the season; some years it does better, but, on the whole, our Irish potatoe is unequal to those raised in a colder region, in Western New York, or Canada.

Our Indian corn is unsurpassed, by all the other corn in the world. We raise the gourd-seed corn, with twenty four, or or even with thirty rows on the cob. One bushel and a half of ears, produce one bushel of shelled corn. It excels all other corn, in sweetness, and produces two quarts more Whiskey to the bushel, than the New York corn. This plant grows only in the richest land, and requires so long a summer, as rarely to come to perfection, above 41° 30′ north latitude. This corn was originally cultivated in this region, by the Indians, from whom we derived it. It grows on the most fertile lands, from lake Erie, to the Mexican gulph. It grows, along the Mississippi, from Rock Island, downwards, and indeed, in the whole valley of the Mississippi, below 41° 30′ north. It produces, sometimes in favorable seasons, ninety bushels of corn to the acre, in the Miami and Scioto vallies; but fifty bushels are perhaps a common crop. The ground is plowed, but the corn is never hoed. Four boys, and four good horses, can cultivate one hundred acres of this corn, after it is planted. If hoed, as in the east, this grain would be better in quality, and the product would be one third greater, for the botter culture.

WHEAT succeeds well within one half of our territorial limits. Our country produces from twenty to forty bushels to the acre, on all good lands well cultivated. It is now, April 1837, worth one dollar a bushel, it sells even higher. Let us calculate, a farmer's profits, in the Scioto and Miami valleys: if he raises corn, or wheat, it does not cost him, more than ten dollars an acre to cultivate, get out and carry his crop to a market. If a crop of corn, at fifty bushels to the acre, at fifty cents a bushel, is twenty-five dollars; deduct ten dollars, leaves fifteen dollars an acre, clear profit. Suppose, that he raises three hundred acres of corn annually, which amounts to four thousand five hundred dollars. If he raises wheat, say one hundred acres, at forty dollars an acre, deducting ten dollars for expenses, leaves thirty dollars an acre, three thousand dol

lars more, in all seven thousand five hundred dollars a year, besides all his pork, beef &c. say, two thousand five hundred dollars besides supporting his family. So that, a farmer, who owns a thousand acres of land in the Scioto or Miami valleys, can lay up, they generally each lay up, or rather lay out, nearly or quite ten thousand dollars a year, in buying congress lands, in Illinois, for their children. These are our wealthiest farmers who own large farms.

If any farmers are prospering more than ours, then we know not where to look for them. Farms which produce such a profit, could be purchased for forty dollars, an acre. It is easy to see, that they are now worth, twice the sum for which they might be bought.

GRASSES, NATIVE AND NATURALIZED.

When first settled, Ohio was a great grass country, especially, along our rivers and in our prairies and barrens. Even in the woods, in many parts of our country, grasses grew every where. In prairies, there were grasses, intermingled with flowers, in endless numbers. There was a clover, called "buffaloe clover," but, our native grasses have disappeared, mostly, and the naturalized, red top, blue grass, herds grass, red clover and white clover, have conquered and expelled the natives from our soil. Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, and the farthest-west, are still covered with wild grasses; but the tame grasses will one day banish them along with the Indians, over the Rocky mountains. The decree has gone forth, and it is in the course of a speedy execution;- "That all the west shall be covered by well cultivated farms," all this country was intended for cultivation, and all those rivers of the far west will be navigated by the steamer, and the largest cities in the world, will one day, be in the west, aud exert a vast influence on the destiny of this nation. This decree is registered and recorded.

BIRDS, RESIDENT AND MIGRATING.

These are nearly the same as those of Pennsylvania and Maryland, in corresponding parallels of latitude.

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OUR CONSTANT RESIDENTS,

Are the turkey; turkey buzzard; hawk, three species; pheasant; partridge, or quail; blue jay; wood duck, seven species; sparrow; redbird; wood-pecker, five species. Among these are the wood-cock and yellow-hammer. The eagle, large baldheaded; small eagle and grey eagle, raven and crow. King-fisher; sap-sucker; wren; snow-bird; owls, two species; prairie hen or grouse, and turtle dove.

The blue-bird is seen in the southern parts of the state, every pleasant, warm day in the winter.

MIGRATING BIRDS.

The wild goose visits us on the Scioto, early in the autumn, and tarries with us until spring, living on the corn in the fields, and feeding on the green, newly sown wheat. Many of them are domesticated, though they have the air of a wild fowl, and sometimes join the wild ones, unless restrained by cropping their wings. This bird lives all winter about Sandusky bay, and from thence southwardly to Pickaway plains. Several species of duck appear among us in the spring, as they are passing northwardly, on their annual journey to the far-north. The wild pigeon comes in the spring, sometimes in March, or even earlier, on his journey north, and after paying us a visit, of about a month, passes on his journey. In September he returns to see us again, spending six weeks with us, feasting on the pigeon berry, phytolacca decandra, the new acorns, and other nuts, and such food as the country produces for his use.

Formerly the pigeons tarried here all summer, building

their nests, and rearing their young; but the country is too well settled for them now; so, like the trapper for beaver, and the hunter, they are off into the distant forests, where their food is abundant, and where there is none to disturb them in their lawful pursuits.

Loons are seen along the Ohio river, but they are seldom killed. The heron and the crane visit us in the spring, and tarry here all summer, and rear their young. The sandhill crane lives on the Scioto, and tarries there nearly all the year. The robbin-red-breast, black bird, and Baltimore oriole visit us early in the spring, and tarry here through the sum

mer.

Four species of swallow visit us: the barn swallow, the chimney swallow, the martin and the ground swallow. They spend the summer with us, until their young are reared, when they leave us abruptly. The magpie comes in April or May. We call him bob-of-lincoln. He is not much of a musician, though that is not his fault, as he labors hard to sing as well as he can.

We have the yellow bird, resembling the canary bird, except in his color. It is undoubtedly of the same family. We have several species of humming-birds and the goldfinch.

The whip-poor-will visits us not very early in the spring. The king bird comes as soon as he thinks the bees, hovering about the flowers, are numerous enough to feed himself and his young ones. This HEAD OF a Department, lives only on

the most industrious classes of insects.

After a long storm from the southwest, many birds of different species are often seen here, of a most beautiful plumage, which disappear again after a week's fair weather. We do not even know their names. The pewee comes early and retires early. Gulls, or stormy petrels are often seen along the Ohio river, before a southwestern storm. A few years since, paroquetts, in large flocks lived in the woods, along the Ohio river, from Miller's bottom downwards, and along the Scioto river, upwards from its mouth, to where Columbus now stands. They are still in the woods along the bottoms below

Chillicothe near the river, where there is the proper food for them to eat, and birds enough for them to torment by their sqalling noise. We have the cat-bird of two species, snipes, and the real ortolan.

We have four species of THRUSH, but the brown one deserves our special notice for his singing, and his imitative powers. He delighted once to live along the Scioto river, among the great variety of feathered songsters, that then dwelt along the banks of the Scioto. As we have often, more than twenty years since, while travelling in the then woods along the banks of the Scioto, stopped awhile to hear him sing, and see him act his several comedies and tragedies; it seems no more than right to give our readers some idea of his several performances on such occasions. This Shakspeare among birds, seats himself on some tree, where the greatest variety of all sorts of birds dwell, and makes it his business to mock and disappoint them. Hence, his common name of mockingbird. Having seated himself in a proper place, he listens in profound silence to the songs of the several sorts of birds around him. In the vernal season he makes the love call of a female of some near neighbor, with heart-stirring melody, until the males come in flocks to caress their loved mate, when lo! no such lovely bird is there. They find instead of the lovely fair one, a homely brown thrush. Having succeeded in imposing on one species, he proceeds to play off similar "tricks upon other travellers." He continues his play, until he is satisfied with his own mischief and his neighbors' disappointments.

When the other birds have young ones, he watches their nests, until the parents have left them in quest of food, when, seating himself near their domiciles, he imitates the scream of the hawk or some other bird of prey. If the parents heed this scream and come home, very well, but if not heeded by them, he proceeds to imitate the voice of the young ones in the utmost distress and agony. He utters their shrill cry and their dying groan, when the affrighted and afflicted parents come flying in the utmost haste and trepidation to re