93 G 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
August, 
just as hard as they looked, for they’d scale 
fences like so many cats. He used to keep two 
dogs and spend half his time in chasing his crit¬ 
ters out of the corn and grain fields, t \vhen they 
only wanted something to eat, and it would have 
puzzled a grasshopper to provide for a family in 
his pastures. Whenever I saw him puffing, and 
sweating, and tearing around like mad after his 
cattle, instead of fixing his fences, I laughed and 
said “ His labor and expense are all in the wrong 
place, he’s greasing the wagon tire." 
Another man I knew who used to work night 
and day to make money, but his farm kept run¬ 
ning down every year. He would go to market 
at least three times a week, selling everything 
that grew on the place, from huckleberries up to 
sawlogs, and I couldn’t see as he spent any thing, 
for he and his wife always looked like distress, 
but he just managed to keep up his interest, and 
that was all. His land was only skinned, and his 
manure lay around loose in the only barn yard he 
had—the public road. And when I saw him week 
after week going to town with a load of some 
truck to peddle out, thinks I, he's “ greasing his 
wagon tire.” 
When I've seen men walloping their boys for 
swearing and cutting up, and then letting them 
run around nights to the village tavern, or where- 
ever they pleased, without calling them to account, 
although I felt sad, I had to laugh, for they put 
me so much in mind of “ greasing the wagon tire.” 
I’ve seen mechanics and merchants do the same 
thing when they took their capital out of a safe 
business to go to speculating, and even the wo¬ 
men have “ greased the wagon tire ” by bringing 
up their daughters to be ladies , by letting them sit 
reading novels in the parlor while they them¬ 
selves slaved away in the kitchen. 
I don’t love to think about funny things in 
church, but when I’ve heard the parson preach¬ 
ing just to please the people, oiling them down 
with good smooth pleasant talk, I’ve had hard 
work to keep from smiling out loud, thinking 
about “ greasing the wagon tire.” Jonathan. 
— ■ ■ - — - 4 - 
Degeneration of Seed. 
It has often been stated, that seed will degener¬ 
ate in a few years, if its product be sown contin¬ 
uously in the same locality, and that it is neces¬ 
sary for the maintenance of good crops to frequent¬ 
ly procure seed from a distance. The experience 
of many persons seems to confirm this opinion. 
A correspondent of the Agriculturist, N. N. Hart- 
zell, Hancock Co., Ill., in a letter received a short 
time since says, that having sowed the yellow- 
bearded wheat three year’s in succession, the seed 
each year being part of the crop raised the sea¬ 
son preceding, the third crop w'as not worth har¬ 
vesting. Upon procuring a new supply of seed 
from a distance a good yield was again obtained. 
This we believe agrees with the general opinion 
upon the subject. Why this is so is an interest¬ 
ing inquiry. Is the opinion correct 1 or is it 
a mere notion founded upon occasional coinci¬ 
dences, which has passed into an established be¬ 
lief without having been properly examined, and 
which is believed because “ they say ” it is so 1 
In the case of imperfect plants, that is those not 
furnished with all the necessary fertilizing organs, 
it is quite easy to understand that they may de¬ 
generate. If in the plants produced any year 
there should be a disproportionate number of 
staminate or pistillate varieties, the following 
crops might rapidly deteriorate from this cause. 
But most plants grown for sustenance are perfect 
in this respect, each being independent of the 
other. How then can we account for deterioration 1 
Perhaps, somewhat as follows. Our cereals and 
esculents generally, are not now in their original 
natural state. Their desirable qualities have 
been greatly improved by cultivation, that is, by 
placing them in circumstances the best adapted 
to bring out their good points. In locations and 
under treatment that would supply all the neces¬ 
sary conditions, we can scarcely doubt they would 
continue to retain their excellence, through gen¬ 
eration after generation, for like causes must pro¬ 
duce similar effects ; but where any of these 
conditions are wanting, there will be year after 
year a proportionate loss of excellence, a relaps¬ 
ing into the original state. Now there are proba¬ 
bly few places where plants enjoy all the condi¬ 
tions necessary to sustain their improved condi¬ 
tion. Separate localities, however, differ as to 
the condition which is left unsupplied, and a seed 
partially lacking in one particular, if introduced 
in a district which can supply its want, would 
yield an improved product, and continue to do so 
until defects peculiar to the new location would 
in a few years render it unfit for that district, but 
still available for some other section which could 
in turn supply its defects. Whether this be the 
true theory or not, facts indicate that a frequent 
change of seed is on the whole beneficial. * 
- *» <-— «asJ3 E rror — r o-- 
The popular name, Wood Duck, is derived 
from the fact of their constructing their nests 
in the hollows of trees; and Summer Duck, 
from their remaining with us during the Summer.. 
Wood Ducks are familiarly known in every quar¬ 
ter of the United States. They are equally known 
in Mexico and many of the West India Islands. 
They have been found from 19° south, to 54° 
north latitude. They breed from Mexico to Hud¬ 
son’s Bay, and the Columbia River, and east- 
wardly to Nova Scotia. They have been met with 
on the 10th of January in a creek near Peters¬ 
burg, Virginia. In the more northern districts, 
however, they are migratory. In Pennsylvania, 
the female usually begins to lay late in April, or 
early in May. Instances have been known where 
the nest was constructed of a few sticks laid in a 
fork of the branches; usually, however, the in¬ 
side of a hollow tree is selected for this purpose. 
“ On the 18th day of May,” says Wilson, “I visit¬ 
ed a tree containing the nest of a Wood Duck, 
on the banks of Tuckahoe River, in New-Jersey. 
It was an old grotesque white oak, whose top had 
been torn off by a storm. It stood on the decliv¬ 
ity of the bank, about twenty yards from the wa¬ 
ter. In this hollow and broken top, and about six 
feet down, on the decayed wood lay thirteen 
eggs, snugly covered with down, doubtless taken 
from the breast of the bird. The eggs were of 
an exact oval shape, smaller than those of the 
common hen, the surface exceedingly fine grained, 
and of the highest polish and somewhat yellowish, 
greatly resembling slightly polished ivory. The 
egg measured two inches and an eighth, by one 
inch and-a-half. On breaking one of them, the 
young bird was found-to be. nearly hatched, but 
dead, as neither of the parents had been observed 
about the tree during the three or four days pre¬ 
ceding ; and it was conjectured they had been shot. 
This tree had been occupied, probably by the 
same pair, for four or five successive years, in 
breeding time ; the person who gave me the in¬ 
formation, and whose house was within twentv 
or thirty yards of the tree, said that he had seen 
the female, the Spring preceding, carry down 
thirteen young, one by one, in less than ten min¬ 
utes. She caught them in her bill by the wing or 
back of the neck, and landed them safely at the 
foot of the tree, whence she afterward led them 
to the water. Under this same tree, at the time 
I visited it, a large sloop lay on the stocks, near¬ 
ly finished, the deck was not more than twelve 
feet distant from the nest, yet notwithstanding 
the presence and noise of the workmen, the ducks 
would not abandon their old breeding place, but 
continued to pass out and in as if no person had 
been near. The male usually perched on an ad¬ 
joining limb, and kept watch while the female 
was laying; and also while she was sitting.” 
The Wood Duck seldom flies in flocks ©f more 
than three or four individuals, and most com¬ 
monly in pairs, or singly. The common note of 
the drake is vect, peet ; but, when standing senti¬ 
nel, he sees danger, he makes a noise not unlike 
the crowing of a young cock, or the squealing of 
a very young pig, oc eek ! oc ctk! Their flesh is 
inferior to that of the Blue winged Teal. 
These most beautiful ducks, have often been 
tamed, and are chiefly valuable as ornaments to 
pleasure grounds on account of their brilliant plu¬ 
mage. Although naturally very shy, they soon be¬ 
come nearly as familiar as other ducks. Speci¬ 
mens so tamed, may be found in various parts of 
the country. Some forty years ago, as we have 
been informed, a Mr. Nichols, who lived on the 
west side of Gunpowder Creek, had a whole yard 
swimming with the Woqd Ducks, which he had 
tamed and completely domesticated, so that they 
bred and were as familiar as any other tame fowls. 
Some three or four years since, a brood of seven 
were hatched at Springside, and reared until 
nearly full-grown, when a rascally weasel, mink, 
or some other “varmint,” entered the yard in the 
stillness of night, and killed all but two of the 
young ones, leaving one male and one female: 
The old drake soon after died, leaving one drake 
and two ducks. The next season one of the 
ducks laid her clutch of eggs, and sat on them, 
but was so often disturbed by visitors that none 
were hatched. Last year we put six of their 
eggs under a Bantam hen, and in due time five 
ducklings made their appearance, very active and 
sprightly, but from, some cause or oilier, all died 
in about five days, probably they starved, as they 
appeared not to understand the call of their foster 
mother. . 
They are kept in the yard with other fowls, 
having a tank of water to play in, with suitable 
accommodations for roosting and laying. To 
show how far they are reclaimed, we will men¬ 
tion that one evening the drake got frightened at 
something, and flew out of the yard, and nothing 
further was seen of him until the next morning, 
when he was found near the gate, on opening 
which, he marched in with apparent satisfaction. 
It is generally conceded, we believe, and there 
can be no doubt that all the domestic fowls we 
now possess have been reclaimed from a state of 
nature. We are certain the Turkey and the 
Musk duck have been recently reclaimed ; and 
we see no reason why many more may not be do¬ 
mesticated as well, if any pains weie taken to do 
it. C, N. Bement, 
Springside, July, 1859 
