1861. 



THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 



129 



DELAWARE AND HER CROPa 



We are indebted to a friend in Delaware — in whose ac- 

 quaintance with tlie Agriculture of that Slate, and judg- 

 ment in fstiuiating its present production, the fullest con- 

 fidence may be reposed— for a letter in correction of the 

 opinions expressed by our conespoudent Mr. Kenball in 

 the last number of the Chuntry Gentlkman. Railroad 

 travelling, as we have learned in our own experience, is 

 BcMoni if ever likely to display citlier " the people, soil or 

 crops" of a country /«tr/y— much less to really good ad- 

 vantage. The letter referred to is dated 



Nkw Castl« County. Dbc, Augunt 15, 1861. 



Eds. Co. Gknt. — As a resident and farmer of Delaware, 

 I desire to pre.sent a few facts, relying upon your know- 

 ledge of me to justify their publication, and asserting as I 

 do tliat tJie whole comiiiunioation in your last is such a.i to 

 convey a very erroneous impression botli as to the people, 

 soil and crops of the State. 



The wheat crop in llic upper portion of the State this 

 year is a remarkably fine one, and will average 20 bushels 

 per acre over the wlinle section, many farms in New Cas- 

 tle county avernging 25 lo 30 bushels to the acre. Oats 

 fine throughout the middle and upper portions of the State. 

 Corn in the lower counties damaged by the spring weather, 

 yet in Kent county there are heavy crops in some sections. 

 In New Castle county the corn crop is a rcmarkabhj heavy 

 and fine one, and will average on many farms of 800 or 

 400 acres in size 60 bushels to the acre. I venture to 

 eflinn that the county of New Castle, State of Delaware, 

 will not be proporlionably excelled this year in her crops 

 of wheat and corn by any other in the United States. 

 These a.^sertions, you will observe, arc in direct contradic- 

 tion to those of this writer, who says, in his conimnnlca- 

 tion, that the State can neither produce corn, wheat, or 

 anything else this year, except pears, peaches and apples ; 

 and directly the reverie of the latter is true, our crops of 

 these fruits l)eing very indifferent ! 



As to the raising and grazing of stock in our State, which 

 this writer, as with its grain growing capacity, asserts it is 

 not adapted to, we must, to believe him, forget our herds 

 of cattle and sheep so well known in the middle and 

 ■outbcrn States to all iutuUigcnt fiu'inci^ — we must ignore 

 the critical and skillful " look in " upon us ol your Mr. 

 Tucker, Jr., a few years since, and published in your 

 paper after his pleasurable visit to us, who admitti^d that 

 in all the elements of a beautiful agricultural district, in 

 thorough cultivation, fertile lands, big barns, and good 

 ■tock, we were not to be excelled. And yet this writer 

 fleats himRelf in a rail car, and running thron);li the State 

 until he lands himself at a little town in the lower portion 

 of the lower county, ventures thus to write upon the charac- 

 ter of the people, soil, aud crops of the State. 



DEL.VWARa 

 •-•-• 



[For the Country Qentleman and Cultivator.] 

 The Durability of Mulberry for Fence Posts. 



Nine years ago I spent a few weeks in Connecticut, and 

 Capt. J. Peck, (Ireenwieh, showed me a mulberry post 

 which had been standing on one side of his barn-yard for 

 more than forty years. As I was visiting him in the month 

 of June, in 1861, I inquired more particularly about that 

 post, which is now standing in the same place. It was a 

 green post, about eight inches square, when it was first 

 set; and although it stood in a very unfavorable place to 

 put its durability to a fair test, — where manure was piled 

 around it during more than half the year — still, it stood 

 more than fifty years, before it rotted off near the surface 

 of the ground. It has been reset, as it was a tall one, and 

 as it is now well .seasoned, it will without doubt last sixty 

 or seventy yeiu^ longer. 



Were mulbeity posts thoroughly seasoned before they 

 are set, and smeared with a good coat of coal tar near the 

 surface of the ground, they would doubtless last one hun- 

 dred ycai's, or even more. s. i. T. 

 .— — •-«-« 



KEEP OUT THE CHESS. 



In sowing winter wheat and rye great care should be 

 taken that no chess is allowed in the Seed. Four years 

 since we sowed some thirty acres of white wheat, which 

 contained a small per ccntagc of che&s. The land on 

 which this grew has been in hoed crops since, and well 

 cultivated, and che.ss continues to come up year after year 

 as though tlie supply was cxhaustless. Some persons con- 

 tend that chess will not grow, but to all such we would 

 say, don't allow youi-selves to believe any such nonsense. 

 The envelop on the chess is hard, and requires moisture 

 and warmth to induce it to germinate. If sown in a dry 

 soil or moilerately moist one where the wheat will come 

 up, the chess will often remain dormant; but the late fall 

 rains generally give it a start, however small, so that if 

 tlie wheat is winter killed, it will fill up the vacant spaces ; 

 but if the wheat is not injured the chess is so .shaded that it 

 amounts to nothing more than a sickly growth, yet it will 

 mature enough seed to keep up the supply. If you have 

 no mill, wiiniow it out in the wind, or wash it out in brine, 

 but we beg of you not to sow it on any condition. — 

 Jllinoit Fanner. 



List of State, Provincial, County and Local Agricultural Exhibitions for 1861. 

 We pre.sent below a list of Exhibitions the present Autumn, so far as we have been furnished with the necessary 

 data, up to this time. Many Premium Lists, &c., received during the past two or three weeks, we have only space to 

 acknowledge in this way, the senders of which will please accept our thanks for their attention. Those who find er- 

 rors or omissions in the following, will much oblige us by supplying corrections and additions, In order that we may 

 give the corrected list an insertion hereafter. It may be remarked that the confusion of the " times " has apparently 

 had less influence upon the Agricultural Shows of the season, than many had anticipated. We are aware that the fol- 

 lowing enumeration of them must be quite incomplete, and we hope to make it fuller — still it presents a pretty fair 

 appearance under the circumstances. Our friends in Pennsylvania and New-Jersey, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky, 

 and in some parts of New-England, will notice that our information from these States is as yet very imperfect. 



STATE, PnOVINOIAI.. 4c. 

 American Institute... .New York. 



Cnlifomia 

 Canada. I.o*vcr 

 CnnnilB. I'ppcr, 



Sacramento, Sept. 16, 31. 



'.'.'.Lonilon. 0. W., Sep. M,S7. 

 C™nectlcut.....No exlilbllion, 

 Illinois.... Chicago. Sent. 9, 14. 

 Indiana.... Ind,Rnanoll(>. 

 Iowa.... Iowa Clly, ?epl. 24. 27 

 Kentucky.... I'ouisyllle. Sent 17, 21. 

 Kentucky Central. . . .Danville, 



Kentucky, N. Eastern Ashland. 



Maine, ...Portland. 

 Mlchlean. . . .Detroit, SepU H 27. 

 Minnesota.. ..St. Anthony, Sept. 24. 87. 

 Nebniska.... Omaha, _ . , . 



Nfw.nrnnawick Sussex. Oct. 1, 4. 



Newlliinipshire.... Manchester, 



New York. ...Watertown, Sept. 17, 20. 



Ohio Dayton. Sent. Irt i:) 



Ol enon ... Oregon Cily. Oct. 1, 6. 



St° Louis Ag. niid Mechanical Association, 

 St. Louis, 



Tennessee.... Nashville, 



Tennessee. Mid. Dlv.... Franklin, 



Vermont. ...Rutland, Sept. lt>. 13. 



Wisconsin. ...Madison, Sent. 2S. 27. 



ao. Ag. an<l Mech Milwaukee, Sep. 2, 6. 



COUNTY AND TOWN-MAINE. 



Androscoggin.... Lewiston, Oct. 1, 3. 

 NEWHAMI'SIIIUE. 



Cheshire. . . .Kcenc. Sept. 24, 25. 



Conn Valley. ...ChnrleslowB, Sept. 10, 12. 



Mei-imack... .Concord. Sept. 25, 27. 

 VERMONT. 



*ddlson....Mlddlehury, Sept. 4, 6. 



Rutland.... llntland. Oct. 2. 3. 



Wlndlinm. . . .Newfane, Oct. 2. 3. 

 MASSACHUSETTS. 



Itnrnslable. . . .Barnstalile. Oct. 8. 



Bristol Taunton. Oct. 1. 



Ill istol Central .... Myrlcks. 



Berlcihlre....l'itl.a«ld, OoU 1. 



R«se». . . .South Danvera. Sept. «. 



Franklin ...OreenneH. Sept. J6. 



Housatonlc. . . .Great B«rrin«ton, Sept. M. 



Hampshire. Franklin and Hampden... North, 

 ampton, Oct. 3. 



Hampshlre....Amherst. Oct. 10. 



Hampden Sprlniifleld, Sept. 1». 



Hampden KMt....Palmer, Sept. 17. 



Hl«htand. . . .Middlefldd. W IJ . „ 



Hoonlc Viilliy.. ..Norili Adams. Sept 17. 



MliicU.;trx,..,roiu'ovd. Sept, 19. 



Mi,iai.— ^So„lh....Krnrainglinm, Sept. 17. 



Mi.l.M.M X N.irlli....l,i.wrll. Mcnt. 12. 



Miiilliii's Viiuy;nil....WeatTl8liury, Oct. 15. 



Nantucket.... Nnntucket, Oct. 10. 



Norr..lk....Uedham. Sept, 26. 



Plymouth Bridgewater. Oct. 8. 



Worcester. . . .Worcester. Oct. 1. 



Worcester West. . . .Uarre. Sept. 26. 



Worcester North. ...Kltcliburgh, Sept. 24. 



Worce«ter South Sturbridge, Oct. 4. 



Worcester South-East. . . . Miltord, Oct. 8. 

 RHODE ISLAND. 



Society for Encouragement of Domestic In- 

 dustry Show of Flax Cotlon, Provi- 

 dence, Sept. 11. 



CONNECTICUT. 



Falls Villnge Union. Sept. 11, 13. 



Fairfield Co. ...Bridgeport. Sept. 17, 20. 

 NKW-YORK. 



Albany. ...Albany, Oct. 1,4. 



Broome. ...BInghamton. Sept. 10, 12. 



llrooklleld... Madison Co., . 



Calliiraugus Li: tie Valley, Sept. 11, 13. 



Cayuga Auburn. Sept. 



Chautauqua Jamestown. Sept, 17. 19. 



Chautaunua Farmers' and Mechanics' Fre- 



donia. Sent. 4. 6, 



Chenango.... Norwich. Sept. 10, 13. 



Cilnl/m. . . . Platt.sburgli. Sept. 



Cortland. ...Virgil, Sept. 



Columbia Chat.bnin 4 Corners, Sept 



(Columbia Ag. and Hort Hudson, 



Chenango Union East Randolph, Oct 3, 5. 



Delaware. ...Hobait, Sept 18, 20. 



Duchess.... Wash. Hollow. Sept 10, 13. 



Rrie....BulTalo. Sept 11,13. 



Kssex....Eliiiabethtown, Oct 3, 4, 



Franklin Malone, 



Galen ...Clyde. Oct 10, 11. 



Genesee Valley Nunda, 



Genesee.... Uataviu. 



Gouverneur ftouvemeur, 



Herkiifier.... Little Falls. 



Livingston Geneseo, 



Lewis.... Lowvillc. Sent 10. 12. 



Madison BrookActa, 



Monroe Rochester. Sept 26, 27. 



Ningiira Lockport 



Oneida.... Rome. Sept 9. 12. 

 Oswego. ...Me.vlco. Sept 10, 13. 



Otsego Cooperstown. 



(Inlj.iiii ,- CiimmdHigua. 



Itf 

 liiilue 



2». 

 Oxford, Sept 23. 25. 



I. .Sept 24, 26. 



Mi l.lriK. Oct 3. 

 . .l.ilil^ingburgh. Sept. 3, 6. 

 1(1 Shelliv..,. Medina, 



Itusfiville Union. . . . ttushville, 

 Siingeifleld. and Mnn!hail....Wat«rvillc. 

 Schuyler.... Walklns, 

 St Lawrence.... Canton. Sept 26, 37. 

 Steuben.... Bttlh. Sept 18. 20. 

 Snsquelianna Valley.... Unadllla, Sep. 26, 27. 

 Skniiealeles. . . ..■'kaneatcies. Oct 8, 9. 



Sarntnga Saratoga Springs, Sept 3, 6. 



Tompkins.... Illioca, 



Toii;iwuh.l;i Viill.-y....Atticn, 



Ulster.. ..Kincslnn. .Sept 25. 27. 



Unii.n. DHiiwure Co. ...Deposit, Sept 18. 19. 



i:iii..n, Orleans Co ...Medina. Sept 12, 13. 



Union. Tomp. Co Trumansliurgh. 



Westchester. ...Mt. Vernon, Sept 24, 3<, 

 Wayne.... Clyde. 

 Wilson... Niiigara Co.. Oct 9. 10. 

 Yates. . . . Pcnn Yan, Sept 26. 28. 

 NEW-JEKSEY. 



Monmouth Freehold, Sept 10, 13. 



PENNSYLVANIA, 

 ilerks.... Reading. Sept 24. 26. 



Bucks Newtown. Sept 2.5, 26. 



Florence Florence. Sept 18. 19. 



Monroe Stroudsburg. Oct. 1, 4. 



OHIO. 

 Lima. Sept 26, 28. 



lamllton. Oct 1. 4. 

 .St Clairsvllle, 

 .Belmont Co.. Sept 17, 19. 

 .Ashtabula Co.. Sept II, 13. 



oll....Carrolllo 



Clermont. , 

 Clermont. , 

 Crawford. , 



Clinton Wilmington. 



Columbiana.... New Lisbon, Sept 25. 37. 



Cuyahoga Cleveland, 



Curahom FaUs. . . .Summit Co.. Sept 35, 37. 

 Coshocton. . . Coshocton, October, 1, S. 



Darke Orccnville, 



Difiance. . . .nefiiilice. Oct 2. 4. 

 Dcl.iw.-ire.... Delaware, 

 Knmklin.... Columbus. Sept 3. 6. 

 Farmers' and Mechanics' Association. ...Ast] 



tabula Sept 24. 2.x 

 Greene... -Xenla, Oct 8. 10. 



.Cadi/.. Oct 2, 4. 

 alk. 



Har 



Huron ...No 



Highland. ...llillsboro. 



Hancock.... Findlay. Sept 26, 38. 



Hardin.... Kenton, Oct 3, 4. 



Highland Union.... Qarretteville. Oct I. 3. 



.lelIerson....Stcubenville, Sept 25, 37. 



Knox ...Mt Vernon, Sept 26. S7. 



I,ake....Painesville. Sept 19, 31. 



Logan Uellefontalne, 



Lawrence Ironton. 



Lorttlne....Elyria, Sept 25, 27. 

 Lucas.... Toledo. 



Mahoning Canfleld. Oct 1. 8. 



Morgan.... McConnellsvllle, Sept 34. 26. 

 Miami.... Troy, Sept 24.27. 

 Miami.... Plnua. Sept 24. 27. 

 Morrow ...Mt Gilead, Oct 3. 4. 

 Madison.... Franklin Co.. Sept 18, 30. 

 Madison.... London, Sept 4, 6. 



Muskingum Zanesviile, 



Portage. . . . Ravenna. Sept 18, 19. 

 I'lCkiiway. . , .Circleville. Sept 26. 37. 

 llichnel(l....Suinniil Co.. Sept 18, 20. 

 liiclilleld....Maiisneld, Oct 1,3. 

 RoBS....Chlllicotlie, 

 Seneca.... Tlmn, Sept 2.i, 27. 



Summit Akron. Oct 1,8. 



Scioto Portamoutli, 



Shelby.... Sidne.v, Oct I, 4. 

 Smyrna. . . . Harrison Co., Sept 25, 27. 



Stark Canton. Oct. 2, 4. 



Twinsburgh....Twlnsburgb, Sept 4. 6. 

 Trumbull. . . .Warren. Sept 24. 26. 



Tuscarawas Canal Dover. Sept. 22, 24 



Tuscarawas Valley.... Massillon, Sept 25, 27. 



TInIo 



.Jamestown, Au. 36, 80- 



GreeneCo., 



Warren Lebanon. 



Wayne.... Wooster. Oct 1. 3. 

 Wellington.... Lornlne Co., Oct 3, 4, 



INDIANA. 

 Posey Ncw-Iiarmony. Oct 1. 6. 



ILLINOIS. 

 Bureau.... Princeton, Sept 34,37. 

 Carroll. ...Mt Carroll. 



Champaign Urbana. 



Clinton. ..Carlyle. Oct I, 3. 

 Cass ...Virginia, Aug. 27. 29. 



n'hjaton. Sept 25. 27. 



I)up« 

 Deki 



l-'ayet 



alb ...Sycamore. Sept 18, 30. 

 .No cxhiliilion. 

 .Morris. Oct 1, 4. 

 .Cartilage. 



Jnimei 

 Jelfer 



.Mt Ve 



Knox....Knoxvllle, Oct 1,4. 

 La Salle. . . .Ottawa. .«cpt 21, 27. 

 Lee ...Anihoy, Oct «. II. 



Logan l.inmlu. Si-i't. 2.>. 27. 



Monroe... \V:n.-rl,.... 11,1. 15. 17. 

 Mercer.... Mill. Klani;!.. Sept 21.26. 

 K.lnur.l.svilk, Oct I. 4. 



Sept 2t. 28. 



Mudlson. 

 McLean.. 

 Morgan. . 



ill.' 



ept. 3, 6. 



. ii;, s 



.On 



Oglt 

 Pn(e....PltlsfleM. 



Peoria Peoria. Sept 3. 6. 



Putnam Hennepin. Oct. 1, 4. 



Rock Island Rock Island. 



Stephenson. ...Freeport Sept 23. 35. 



Sangamon Springllcld. Oct 1, 3. 



Union Fair... Warren. Sept 17, 20. 

 Vermillion.... Catlin, Oct 1. S. 

 Warren.... Monmouth, Sent 4, 6. 

 Winnebago.... Rockford. Sept 17. 30. 

 Whiteside. . . .Morrison. Sept 34, 27. 

 IOWA. 



Appanoose Centerviile, 



Hi'ntnn... .Vinton. Oct. 2. 3. 



Black Hawk.. ..Waterloo. Sept 13, 13. 



Bremer.. .Waverly, Oct 8. 4. 



Cerro Gordo. . . . Mason City. Sept 3S. 37. 



Chickaiaw. . . .New Hampton. Sept 35, 36. 



Clinton.... Wheatland. Sept 18,30. 



Crawford. ...Dennison. Oct 12, 13. 



Davis. . .Bloomfleld. Oct 4, 6. 



Dubuque.... Dnbuuue. Sept. 4. 6. 



Oulhrle. . . .Outhrlc Center, Oct 3. 3. 



Hsmllton. ...Webster City, Oct 17,18, 



Harrfnn Magnolia, Oct 9. la 



Jackson. . . . Andrew. Sept 18. 30. 

 Johnson. . . .I.iwa City, .-ipt ii, 6. 

 Jones.... Anamosa. Oct 2. 4, 

 Linn. ...Cedar Rapids. Sept 24, 26. 



Maluuska Oskaloosa. Sept*17. 18, 



Marlon. ..Knoxvillc, Oct 1.3. 

 Marshall.... Marshall. Oct 11, 12. 



Montgomery Frankfort Oct 1. 



l'agc....Clarinda. Sept 19. 20. 

 Pottawatlomle. ...Council OluCfs, Sept 18, 19. 



Scott Davenport 



Tama.... Toledo. October 9, 10. 

 Union.... Wheatland. Sept 19, 30. 



Van Buren Kcosauqua, Oct, 10, 11. 



Washington Waiihlneton, Sept 17, 19. 



Wayne Corydon, Oct 4. 6. 



WISCONSIN. 

 Badax....Viioqua, Sept 9. 11. 

 Dodge.... Manlorville. Sejit 24. 35. 

 Jefferson.. ..Lake >lills. Sept 18, 19. 



Jackson Albion. Sept 18, 19. 



Lafayette. . . .Darlington. Sept 85, SA, 

 Racine.... Union Grove. Sept 17, 10. 

 HIchlsnd... Richland Center. Sept 31, J3. 

 Winnebago.... Oskosh. Sept 18, 19. 



CALIFORNIA. 

 Sonoma.... Santa Rosa. Sept 24, 37. 



OllEGON. 

 Multnomah. ...Portland. Oct 23. 24. 



UTAH. 

 San Pete....Maroni, 



UPPER CANADA. 

 Kingston Electoral. ...Kingston. Sept 18. 

 Toronto Electoral. ...Toronto.Oct 7, 19. 

 LOWER CANADA. 



Brome Knowlton. Sept 17. 



Laprairie Laprairic. Sept 19. 



Levis. . . .Notre Dame de la Vicloire, Sept 24. 

 Montcalm.... St Alexis. Oct 2. 

 Montmorency.... Chnte.iu Richer, Oct 15. 

 Ottawa.... Aylmer. Oct 3. 



Piintiac Clarendon theater, Oct 4. 



Quebec Ste Foye, Oct 16. 



SbelTord. ...Waterloo. Sept 18. 

 Vaudreuil....Slc Marlhe, Sept 26. 



PREPARATION OF SEED WHEAT. 



I am one of those who believe in good seed, no matter 

 whether it be for the garden or field, or whether wheat, 

 rye, corn, or buckwheat. I am particular always to get 

 good clean, dry seed, that is, seed which has been well 

 cured before housing, and well cared for afterwards. 

 Next, I always give a preference to new wheat, and an 

 additional preference to that which is not threshed until 

 just ready for use. Again, my seed wheat is always steeped 

 in a liquid before sowing. I adopted this plan from a 

 recommendation given in an iigricultnral paper many 

 years ago. All wheat, or almost all, is infested with spores 

 of fungi, wliieli, though not visible to the naked eye, are 

 nevertheless " Ihar" and in sulFicient quantities, generally, 

 to do damage. 



My plan is, to take from a poimd and a half to two 

 pounds of blue vitrol, (sulphate of copper.) Dissolve 

 this in from two to three gallons of hot water, and let it 

 cool before using. Spread the wheat on the barn floor, 

 and with a common walciiiig can sprinkle the solution 

 over it, at the rate of about three pints to the bushel of 

 seed. Then take a .'^hovel, and turn the wheat over and 

 over, until it is uniformly dampened. lie particular in 

 doing this. It will be ready for sowing next morning, if 

 done in the al'tcrnoon. Rats will not eat wheat thus pre- 

 pared, and fungi will be completely destroyed by it. — 

 Farmer and Gardener. 



LovK. — As long as a woman loves, she does nothing else. 

 A man has other inattors to attend to in tho intervals. 



When is nine like a pig's tuski When it is in a hog's- 

 head. 



