THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



135 



after it had become carbonated and mild, we can- 

 not believe to be otherwise than an aid to fertility. 

 The bottom lands of the Red river, in Louisiann, 

 have two or three per cent, of carbonate of mag- 

 nesia, (according to the analysis of a specimen 

 which we examined,) and other celebrated fertile 

 soils also have this earth as an ingredient. 



Ed. F. R. 



SUGAR BEET. 



From the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Mr. Editor — I find that the Massachuseli.s 

 Agricultural Society has awarded a premium of 

 ^15 to F. Tudor, of Naha.nt, for a crop of sugar 

 beets measuring 1300 bushels per acre. Mr. Tu- 

 dor's account of the management of the crop — a 

 statement which should, 1 think, always be made 

 to accompany a premium crop — was as (bllovvs. 

 "The ground was old pasture of indifferpnt soil 

 and very stony; it was broken up in 1840 by 

 trenching, 20 inches deep, which brought much 

 poor soil to the surface. The stones were gather- 

 en from the land a,nd buried in the bottom of the 

 trench, upon which was spread three inches deep 

 of mussel-mud, then the turf and the best of the 

 soil, then two inches of rock-weed fresh from the 

 shore, or cut from the rocks; then the less rich 

 part of the soil and more mussel-mud, the top 

 being left with the poorest and most gravelly soil. 

 In the spring of 1840 it was sown with sugar-beet, 

 but the crop was poor. In 1841 the land was 

 ploughed six inches deep without reaching any of 

 the rich soil below, the surface still exhibiting 

 little but yellow loam and gravel. Upon this 1 

 caused sugar-beets again to be sown, and when 

 the plants had sprung up, I had the land dressed 

 on the surface — merely spreading on 15 cords of 

 rich cow-yard manure. This caused the young 

 plants to shoot and grow away most vigorously, 

 and the crop has been so large that 1 have deter- 

 mined to exhibit it before the State Agricultural 

 Society, and put in a claim lor premium. No 

 particular care has been taken of the crop, for 

 although the seed had missed on several patches, 

 they were not filled with plants, while during the 

 drought of August, many of the tops were cut 

 as fodder (or cows ; but lor this, I believe the crop 

 would have produced 1600 bushels per acre. The 

 crop was sold by auction, and the weight given 

 was what the purchasers paid for. The largest 

 root measured 34 inches in circumlijrence, and 

 weighed 31 pounds, but it was hollow ; the 

 largest sound and perfect root weighed 21 pffunds ; 

 a fair bushel weighing 60 pounds. 1 think the 

 large crop which has been produced on my land 

 was not caused by the trenching, but by the loose- 

 ness of the soil and the top-dressing of rich ma- 

 nure; the value of a top-dressing in a season of 

 drought being undoubtedly great."' 



I conclude with one remark — the a:bove account 

 speaks volumes (or the system of subsoiling and 

 top-dressing, a mode of management which seems 

 at length to be commanding the notice of agri- 

 culturists generally throughout the land. 



J. Grakx. 



MINUTES OF AGRICULTURAL FACTS. 



1. Green sand and gypsum of James river. — 

 In the beginning of March we saw lor the first 

 lime the spot dressed with this manure at Ever- 

 green, which was described at page 645 of vol. 

 ix., and incidentally referred to at page 494, vol. 

 viii. The superiority of fertility of the manured 

 space, as shown both by the remaining stubble 

 of the wheat crop of last year and the young 

 clover, is very manifest, and is fully 50 per cent, 

 over the adjoining ground, though that is very 

 good and productive soil — a fine loam of medium 

 texture, originally rich, and neutral soil, and 

 tnarled previous to this application, which was 

 made 8 or 10 years ago. 



This is a most interesting subject for experi- 

 ment, and this result is highly encouraging for 

 further experiment and general use by the pro- 

 prietor. But still there is almost every thing 

 wanting to make this an accurate experiment of 

 the efl'ects, and the durability of green-sand alone 

 as manure. The deficiencies are, 1st, the small 

 space of the trial, 2d, the want of actual mea- 

 surement of the quantity of the manure, (which 

 was designed (or and supposed to be at the rate 

 of 30 bushels per acre; 3d, that it was on marled 

 land, and no other ; and 4ih, and the most impor- 

 tant objeclion, that the earth used contained a 

 very considerable proportion of selenite, or gyp- 

 sura, in very hard though moderately small crys- 

 tals, which perhaps did not entirely dissolve, for 

 years, and are not yet altogether used up by the 

 crops, and so lost to the land. Thus it is impossi- 

 ble to judge whether the very obvious and pro- 

 fitable results are owing to the green-sand, or to 

 the large quantity of gypsum (of the latter of 

 which there must have been at least 4 bushels 

 per acre) or to both, acting in connexion with 

 the marl before applied. Capt. H. PI. Cocke, 

 CU. S. N.) the proprietor, stated that he made this 

 rough experiment in the belief that the gypsum 

 and not the green-sand was the valuable ingre- 

 dient of the earth as manure. He also applied 

 some of the same to land not marled, and found 

 no benefit. He has since dressed some 30 or 40 

 acres with the same manure, and as he thinks 

 with good effect ; but as no precision was used 

 in leaving a marked or regular boundary line, the 

 effect could not be seen or appreciated at the 

 season when vve recently looked at the ground. 

 We hope that Capt. Cocke will commence and 

 carry through accurate and varied experiments, 

 so as to show not only the value of this remark- 

 able body of manure on his land, but also to show 

 which is the fertilizing ingredient, and under 

 what conditioQii it acts, or fails to act. 



