252 
PENCES A DIRECT TAX TO THE FARMER. 
I plant varieties in separate beds, and keep down 
the runners; yet not a season passes, without my 
finding a mixture in some of the beds. I often find 
a pistillate bed covered by a greater portion of 
staminates. The reason is obvious. A seedling 
comes up in the bed, of great vigor; and bearing 
little or no fruit, it forms twenty new plants, where 
a pistillate overloaded with fruit, forms but one, 
and soon becomes the sole occupant. “ Dr. Lind- 
ley, the highest authority in England, accounts for 
“ blind plants,” on Mr. Downing’s theory of a change 
in the sexual characters, by running ; but the day 
is at hand, and now is, when from one end of the 
Union to the other, it will be declared that the chil¬ 
dren in our strawberry-gardens surpass the learned 
botanists in Europe, as much in knowledge of the 
sexual character of the strawberry-plant, as they 
surpass our haif-savage urchins in the knowledge of 
Greek and Hebrew. 
The wishes of Mr. Downing’s correspondent will 
be met in the Report of our Strawberry Committee. 
They will give a full account of the sexual charac¬ 
ter, quality, &c., of all the varieties cultivated in this 
vicinity. The result will be, that among the 101 
new seedlings, not three of them will equal the old 
discarded Hudson. Mr. Ernst has this season 
brought forward a new seedling strawberry, that 
will command attention. It was raised by an Eng¬ 
lishman by the name of Taylor, in our town, a few 
years since, who, on removing, sold his plants to 
Mr. Ernst, and assured him, that it was one of friend 
Downing’s perfect specimens , as it was an abundant 
bearer, and produced from a single seed, the same 
being the only plant he had ever had in his garden. 
I went with Mr. Ernst to see this prodigy then in 
full bloom. He had about 1000 plants, and among 
them I discovered about twenty staminate plants, 
entirely defective in pistils. A strawberry of equal 
beauty I have never seen. The fruit is of unusual 
length, and of a bright red color. The plant is 
hardy and a profuse bearer. The fruit is of an ave¬ 
rage size ; but not so large as the Hovey, though it 
continues longer in bearing. Its flavor would suit 
me better, if more acid; but in the region of Boston, 
where Jaynes’ seedling and Mother’s Hudson were 
pronounced “ sour and worthless,” I think it will 
be esteemed. Its great beauty will make it a favor¬ 
ite, and cause its extensive cultivation. 
N. Long worth. 
Cincinnati, June 8th, 1847. 
P. S.—The cultivation of the grape for wine, is 
extending rapidly in this region, and some of our 
steepest and worthless hills are converted into 
beautiful vineyards. Present appearances warrant 
the expectation of an abundant crop of grapes. 
I observed, in one of your French papers, a 
severe criticism on a sample of American cham¬ 
pagne wine, made in this city, and I fear the criti¬ 
cism was just. It was manufactured in the spring, 
and sold through the summer and fall. After 
standing a month, it forms a sediment, becomes 
turbid, and the next season loses its sparkling qua¬ 
lity. Champagne requires decanting from the bot¬ 
tle three or four times, and is never fit for sale till 
the second year. I have had several thousand 
bottles made at my cellars this spring, and will 
next year send a sample to your French Editor, as 
I shall give up the manufacture, if we cannot equal j 
the best imported. But the wine made this season 
will not be a fair sample, as we should have begun 
at the vineyard last fall, and not in town this 
spring; yet we ceased the manufacture, as too late, 
at the period when some others were commencing. 
I profess no skill in the matter, but my wine- 
cooper does, and another season will test who is in 
the right. N. L. 
FENCES A DIRECT TAX TO THE FARMER. 
In loeddng over the early volumes of the Agri¬ 
culturist, I find that in the commencement of your 
editorial labors, you called the attention of your 
readers to the very important subject of the non¬ 
fencing system. In running over the several arti¬ 
cles on that subject, I was pleased to see that your 
own opinion coincided with one that I have long 
cherished in that matter of rural economy, and which 
is rooting itself more firmly in my mind with every 
reflection given to the subject, as well as every point 
of observation which I am able to gain in giving 
the matter more perfect investigation. But why 
was it that the matter dropped where it did? Had 
you no encouragement to pursue the pleadings of 
your pen with our brother farmers further upon 
this question of enormous expenditure, and often 
vexatious care to them? There must, indeed, be a 
horrid lethargy pervading the mind of the body ag¬ 
ricultural, while they go calmly, and indifferently, 
and drudgingly on, and voluntarily submit to an 
evil for whose existence there is no pretext or ex¬ 
cuse. Farmers, look at this matter, and see if you 
cannot effect a reform. 
In the first place, I would call your attention to 
fences on the highway. I will point you to a small 
agricultural town only four miles square, in Massa¬ 
chusetts, where by the ordaining of the powers that 
be and that have been, there are fifty miles of roads, 
which, if they were all fenced (they are not, and 
probably never will all be fenced , for in some sec¬ 
tions of that town uninclosed lands are as secure as 
those shut up), there must be one hundred miles 
offence built and supported from year to year to 
preserve the crops growing adjacent. A great tax, 
truly, to be levied upon a little town whose popula¬ 
tion in men, women, and children, does not much, 
if any, exceed one thousand souls. Any school¬ 
boy ought to be able to calculate the cost of build¬ 
ing and keeping in repair this fence, as the same 
article costs in his own neighborhood, say fifty cents 
a rod for building, which, taking the country 
through, would probably be altogether too low. 
Therefore, there is a direct tax laid upon the land¬ 
holders of this small town of $16,000 or more than 
$1.50 a head to each inhabitant, old and young, 
male and female, cripple and infirm. Now, what 
would not that community say and do, if govern¬ 
ment should impose on them such an assessment 
to carry out any purpose no matter how useful ? 
They would, unless as fast asleep as they are upon 
this subject, cry out oppression, and raise the voice 
and the arm of rebellion against such a misguided 
policy. 
But this is not the end. The $16,000 is laid up 
in stone, or rails, or set in posts and nailed on in 
boards by the way-side, and if this were the conclu¬ 
sion of the matter, you might call the above sum 
