Various

“ The Malaria is one of those singular phenomena whose origin has baffled every effort at discovery, and the remedy for which has never yet been ascertained. Attempts have been made to cultivate the soil of the Maremma, and colonies were established within its circuit, but the resistless scythe of sure and silent death swept away the presumptuous intruders.—During half of the year, a few miserable beings, armed with lances and clothed in skins, the living images of death, wander over these devoted plains with their flocks ”

“ Why then should not a son of one of our bricklayers, or hatters, or tailors, or cabinet makers, become a future President of the United States?—The same path is open to them: true, it winds up the sides of a steep and rugged mountain; and the elevated pinnacle is not to be gained without setting out aright, with the earliest and best discipline of good schools, and the severest and most immense mental labour—but the prize is well worth the boldest, the highest exertion. ”

“ Italy is essentially an agricultural country; she is neither a manufacturing nor a commercial state. It is by her agriculture, that she supports more than 17,000,000 of inhabitants, or about 1237 to a square league; a population far superiour to that of France or England. It is her agriculture which laid the foundations of those splendid cities which crowd her plains; it is her agriculture, which, should it ever be protected by an enlightened government, will again yield nourishment to the principles of liberty, and raise her to a level with the most respectable nations of Europe. ”

“ A corn crop is not only in itself, but, when well cultivated, is in its consequences the most valuable of all our products. With an abhorrence of weeds, the test of intelligence in a farmer, he can, with a corn crop, more effectually clean and prepare his fields for succeeding crops, than can be done by any other culture. Whilst he is attending his corn, which will not, with impunity, suffer neglect, he is not only invigorating and increasing [365] his crop, but he is subduing his worst enemies—weeds of all kinds. This makes ample amends for the exhaustion of the soil by this gigantic plant. ”

“ Though the cultivation of land by metayers may be unfavourable to its amelioration, still it may be easily imagined, that the smaller products of every little farm will be greater, as each must possess both a garden and a poultry yard. Every field in Lombardy is encircled with a band of poplars, mulberries, oaks, &c., and they are often so thick that the eye can scarcely penetrate the rich growth of leaves. From the boughs, luxuriant vines hang in festoons, and present to the passing traveller a scene of rural beauty and enjoyment which he may search for in vain in other countries. ”

“ When a farmer divides a farm of one hundred acres of land among five or six sons, and builds a small house for each, and sets them to work for a living on a little patch of land, I question whether he works it right. ”

“ Time seems to hold its mantle over the queen of cities, and to prepare by a fate as extraordinary as its former history, to blot it out from the admiration of mortals. Encompassed already by the awful stillness of a desolate waste, once filled up with sixty towns, which the antiquarian in vain attempts to trace, perhaps her own site may be hereafter unknown; and some future traveller may boast with enthusiasm of having once again penetrated its deserted streets, of having visited the spot enobled by the heroic virtue of Junius Brutus, or the eloquence and wisdom of Cato the censor. ”

“ Education is the solid granite pedestal of the column of his fame, supporting a shaft of the most towering attitude, whose Corinthian capital is high above the clouds. How emphatically, in this instance, has wisdom, founded on good education, and matured by intense study and application, proved herself to be power, with station, and honours, and wealth, following in her train. ”

“ At meetings, appointed for the transaction of such business, if any considerable number are necessary to its accomplishment, there is often, and indeed usually, as much time spent in waiting for a quorum, as is consumed in attending to the object of the meeting. This is a great hardship upon those who make a point of being strictly punctual, for it costs them a double quantity of time. And these behind-hand persons, if they would only suffer themselves to reflect, could not fail to remember, that punctuality would cost themselves no more time than the want of it. ”

“ It is hoped, that this superlative ignorance of the qualities of lime, which, when slacked, is the coldest of all substances applied to land, is confined to the individual sporting the opinion. One of the uses of lime is to supply the soil, and that not too lavishly, with calcareous matter, when its caustic qualities are subdued.
This is not exaggerated, but is a regretful picture. It is held up to intelligent and well-disposed farmers, who, by viewing its deformities, may banish entirely their present mode of culture, which, by its own showing, is proved to be radically wrong. ”

“ When this is the case, we sometimes denounce as hostile to social order and salutary improvement, those who are really their most faithful and efficient friends, and in this way become the agents and disseminators of error and injustice. There is nothing perhaps, more unfashionable, not to say mischievous, in the eyes of the present generation, than what they denominate Enthusiasm; a temper of mind, which they are disposed to treat with the greatest contempt, as altogether unworthy the enlightened period in which we live. ”

“ The Chinese writers call this plant a precious gift of nature, sweeter than honey and the honey comb, more valuable than fine gold, and jewels, and pearls, a glorious gift of Heaven, bestowed by the gods upon mortals for their happiness, and their enjoyment on earth. Placed on a par with the philosopher's stone, it is called the food of immortality, and it passes among the priests and physicians for a universal remedy, wholesome for all weakness of the frail body, applicable to all diseases ”

“ I wish to impress you, gentlemen, with the importance of this subject, as it affects the vital interests of our country; particularly at a time when our foreign markets are almost destroyed, and we must learn to establish our prosperity on the interchange of commodities within our own limits. This will produce a solid independence, teach us the value of our connexions with one another, and bind us in bonds of mutual interest. ”

“ In America they long committed, from ignorance and inattention, the great fault of collecting the root from the spring to the first frost. As it is always soft and watery at this season, it naturally shrunk together in drying, became very hard, and lost not only in weight but in goodness. This mistake is still committed in some parts of the United States, where the inhabitants make the collecting of the root only an occasional object; and when they are hunting or travelling, dig up the plant at all seasons when they happen to meet with it. ”

“ Commerce is certainly essential to an agricultural country; but the extent of it should be no greater than our products will reach: when the balance turns against us, our prosperity declines.
You know, gentlemen, that our farmers will be satisfied only by actual observations of practical proofs. We must have public manifestations of improvement. The institution of cattle-shows should be promoted. They would be useful as places of sale, or for the exhibition of the best breeds, or for exposing for imitation or sale the best and greatest variety of household manufacture. ”

“ Its uses, both for cattle and manure, can be traced through the writings of the most eminent among the Romans, down to the most celebrated chymists and agriculturists of our own day. Where are our farmers to learn such facts and discoveries? Not of themselves; for there are many who do not read, and few go out of their way to try experiments. They can only be taught by agricultural associations, wherein the experience of practical farmers, the information derived from books, and the assistance of scientific characters, are happily combined. ”

“ The application of salt to our fields as manure, is now under very extensive experiment. There is no doubt of its efficacy: but it requires experience, as to quantity per acre, and the kinds of soil the most suitable. This is not a new discovery; for its application to land as manure has been known before, and at the time of, our blessed Saviour's appearance upon earth. In St. Luke's Gospel [1] it is said, "salt is good; but if the salt has lost its savour, wherewith [369] shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out." ”

“ Undoubtedly political events have had no small effect in diminishing the number of inhabitants; but still we believe the Malaria must have had a no less powerful influence. Annually it roams over the finest villas without the walls, and ravages large districts of the town within; and neither the magnificence of the villa Borghese, nor the luxuriant beauty and towering pines of Doria Pamfili, can resist the assaults of this silent and deadly foe. ”

“ Unknown Process, a worthy old gentleman, of astonishing powers, who occasionally has the kindness to assist poor philosophers in their immense task of creating worlds. In this mud, poor fellows, they would have gone the way of all flesh, had it not been for their peculiar organization; for they possess the "power of sleeping and remaining in a state of torpor during the winter without having occasion for any nourishment during that period." ”

“ The contrary is the truth; for your harrows will, in such weather, have the double effect of more certainly destroying weeds, and pulverizing, to open mouths to take in moisture and gases, from the dews and the air.
It being seldom practised in Pennsylvania, I need not warn you against sowing winter grain in the same year with corn. This not only scourges your land, but interferes with the great use of the cleaning culture, affording the time and opportunity for weeds to recover their pestiferous reign, and is a sure test of slovenly and covetous farming. ”

“ How fortunate was it for the Americans, that they accidentally discovered, not very long ago, that this root, so highly esteemed in China, and paid for there with its weight in gold, which it had been always supposed was only to be found in Tartary, as the Chinese had always boasted, was indigenous in the United States, and might be there collected in far greater abundance than in China, hitherto the only country where it was known to grow. ”

“ The foes to all good husbandry, weeds, were predominant in almost every cornfield. If, perchance, the interior was tolerably clear, a circumstance which rarely, occurred, the weeds around the enclosures were so lamentably abundant, that the corn was, in a great degree, obscured. Good and bad land exhibited the like ruinous and disgusting appearance and miserable promise; and the same bad system of culture prevailed. The ploughing was generally shallow, whatever might be the texture of the soil.—Every field was ridged ”

“ When a man tells me his wife will not consent to go from home into new settlements, where he may have land enough, and live like a nabob, and therefore he is obliged to sit down in a corner of his father's farm, I laugh at him, and some time or other he will own he has not worked it right. ”

“ The corn roots (which have, in such ground, been measured ten feet long,) will have a continuous and not a divided soil, wherein to expand and extend themselves; in which, it being loose, deep, and constantly moist, the roots will far exceed those confined to narrow detached ridges, wherein they are short and starved. It is an idle opinion, to suppose that plants spend themselves in roots. The stronger, the root, the more vigorous is the plant. ”

“ The city of Funchal is very delightfully situated at the foot of this lofty range of mountains, on the south side of the island; which forms a kind of amphitheatre, and has a beautiful appearance from the shipping as you approach it, the environs abounding with vineyards, generally in the most luxuriant state; and in the midst of the green foliage of the vine, orange, lemon, pomegranate, bannanas, myrtle, cypress, cedar, &c. are numerous villas belonging to the gentry, or to the British merchants, which, being quite white, add greatly to the beauty of the scene. ”

“ In some fields, where limestone prevailed, and, perhaps, lime had been applied, the colour was better, but the weeds and grasses abundant; on the head lands particularly, which are seldom sufficiently, if at all, stirred and cleaned: thus establishing a mischievous nursery of poisonous pests to perpetuate their scourges on future crops. Fall ploughing was rarely, if at all, practised; and lime little used, even in many limestone districts. One farmer said, "their land was hot enough without lime." ”

“ The Americans begin to be more sensible of this advantage, in proportion as the intercourse with China becomes more active. They have made themselves better acquainted with the nature of the plant, and the taste of the Chinese; employ greater care in gathering, and acquire more skill in digging it. One man can gather about eight or nine pounds daily. Hence the quantity of this article exported from the United States increases at the same time that its quality improves; and the trade with Ginseng roots in the Chinese markets continues to become more and more profitable to America. ”

“ The culture of rice occupies a part of Italy, and is a source of great profit to the owner of the soil. The difficulties in its cultivation are so trifling, that, contrary to the usual custom, the ground is let out at a fixed rent of one hundred and sixty francs the arpent; three crops are received every five years. As with us, these rice grounds are most unhealthy, and the stagnant water which covers them produces disease in all the surrounding country. ”