46 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 2, 



For the IS'ew Genesee Farmer. 

 HlUs and Forest Trees. 



Messrs. Editors — During our peregrinations this 

 winter, which hove not been ' few nor far between,' 

 though confined chiefly to this State, we have seen 

 many, very many, beautiful farms; which we be- 

 lieve might be rendered still more beautiful by a little 

 attention, and at a comparatively trifling expense on 

 the part of the owners, to a portion of them now 

 nearly or quite useless and unproductive. 



We allude to the small gravel and sand hills (in 

 some instances calcareous) so common throughout 

 our Stale, more particularly in the Western part of it. 

 Many of these aie so steep that when the surface is 

 disturbed by the plough, (which should never be,) 

 much, and in some instances nearly all the productive 

 portions of the soil is washed down by heavy rains, 

 and finds its way to the plains below; and as these, by 

 this unavoidable process, (if the surfaces of steep de- 

 clcvitiea are disturbed,) become enriched, the hills be- 

 come impoverished, and very nearly in the same ratio. 



One who has not closely observed these operations, 

 can have no adequate conception of the vast quantity 

 of earth that descends from mountains and hills, when 

 these are disrobed of their natural covering by any of 

 the operations of art, even when undisturbed by culti 

 vation. In many instances these effects are ruinous 

 to both, for years at least, and perhaps would require 

 a century to regain their wonted fertility. Now all 

 this may be prevented, and in our opinion ought to be; 

 and will therefore venture to propose the following 

 beautifying, cheap, and at the same time profitable, 

 method of accomplishing so desirable an object. 



Let the owners of these hitherto naked and com- 

 paratively unproductive and unseemly hills, provide 

 themselves with a few biishels of chestnuts, black- 

 walnuts, hickory-nuts, butternuts, acorns of the seve- 

 ral kinds, OS well as the seeds of the pine and locust 

 —in short, all, or any of the seeds of our native forest 

 trees, which fancy, taste, or nlility may dictate. — 

 There are also many shrubs that are eminently beauti- 

 ful, and worthy the attention not only of the horticul- 

 turist but of the agriculturist; all or any of them might 

 be selected at pleasure, to beautify, enrich, and adorn 

 these now uninviting portions of their farms; The 

 seeds should be gathered as soon as fully ripe, and sown, 

 without depriving them of their natural covering, 

 broadcast, in November oi December. This method 

 is to be preferred for the sake of avoiding that dctesta 

 ble regularity too frequently observable in door yards, 

 lawns, and pleasure grounds, as well as inorchardsof 

 fruit trees. The sameness of such a view tires the 

 e;c, as docs an extended plain without any undula- 

 tion of surface. 



If this has been neglected during the months of 

 November and December, it can be done even now, 

 with as great a certainty of success, as freezing is on- 

 ly required to facilitate the vegetating process. This 

 done, the covering may be performed early in the 

 spring, by means of a shovel plough or heavy harrow 

 — the latter being preferable, as oitlya slight covering 

 is required; for nature, who never errs, drops thcni 

 on the surface to be covered only with a few leaves, 

 ond the work is completed; and if timely and proper- 

 ly performed, he will not only be ostonished by the 

 ropidity of their growth, but in a few yeors amply re- 

 warded, yea a thiuaand fold, for all their toil and trou 

 ble: and thus these hitherto neglected portions of his 

 farm, be the most ornamental, and probably the most 

 valuable pait of his whole domain. 



Let none deem this work a useless ornament; for 

 whatever beautifies and renders more dear to man his 

 home, can never, by a reflecting and s;^nsible mind, be 

 deemed useless. 



"Happy tlic man whose wisli and care, 

 A few paternal acrea bound ; 

 Content to breathe his native air, 

 )n his own ground. 



Whose fields with bread, uiiose herds with milk, 

 AVhosc flocks supply him with attire, 

 AVhoBc trees in summer jicid him shade. 

 In winter fire." 



In a future article, should this meet with a favora- 

 ble reception, we may give you our thoughts on the 

 injuries already done, when little more than half a 

 century has elapsed since the sound of the woodman's 

 axe V as first heard in our noble forest, and in his mad 

 career, cherishing malice prepense against every tree, 

 bush, and shrub, has well nigh swept the whole from 

 the earth, not only to the great detriment of the soil, 

 but even to the climate and health of our beloved 

 country; and with it the noblest orn iment and great- 

 est source of wealth to any country — its majestic for- 

 ests. NATURAL CROOK & CO. 



Hemlock Hill, near Silver Pond, Jan. 1841. 



Military Fines. 



An esteemed correspondent, in allusion to that part 

 of Governor Seward's message, which relates to mil- 

 i'ary fines, and consciencioua scruples against paying 

 them, suggests, that such persons pay an equivalent 

 of the cost of military service, to be expended in books 

 published by the American Peace Society, for distribu- 

 tion in the common school libraries, and in tracts to be 

 placed in families, for the spread of the principles of 

 peace. He wishes to throw out this hint for public at- 

 tention. As his communication is rather foreign to 

 the objects of this paper, we hope he will excuse us 

 for not publishing it at length. * 



Fanning in Allegany Connty. 



Joseph B. Skiff, of Hume, Allegany co., gives the 

 following average products of a farm in that place for 

 the three past years, as an indication of the state of 

 agriculture there, and not as any thing unusual or ex- 

 traordinary for that region. 



1838 '39 '40 



Winter wheat 16i 17 20 



Spring wheat, 1$\ 12 15 



Barley 14 25 37 



Oats, 27 51 40 



Corn .50 25 40 



Potatoes 300 233 288 



Hay, n IJ U 



Importation of 8ilk. 



The Journal of the American Society states that 

 the importation of silk into the United Slates, during 

 the year ending 30lh of September, 18."I9, amounting 

 to nea.-ly twenty-three millions of dullars. Compar- 

 ed with other articles imported, that of silk is one- 

 fourth more than the amount of any other. The a- 

 mmint of manufactures of cotton imported was $14,- 

 (i92,397: of iron. $12,051,668; of cloth ond eassi- 

 meres, $7,078,806; worsted stuffs, $7,025,898; 

 other maiuifacluresof wool, ,'J3,567,161; and half the 

 volue of silk and worsted stulis, .>j;I,16!>,04l; total 

 woollen goods, $18,831 90. The importation of su 

 gar amounted to ,'fi9,924,632; liiicn, $6,731,278. So 

 that the importation oi^ silk nearly equals that of 

 woollen and linen together, and is equal to half of the 

 other fabrics combined. 



From the Magazine of l/orticuUure. 



On the Cultivation of the Dahlia. 



Agreeably to your desire, I send you a few remarks 

 on the cultivation of the dahlia; and, if you deem 

 them of interest to your readers, you may insert them 

 in your valuoble Magazine. 



'This much esteemed flower, having been for many 

 years a great favorite of mine, I have perhaps devoted 

 more time to its cultivation, and had opportunities of 

 seeing it planted in a greater variety of soils and situ- 

 ations than the majority of your readers; therefore, 

 without hesitation, I give you the result of my expe- 

 rience. 



I have invoriably f)und the best general bloom upon 

 those roots wmcu wore pmiiteo upon a modeiatcly 



rich, sandy loam, in a cool situation— if B clay bottom, 

 so much the more favorable— as in hot and dry situa- 

 tions they do not suffer so much from drought, as those 

 planted upon a gravelly or sandy bottom. 



Planting the roots upon a proper soil, near the mar- 

 gin of a river; or other large body of water, seems to 

 me the best adapted to ensure a perfect bloom of this 

 exquisitely formed flower, as the continual evapora- 

 tion from the surface in warm weather, produces a hu- 

 midity in the atmosphere, much more congenial to 

 the nature of the plant, than can be accomplished by 

 any artificial means.* 



I odmit thit cultivators may obtain some very good 

 flowers from plantations made upon a dry, sandy soil, i 

 but neither will the flowers be as abundant, or as large 

 as those upon plants growing on the favorable location 

 just noticed; and, if planted upon a strong, rich soil, 

 the cultivator will hove a much more vigorous growth 

 of plants, but with a diminished quantity of good 

 blooms. 



These remarks will not apply to the striped and mot- 

 tled varieties, so far as regards the soil. An experi- 

 ment which I tried last summer, with that novel varie- 

 ty, Striata formoeissima, leads me to the conclusion, 

 that to bring out the colore, the plants will do better 

 upon a poor gravelly soil, than elsewhere. The ex- 

 periment was as follows : — 



No. 1, I planted in poor, gravelly soil, in an open 

 situation, and all the flowers but two were beautifully 

 mottled. 



No. 2, I planted upon a soil, as first recommended 

 above, and not one half of the flowers were mottled. 



No. 3. Three plonts, very highly eiuiched, and ev- 

 ery bloom but one was self-coUred. [The same re- 

 sults have attended otir own ctiitivalion of the Striata 

 formosissima. — Ed. ] 



Respectfully yours, T. DUNLAP. 



Harlem, N. Y. Nov. 10, 1840. 



From the Wei tern Farmer and Gardener, 



To the Ladies. 



' No more toil 



Of their sweet gardening labor than sufficed 

 To recommend cool zephyr, and make ease 

 More easy, wiiolesome thirst and appetite 

 More grateful." milton. 



Since the editors of this work are doing so much to 

 enlighten the stronger half of creation, as to the ways 

 and means of securing the solids and durables ol lite, 

 it is but fair that something should be said to enlist the 

 attention of the gentler sex, in regard to the ornamen- 

 tal. 



Let me be understood, then, as giving you, one 

 and all, an earnest request to take up the science of 

 cultivation, in what pertains to ornamental gardening. 

 "Poh!" — says some good house-wife, looking up 

 from a portentious pile ol stockings — "What's the 

 use of fuddling and quidlingover plants and flowers?" 

 " Dear me I" saysa young lady, between sixteen and 

 eighteen, engaged in the momentous pursuits incident 

 to that time of life — " How is any one to find time to 

 attend to such things 7" "Oh I" soys another, "I 

 admire plants and tine shrubbery, but then they ore so 

 expensive ! one must pay so much for them, and hove 

 mon to tend them, &e., &c. And there are still 

 others, we must confess, even among our own sex, 

 who, should you show them the most peerless of flow- 

 ers, in its fullest bloom, would tell you quite composed- 

 ly, "La! that's only a rose, I've seen thousands of 

 'em !" To this last class, any argument on the sub- 

 ject of such very common affaire would be entirely out 

 of place. 



But as ladies in general, and American ladies in 

 particular, never do any thing, even to undergoing the 

 tightest lacing, and wearing the thinnest shoes in the 

 coldest winter weather, without having good and suffi- 

 cient reasons to sustain them, we must of course give 

 a few solid ones, as to why the pursuit of ornamental 

 gardening is so particularly to be recommended to them. 



* Of ihis, wc think, there can lie no doubt. Mr. Thorburn, 

 of New York, whose garden ia situated at Astoria, L. I., 

 nearly oppo>ite Hurlgnte, inmiediatcly upon the East River, 

 running to within twenty feet of the water, has not failed, 

 for several years, to produce an abundant bloom; while cul- 

 tivators in the interior, at Jamaica, and at Brooklyn, and 

 other places, have been unable to obtain a hundred flowers 

 from the same number of plants. But. as it is impoBslblo 

 for most cultivators to avail themselves of such a situation, 

 the best means must be adopted for procuring flowers in 

 such soil and situations as llmse who are admirers of the 

 dahlia, possess- This will undoubtedly be best effected by 

 planting in the best soil and most favorable aspect that the 

 garden affords. If the soil is sandy it should be well trench- 

 ed. In order that it may retain moisture a greater length of 

 time, and allow the roots to penetrate more readily to a 

 greater depth, which wiil enable the plants to wiliistand 

 drought. When the extent of a garden will allow of the 

 choice of such a locality as Mr. Duhlop iccotnmeads, it 

 ihQuld U once be selected.— i^v. 



