The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-04-07
INFORMANT DISCOVERY TO FARMERS
TERRA CULTURE.

In. " Times, in relation to an hllege
discovery in the art Of caltiva
ton, called s.Terra Culture" BY whc
production is wonderfully increased i
enaunt. We have no means of Judging 9
,he discovery, or Of the degree oi The char
seter Of Mr. Coms,ocs, tae Inventor, an
the reader must take it, IS we 10. ior wha
il Is worth:
We have been not little interested b!
tho examination OF paper containing
mass ol matter relative to a late discovery
| Of principal oi natural law ln vegetation
by Mr. Russell Comstock, Of Mabbettssi'le
Dutchess CO, New York. II appears TIA
the fact Of Mr.. Constoch's discovery
has been for some time before the pubic
ba, owing to want Of any provision IN oui
patent and copy wright laws, recognizing
lar securing rewards for such discoveries
he has thus far only made limited and con
fileutiaI communications Of the new agrl
cultural theory, sufficient to test and lem.
onstrale its practicabilitg and importance
by actual experiment. As The only meth
I'd BY which he can disseminate and obtain
remuneration for bis discovery, Mr.. Com,
stock gives private and confidential lectures
all over the State, wherever sufficient
class or number Of subscribers are obtained
10 justify bis attendance, charging one del
lar lor admission, and five II the end otlhe
year 10 those who adopt and make practical
application Of bis new theory.
For Two wears MIR, Comstoea has made
bis confidential disclosures 10 agricnhnfists.
aud as the result of the information thus
communicated, he now presents certificates
aud letters from large number OF gentle
men of khown intelligence, problty and
honor, all tending to establish and prove
from actual experiment the validity Q! his
principle, and the most remarkable results
Of its practical application. The expert
meuts prove a general law applicable ta
The whole vegetable kingdom. BY the
terra-cul,ure all kinds Of trees, forest fruit
and ornamental, flourish; peach trees from
lifiy 10 hundred years old, partially de-
cayed and barren, are restored to healthy
aud thrifty condition, as when young. In a
single season, SO as 10 produce the most
abundant and fines, fruit. The same re-
suits are produced upon all fruit trees, and
what seems scarcely less remarkable, IL APP
pears that the precise age Of trees are as
certained and determined by MIR. Com
stocks theory. .......
The terra-culure has been applied to all
kinds of garden vegetables, plants, fruits
and shrabbery, as, also, to ali kinds otcrops,
with wonderful success. We cannot 60
into detail Of what experiments have prov.
ed. Crops of grain and vegetables are,
at a great saving Of labor, more than
doubled by terra culture. One experiment
shows the production of l3J bushels OF
shellcd corn to tho mere, and another the
production Of 500 bushels Mercer potatoes
to the acre. 1t is also shown that the
great crops which have commanded premi
nms at agricultural fairs have been produc
ed accidentally, by terra culture, Of which
we have an evidence in Oswego county.
On the 24,h uI,., MIR. Comstock leetured
To a large number OF the farmers of Oswe
90 county, at the village of Fulton, among
whom was MIR. Wm. Ipgell, Of the town Of
Yonev, who for the last two years has re-
ceved The first premium on corn al the State
Agricultural Fair. We learn from an in
tetIigent arrcu|tnrIst Of this city, who was
also present, that during the course Of the
lecture, which has the form OF forty qnes
,ious, propounded and answered By the
lecturer, any person being at liberty toput
and answer questions, il was clearly ascer
tained that Mr.. lngeiI produced his l35
bushels of corn to the acre By the acclden-
tai application of the terra culture princi-
pie.
From the evidence before us, which may
be seen at our Office, we cannot resist the
conviction that Mr.. Coms,ock's discovery
Of natural law of universal application is
one Of the most important of the age; a dis
covery that for the honor aud prosperity Of
our country, and for the interest Of man
kind, should a, once be made public by the
patronage of government.
The Times often days later date, says
the discovery is attracting much attention.
ana tltit Il Gtld oaIlaiS >'iiN Siit!'ki -
proposed to be held at Rochester, in March
next, Of Delegates from the Agricultural
Societies OF New York, to consult on the
means of making the discovery public.
Saws the Times:
There is growing desire in This region
to hear Mr.. Comstock, the discoverer OF the
new science in agriculture, disclose its prin-
ciples and the operation Of natural law
of vegetation hereto veiIed to human Wis
ion, although old as the creation. There
is something wonderfully attractive in the
idea Of digging out OF the mysterious econ
omy of the physical world, a great and be-
neficen, principle of inestimab|e value t.
the interests of mankind. If there is any.
thing emitting man to the proud distinction
of benefactor of his race, j, is certainly
the discovery of such a principle.
Mrs Boomer imagines that the reason
women differ from men, is because thes
are schooled and educated differently
Nothing, however, could be more unbound
ed, Girls differ from BOYS, not incidental
", but radically. The first thing a bo,
does after he is weaned, is to stradde the
hanisters. and rdo down stairs. The first
|, ,b;,r , -; setS har hoa ri an is "a dill nd