Good grief !- I have begun to think Grant Thorburn was starting to loose his marbles! Or he was a drinker who wrote in his cups...
What an odd, rambling response to criticism of his China Prolific Tree Corn. Actually the letter is an ad that he got published for free! This letter got published in many (dozen or more?) papers and journals as people waded in to the discussion.
One thing to come from this is I learned a new word...supaun. Most regional names for common things (hint) show up enough in books and articles that it is hard to find a one you are unfamiliar with if you are a reader and of a sufficient number of decades. I'll post what I finally found about supaun in the next post.
IMPORTANT TO FARMERS.
I think, Messrs. Printers, that we have had enough in all conscience of puffing and blowing about family Ravels, Tree play actors, men singers, and women singers, Italian fiddlers, and rope dancers, live elephants and monkeys. (By-the-by it is a very prevalent opinion at Cow Bay, Cow Neck, Oyster Bay and Hallet's Cove, that if all those drones were turned out to fell trees, grub up brush and hoe corn, we would not need to import peas-meal and rye-flour from Germany—things which feed the sense of sight only.)
Now we, some of your clod-hopping subscribers, think ourselves entitled to half a column of your paper to speak of things which feed the taste, and give nourishment to the body corporate.
Mr Jefferson says the man who makes three blades of grass grow where only one grew before, is more the friend of man than he who conquers kingdoms. I think if Mr J. had always preached such sound doctrine, he would have been the greatest philosopher of the age.
Seeing, then, that this proposition about the grass is self-evident fact, what think you should
be done to the man who makes three ears of corn grow where only one grew before inasmuch as grass feeds the horse, and corn the man?
But to come to the point at once:
Some three years ago a merchant in New York, while emptying a box of tea, observed therein a few grains of corn. Concluding that corn from China must be something new under our sun, he had them planted, so they grew and multiplied.
Last spring, I received from a worthy friend, a portion of said corn—it’s a new variety—so I gave it the name of China's fall prolific, or tree corn; as it strikes off in two, three, and frequently four branches, in appearance like a small tree, and produces an ear at the head of each branch, whereas the common corn shoots out the ear from the side of the stalk; it grows from eight to ten feet high, produces an abundance of fodder, and is a large white flint twelve rows long, and ears from ten to fourteen inches long.
I counted six hundred and sixty grains on the ear; it was planted on the 10th of May, and had ears fit to boil on the 10th of July. Its produce was curtailed by the long drought, but notwithstanding I counted two thousand one hundred and twenty grains, the product of one stalk: being an increase of two thousand and one.
The Dutton (which is an excellent corn) planted on the same day, on the same field, and received the same quantity of manure, cross ploughed and hoeing, did not produce one half. The patch about two hundred hills, was examined by many respectable farmers, who all pronounced it something new, and something superior.
The corn may be had of G. C. Thorburn, New York, and at the store of Wm. Thorburn of Albany, price 25 cents per ear; the net profits to be given to some of the charitable institutions in New York and Albany.
Now, if there is a farmer between Maine and the Rocky Mountains who would rather pay 25 cents for two gills of brandy, than to buy one ear of this corn, which will plant 100 hills —I say, if there is a man, he ought to be fed on nothing but supaun and buttermilk as long as his little soul and big carcass will hang together.
A stalk, having the ears on, to show the manner of growth, may be seen at the above stores. Every printer in Kings, Queens, Duchess, Orange, and Albany counties, who is fond of Jennie cake—(for if my informant speaks true, it took its name from a southern lass by the name of Jennie Dawson, who was famous for manufacturing this delicious article; but that at a meeting of the Bachelor's Club, Jennie was voted out and Johnny put in her place—I only hope that some of those chaps who were concerned in an affair so ungallant may never taste one of those new made cakes, when anointed with fresh butter)—will please insert as much of this long winded story as they see fit: and every printer who has children, who ere long may be orphans, will please insert the whole, and place it to the credit of the widow and the fatherless—he who is their Judge will register the thing in Heaven, as Uncle Toby says.
REMARKs.—We have some of this corn for sale at the New England Farmer office, but as we know no more about it than what is contained in the above statement, every purchaser must take it on his own responsibility. J. B.
The Dutton (which is an excellent corn) planted on the same day, on the same field, and received the same quantity of manure, cross ploughed and hoeing, did not produce one half. The patch about two hundred hills, was examined by many respectable farmers, who all pronounced it something new, and something superior.
The corn may be had of G. C. Thorburn, New York, and at the store of Wm. Thorburn of Albany, price 25 cents per ear; the net profits to be given to some of the charitable institutions in New York and Albany.
Now, if there is a farmer between Maine and the Rocky Mountains who would rather pay 25 cents for two gills of brandy, than to buy one ear of this corn, which will plant 100 hills —I say, if there is a man, he ought to be fed on nothing but supaun and buttermilk as long as his little soul and big carcass will hang together.
A stalk, having the ears on, to show the manner of growth, may be seen at the above stores. Every printer in Kings, Queens, Duchess, Orange, and Albany counties, who is fond of Jennie cake—(for if my informant speaks true, it took its name from a southern lass by the name of Jennie Dawson, who was famous for manufacturing this delicious article; but that at a meeting of the Bachelor's Club, Jennie was voted out and Johnny put in her place—I only hope that some of those chaps who were concerned in an affair so ungallant may never taste one of those new made cakes, when anointed with fresh butter)—will please insert as much of this long winded story as they see fit: and every printer who has children, who ere long may be orphans, will please insert the whole, and place it to the credit of the widow and the fatherless—he who is their Judge will register the thing in Heaven, as Uncle Toby says.
GRANT THORBURN.
Hallet's Cove, Sept. 24, 1838.
REMARKs.—We have some of this corn for sale at the New England Farmer office, but as we know no more about it than what is contained in the above statement, every purchaser must take it on his own responsibility. J. B.
+++++++++++++++
The above amazing ad is from New England Farmer, Volume 17, 1839
No comments:
Post a Comment