have they now to refpect the judg ment and advice of the convention: for it is well known, that fome of the most dillinguilhed members of that congrefs, who have been fince tried and july approved for patriotifm and abilities, and who have grown old in acquiring political information, were allo members of this convention, and carried into it their accumulated knowledge and experience. It is worthy of remark, that not only the first, but every fucceeding congrefs, as well as the late conven tion, have invariably joined with the people in thinking that the profperity of America depended on its union. To preferve and perpetuate it, was the great object of the people in forming that convention; and it is alfo the great object of the plan which the convention has advised them to adopt. With what proprie ty, therefore, or for what good purpofes, are attempts, at this particular period, made by fome men, to depreciate the importance of the union? or why is it fuggefted that three or four confederacies would be better than one? I am perfuaded, in my own mind, that the people have always thought right on this fubject, and that their univerfal and uniform attachment to the caufe of the union, refts on great and weighty reafons, which I thall endeavour to develope and explain in fome enfuing papers -They who promote the idea of fubftituting a number of diftin&t confederacies in the room of the plan of the convention, feem clearly to forefee that the rejection of it would put the continunace of the union in the utmolt jeopardy. That certainly would be the cafe: and I fincerely with that it may be as clearly forefeen by every good citizen, that whenever the diffolution of the union arrives, America will have reason to exclaim in the words of the poet, "Farewell, a long farewell to my greatness." PUBLIUS. Address from the Philadelphia focieg for promoting agriculture. He that maketh two ears of cam grow where only one grew before, ranks, as a benefactor to fociety, be fore all the heroes that ever exiled. SWIFT. American hufbandry in ge THE very imperfect fate of neral, compared with that of font countries in Europe, is too wel known to be controverted. It was a conviction of our great inferiority, in this refpect, which gave rife to the prefent fociety, farmed after the example of incom in Europe, whole audable endeavou to promote the agriculture of mer feveral countries, have been rewarded with the happieft effects. And here it may be obferved, that the dificul ties those focieties had originally to overcome, were much greater than what we thall have to contend with: they found husbandry generally in rude and unprofitable flate; and had to recommend improvements from bo gle inftances of more fkilful and f tunate management, until the whole, from the force of imitation, gr ally became more perfect. But w instead of folitary examples of s traordinary and fuccessful candat amongst ourselves, may have cftabiled practice of entire natie to hold up as an encouragem which we purpofe to lay before public from time to time. The hulbandry of this countr and of England, were, fifty ago, both imperfect and per nearly alike; here it has ever remained nearly flationary: there has been continually advancing hort parallel, drawn between them, n their prefent flate, will show how ar they are now apart. American method. Unproductive allows precede crops; after crops, he land is generally given up for a umber of years to weeds and poor atural graffes, until it fhall come ino heart again; the husbandman, in he mean while, employing his laours upon his other fields in fuceffion. English method, with variations aing from foils and circumftances: A field, when broken up, is mared with all the husbandman's orce, and what is called a fallow rop taken off; that is, fuch a crop requires the frequent ufe of the lough or the hoe, as turnips, poatoes, beans, &c. The land is then aid down in fome kind of grain and lover, the laft continuing fome times wo or three years, which is fucceeded y wheat upon a fingle ploughing. This courfe, or rotation of crops, is hen renewed in the fame order, the and never being idle, or refting, as I is called. This new practice is allowed to poffefs many advantages over the old, which is almost entirely renounced in England, but retained in America. The manures, used in the first inflances, are applied to produce the bell poffible effect; they go to benefit the whole courfe, be it for four or five years. The land is made perfectly mellow and clean, before it is laid down 10 grafs, or fowed with grain; it be ing an eftablished maxim, never to do either, until the earth is well pulverifed, and its natural weeds, and thofe arifing from the dung, fully extirpated by repeated ploughings. The land is neither hardened by reft, nor exhaufted by rank weeds, which impoverish as much as a more flock maintained; more dung made; and the whole products much greater. The labour, in fuch a courfe or rotation, though it requires confiderable accuracy, does not follow fo close, is not fo hurried, and upon the whole not fo great as in the former management. And lafly; lefs land may be employed in culture. In this fyllem, we fhall remark, that wheat, for inftance, is produced on the fame field but once during the whole courfe; but, fkilful farmers fo diftribute their botinefs, as to have one of their fields every year in wheat, and fo of the other articles of crop-and of clover, which is fuppofed to laft two years, of confequence two fields. As more of art and contrivance, fuggefted by neceflity and long experience, is manifefted in the rural affairs of that country, than in our own-it fhould not furprife us that the management of their farm-yards is orderly and fyftematic; to which are owing fuch prodigious accumulations of manures, as will enable the farmer in England to profecute, to much greater extent and effect, his mode of husbandry, than what can be attempted in America, until his economy in this important article fhall, by degrees, be introduced amongst us. It may not be amifs to lay down in a few words, the general principles of this management, which will be found as widely different from ours, as is the fyftem of cropping. The barn, cattle houfes, fheds, flacks, &c. are fo difpofed round the farm-yard, as to afford the best winter fhelter for live flock. No cattle are fuffered to run out between November and May, but are all fhut up and fed in the farm-yardfoddering in the fields occafioning great walle; and dung not lying there in fufficient heaps to produce fermen tation, being thought of little account in manuring. To the farm-yard is brought the whole ftraw of the farm, fometimes leaves, fern, &c.—to be trampled on and converted into manure. The yard is often bottomed with a layer of the richest earths that can be found, which is thrown up in the fpring, and mixed with the dung. not too dry; afterwards they te a damp clean cloth, in which they roll up the longest pieces in paralel lines, and wrap them up very tigh binding them hard round with thread; after being dried a day or two by a very flow fire, they unpack the fame, and repeat the packages of the infide and moift part, until it is all like the outside, and the whole dry enough to found like a piece of wood, when dropped upon a table. The heaviest pieces, of a raw, or light brown colour, are much the belt. To preferve the fame. They take a box well lined with lead, and put it into a larger one with quick-lime (to prevent vermin) and clofe the whole againft air and weather. Societies abroad have proceeded by occafional communications of improved methods, and by honorary premiums given for experiments made. It is the defign of this fociety to tread in their fleps; and they hope, they addrefs themselves to a people fufficiently liberal to reject no practice they hall recommmend, merely becaufe it is new, or runs counter to former habits and prejudices. They freely invite communications, upon all fubjects comprehended within their extenfive plan; and hope, from their Account how ginfeng is cured in Tar example, to promote leffer inftitutions, of a fimilar nature, in different parts of the country among neighbours, each one exciting a fpirit of improvement within its proper fphere. ན. Chinefe manner of curing ginfeng. HEY gather the root found Tand good (not in the featon when the plant is in flower); and gently wash it from the earth, being careful not to break the fkin. Then they take an iron torch (that is, a very flat kind of stew-pan, used in China over a charcoal fire) boil therein water; put in the root, and let it lie three or four minutes, but not fo long as to injure or break off the fkin, when, on cutting the root, the infide will appear of a light flraw colour. They then take a clean linen cloth, and having wiped the ginfeng clean and dry, place the torch over the gentleft fire, and lay in it a row of ginfeng. Here they let it dry gradually, turning it leifurely, till it is fomething elaftic, but SUCH tary. as go in search of this plan, take nothing but the root, and bury in one place as many of these a they find, during ten days or a fornight. They wafh the root very care fully, and cleanse it, by rubbing of with a brush every thing extraneou They afterwards dip it, for a moment, into water almoff boiling, and dry f with the fmoke of a kind of yellow millet, which tinges the plant a litle with its colour. The millet being put into a veffel with a little war, is boiled over a flow fire, and the roots being laid on little pieces of wood, put cross-wife over the vellel, dry by degrees, under a piece of lines, or under another veffel which coven them. They alfo may be dried in the fun, or even by the fire: t though they then preferve their vi tue, they do not keep their colour, which the Chinese delight very much. When the roots are very dry, they are laid up in a very dry place, otherw they would be in danger of rotti or of falling a prey to the worms, Infructions for the culture and use of maize, or Indian corn, as fodder.By monfieur St. John de Crevecœur, his moft chriftian majesty's conful general to the fate of New York. Publifhed by order of the committee of the American accademy of arts and fciences, upon agriculture. Town at two different periods. HIS corn may be planted or The firft, in the beginning of May, for producing a crop of grain, to be gathered in, fome time in September; and this is the common method. The other, at the end of June*, for the purpose of repeating it as fodder, in autumn; principally because the country is then naturally lefs rich in pafturage, or fubfiftence of that kind begins to fail. To accomplish the laft of these two objects, is the defign of the prefent inftructions. It may be applied to all forts of grain, which, as well as the fiftings and fweeping of the granary, being fowed and reaped after the fame manner, are capable of anfwering the fame purpose. The feed. Corn, the foonell ripe, the fmalleft, and neweft, is to be preferred for fowing for fodder, because it grows faller and thicker. Preparation of the feed. This confifts in Reeping the feed corn in water, for twenty-four hours before it be fowed, to foften it, to make it fhoot readily, and to prevent is being defiroved by infects. The foil. All forts of foils, provided they are light, or not adhefive, and have fome depth, are fuitable for the cul ture of corn for fodder. Those which have already produced rye, flax, or turnips, and even fallows, although dunged, are equally proper for it, without hurting the future crop : for neither the foil, nor the manure, can be exhaufted by a plant, which remains therein fo fhort a time, that it is to be reaped before its flowering or earing; and whofe most and flexible root, by cafily rotting, does, on the other hand, restore to the foil what it had received from it. The fowing. After having given to the land the deepest ploughing poffible, the corn is to be fowed in the broad caft way (a la volee); the fower taking a good handful of it, and walking flowly, otherwife the grain, by reafon of its largenefs, will be pread too thin. It fhould be covered, as well as pollible with a harrow paffing twice every way. About nine Paris bufhelst are needful to an arpentt, or French acre, which is nearly two-thirds more than is neceffary to a crop of grain.. Culture. Indian corn, for fodder, requires neither attention nor labour, which is doubly advantageous, in a feafon when the farmer is molt employed NOTES. The Paris bufhel is eight inches two lines and a half deep, and ten inches in diameter, French measure. The French foot is two-thirds of an inch longer than the English foot: and a line is the twelfth part of an inch. Thofe dimenfions will make the Paris bufhel about one-third of an English bufhel: and as the French acre is larger than the English acre, it may require about two bulbels and a half of feed, English measure, to fow the latter. The French acre [arpent] contains one Enghin acre and a quarter, and 756 square feet, or 55,206 fquare English feet, whereof the Egh acre contains only 43,560. E When once the feed is fown, and covered over, it is left to the care of nature. It is, therefore, needless to weed, hill, or thin it, or to obferve regularity or diflances between the plants: the nearer together, the more readily they grow, and the more alfo they abound in herbage; because they fhade each other, and preferve their moisture. The car is of no importance, as it is not the object this culture. The time of ripeness. At the moment the flower iffues from its cafe, the plant is fit for cutting; it is then filled with a fweet, agreeable, and very nutritious juice: later, its leaves decay, and the stalk becomes hard, fpongy, and infipid. Reaping. If all circumftances favourable to the growth of corn concur, you may begin to have the benefit of it as fodder, within fix weeks after fowing; and many cut it every day for the ufe of your cattle. But when autumn advances, you must not wait until neceffity determines the cutting of it, left early frofts fhould overtake the plant in the field, and thereby alter the quality of it. Belides, it is proper to leave time, to prepare the land for winter fowing, and to avail yourself of the remainder of the warm weather, to dry this fodder, in the fame manner as fome other fodders, by fpreading and turning. The ufe of the fodder, green or dry. Among the plants, of which natural or artificial meadows are compofed, there are none, which contain fo much of the alimentary principle, and which please cattle of every kind more, than Indian corn when green. It is the moft wholefome, agreeable, and fubftantial food, that can be offered them; and they prefer it to all others. It fattens oxen, increases the milk of cows, and is to be preferred to oats for horfes. In fhort, the dry fodder, of which we are speaking, is, during a great part of the winter, a precious refource for cattle, whether it be given alone e mixed. Indian corn, planted for a crop of grain, bears a flaik, which, if cut in proper feafon, affords alfo an excel lent fodder without injuring the hz, or number of ears; but as this culture, fo advantageous to all the provinces that have adopted it, requires a different management, and attention, it shall be the fubject of a par ticular memoir. Defeription of a plant, the fontane ous production of this country, faid to be of great utility in the improve ment of poor and exhaufted land. N Maryland, and on the caffem those of Virginia, they have long been in the practice of fowing a feed, which they call a bean, (known by the name of the maggotty bay bean) to recruit their worn-out lands, and enrich fuch as are naturally poor. The beft information that I have, is, that they fow a pint of the beam with every bufhel of oats. The oc ripen, and are cut in July at a time when the young beans are fmall, and efcape the injury of the feythe. The beans flower in Auguft and Septem ber. In October, the leaves fall of, the feeds ripen, and the pod open with fuch elafticity, as to fcatter the beans to fome diffance around. The year following, the field is cultivated with corn. The beans, which pret early, are all deftroyed with the plough and hoe: but the more g merous part, not making their ap pearance above ground until the corn is laid by, fpring up, unhurt by the inftruments of agriculture; and furnifh feed for the enfuing year, when the field is again fowed in cat The ground is, alternately, cultivated with corn andoats, annually; and, the coarfe of eight or ten years, greatly improved, that, without an other manure, than the mouldered E |