Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-02-28

py and content expressing their silent gratitude to
their benefactor and thus reminding him OF his still
greater obligations to higher power may be more
than commonly imaginative, but must confess that
| cannot contemplate such scenes these without
falling in lore with everything in nature nor can
reflect upon them without feeling OF profound as
constituent that rural life is not more universally at
tractive and that many of our young men, urged
by avarice ambition willing tofy from scenes
of real happiness to distant lands in the vain pursuit
of wealth. or their talents in the proftless,
exciting and degrading conflicts of the political are
ma. How infinitely more happy would they be, if,
instead of burning with the wild fever of ambition
adventure they would turn their energies to the de-
velopment of the of the country, cultivate
those yirtuous and enrolling feelings which give
charm to domestic life and embellish and improve
spot to be hallowed by the of home, where
Life may be taught to steal in peace away,
No more to restless vain desires prey
young man of tastes and feelings such as these,
of intelligence and vrtuous principles has his own
happiness and fortune within his control He cannot
fail to find among the fair daughters of Maryland
Virginia, object more attractive and far more pre-
cious than the gold of California, and with tastes
congenial to his own, he may be of his prize
when he addresses her. if not in the language yet in
the true spirit of the pastoral poet
He geidi foqrtcs hic moLa prata, Lycori
| He menus hlc ipSo tecmna co1lSumerer
| keep your lands ctean." This Injunction implies
not only the obvious duty of clearing our fields of
the shrubs that under careless husbandry apt to
encroach upon them, but also that perfect tillage
and careful attention to the selection and cleansing
of seed, by which alone avoid the increase of
the numerous pests of cultivated plants. There
be nothing Notifying to the pride, injurious
to the reputation and interests of farmer than to
| lave his crops sent to market mixed with cheat,
spelt garlic, and that most offensive of all pests,
smut 1usedo atida) This last pest has of late years
become extensive evil that hope to be par
doned for entering somewhat into detail in regard to
it. Four years ago it was scarcely known in the
part of Virginia in which reside. About that time
it was introduced from this city in some improved
varieties of seed wheat, and has extended to al
most every farm, and if not speedily arrested will
| soon become reproach to agriculture. This
disease of wheat if it may be called has been
ry accurately described by writer said to be gen.
tleman who has attained most deserved celebrity
for his valuable discoveries connected with the dis
eases of grain and by him is attributed the seeds
of exremel minute parasitic fungus of the genus
usedo, being absorbed by the roots of the germina-
ting wheat grains and propelled by the rising sap,
long before the wheat blossoms into the young germ
or ovum, where they vegetate and rapidly multiply,
thereby preventing not only the formulation of the
ovum but the Development of the parts of fruc
tifcation. Other writer's Of reputation, in Europe
and our country have written much upon its
and the proper remedies for the disease Ma
ny sleeps have been recommended; among others,
strong solution of common SALT to be followed by
sprnkling of quick lime, is insisted upon as most eff
fectual by the Editor of the American Farmer and
by distinguished gentleman the Eastern Shore
of Maryland in a recent letter to Mr. Skinner. 1t
is conceded all hands that the disease is commu-
nicated by the fine black powder coming in contact
with the seed grain and is contagious that pure
wheat may be infected even by being put in smutty
bags 1t is obvious that nothing can prevent the
spread of the disease but process that shall de-
stroy the terminating power of the minute seed of
the fungus found in contact with the seed grain
That desideratum is said to have been attained with
certainty, by eminent French agriculturist, (M.
Matthew de Bombase,) whose article the subject
was translated for the Farmers Register, and may
be found in the Sd volume of that useful work. He
experimental for series of years with all the known
steps, and found perfectly efectual but So
luton of glauber saults, (sulphate of soda) By
sprnkling the seed wheat with strong solution of
this salt, with watering pot, until the heap was
perfectly saturated and then coating the seed with
freshly saked lime, the disease entirely Disappeared
whilst every other preparation was found. upon re-
peated trials more or less inefcacious. The
nience of this application, as we'll as it's efficacy
should recommend it to general acceptance, and if
universally adopted it should be, this loathsome
pest would ere long, cease to be reproach to our
farmers.
keep your lands rich." A comparatively small
portion of the earths surface was originally rich
and many of the most favored regions which attract
ed the attention of early settlers have, by nudicious
cultivation, been exhausted. The ''delight-
some" land which so captivated the maginations of
Smith and his companions, when they first set foot
the shores of Virginia, and by its magnificent for
est trees and luxurlant vegetation gave promise OF
nexhaustible fertility, was impoverished in the
course of forty years. that the governor and council
were compelled by the clamorous necessities of the
inhabitants, brought upon them through the mean
produce of their labor on barren and overwrought
grounds" to permit emigration at that early day. to
the counties north of the York and Rappahannock
rivers. Such has been the course of events in new
settlements in every part of country. The Gene
see Valley has fallen in production from IS to 10
bushels of wheat to the the fertile vale of Tin
mouth, in Vermont which by its deep carpet of muck
attracted early settlers from the less fertile lands of
New York has according to Loraine) been exhaust
ed, if not abandoned The cotton lands of Alabama
and Mississippi, productive in their virgin state
show already sg gins of exhaustion and even the pra-
ries of the mighty West whose agricultural history
is yet to be written exhibit by their liability to fY
rust wintering, and all the ills that grain is heir
to- indications not to be mistaken that although the
soil may yet abound in vegetable matter, it has al
ready been in great degree deprived of those mine
raj elements necessary to the perfect development
and certain production of wheat
1t is the duty of the judicous farmer to endeavor
not only to arrest this natural tendency to decline
but to enrich the soils originally poor and to reno
vate those that have been exhausted by improvdent
cultivation. For than twenty years | have
been engaged in Jealous efforts to accomplish these
desirable results. and my experience has brought
me to the unwelcome conclusion that it is physi-
cal impossibiity to enrich to any great extent
naturally poor, or to renOvate WORKOUT lands
by the unaided resources of the farm Nor is this
wonderful when reflect that every bushel of
grain sent to market takes from the soil certain
portion of it's essential mineral elements These
must be restored and whilst would urge the great
est possible attention to putrescent and all other