294 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No, 5 



mented together, thatthey can scarcely be separated and 

 cleared of the old mortar. 



The necessity of" keeping up moisture until the ce- 

 ment has had time to "set," is seldom more regarded in 

 the plastering of houses. This operation is often exe- 

 cuted in the hottest and dryest weather, so that all the 

 moisture of each coat is evaporated in a day or two. 

 Theor}' would inform us, that if laid on in damp and 

 cool weather, or after the close of summer, that plas- 

 tering would be far more solid ana durable. 



SOME REMARKS ON THE PRESENT AGRICUL- 

 TURAL CONDITION OP ALABAMA. 



Extract from a private Utter to the editor. 



The crops here are now most promising. A 

 slight tlrought in Jime gave the planters just time 

 to prepare their crops of corn and cotton for the 

 finest of seasons, for the last two weeks. Both of 

 these crops are now singularly promising; the 

 last, much increased over the last year — even 

 with us will be plenty. The last year, it is be- 

 lieved, has fijlly satisfied the state of Alabama of 

 the advantage, as well as ihe^- necessitij, of securing 

 ai /iomc plenty to eat; audi do believe, that the 

 bubble — the "Mississippi scheme" of buying one 

 thing to make another — is completely burst, 

 even with the JNlississippians; and conmion sense, 

 aided by that which makes even fools think, has 

 brought the country back to the old wise, practical 

 adage of the northern quakers, ^Hive within your- 

 selves''^ — as regards the necessaries of lite. 



For a planter to leave uncertainty connected 

 with bread and meat, voluntarily, argues a state 

 of mind not far from idiotism, particularly in a 

 country altogether congenial to the production of 

 these two perlijct necessaries of human life. The 

 last two years have furnished us with a singular ' 

 proof how completely mania, amongst even the 

 agriculturists of the country, can destroy the opera- 

 tion of good sound common sense. So perfi^ctly 

 had the mania sapped the brains of some, or rather 

 taken possession of the cavity wliere brains ought 

 to have been, that men coolly and deliberately be- 

 gan to give 12 to 1500 dollars tor a common corn- 

 field slave — and congratulated themselves on get- 

 ting "such a bargain, of such a fine llellovv.'"' But 

 the disease is iiiirly done. # * * 



From the Fanners' Magazine. 

 MANGEL WURTZEL. 



20th to the end of April, is the best time for sow- 

 ing the seed ; and those of you who are not likely 

 to have your ground at that time ready, should 

 sow in a seedling bed, in order to transplant when 

 the ground is prepared ; and in this case you 

 should not put out the plants until they are about 

 an inch in diameter, else they will not arrive at 

 full size. The best way, however, is to sow the 

 seed where it is to remain, and the process is as 

 follows : — 



Prepare your land as if for drilling potatoes — 

 open the drills eighteen inches or two feet distant, 

 the deeper the better, unless there is yellow clay at 

 the bottom — fill them with short manure — cover 

 them with four or five inches of earth — roll them 

 lengthways, and then on the smooth and level top 

 make hills with the dibbling stick, two inches in 

 depth and about twelve inches apart, and into 

 every hole drop two seeds, which are to be cover- 

 ed as the work proceeds. When the plants are 

 about two inches high, you are to draw out from 

 each hole the extra plant or plants, leaving of 

 course the strongest and healthiest plant behind. 

 Keep them clear from weeds, but do not earth 

 them. If any of the plants appear to run to seed, 

 pull them out, and transplant into their room, after 

 stirring up the earth, and applying a little fresh 

 manure, (and to the want of attention to thi.s 

 point the comparative failure of transplanted crops 

 is to be attributed) other plants of mangel wurtzel, 

 rape, cabbages, or Swedish turnips, which should 

 always be in a reserved seedling bed, in case of 

 failure in any crop. In September pull the leaves — 

 [cutting them close to the crown will cause the 

 root to rot if left in the field during the winter]— 

 and give them to your cows, sheep, and pigs. 

 You will also find that they make a good substi- 

 tute for greens or spinach. 



The following is jMr. Meadow's calculation of 

 produce : — 



Drills 2 feet distant. 

 Plants 2 feet distant. 

 Drills 2 feet distant. 

 Plants 18 inches distant. 

 Drills IS inches distant, 

 Plants 1 foot distant, 

 Drills 18 inches distant, 

 Plants 11 inches distant. 

 Drills 18 inches distant, 

 Plants 18 inches distant. 



} 220 plants per perch 



23,280 per acre. 

 147 plants perperch- 



23,580 per acre. 

 294 plants per perch- 



47,040 per acre. 

 252 plants per perch- 



40,320 per acre. 

 196 plants per perch- 



31,360 per acre. 



By Martin Boyle. 



Mangel Wurtzel is a kind of red beet, not lia- 

 ble to be injured by disease or insects, and proof 

 against the change of seasons. It requires loamy 

 loose soil, and abundance of short and rich ma- 

 nure. It gives no unpleasant taste to milk or but- 

 ter, (an objection which may be urged against tur- 

 nips, and most kinds of cabbage) — quite the re- 

 verse. Pigs, as well as milch cows, are fond both 

 of its leaves and roots. Sixteen or twenty perches 

 under it, will support a cow, allowing her sixty 

 pounds weight per day, for the five winter months; 

 and half a pound of seed, which will cost about 

 Is 6d, will sow these twenty perches. From the 



You may safely calculate on 30,000 plants per 

 acre. If you average the plants at 3 lbs. each, 

 which is much too low, you will have 90,000 lbs. 

 or about 40 tons, not of a watery substance like 

 turnips, but a firm nutritious food. 



From the Fanner's Magazine. 



THE LEAVES OF MANGEL WURZEL SHOULD 

 NOT BE PULLED. 



At Ilohenheim an experiment has been made 

 the past summer to ascertain comparatively the 

 best plan to be pursued with ihe cultivation of 

 Mangel Wurzel — whether it was more profitable 

 to pluck off the leaves about a month previous to 

 the clearing the roots from the ground, or allowing 

 them to retain their leafy honors until the period 

 of their being taken up ; and the following is the 

 result of two equal portions of a field on which 

 the system were tried : — 



