REVIEW OF THE MARCH NO. OP THE AGRICULTURIST-NO. 3. 
221 . 
is a land of negroes, flies, musquitoes, gnats, ticks, 
garapatas; and very hot and very changeable 
weather, which more than overbalances the advan¬ 
tages of the eternal verdure. The thin-skinned, 
high-bred Durham cannot exist in such a country, 
where the only care they will get is an annual 
“ marking and branding.” But let me assure you, 
Governor, you have already adapted to your coun¬ 
try, a better breed for your use, than any Durham, 
in the native cattle. I have seen many of them, 
and think I can judge. Go on with your improve¬ 
ment of cattle already acclimated and fitted by na¬ 
ture or long residence to your country, and let 
those breed the higher qualities who have a more 
favorable country for that purpose. Improve the 
stock you have—you cannot better it, taking all 
things into consideration. [Mr. Reviewer, we do 
not agree with you here at all.] 
Indian Cakes. —True to the letter. But you 
should have said don’t grind the corn too fine. No 
kind of grain is actually spoiled by grinding too 
fine, except corn; though wheat is injured. But 
good corn bread, cakes, or mush, cannot he made of 
fine meal; neither can corn meal be cooked in a 
hurry. It may be heated and swallowed half raw 
—fit food for a hog—certainly not for a man. 
White corn, of the gourd-seed variety, ground 
coarse, and baked in the ashes, southern negro 
fashion, does make sweet, good, rich, healthy, 
palatable bread. 
The Grass Lands of Western New York. —Time 
will bring about the same results over a vast part 
of that great wheat-growing country, west of the 
Lakes, that you describe, notwithstanding so many 
of our citizens are so anxious to locate themselves 
upon “ an inexhaustible wheat soil.” They will 
be disappointed, just as the first settlers were, upon 
the lands you mention. And “ strange whims and 
conceits” will continue to exist. Why is it, that 
men adhere so pertinaciously to wheat, as though 
there was no other crop that could be> cultivated to 
any advantage ? A new country, whatever else its 
advantages may be, whenever a new settler comes 
into it, his first inquiry is, “ is it good for wheat ?” 
and if not, he passes on; though this depends 
partly upon where he comes from ; for, if from the 
South, he will be just as anxious as the Eastern 
man to know whether the new land is good for 
corn; if not, he passes on. Few, if any, seek for 
a grass country. If land can be bought as cheap as 
you say, many persons who seek new homes might 
go farther and fare worse. It is a great error of 
people in this part of the country, that they only 
count wealth by dollars in cash. . . . In England, 
land is wealth. In the Southern States, a man’s 
wealth is estimated by the number of his slaves. It 
is a common expression in speaking of the marriage 
of a young man, to say, “ Mr. A. has married fifty 
negroes.” Heavens what a bride ! On the south¬ 
ern part of this continent, a man is estimated by his 
cattle. All this shows that something is yet want¬ 
ing to your grass lands of Western New York; 
that something is, intelligence, information, im- 
rovement, and that wealth does not consist in 
ollars, acres, negroes, nor hoofs and horns ; but in 
the greatest amount of human happiness. That 
country is the best where this exists in the greatest 
abundance, no matter what are the staple produc¬ 
tions. . . . But from such a land as you describe, 
people have no occasion to emigrate, for they can 
live and be comfortable, contented and happy, and 
rich too, in dollars, if they will. 
Seedling Potatoes. —W hat is meant by the term ? 
[It is a new variety of potatoes grown from seed.] 
Is it those which have grown from the balls the first 
year after planting ? This writer, like many 
others, is too indefinite upon this point. Evidently 
he refers back to another article. But every num¬ 
ber of a paper of this kind should be as near perfect 
in itself a 3 possible. That is, what information of 
one subject or one branch is given, be so worded 
that it would be complete. Without looking back 
to the other article, it would appear that this writer 
has made one of the most important discoveries of 
the age, and under that title, a short, concise recipe 
should have been given to enable all the rest of the 
world to partake of the benefit. What is the pre¬ 
vention of rot ? Is it the drying of seed or top¬ 
dressing of lime? If the lime is also requisite, 
there are many places where the disease prevails 
that the medicine would cost more than the crop 
would be worth. Is it objectionable to plant whole 
seed w T hen there is no disease? What is your soil ? 
Will everybody know where Rockland County is ? 
You name no State. [It is in New York.] Soil 
and locality should be definitely given. Your re¬ 
marks upon liquid manure, and manner of applying 
it, I approve. Much o-f the most valuable part of 
manure is lost in the waste of liquids in town and 
countiy. The wisdom of the Chinese I have before 
referred to. They have learned how to save the 
enormous tax upon industry in the shape of fence, 
and that enables them to devote more time than we 
can to the saving and applying manure. I am not 
so sure that it is the best w r ay though to apply it in 
the liquid state in this country, unless done in a very- 
dry time. Notwithstanding that bones are such 
valuable manure, not one farmer in ten that saves 
them. Even a dead horse is hauled ofl'to feed the 
dogs, instead of being used to feed vegetation. 
Ladies’ Department. — Insects, No. 2.—What ! 
ladies writing about bugs and beetles, woodpeckers 
and worms, and going out in the storm to search 
into the operations of nature, w r rapped up in a thin 
coat and hood ! I don’t believe it. Oh, I beg 
pardon. I see now, it is from the Diary of an Old 
Lady. It is no wonder she sought employment. 
This kind of information is not taught our “ latter 
day” young ladies, w r ho get an education (do they 
—is it a real education) in a “ fashionable board¬ 
ing-school,” w r here they are taught to think it 
would be a disgrace to visit a meat room, and 
looking for bugs and moths, and would faint if the 
name of “ a red-headed woodpecker” should be 
spoken in their presence. And these are farmers’ 
girls of our day. Verily this writer must be an old 
woman, indeed. And with her generation the race 
of such will disappear, I am afraid. I only hope 
that this “ diary” is voluminous, and that you have 
free access to it. If any of your readers have neg¬ 
lected to read this article, because it comes from an 
old lady, let them hasten to correct their error, and 
retrieve their loss. 
The Garden. —This article is calculated for thi& 
meridian of New York. The writer forgets that in 
several of the states, corn is planted in the previous 
