No. (i. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



85 



thcCiXOon, to obviale whi<-h, nny person desirous ol 

 correct informatioii upon this eubjcci, will be fnrnisb- 

 ecl the eaiiie gintiiit'.usly on npplicalinii to .Mr. John 

 jVIuRRisiJiV, Qt i|i,Q piiajn, who has u thoroUi^h knowU 

 eilgo 01 the 'jiisinesci in nil its pons, having for many 

 years hr^j the entire i-bnrge anil superintendence ol 

 *** **-Xteneive silk ninnuraciorv in Europe. 



HENRY POLHEMUS, Aijem. 

 P. S. Editors ol' Newspapers in lliis State who are 

 frjendiy to a change in the mechanical b»-anches now 

 carrieii on in our State i'risjjis, are requested to give 

 the above a gratuitous insertion. H 1'. Ag't. 



Galvanic Plant-Protector. 



It appears by a late English paper, that a galvanic 

 battery has been succeosfully employed to guard the 

 Dahlia against slugs and enails. Most of our renders 

 will get a correct idea of this apparatus from a tin ba- 

 sin, six inches in diameter, with (he bottom out. The 

 mnterial however, must be zinc, surrounded by a band 

 of copper one inch wide, neatly fitted on the outside 

 near the rim, and held up by dots of eodcr. It is 

 pressed into the ground, so that no insect can crawl 

 under it; and its eftect is thus described: 



'• The mollnsca may crawl up the zinc with impu- 

 nity, but on coming in conmct with the copper, will 

 rece.ven galvanic sh 'Ck, and immediately turn away, 

 or f'lll to the ground. I have repeatedly watched them, 

 and have observed they were c.xtremely cnutious in 

 approaching a second time. — The apparatus act- in 

 wet or dry weather, and is therefore always in action." 



We ought to mention however, that the upper edge 

 of the zinc has an indented flange, turned horizontally 

 outward, just above the copper band. 



We have thought of applying this apparatus to the 

 plum tree, &c. to protect the fruit against the curcu- 

 lio. Insects that fly into the trees, of course will not 

 be interrupted; but the curculio, like the snail or the 

 slug in England, is decidedly a crawler. To prevent the 

 hogs from interfering, a guard of thorns or briers may 

 be useful: or perhaps it may be found to act several 

 feet up tha trunk, where rajs or tow may be stuffed 

 in between the tree and the magic circle. t 



Wilkie's Scotch Plough. 



John M'Connell, of Ontario, very justly objects 

 to the want of accuracy, in the statement of the com- 

 mittee on the Worcester trial of ploughs, where they 

 describe the performance of a " Scotch plough," with- 

 out naming the inventor or mnnufaclnrer. If our cor- 

 respondent will turn to the very full repor: of that tri- 

 al, given at the time, by Henry Colmnn, in the New- 

 England Farmer, he will find this deficiency of the 

 committee supplied, and that it was Wilkie's plough, 

 imported, which was there exhibited. 



In justice to Wilkie's plough, it may be proper to 

 state, that at the late trial of ploughs, under the direc. 

 tion of the Committee of the Ayrshire Agricultural 

 Society, it accomplished a given quantity ol work with 

 more ease than any other, except Ransom's plough, 

 though the latter did its work in a far more imperfect 

 manner than Wilkie's, whenlheexperiment was made 

 on sward land. We do not consider the Worcester 

 trial as at all decisive, as circumstances, and especial- 

 ly differences in the tenacity and condition of the soil, 

 are found to vary the results very materially. We 

 believe however, that experiments of this kind, are 

 the only accurate test of the merits of different 

 ploughs, and we hope they may be repeated with every 

 necessary variation, as in clay and in sand, in sward 

 and in stubble, with wide farrows and narrow, shal- 

 low and deep, lapping and flat, and we have no doubt 

 that some which may prove imperfect in one way, 

 may be excellent in another. • 



Darlington ou the Grasses. 



We have received from the author. Dr. Darlington, 

 of West Chester, I'a. his " D.seourse on the Chornc- 

 t«r, Properties, and Importance to man, of the Nam- 

 'la Family of Plants called GraminfE, or True Gras- 



ses. [Delivered as a lecture before the class of the 

 Chester County Cabinet of Natural Science, Feb. 19, 

 1841.]" 



This little pamphlet contains a large fund of infor- 

 mation relative to this very important order of plants, 

 and the high attainments of the author as an Ameri- 

 can botanist, and the plain and colloquial s'yle of the 

 lecture, render it uncommonly interesting to the young 

 student in botany. With the exception of one in- 

 stance, where a nauseous and pernicious drink is 

 termed a " rich potation," we have also been [ileascd 

 with the occasional remarks of a general and moral 

 character contained in it. * 



N. v. State Agricultural Society. 



We have received a letter from H. S. Randall, Esq. 

 Corresponding Scc'y ol the N. Y. State Agricultural 

 Society, complaining of some remarks in our April 

 number, in relation to that Society. Mr. R thinks our 

 remarks do injustice to its managers, and afford evi- 

 deitce that w-c labor under erroneous impressions res- 

 pecting the character o( that Society. We cannot 

 consistently publish the whole of the letter, without 

 following it with n lengthy rejoinder; and wishing to 

 void all cause of animosity, wu prefer to explain, or 

 retract, our remarks, and only give some extracts from 

 the letter. 



In the first place, by way of explanation, we re- 

 mark that the article alluded to, was written in great 

 haste, and under a feeling of considerable disappoint, 

 ment, in view of what appeared to us the meagre ap- 

 propriation, named in the bill reported to the Legis- 

 lature — beingonly one-half of tho amount asked in our 

 petitions. In the second place, we wrote under wrong 

 impressions, in supposing the bill was reported before 

 any of our western petitions were received — which 

 we have since learned was not the case. We also 

 supposed that the " N. Y. State Agricultural Socie- 

 ty" %vould, as heretofore, confine its operations main- 

 ly to Albany, and be managed chiefly by gentlemen of 

 that vicinity. With these impressions on our mind, 

 and its past history in view, we think it not surprising 

 that we did not cherish the most favorable opinion of 

 the Society, or expect much general good to result 

 from il. 



We are happy to say however, that the late proceed- 

 ings of the Society, and the zeal and public spirit now 

 manifested by its ofiicers, have made a more favorable 

 impression on our minds: and so long as itsopeiations 

 are governed by the principles wo believe they now 

 are, the New York State Agricultural Society shall 

 receive our cordial approbation and support; and we 

 think we can safely promise it the good will and co- 

 operation of the majoiity of our readers in this State. 



With the worthy Secretary therefore, we say, "let 

 all bickerings and jealousies be forgotten," among 

 those who labor in this great cause; and let us put 

 forth our united efl'oris to help on the work of im- 

 provement, — let our motto be 'Ontcard for ilie gimd 

 of all.' Then glorious success, the increase of hap- 

 piness and prosperity, will surely crown our efliirts. 



We heartily concur with the sentiments of the fol 

 lowing extracts, and hope that we and our readers 

 maybe favored with a farther nquaintance with the 

 writer. 



" The meeting? of tho State Society have here- 

 tofore been held at Albany, to secure the co-operation 

 of members of the Legislature, and such other business 

 men as resort to the Capitol during the sessions of 

 that body This inight have been on error. But if so, 

 it was one that escap-cd the notice of the most wcslerji 

 members of the Society. * • * » The annual 

 Fair is to bo held this year at Syracuse. It was pla- 

 I ced there on the motion of an individual, who has 

 I been for years a member of the Slate Society — and 

 the role received the concurrence of e^-evy Member of 



the Board, residing "about Albany." All that the 

 old members of the State Society demand is resjint 

 for their motives, — when it comes to the mnttcrof riol. 

 larsand cents, they ask no priority — no privileget. — 

 The eastern nicnibeis will meet their \\etiern friends 

 at Syracuse, and compete with them on fairrnd even 

 terms. Is nut this nil that can be demanded." 



« # M « M 



The cavse demands that there ihould be no bicker- 

 ings — no jealousitB in our ranks. The New Genesee 

 Farmer will certainly not be the first to scatter dissen- 

 tion and jealousy among friends and co-workers. If 

 there be rivalries between men or periodicals, or sec- 

 tions of country, let it be manifested in a struggle to 

 outvie each other in excellence, in efforts to adranct 

 the cause. Instead ol destroying each other, let UB, 

 like the rivals of old, see who can plunge deepest into 

 the ranks of the enfTTiv/ • • • • 



I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, 

 Your ob't servant, 

 HENRY S. RANDALL. 



.4 Tariff ou Imports, acting incidentally for 

 Protection, not generally unfavorable to our 

 Foreign Tia<l«. 



Messrs. Editors — It strikes me that the protective 

 policy of government towards its own manulactures, 

 when the protection is incidentally given by a tariff for 

 revenue, cannot impair the legitimate importing trade 

 of the country. 



We admit that the amount of capital employed in 

 the foreign trade in New Y^ork alone amounts to 48,. 

 000,0(10, but if we refer to the stati-tical details of tho 

 articles on which this trade is based, we shall find that 

 our own manufaaured articles of cotton, wool, and 

 iron, besides cabinet-ware, upholstery, and the thou- 

 sand and one other Yankee notions, form a large item 

 in the aggregate amount. It is true thot our trade 

 with England and France may be diminished so far 

 asimpoitsnre concerned, if our silks, wines, woolen 

 gooda, rail road iron, &c. &c., are in part supplied by 

 homo iiroduelion. But will not our trade wiih ail tha 

 rest of the world be proporliouably increased by it \ 



Before the protection which the lariflf of 1354 gavo 

 to our cotton manufacturera, such a thing as an ex- 

 port of American cotton goods was unheard of; but 

 now so great is the export demand forour cotton fabrics, 

 mutlins, calicoes, drillings, &c. &c., tbat the price* 

 of those articles have actually improved of late, when 

 foreign goods are a drug in the market. 



Is it sound policy for the north to consume mora 

 French silks than they can pay for, in order that the 

 south may sell France a few hundred more bnlea of 

 cotton 1 Would not the south be more profiiably em- 

 ployed, if in varying her productions, she becomes lesa 

 dependent on n fluctuating unsteady foreign market; 

 more free from the effects of competi lion in the produc- 

 tion of a single staple, which of late years has so dis- 

 astrously effected tho pecuniary condition of the 

 Union ' 



Even the advocates of protection would not oppose 

 the cotton growing, or as they too arrogantly call 

 themselves, thi; " exporting" states, from exchanging 

 their staples in Europe to any extent they please, for 

 articles solely for their own consumption. If they 

 can buy their negro cloths, woolen and cotton goods, 

 boots, shoes, cabinet- wnre, &c. &c., on better terms 

 than the north will exchange with them for their cot- 

 ion, the north will not complain. But is it right that 

 the north and west, who have no market in England 

 and France fcir their agricultural staples, to be compel- 

 led to support an impoverishing importing trade with 

 those nations, merely to enable the south to expor^ 

 more cotton ? In order to import we must first be able 

 to consume; and how can we consume foreign fabrics, 

 if we cannot sell (be productions of our own industry J 



9. W, 



