No. 9. 



AND GxiRDENER'S JOURNAL. 



139 



bnd inetein ihe nioiitb, bnJ feclinge in Ihc head and 

 sinmach, if not with diseased eyes; out of which feel- 

 ings, orrntber upon them, comes in no eninll degree 

 the habit of taking n morning drnm. How much 

 clearer the head in, and how much better the feelings 

 are, gencnlly, alter taking an onrly, light supper at 

 six o'clock, they best knoxv who have tried it. 



4. There is one more advantage which I must not 

 pass over, wUich is worthy of consideration, and 

 which is highly in favor of early suppers. It i8,ihnt by 

 taking our repast at six o'clock, we may have the so- 

 ciety of the female portion of the family. They will 

 not wait for their supper till eight or nine o'clock, or 

 nt legist many will not, and none of them ought. But 

 they iciH wait till six. Need I say that such a cus- 

 tom would be IS favorable to good manners as it 

 would be 10 true enjoyment! Bi;8idcs, we are apt to 

 rcpronch theui now-a-days, with retaining their tea, 

 to excite their nerres — while they demand of us to 

 surrender our cider; but how do we know that they 

 would not, for the sake of our society at six, diapenee 

 with the lea? [3 not the experiment worih trying? 



I have not exhausted the subject, Mr. Editor, but 

 my sheet is full, and I may have exhausted ihc pa- 

 tience of yoi;r readers. Yours, &c. 



Dcdha m, July 12, 1841. W. A. AL COTT. 



For the xVew Genaec Famur. 



Corn liRivs. 



I am a plain man, and hate controversy, — but one 

 or two things of " S. W." I think I ought to object 

 to, as I cannot, being a reader of the Farmer, silently 

 admit them. I was indeed greatly surprised to find a 

 citizen of Western New York, th« advocate of a here- 

 ditary ariftocracy; and attributing the payment of the 

 great bulk of the English taxes, and even the support 

 of " Thk Pkoplk" to them. The " landed interest" 

 be it remembered, is nothing else than the interest o( 

 a number of petty monarchs, whose ancestors obtain, 

 cd their pos?eo6ions by conquest or force, and from 

 w'aom they have descended ta the present occupants. 

 They " pay the taxes ?" We might as well say the 

 British Government itself pays the taxes which it cx- 

 ncts from the people. They "feed the people?" 

 No! the people, by whose toil and sweat those do- 

 mains are rendered productive, support the aristocracy; 

 and without the labor of the people, they would starve 

 in the mid^t of their own plantations. 



It is a narrow policy, which must fade away before 

 the light of civilization and Christianity, for nations 

 to exclude one another's products from their pcjple, 

 because they can be furnished cheaper from oilier sour- 

 ces. Let ihe imtnenee wheat country of the northwest 

 throw its fupplies into England, and she in return 

 pour her manufactured articles thro ug'u our country; 

 who would be the worse off among the whole, because 

 the neecsiaries of life were cheaper there, and the 

 comforts cheaper here? Bu'. I must not enlarge, but 

 resneatfully beg S. W. to read l/iroiigk and aiUntircJy 

 Leavitt's wheat memorial, published in ihe Farmer 

 two or three mcnihs ago; only observing in conclu- 

 sion, that his objection to the repeal of the British 

 corn laws, on the ground of the little foreign wheat 

 ever cnrried there is very much such a one as this: — 

 "Why make a canal across the Isthmus of Darien? 

 No ship has over, since the beginning of the world, 

 been across there — why then make a canal_ where 

 there never will be any navigation 1" 



- A RE .^DEIl. 



APablic Benc-fiictor. 



Among the enlightened friends of Agricultural 

 Improvement, the name of Colman of Massachusetts 

 ia emblazoned with the living lustre of a Public Bene- 

 factor. His services to Massachusetts — a State which 

 honored herself by making him her Agricultural 

 Commissioner — are invaluable; not merely for pro- 

 moting agriculture, but for rendering farmers cox- 



TENTED WITS, and PROUD OF, THEIR KMFLOVMF.NT. 



If he could be spared from Masstchusetts, we doubt 

 not tiiat ihousands would rejoice to sec him appointed 

 a Commifsioner for making an agricultural survey of 

 'he Slate of New York — ai enterprizo which should 



follow the Geological Survey that has proved so ad- 

 vantageous to the interests and credit of the state. 

 TheProdnct of fcaliorthconly Rtml Wealth. 



Agriculture is the foundation of wcalih. The sea 

 renders her tribute; but the earth presents to skill 

 and indvistry richer and infinitely varied contributions. 

 Money is not wealth. It is only the representative of 

 wealth Money is coveted because it chu coinmojid 

 labor; but of what use would it be, if labor would not 

 be commanded. What would it avoil to possess all 

 the riches of I'otosi, if thereby we could not acquire 

 the products of agriculture? What are manufactu- 

 rers concerned in but these products? What freights 

 tbebaika of commerce in their liquid flight, threading 

 every channel and whitening every poet, but the pro- 

 ducts of agriculture? Whence does the government 

 dcrivs its revenues but from the fruits of agriculture? 

 What constitutes the wealth of the country but her 

 cotton, hemp, sugar, rice, tobacco, wool, wheat, 

 beef and pork? Agriculture only can be considered 

 as the creator of wealth. The merchant, the mann- 

 fcciurer, the sailor, the varioiis nrtizans and trades- 

 men perform their part in making the products of ag- 

 riculture more valuable; in transporting them so that 

 the advantages of clime are equalized, and in putting 

 them in a condition fo; use; but agriculture alone 

 produces. Like the leader of Israel, she strikes the 

 rock, th» waters flow, and a famished people are sat- 

 isfied. She tupplies, she feeds, she quikena all. Ag- 

 riculture is the commanding interest of the country, 

 which with no singular interest of a secular nature 

 combined, can be brought into eoinpetition. 



HENRY COLMAN. 



Michigaui 



This noble State, though sadly cursed wi'.h wild- 

 cat banking, is steadily improving in her Agricultu- 

 ral character. Readei* in various quarters may be 

 interested by the f.iilowing letter — which embodies 

 many interesting matters respecting the Agficuitural 

 wealth of the Peninsula State. 



Marshall, July 8, 1841. 



" J. D. Bf.mis, Esij. — " Dear Sir — I see much in 

 the papers relating to the wheat, and other crops, in 

 Western New York: from all which, there con be no 

 doubt, they have suffered greatly from drought. The 

 wheat, in this region, undoubtedly, was seriously in- 

 jured, in the early part of the season, Irom the same 

 cause, and somcwhnt, also, by the fly; but I nm hap- 

 py to say that timely showers in the eorly days of 

 June, operated eo eflcclually, that although there will 

 not be a great crop, there will be a lair supply of 

 wheat. The miserable low price of flour, for the two 

 lost years, added to the great expense for tiansporta- 

 tion, hod discouraged tho farmers from extending their 

 fields, and indeed from sowing all which were broken 

 up; so that the acres \n cultivation are scarce equal to 

 some former years. Yet, after all deductions are 

 made, there will bo a much larger crop than has here- 

 tofore been harvested. I have no doubt thnl Michi- 

 gan will have fmni 2,C{)0,0I)0 to 2,ri()0,000 bushels, 

 at least, iT surplus for market. With a steady de- 

 mand, at 7.5 ccnis per bushel, tho present population 

 would at once fuinish 5,000,000 bushels for ex| ort, 

 with ease, for it is cultivated with far less labor than 

 in New York. 



The other crops about here, without exception, pre- 

 sent the most animating and deliglilful aspect, Th.i 

 Indian corn surpafsrs any thing I have ever seen, in 

 vigor, richness and luxuriance. But it will all be 

 needed, for the "swinish muliiiudo" has waxed 

 amazingly prolific. There ore, I think, over 600,000 

 of these animals now in the State; and if so, the sui- 

 p'us of pork the coming iail and winter, will come up 

 to near or quite 300,000 barrels. 



The people of this State — (although lying under a 

 curse, resulting, in a great measure, from early legis- 

 lative mismanagemeni, in unwisely, if not dishonestly, 

 inctirringand squandering a $.">,000,000 loon in firEt 

 breeding a litter of wild cat bonks, ond then com- 

 mencing aeenseless hostility to all banks) — are enter- 

 prising, industrious and economical, in nn eminent 

 degree; and with their rigid habits of privation ond 

 eelf-denial, the surplus products of the prcEcnt year, 

 at fair prices, will pay up all individual foreign debt, 

 and leave a very handsome balance of capital, lor use- 

 ful and profitable investment at home. 



But the most profitable staple article for exportation 

 by the Wo^verines, will, hcrenl'ier, bo wool. With- 

 out deducting at all from the present produce of the 

 State, 5,000,000 sbeop may easily be kept. It is only 

 ncccisary for a faroier to purchase 500 or 600 acres oi 



these oak openings, which he may get for $'i per acre, 

 enclose the whole, cultivate 100 acres, or enough to 

 sustain his stock through our generally short and mild 

 winters, ond he is prepared, oil' band, to kecp2;ll00 

 head of sheep. There is no doubt that oil cattle, and 

 ►beep especially, thrive better upon the nativa grasses 

 and shrubs, found in Ihc openings of this Slate, than 

 they do upon tho best cultivated grosses of New York. 

 I have no doubt it is the best State for sheep- husbon- 

 dry in the Union; ond the great ease and cheapness 

 with which wotd can be marketed, at Boston or New 

 York, renders it admirably fitted for the staple of our 

 interior country. Ovr formers ore becoming con- 

 vinced of thie, lor every one is trying to commence or 

 increase h's flock. The numbers now coming In 

 from Ohio n::d other States, arc iBmiense, and I have 

 no doubt the sheep now in the'Slate doubhs the last 

 year's return. Money to bay them, alone is wanting, 

 and that number would be ten-fold in twelve montha 

 to come. 



I know that a eerious prejudice prevails abroad, 

 against this Slate, on account of the onerous taxes 

 imposed upon real cataie. Four fifths of these taxes, 

 however, have been imposed by school and highway 

 districts. In many cases they have been justly con- 

 demned as unequal ond oppressive. Doubtless a more 

 correct public sentiment is pervading the State; for 

 the most intelligent men hove become convinced that 

 the prosperity of a new country is never promoted by 

 the imposition of unnecessary taxes, so exorbitant as 

 to drive its own citizens away, and oruct all immigra- 

 tion from abroad. Such appears to have been the 

 consequence of the high taxation in this Stare. But, 

 as I said, a more correct feeling exists. Indeed tho 

 taxes are now much lov. er than in former years. 



I ought to add, that for near nine months in which 

 [ have resided here, 1 never knew a heoltbier land — 

 the green hills of New England, thus far, do not sur- 

 pass it. With great respect, yours, 



HENRY W. TAYLOR." 



Evaporation. 



A correspondent inquires " if water orniaple sap, 

 when heated to a given degree, evaporates iccording 

 to bulk, or surlnce." 



Water (of which maple sap almost wholly consislsj 

 when heated to 212 - Fah. evaporates rapidly, and 

 this heot cannot bo exceeded (unless it is confined) 

 80 long as it remains in the vessel in a liquid state. 

 The evaporation only becomes more rapid, as the fire 

 is increased. And the rapidity of evaporation de- 

 pends wholly on tho quantity of heat which passed 

 from the fire to the boiling water. Of course the lar^ 

 ger tho surface, the greater will be the quantity of heat 

 passing, the intensity of the fire being the same. It 

 a kc:ile has one square foot of surface exposed to the 

 fire, the evaporatici will be the same whether one 

 footer ten in surface, of the water, be exposed to the 

 air above. And the evaporation will be the same, 

 whether the vessel be high, and contain a barrel in 

 measure, or flat and contain only a gallon. Coneo- 

 qucntly it depends on the extent of surface exposed In 

 the fire, the intensity of the heat of that fire being tho 



Fame. • 



sDoiFiestic Eccuomy. 



More Light! — Lamps may be easily arranged for 

 burning Lard, instead of oil. Many of them arc now 

 in use in Rochester. Ordinary lamps may be fi-xed 

 for this purpose — with a thick v/ire so arranged as to 

 be kept hot by the flimo, and thus secure the lard in 

 a fluid state. There is but little smoke and the lignt 

 is pleasant. It ia certainly for prefercble to making 

 candles of tallow; and will be a great convenience to 

 thrifty housewives, on t'ne score of ncotnefs ns well as 

 economy. This mode of burning lard was devised by 

 Mr. B. W. Oakley, of Tecuraseh, Michigan. Oil is 

 extracted friun corn, by distillation, to some extent, 

 at the west. The Niles (Micliigon) Repviblican says- 



" We have been burning in " common hmp, fn- the 

 last few weeks, oil extracted from corn, a quantity of 

 which wc received from i'tr. R. A. W.-.rd, of Derr'on, 

 who manufactures the article. It gives a clear, beau- 

 tiful light, and burns longer than ihe common «ha!o 

 oil, ond emits no offensive smell. On tho whole wo 

 should think it belter aijd cheaper tjan any oiher 

 kind of oil for lamps." 



