides which there is the great diflerence in weigh) 

 The straw is tall and strong, they are not more liabl 

 to lodge than other sorts, and if cut at a proper time 

 before over ripe, they are not apt to shell off in hai 

 vesting. They ripen rather earlier than common oati 

 and should be cut as soon as fairly ripe. 



Chevalier Barley. 



This variety of Barley is now the most generally a] 

 proved in the best districts of England and Scotlani 

 It is much superior to the common kinds, both in qua 

 ity and productiveness, and sells for a higher price i 

 market. The following account of its origin, is takt 

 from a book entitled, " tho present state of Agricii 

 turein England." 



" An extraordinary fine ear of barley was observi 

 and selected by a laborer of mine, in the parish of U 

 benham, in 1819; in the spring of 1820, I planted '. 

 grains in my garden; in 18251 planted half an ac 

 of this species, and half an acre of the common sp 

 cies, the laud under precisely similar cultivation. - 

 The product of the first amounted to eight ai 

 a half crambs; and of the last to six and a hi 

 coombs; (34 and 26 bushels.) The ears of the fit 

 averaged 34 grains, the second 30; the grains of tl 

 first heavier as four to five. In the course of 5 or 

 years, it was generally accepted and approved in n 

 neighborhood, and I promoted its fair trial, chargit 

 only the current market price for it." 



A good supply is for sale at the seed store. 



Annat Barley. 



This is a newer variety, an improvement on tl 

 foregoing, and we believe has not heretofore been ii 

 troduced into this country. The following account 

 taken from Lnwson's Catalogue of the Agricultur 

 Museum at Edinburgh,where the writer obtained son 

 of the seed. 



" This new and very superior barley is the produ. 

 of two ears picked in a field on the farm of Flawcra 

 Carsc of Gowric, in 1830, since which period it h 

 been grown by Mr. A. Gorrie, at Annat Garden (hen 

 its name). Last year it was sown on a ridge in tl 

 middle of a field, with Common Barley on the ol 

 side and Chevalier on the other. In bulk of straw 

 seoms to have the advantage of both these kinds, 

 was five days ripe before the former, and about a foi 

 night before the latter. It was about 2J lb. per bush 

 heavier than the Chevalier," &c. (See Quarter 

 Journal of Agriculture, Marchl835.) The grain 

 even more round and plump than that of the Chev 

 lier, of a bright yellow transparent color. 



Sample in grain and straw by Mr. A. Gorrie, weig 



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