70 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
other parts of the plant all the food that would have 
been required for the tassel. The consequence was as 
above related, a considerable increase of the size and 
weight of the ears and grain. I must explain that the 
pollen was supplied by other plants surrounding the one 
operated on, but at no expense to them because the pol¬ 
len that fell upon the experimental plants would have 
been lost to its parent plants at all events. Persons dis¬ 
posed to try this experiment may do so’ safely without 
risk of loss. The tassel of each alternate plant in a field 
may be cut out just as it makes its appearance, and the 
silk or pistils of the plants will be supplied by the tassels 
of the neighboring plants. In this way new varieties of 
corn may be produced at pleasure and with little trouble. 
Indeed the wonder is that while we are ranging the wide 
world over in search of new grains, fruits, and vegeta¬ 
bles, so little is done to produce new ones and improve 
old ones at home. In the case of corn, I affirm that 
every improvement that can be desired, can be effected 
in it. It can be made late or early, large cob or small 
cob, large or small grain, hard and flinty or soft and 
flowery, white or yellow, by the simple method of cross 
breeding. It is infinitely more easy and certain than the 
processes of improving animals, and in my opinion in¬ 
finitely more important to the public and to private in¬ 
terests. Suppose a farmer desires a kind of corn that 
ripens earlier than the kind he cultivates. Let him get 
some early kind, and plant it alternately with his late 
kind, allowing at the time of planting for the difference 
of time each one ripens. If his late kind ripens on the 
15th September, and the early kind ripens on the 15th 
of August, then he must plant the late kind just one 
month before he plants the early kind. They will then 
come into flower,—that is tassel and silk, together. When 
the tassels begin to show themselves, let him carefully 
cut out all the tassels from the early kind. This is all 
he has to do. When the corn is ripe, select the earliest 
and best ears from the early kind, plant the grain by it¬ 
self the next year. He will find the produce will be a 
mixture of the two kinds planted the first year, as to 
color, but they will all be early. At harvest select the 
grains desired, and the third year will produce the crop 
desired. In this way any change or improvement in corn 
can be accomplished. 
Growth of the United States. 
Hon. Lewis Cass, in his late address before the Mi¬ 
chigan State Ag. Society, presented the following strik¬ 
ing illustration of the rapid growth of this country from 
its first settlement: 
“ I have said upon another occasion, but the circum¬ 
stance is so striking and characteristic that I must re¬ 
peat it here, that I have often conversed with a venera¬ 
ble relative who was a cotemporary of Peregrine White, 
the first child born to the pilgrims after their arrival on 
tliis continent. What an almost appalling idea does this 
simple fact present of the progress and prospects of this 
vast Republican empire! But one life passed away be¬ 
tween the first and the latest born of one of its great 
communities-—between its infancy and its maturity—be¬ 
tween its weakness, almost without hope, and its power, 
almost without limits—between its granary holding a 
few kernels of corn, and all its vast ‘ store-houses’ whose 
contents, like those of Pharaoh’s, we may leave number - 
ing, for they are without number.” 
Feb. 
What Foreigners Think of Us.—Continued. 
Analytical Labokatouy, Yale College, > 
New-Haven. Conn.. Jah. 3, 1851. J 
Messrs. Editors— In reference to the concluding re- 
mark of my last letter, I would say first, that few of 
those who write or speak upon agricultural subjects, have 
given enough heed to comparison in the starting point of a 
district , when treating of its present condition. We may 
pass from a rich highly cultivated district, into a poor 
barren region, where appear on all sides signs of imper¬ 
fect and ill managed agriculture, and our first impulse is 
to condemn the one and praise the other • but after all 
it may really be the ease, that the latter has for the last 
ten or twenty years made far greater progress than the 
former. Its farmers have bad to struggle with the dis¬ 
advantages of a poor worn out soil, had climate, and 
consequent general depression. Probably too the facili¬ 
ties for communication and transportation have been 
limited, while in the former case the reverse of all these 
conditions, has long ago laid the foundation of wealth 
and lasting prosperity. We are of course disposed to 
flatter and praise the agriculturists of the one district, 
while we condemn those of the other, but in this we often 
do a most serious injustice. 
I remember a striking case of this kind. I once spent 
some days in one of the Western Hebrides, with an emi¬ 
nent scientific agriculturist, who had been invited to visit 
the island with the expectation that his teachings and 
writings would he of much benefit. Agriculture in this 
island at the commencement of the present century was, 
as in all or nearly all of the Scottish Highlands and Isl¬ 
ands, at the lowest ebb ; the earth scarcely produced 
enough for the wants of mere existence, and famine fre¬ 
quently followed even a partial failure of the scanty 
crops. The implements were all of the rudest and most 
primitive character, the few roads nearly impassible, and 
communication with the main land uncertain and unfre¬ 
quent. At the time of our visit, the roads were suffi¬ 
ciently numerous and in good condition, the tools and 
farm buildings had become respectable, some good stock 
had been introduced, and the surplus produce of the isl¬ 
and was sufficient to support a line of steamers from two 
different points, besides numerous sailing vessels. The 
original Gaelic language was fast yielding to the English, 
prejudice and ignorance had been overcome in a wonder¬ 
ful degree. 
This was a great change to have taken place in a single 
life time; it was still incomplete • but those who knew all 
of the circumstances felt proud to call attention to their 
condition; they had really good ground for their pride, 
and naturally expected warm commendation. How 
were they disappointed then, when their visitor in one or 
two public lectures, compared them deliberately with 
the Scottish Lowlands and other highly farmed districts, 
finding fkult with all that differed from such standards, 
noticing in severe terms the lack of care in the preserva¬ 
tion of manures, in the extirpation of weeds, &c. kc., 
which he had noticed. His remarks were doubtless just, 
but I was even then led to doubt their propriety, by the 
ill effects they produced. 
Within twenty years the Lowlands of Scotland had 
merely advanced from one state of good farming to 
