1S46. THE CULTIVATOR. 383 
the first is near the base, the second before the middle, 
and the third beyond it; between these is a round and 
kidney-shaped spot; between the third and the posterior 
margin, which has a line of black dots, is a sinuated 
ochreous line, reddish and suffused on the inside, the 
external space dark fuscous; inferior wings pearly 
white, slightly tinged with brown next the cilia, the 
nervures brownish: length 6 lines, expanse 14 or 15 
lines.” 
Mr. Curtis observes that in England — ee This moth 
is common in hay-fields and about hay-ricks in May, 
June, and July, as well as on willows, in gardens, &C.” 
This would appear to strengthen the idea that it is 
identical with the insect, the larvae of which is some¬ 
times called “ clover-worm.” 
Dr. Harris’ treatise on insects is an excellent one, 
and reflects great credit on its author; but its value would 
have been greatly enhanced, if it had been accompanied 
by illustrations. The work was originally written at 
the instance of the Legislature of Massachusetts, by 
whom the expenses attending its publication were, we 
believe, principally defrayed. The State certainly de¬ 
serves credit for the liberal discernment and regard to 
the interests of the people, which it thus evinced; but 
a work on which so much care and labor has been be¬ 
stowed, should be made as perfect as possible; and 
we cannot but hope that in bringing out a new edition, 
the State will furnish the necessary aid for accomplish¬ 
ing the improvement suggested. 
NEW-YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
At the regular monthly meeting of the Executive 
Committee of the New-York State Ag. Society, for 0«- 
tober, the following resolutions were unanimously 
adopted: 
On motion of Mr. Vail, of Rensselaer, 
Resolved , That the thanks of the society be presented 
to James Lenox, Esq., for his donation of 30 copies 
of “ Washington’s Letters on Agriculture.” 
On motion of the President, 
Resolved, That the thanks of the society be presented 
to Mr. George Fordon, of Geneva, for the skill and 
spirit he has manifested in breeding and exhibiting at 
our shows so many fine farm horses. 
At the meeting of the Executive Committee for No¬ 
vember, the following resolutions were adopted: 
A letter having been read from F. E. L. Fischer, 
Director of the Imperial Botanic Garden, St. Peters- 
burgh, Russia, announcing that he had forwarded to the 
Society a copy of a new Botanical work, just published 
at St. Petersburgh, on motion of Mr. Tucker, 
Resolved, That the thanks of the N. Y. S. A. Society 
be presented to F. E. L. Fischer, of St. Petersburgh, 
Russia, for the donation announced in the above letter, 
and that a copy of the Transactions of the Society for 
1845, be forwarded to him. 
On motion of Mr. Tucker, 
Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented 
to its President, Mr. Sherwood, of Cayuga, for a copy 
of the Census of the State of New-York for 1845. 
Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented 
to Joseph Fellows, Esq., of Geneva, for his donation 
of fifty dollars in behalf of the Pultney estate. 
On motion of Mr. Vail, 
Resolved, That the Recording Secretary and Treasu¬ 
rer procure Daguerreotype portraits of all the Presidents 
of the Society, and that the Treasurer be authorized to 
pay for the same. 
On motion of Mr. Sherwood, 
Resolved, That the Treasurer of the Society be di¬ 
rected to keep charge of the rooms of the society; and 
to provide for its being kept open for the business of 
the Society, until further action of the Executive Com¬ 
mittee. 
On motion of Mr. Vail, 
Resolved, That the President, Mr. Prentice, and Mr. 
McIntyre, be authorized to invest in bond and mort¬ 
gage, such sum of money as is now in the treasury, as 
will not be needed to pay premiums how awarded, and 
to pay also contingent expenses of the Society. 
On motion of Mr. Sherwood, 
Resolved, That the Treasurer employ some suitable 
person to color the plates of the ** Jardin de St. Peters- 
bourgh,” at a price not to exceed twenty-five cents fbr 
each plate. 
The Committee then adjourned to the 2d Thursday of 
December next, art 10 o’clock. 
Present—Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Vail, Mr. Stevens, Mr. 
Tucker, Mr. McIntyre. 
VARIETIES OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, 
Affected by Soil and Climate. 
It is well known that varieties of fruit are greatly 
affected by soil and climate. For instance, a standard 
of the relative excellence of different kinds of apples 
and pears, drawn up for a particular section, would be 
wholly inapplicable to other sections; with a change 
of location, the quality of the fruit would change, and 
the standard might be reversed. All this is often wit¬ 
nessed in the transfer of fruits from Europe to this 
country, and it is not uncommonly seen here in shifting 
from one district to another. 
Does not this principle hold good in reference to va¬ 
rieties of grain and vegetables? We think it does. 
Some kinds of potatoes, for example, appear to do bet¬ 
ter, compared with other kinds, in some neighborhoods, 
than they do in others. Some sorts have also been 
known to be more exempt from blight in some places, 
while in other places they have failed. Dr. Emmons, 
in the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, has some sen¬ 
sible remarks on this subject. fi At first view,” says 
Dr. E., (t it seems that the same variety ought to hold 
out at all times and all places against the enemy. But 
it may be, after all, that varieties, like species, require 
a particular soil to bring them to a high standard of ex¬ 
cellence. For instance, one variety attains its standard 
of perfection in a light soil only, whereas another va¬ 
riety requires a strong clayey soil. They are secure 
from disease only when they are cultivated on that soil 
which they require to reach their standard of perfection. 
Now some varieties, like some species of plants, are 
not so fastidious in their food, and hence do well if they 
have but a middling chance. The Merinos, or Long 
Reds, seem to be of this description. However all this 
may be, it is an important inquiry what soil is best 
suited to a given variety of potato. We know that 
some apples, as the Newtown pippin, must have a deep 
strong soil, and comes to nothing when planted in a 
poor soil. And why should there not be the same va¬ 
riety in the habits of varieties of potatoes, as in apples 
and other fruits.” 
Artichokes. —Mr. Noble, of Massillon, Ohio, still 
continues the culture of artichokes. In a conversation 
we had with him a few months since, he stated that if 
it had not been for this crop, (of which he had several 
acres,) last season, he did not know how he could have 
got his sheep and other stock through the winter. He 
cut the tops and dried them for fodder; and the stock 
ate nearly the whole clean, scarcely leaving even a 
piece of stalk. The roots mostly remained in the 
ground till the frost had so far left it in the spring, that 
they could be dug. The tops, he says, yield from 5 to 
6 tons of fodder per acre. 
Oats and Peas. —The N. Y. Farmer and Me¬ 
chanic, says that Elijah Fillmore, of-, sowed 
last spring, one bushel and three pecks of peas, and two 
bushels and twenty quarts of oats, on one and a half 
acres of land, which yielded 54| bushels of peas besides 
the oats. This piece of land, it is said, was cleared by 
his father 76 years ago, and has been under the plow ever 
since, except that it has been twice seeded down, about 
5 or six years each time 
