REVIEW OF THE NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER NOS. OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
157 
have 3 ^our readers think that I am Berkshire born. 
This, I believe, is the oldest Society of the kind in 
the United States, and like some of my friends, it 
grows better with every year. May the Spanish 
salutation apply most particularly to it; and may 
all its doings tend to 
“ Variegate, adorn, 
And make the farmer’s home delightful.” 
The Alpaca , No. 7.—This No, is the most inte¬ 
resting of the series, though there is that in it which 
looks rather discouraging to those about engaging 
in the importation of Alpacas into the United 
States. I am more and more convinced, that if the 
attempt is made to bring them around Cape Horn, 
a large portion of them may be expected to die on 
the passage. But after their arrival, if due attention 
is paid to what is written in these few short arti¬ 
cles, it does seem to me, that they can be natural¬ 
ized to some of our mountainous 'districts and prove 
an immense addition to our national wealth. Every 
person desirous of information about the Alpaca, 
should procure this volume of the Agriculturist. I 
do not know where he could obtain the same 
amount of information in so cheap and condensed 
a form. 
The Strawberry Question. —By W. R. Prince. 
As of the potato question, enough said. Mr. 
Prince spins out his yarn entirely too fine to wear 
well with a majority of your readers. And those 
who read his articles must “ wade along” as deep 
as he has done in Mr. Downing’s articles.” Mr. 
Prince cannot “ set this question at rest for ever.” 
His bump of combativeness is too large; and so is 
that of “ the opposition.” 
“ Review ” of the last Review. —I asked you, Mr. 
Editor, uncommonly serious, to tell us “ where to 
feel the pulse of animals,” and you answer just as 
though you knew I owned flocks and herds of cat¬ 
tle which I often skinned, when in fact (not being a 
Loco editor) I never even skinned a ’coon. In 
another place you intimate that I may be “ one of 
the Editors of the Tribune.” In other words, a 
’coon to be skinned. Now the fact is, you don’t 
know whether I am a ’coon or a ’possum, as you 
have only seen my nose yet. Just wait till my 
tale is full grown, before you pretend to say whether 
I am one thing or another. As to our difference of 
opinion about the tariff, we won’t say another 
word. Time will show. 
The Corn~Crop. —Not what it is, but what it 
may be. You say, “that all men will ac¬ 
knowledge it to be a very profitable crop to 
the W estern farmer.” I am as well satisfied as you 
are, that it is more profitable to the Eastern one. I 
have conversed with a great number of corn grow¬ 
ers of the W est, who agree that the crop does not 
there average over forty bushels to the acre. And 
the price will not average over a shilling a bushel 
(12| cents) upon the farm, and in many places so 
remote from market that the corn must first be con¬ 
verted into pork, which is driven alive to market. 
And the stalks are absolutely worse than worthless, 
for it costs considerable labor to remove, or, as is 
most usual, cut and burn them out of the way for 
the next crop. But the W estern land is less valua¬ 
ble, and the cultivation is far less than it is in this 
State and New England. But then the Eastern 
crop will average at least four times more in value 
than a Western one, so that if the number of 
bushels can be made to average the same, notwith¬ 
standing the manuring, rent, and expensive cultiva¬ 
tion, the Eastern corn-crop is a more profitable one 
than the Western. You estimate the value of 
the crop of stalks, if cut green and well-cured, en¬ 
tirely too low. 
Take the United States through, and I fully be¬ 
lieve that the corn-crop for any ten years of the 
past century, will average the most profitable of any 
cultivated and that the same will be the case 
for the next century. “ The fact is, it is a mighty 
fine crop, stranger, any how you can fix it.” 
“ Ladies’ Department .”—My most respectful com¬ 
pliments to my dear friend “ E. M. C.,” of Lynn. 
How I wish I knew whether she w T as disposable or 
not, that I might tell her whether I was ditto, and 
seek her aid to help me out of my “ unfortunate 
situation.” As for “ the class of ladies forming my 
acquaintance,” they extend from New Orleans to 
Macinaw, and from Maine to Missouri, among 
which are many of the prettiest and best on earth ; 
and I love the whole of them most truly, “ E. M. C.” 
included. And in all the cutting remarks I ever 
made in ridiculing the disposition of “ farmers’ 
daughters,” to learn “ piano-thumping,” and little 
else, there never was one drop of gall. The truth 
is, I am notoriously good-natured ; and I would not 
hold the anonymous and “ thankless office of a 
critic,” only in the hopes of being able thus to do 
more good than I could, unmasked. And my motto 
is “ peace and good will,” and though I intend to 
write with a free pen, I hope I never shall make a 
criticism in such a spirit as will drive one corres¬ 
pondent, particularly a female, from this paper. 
You will observe that I never criticise style—my 
own is too loose and negligent for that. I hope 
that every female correspondent will lay aside all 
fear of “ Mr. Reviewer” (he won’t bite nor 
scratch), and though I must continue to wear the 
cc iron mask,” take my word for it, that I have no 
iron features in my face to frighten them, and beg 
them to continue to let me see their beauties 
through the productions of their pens. 
Influence of the Moon on Vegetation in Colum¬ 
bia. —Now I can get a thousand men to certify that 
the moon has an equal influence on vegetation in 
the United States, that this article asserts it does in 
that part of South America; but you would not 
believe it; neither do I believe that. Neither do I 
believe that salt will cure or prevent the potatoe 
disease. 
Gun - Cotton. —If <c villanous saltpetre ” is to 
be dispensed with for this new combustible, how 
our Southern friends will be blowed up. And 
probably at some future time after the burning of 
one-half of New York city, it will not be neces¬ 
sary to inquire whether “ saltpetre will explode,” 
since we know that cotton will. I hope the whole 
of this new discovery will not all “ blow out.” 
Agricultural Statistics of New York. —I want 
somebody that loves figures and has the leisure, to 
construct you a table to publish, showing the num¬ 
ber of bushels per acre of each kind of grain, and 
the number of bushels of each kind per caput if it 
could be divided equally among all the souls in 
New York State. [We will endeavor to do this 
some leisure day.] Reviewer, 
