The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-13
No. 2s3.

4 poftant than this. 10 reduce held which In It's
| virgin state produced forty bushels of corn per
acre, down TO twenty in ten years, and then cult
vate ii forty years, and harvest only twenty bush
els per in place of forty, is equal to loss OF
four hundred bushels Of corn per in the aggre
gate, or half the diminished product, without any
equivalent whatever. Thus to impoverish land il
| to wither the muscles of both man and beast en-
ployed in its tlage. Human toll is often praised
for being highly productive, when, had the whole
truth been known, il would have been to be
remarkably destructive Labor never creates par
tcle Of new matter by ploughing deep shallow;
but it frequently places the elements Of grain cot
ton, and provisions, beyond the reach of all sccn-
| tfc farmers who may live hereafter, and find the
soil wanting in the raw material for making human
food and raiment
Isit not the duty ofgovernment to difusc amongits
citizens knowledge Of the true principles Of till
age, and impress upon them the obligation which
every agriculturst owes to posterity not TO leave
the soil he cultivatcs in less fruitful condition
| than he found it?
2.-THE RAvAoEs OF IssecTs.
| Such insects as Hessian and wheat flies, curcu-
lios, weevils, army and boil worms, annually de-
stroy crops TO the amount OF twenty millions OF dol
lars. If a pirate on the high seas or an Indian
savage on land, injuries the property OF citizen TO
the amount of few dollars, millions are expended,
if need be, to punish the offender This is right.
| But when public enemies of different name do
thousand times more injury toa whole country, arc
| ts citizens under any necessary restraint which
| orbids their making common effort to protect
| their property from insect devastators? Parasitic
l plants, such rust on wheat and many fung1, as
well az injurious insects, the increase. To
attempt to explain the iohy this s 30, would
lead at once into questions in animal and vegetable
Iphysioogy, out of place in this brief synopsis Of
such rural topics believed to be of general
interest. 1t may not be amiss to remark, however,
that many boys are, apparently, educated to kill
/ all small birds that subsst mostly insects, SO
soon as these youngsters are large enough to shou
| der gun.
| Government can do much to check the ravages
of insects, by collecting and dffusing useful infor
nation as to their habits, times of transformation,
| and the best means of destroying avoiding them.
If farmers fold their and say that nothing can
| be done by the science of entomology nor by any
other means, what but increase of the evil s to
be expected? Not to try to escape the inicton, Is
| treating ones enemies with unmanly forbearaIce,
and evinces belief in fatasm worthy Of disciple
of Mahomed.
I3.-ANALYsIs OF Soils, MARLs, AND FERTILIzERs
| Something should be done in reference to the
analysis of'sols, fertilizers, marls and other min
erals constantly sent to the Patent oice for that
purpose. For many years chemists and philoso-
piers have been investigating the anites and other
pcculiarties of molecules - or ultimate indivisible
particles of matter. These scientific researches hive
revealed many important truths and natural laws,
which have direct bearing all the economical
purposes Of agriculture. Some pains should be Ia
ken to mpart n knowledge of these laws to all
practical farmers When we consider how little
opportunity the Of agriculuriss have to study
the chemical composition of their soils and crops, it
will readily be seen that information of this kind ia
greaty needed in all operations which aim to feed
cultivated plants with their appropriate aliment.
| Professor Henry, the distinguished Secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution, has authorized me to
say that the extensive chemical apparatus and ex-
celient laboratory Of the institution will be at the
service of any reputable chemist, to make invest-
cations for the increase and diffusion Of knowledge
in this branch of science.
have complied for this report about one hun
dred analyses, embracing most of the cereals,
raj grasses clovers, legumes. roots, cotton, tobac-
CO. hax, and the ash Of fruit and forest trees, from
the latest European and American authorities.
These analyses will be found valuable for reference
An elaborate paper the " Study of Soils" Civ
ing the chemical composition of their parent
the amount of the elements Of crops in cubic foot
of earth available food for plants, together with
| researches into the annual production and con-
sumption Of mould, the variation Of the tempera-
ture and hygrometric properties Of Soils has been
deferred, to keep this document within moderate
size. For similar reason, no space has been al
lowed for gesses at the quantity Of grain and
other crops grown in the year lS49.
4.-THK PaEsKRvATIoS OF Provisions.
The science of preserving meat, lard butter.
cheese, and other animal well as vegetable sub
stances used food for man, has received very lit
tie attention in this country. This neglect causes
loss of many millions every year. To say nothing
OF the bad taste of eating 30 much frowy and ram
cid butter at home, full one-half Of all that Is sent
TO England and other foreign countries is sold at
half the price Of sweet butter by Of the de-
fectve manner in which il is manufactured and
put up for market American farmers have great
advantages for the economical production Of beei
and pork, mutton and wool; and il will render
them valuable service TO obtain from Europe cor
rect information of all discoveries and improve
ments, either in the growing and feeding Of domes-
tic animals or in the curing Of provisions.
5.-ImrRovEMEsr or DOMESTIC ASIAALs.
Few how susceptible Of improvement
is the living machinery which elaborates milk for
nearly every family in the Union. There il a re-
liable account in this report OF dairy OF forty one
cows kept in the State Of New York, which yields
S62 in butter, cheese. and milk, the product Of
each a year. From the returns Of the last
State census IL is safe say that 100 900 are
now MIXED in that State, which supposed To
yield about $40 per head. To improve these up 10
an average annual product Of S3l each, (that is,
10 one-half what the best large dairies in the
try now yield,1 would add Sl2, 10000 TO the in
come Of the citizens Of a single State. This gain
by the improvement of kind Of rural machinery
would be equivalent TO creating capital Of $780,
WO,OO0, and placing the money where il would
yield over six per cent. interest in perpetuity II
the thirty millions Of sheep in the United States
gave as good returns in wool for the food consumed
| as the beet 900 now do, IL would add at least
OOOO,O 900 pounds TO the annual clip Of this import
ant staple.
In one of his letters TO Sir John Sinclair General
Washington says, in substance. I" that at the time
he entered the public service in the of the Revo-
luton, his flock (about ,0O0) clipped five pounds
Of wool per fleece Seven years aftcr, when he re-
turned 10 his estate, his flock had dcgenerated
that II gave an average of only two and hall
pounds per head, which was the common yield Of
Virginia sheep then, as II Is now"
Although the numerous importations Of superior
sheep, cattle horses and swine, have greatly bene-
fitted the country, IL must be admitted that much
has been lost by suffering improved animals TO de-
teriorate. Every wool grower should ponder well
this fact. II two and half pounds Of wool will pay
the whole cost of keeping sheep year, five pounds
will pay one hundred per cent profit that cost.
Washington eminently 4" book farmer, !" and
was anxious to gain knowledge from the educated
agricultursts of Europe and his own country. His
overseer believed in keeping sheep his father did
! and opposed to ali innovations in husbandry.
There not far from 8 OO0, 900 horses and
mules in the United States; and il is not too much
| to say that, in a few generations, these animals
may he improved full 3 30 n head an average.
| II SO, the gain by this increase of muscular power
and its greater durability will be $50, 900 600 II
we study critically tho machinery for converting
grass roots, and grain, into beef aud pork the diff
ference Is found TO be still striking. If the
facts relating TO this subject spread before the
people, great improvement would coon follow, and
all classes share equally in the profits Of more pro
ductye labor.
6.-THg DisrnIBuTror OF SEEDS AND CUTTINGS.