No. 12. 



AND GARDENER'.S JOURNAL. 



179 



end skill. It has good descriptions of one hundred 

 and tltirtij-six varieties of the Apple, eight of the Ap 

 r\cM, fifteen of the cherry, twelec of the fig, /ircofthe 

 filbert, nineteen of the melon, sccenfcen of the ncciQ- 

 rine, sevaitij of the pear, iwcntijsix of the peach with 

 notices of many others, tJiirty of the pine apple, yo;/i/ 

 of the plnm, tttenUj-nno of the strawberry, liccntij-onc 

 of the grape, and imperfect descriptions of several oth- 

 er kinds. Thee descriptions are vaUinble, from the 

 care taken by the author to seize on distinctive and 

 permanent characters only. Same of them, of four 

 lines, enable us much belter to identify the fruits, than 

 a whole page of loosely written stulf, from some wri- 

 ters of former years. Wo give the foUosving as «pe- 

 cimens of the authors descriptions : 



" Gravenstein. Originated at Gravcnslein, in IIol- 

 Btein, Germany, and with the Courlpandee Plat, is 

 the beet apple the continent can boast of. Size, large; 

 form somewhat oblong, with angles terminating in the 

 crown ; color, yellowish green, ntarked with red on 

 the side next the sun ; stalk, very short ; eye, wide, 

 sunk in a deep basin ; flesh, pale yellow ; flavor, very 

 high and vinoua ; duration, fiom November tiUApril; 

 habit, extremely heaUhly, raihcr a shy bearer ; merit, 

 one of our first-rate desert fruits." 



" Gansel's Bergamoi. [St/n. Brocas Bergamot, 

 Bonne Ronge, Joe's Bergamot.] Orignated about 

 17G8, from a seed of the Autumn Bergamot, at Don- 

 neland Hill in Essex, the seat of General Gansel. 

 Siz(?, large ; form, oval roundish; color, dull brown 

 all over, rather deeper brown next the sun ; eye, 

 Bmnll ; stalk, short and fleshy ; flavor excellent ; du. 

 ration, November and beginning of Decemhei ; habit, 

 although of English origin, it is much too lend> r to 

 succeed as a standard ; its merits, however, claim for 

 it a place on the wall of every good garden." 



The author, in addition to his own extensive and 

 thorough knowledge, has availed himself of the nesis- 

 tanee of Robert Thompson, of the London Horticultu- 

 ral Society, under whose eye a greater number of 

 fruits have been proved and minutely examined, than 

 that of any other person. For this reason especially, 

 the list of synonymes is very valuable. 



A number of blunders, typographical and substan- 

 tial, occur here and there, which v^e pass by, and 

 merely give the following queer statements : — 



" It is no unusual thing to fee an American peach 

 orchard containing ono thousand trees growing as 

 standards, as the apples do with us, and after the juice 

 is ftrmented and distilled, producing one hundred 

 barrels of peach brandy. The Americans vsuallu eat 

 thr paries or clingstones, while they reserve the melting 

 or frrc-sloncs for feeding their pigs." 



" In the United Slates the stones of the peach are 

 sown on a seedbed, [&c.] In the fourth or fifth 

 year, they produce friut, and thus thousonds of sub- 

 varieties are produced ; not one perhaps in ten thous- 

 and is ft for the tahle." &c. 



The work is however, so far at least as the practi- 

 cal part is concerned, written with great judgment 

 and accuracy, and notwithstanding the peculiarties of 

 culture in England, it cannot fail of being of great 

 value to every American cultivator of fruit. An edi- 

 tion, adapted to this country, would he sliU more val- 

 uable. * 



For the New Genesse Farmer. 



Shall Agricnltnral Societies be Sustained I 



Messrs. Editors : — A few days after the Fair of 

 our County Agricultural Society, I was accosted in 

 one of the streets of our village, by a veiy respectable 

 farmer, with the following question, viz : '• Would it 

 be any, and if so, what advantage to me, to join the 

 Niagara County Agricultural Society ?" " Or, what 

 is the use of such Societies ?" 



Being under an engagement at the time, and the 



circumstances not being exactly suitable for the dis- 

 cussion of so important a subject, i propose to answer 

 the quesUon through the medium of your useful paper. 

 But 1 do not expect at oil to advance any thing new, 

 to the general agriculiural readtr. The subject has 

 been presented in most inviting forms, and in the 

 most glowing colors, by able and experienced writers ; 

 but the great body of the farming connnuniiy have 

 not rend such articles, neither have they rend any 

 thing of tJie kind, except it were casually or inciden- 

 tally- There has been a most remnrkable stupidity 

 and indiiierence on this subject. A general opinion 

 or impression seems to have prevailed, that all was 

 known that could be known ofeiihor practical or sci- 

 entific ogricultuie ; and therefore, instead of profiling 

 by the experience of one another, we have rather 

 sought to find fault with every thing not according to 

 our previously conceived opinions. In short, Mr 

 Editor, as yon have doubtless long since learned, we, 

 as a community, are a most self sufficient, self -trilled, 

 self conceited race, always ready to teach, hut itcver 

 desiring to be taught 1 



Now what shall be done to break this charm ? If 

 you write at such you will not write to them, for they 

 will not pay one cent per jncck for the best monihly 

 agricultural paper which can be furnished. As an 

 evidence of this fact, (if report do not lie,) the "Em- 

 pire County" I containing seven thousand farmers, 

 on the evening of the first day of their Agricultural 

 Fair & Cattle Show, had furnished but eighty names 

 as members, at a fee of 50 cents each ! Eighty out 

 of 7000 ! one out of every ninety. We mistake very 

 much, if the " Empire County" does not furnish more 

 worshipers o( Bacchus than that I 



But we most sincerely rejoice, that a better spirit 

 prevails in some of the counties of the ' Empire Siaie.* 

 That here and there a green spot can be seen — that a 

 waking up, and looking about, begins to be manifest. 

 But I have wandered too far from my subject. The 

 question to b© answered, \\'as — What is the use of 

 Agricultural Societies ? 



1st. They serve to correct one of the greatest evils 

 in the general management of our farmers, viz : that 

 of cultivating too much land. The average crop of 

 wheat throughout Western New York, will not prob- 

 ably exceed lor the last two years, 15 bushels per acre, 

 corn 30 bushels, potatoes 100 bushels, and grass IJ 

 tons. Query. What would be the cost per acre, to 

 make these same lands produce double the quantity, 

 or the same quantity from one half the number of acres? 

 The influence of Agricultural Societies is to test this 

 question. By the act of our legislature to aid Agri- 

 cultu'e, &c., funds are provided to be paid in premi- 

 ums to those who raise the greatest quantity of pro 

 duce at the least expense. The inquiry will arise in 

 every mind, " How shall I manage such a piece of 

 corn, for example, that I may obtain the greatest num- 

 ber of bushels at the least cost ? How many times 

 shall I plough it? How much, and what kind of 

 manure sha'l I opply to it ? How often, and in what 

 manner shall I hoe it ? How mnch horse labor sliall 

 I use, and what implements shall I use with the horse? 

 The plough, cultivator, or neilher ? And again, how 

 shall I harvest the crop ?" Such like inquiries will 

 naturally suggest themselves, and we shall adopt that 

 course, which, in our various opinions, will be most 

 likely to produce the desired residt. And when we 

 have found the best course to enable ns to obtain a 

 premium for the best crop, we have also the best course 

 to enable us to enrich ourselves. 



It will be noticed that the provisions of the act re- 

 ferred to, require the payment of the premium, not 

 for the greatest quantity raised on an acre of land, but 

 lor the greatest quantity at the comparatirely least 



erpcnse. I may put a hundred loads of manure to an 

 acre of lard, and spend the whole season in the tillage 

 of that acre, and obtain therefrom 100 bushels of corn, 

 or 400 bushels potatoes, or 50 bushels of wheat ; when 

 if I were to charge that crop with all the expenscB 

 thereof, it would perhaps cost me more per bushel ihan 

 rny neighbors crop w.iuld him, at one halflhe expense. 

 Thus we see, that ihe most economical course is the 

 one to be sought for, and not merely the raising of the 

 greatest quantity per acie, hutthe raising of the great- 

 est crop at the Icost comparative expense. The same 

 principles are to be recognized in the matter of raising 

 and fattening of stock. The object is not to see who 

 will produce the largest or fattest calf or ox, but what 

 stock will fatten at the least expense ; and what kind 

 of feed is most profitably fed to cattle or swine. Also, 

 the same rule should be applied, in awarding premi- 

 ums for agricultural implemeitte. 



Now suppose our whole farming community. I 

 mean crcry farmer, should carefully read an agiicul- 

 tural paper, should join the cotinty agricultural so- 

 ciety, and should apply himself, by reading, reflection, 

 conversation, and experiment, for a couiscof ten years, 

 according to the principles set fonh in the said act, 

 whai do you suppose, Mr. Editors, would be the re- 

 sult ? Should %ve not see the effect on the very face 

 of nature? andespecially on thcface of raoji? Should 

 we not see it in our buildings, in our fences, os well 

 as in our crops ? Should we nol feci it incur very 

 bones, as we return from our daily labor, to the houe^ 

 on which no man has any claim for the ereclion there- 

 of, and wherewith the happy family, wo enjoy the 

 fruit of our labors, and where no constable or sherifT 

 can " molest or make us afraid." 



Again. The operation of agricultural societies un- 

 der the present law, will lead farmers to keep accounts 

 of their ejipenses and profits ; a consideration of no 

 small importance. He thus ascertains, not only what 

 his wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, &c. cost him per bush- 

 el, but which is the most profitable crop. And the 

 same practice carried out, will lead him to keep an 

 account of his expenses for the support of his family, 

 for his hired labor, improvements on his farm, build- 

 ings, &c. 



Again. The formation and support of societies is 

 the most efficient means of improvement in all the use- 

 ful arts. It encourages a spirit of enterprise and em- 

 ulation, it difl"u6e8 a knowledge of usefid experiments, 

 afibrds opportunities of social intercourse, and serves 

 to dispel those illiberal feelings and groundless jeal- 

 ousies, which often exist in communities, and block 

 up the avenues of friendly feeling and pleasurable en- 

 joyment in a neighborhood. 



The fruits of such societie6,wilI be the improvement 

 of our ogriculiural implements — the introduction of 

 improved breeds of stock into every town and neigh- 

 borhood — a proper rotation of crops will be better un- 

 derstood — manures will be greatly increased and more 

 understandingly applied — and a general spirit of in- 

 quiry will be awakened, and a spirit of commendable 

 competition will be encouraged. We not only calcu- 

 late and reason that such would be the case, but these 

 statements have been proved true to a demonstration, 

 in the operations of many societies, both in this coun- 

 try and in Britain. 



Yours, &o., as ever, 



Lockpo rt, Nov., 1841. NIAGARA. 



Next to the love of fiovers is tlie lore of birds. — 

 Teach your children in mercy to spare the nests of the 

 harmless little birds, and if you have a heart to be 

 thankful, it will rise up in union with the lilile songs- 

 ter's coral, to think your lot is cast in such a pleasant 

 vale of flowers and singing birds. These are some of 

 the many things provided to lighten the toil of labci, 

 and it is only a vitiated taste acquired from a false sya- 

 tern of education, that prevents us from deriving a 

 great deal of happinest from such email accompani- 

 ments of the journey of life. 



