f.7G 



FARMERS^ REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



of one mile; ("or (bur, pixteen times; and so on, as 



tiic squares ol" tlie velocities. Here, there was an 

 ob^^tacle to rapid cotntimaication hy canals, which 

 appeared insuperable. Mr. Russell has shown 

 that, there is practically a circumstance which so 

 contplelely modifies the application of this princi- 

 ple, that when over a certain point of speed is at- 

 tained, the resistance, instead of increasins; when 

 the speed is yet. further increased, in point of fict 

 diminishes. In one of his experiments, he found, 

 for instance, tliat the resistance to the traction of a 

 canal boat, estimated hv a dynamometer, in- 

 creased with the velocity of its motion nearly ac- 

 cordino; to the law of the squares, up to 7| miles 

 per hour, being th.en SSOib. ; the speed being 

 then increased to 8^ miles per hour, instead of 

 fiirfher increasing, the resistance fell to 2101b. 

 The speed was yet further increased, and it in- 

 creased again the resistance to 2361b.; yet, less, he 

 it observed, than at 7^ miles; 12 miles an hour 

 brought it to 3521b., scarcely more than the resis- 

 tance of 71 miles speed. These results, confirm- 

 ed by a number of others, had manilt-siiy a prac- 

 tical application, and they have been applied to 

 the working of last canal boats in Scotland. Mr. 

 Russell has devoted himself to the explanation of 

 them. He states, that where the water of a 

 canal is disturbed by any canse, as, for instance, 

 the admission of a rush of water moment.arily into 

 one extremity of it, or the impeding of a body 

 moving in it, there is irenerated a certain wave, 

 whose motion along the canal is altofrether inde- 

 pendent of the nature or velocity of the impulse 

 given to it, and dependent only upon the depth of 

 the canal; its velocity being precisely that which 

 a stone would acquire in falling down one half the 

 depth of the canal. With this velocity, the wave 

 moves uniformly and steadily to the very end of 

 its motion, moving slower fif the depth of the 

 canal remain unchanged,) but only diminishes its 

 dimensions, until it disappears, and this not fi)r a 

 very considerable space. He stated, that he had 

 himself followed waves a mile and a half; and 

 that they had been traced unbroken l()r three miles 

 fi:om the spot where they originated. 



The velocity of the wave depending on the 

 depth of the canal, it is manifest, that each canal, 

 differing in depth from another, will have a difier- 

 ent velocity of wave, and that each part of the 

 canal differing from another, will alter the velocity 

 of its wave, and thus the waves near the shore 

 will move slower than near the centre of the ca- 

 nal, if the side be shallower than the middle. 

 How, then, have these facts their application to 

 the phenomena observed? Thus, in the experi- 

 ment described above, the velocity of the wave, 

 ascertained by numerous experiments, was eight 

 miles an hour. As long then, as the boat moved 

 at three, fc)ur. five, six, or seven miles an hour, it 

 remained in the rear of the wave; the wave had 

 no effect on it. as the law of the velocities was the 

 theoretical law. At eight miles an hour the boat 

 was, in point of fact, on the wave, and it might, 

 indeed, be seen about the centre of the boat lift- 

 ing it out of the water and dimini=<hin<r the traction 

 upon h.—From Proceedings ofBritlsJi jlssociaiion. 



From the Friend. 

 MANGEL WURTZEL. 



To ih£ Editor of the Friend:— 



Knowing thy interest in agricultural affairs, and 



thinidng many readers of "the Friend" would 

 feel a similar interest in the very interesting par- 

 ticulars detailed in the accompanying statement; 

 I send thee '.he following relation of them drawn 

 up at my request by the friend himself, and of the 

 accuracy of which there can be no doubt. 1 

 think the produce of the cow beet so great, and so 

 well adapted to feeding cattle, particularly on 

 small farms, that I am desirous of giving a wider 

 circulation to the accompanying particulars, in or- 

 der to induce our country friends to give them fur- 

 ther trials. C. W. 



Particulars relative to a crop of beets, fmangel 

 wurtzel) raised in the season of 1837, on the farm 

 of Isaac C. Jones, called Rockland, on the banks 

 of the river Schuylkill, in the neighborhood of the 

 city of Philadelphia, viz: — 



Netl measure of the ground on which they 

 grew was 67 square poles. Add for the head- 

 land or turning ground, 4 do. Total, 71 square 

 poles, being nine less than half an acre. 



The procluce on the above mentioned ground, 

 excluding the leavps, and confining it entirely to 

 the roots, amounted to four hundred and thirty 

 bushels, agreeably to the measurement of Joseph 

 Berry, ihe farmer who attended to their culture for 

 the said Isaac C. Jones throughout the season. 

 On weiirhing a portion of these beets, it was as- 

 certained they would average fifty-five pounds per 

 bushel, making an aggreiraie of twenty-three 

 thousand six hundred and fifty pounds, or a little 

 over ten and a half tons (of 2250 pounds each, J 

 being at the rate of twenty-three and two-third 

 tons to the acre, or nine hundred and sixty-nine 

 bushels. 



Many of the above-mentioned beets weighed 

 from seven to thirteen pounds. One that was par- 

 ticularly measured and weighed, produced the t'ul- 

 lowino" result, viz: Twenty-seven inches in cir- 

 cumference, and weighed thirteen and a half 

 pounds. 



The produce would have been considerably in- 

 creased had not many ol the seed proved delec- 

 tive, and the plan of transplanting resorted to; but 

 the latter, if well done, answers an excellent 

 purpose. 



The above-mentioned ground was accurately 

 measured hy said .Joseph Berry, and the subscri- 

 ber, this 11th month, 8ih, 1837. 



Isaac C. Jones. 



From British Husbandry. 

 REPOKT OF A FARM OF NORTH HAMPSHIRE, 

 (ENGLAND.) 



By Henry Gawler. 



Introduction. 

 The genera! rules and maxims which writers 

 on airricniture have attempted to establish, are 

 found so liable to exceptions in their application, 

 that they are of little service to the generality of 

 farmers, and are founded on a refinement of prac- 

 tice not calculated for persons whose education 

 must necessarily be limited. Many of these 

 works presume the readers to be acquainted 

 with the elements of chemistry, with the com- 

 [mnent parts of earths, and a variety of subjects 

 which cannot be understood by persons who are, 

 in general, strangers to the technical expressions 

 bv "which such information must be conveyed. 

 But, even if they were flirnished by a competence 



