1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



277 



secured under the voluntary eystem. Though the 

 very highest prices have been ollered during the 

 past season, yet labor could not be procured, and 

 the planter had the mortification to see his cane 

 rot in the field. 



It seems that the expectation of the English go- 

 vernment has been that the negroes would contin- 

 ue the laboring part ol the population, and that 

 the planters, (or a small compensation, would be 

 able to direct their labor; and to this end it seems 

 most of their laws and regulations for the island 

 have been framed. But'lhough such an idea may 

 have been conceived by those acquainted with the 

 English only, (who in fact are but appendages of 

 the soil, and who feel a dependence on the liirmer 

 involving a state of slavery almost as absolute as 

 that which exists between master and slave,) yet 

 no legislation, other than that establishing absolute 

 slavery, can create such a state of things in the 

 island of Jamaica. Placed within the tropics, in 

 a climate relaxing, enervating, and indisposing to 

 exertion, where the various fruits and esculent 

 roots, produced almost without labor, and the most 

 appropriate and pleasant sustenance, and where 

 clothes and the ornaments of dress are but an in- 

 cumbrance, man is free to labor, or consult his ease, 

 without the lt>ar of starvation. Such is not the 

 ease in England ; provision must be made ibr a 

 long and severe winter, clothing, fuel, shelter and 

 wherewithal to keep soul and body together; this 

 it is which brings the laborer in such absolute 

 subservience to the farmer. The planters of Ja- 

 maica must be considered peculiarly unfortunate, 

 induced to purchase land and populate it with 

 negroes under the particular patronage of the go- 

 vernment, and finally abandoned by that govern- 

 ment to the tender mercies of a puritanical tribe, 

 who under the cloak of religion are carrying dis- 

 order and confusion in the very bosom of society. 

 The state of the country is already such as to in- 

 duce the governor to abolish the militia, he deem- 

 ing it unsalc that a part of the population should 

 be entrusted with arms, where so much excitement 

 exists. I learned that it was in contemplation to man 

 the forts on the sea coast with black soldiers, regu- 

 larly enlisted, and remove the English to the moun- 

 tain barracks, by which their health and comfort 

 would be promoted. This may be but the beginning 

 of a more general use of the blacks Ibr soldiers, and 

 in a particular emergency they might avail the 

 English something, as their sacrifice would be an 

 object of but small consideration with those who 

 have taken them under their fostering care. 



Is. 5d. a man. Carrots generally come to the hoe 

 in seven weeks from sowing. The reason of mine 

 being longer, I apprehend to be partly from a cold 

 backward spring, and partly from the seed being 

 old. New seed is a very material article in order 

 to succeed in a carrot crop. It will come up a 

 week sooner than the old seed, and consequently 

 the crop will get a week's advantage of the weeds, 

 much to the benefit of hoeing, upon which opera- 

 tion the whole difficulty of succeeding is placed. 

 N. J3. it is better to sow five pounds instead of 

 four ol" seed per acre, in order to guard against a 

 bad season or bad seed ; and the hoers, from the 

 smallness of the plants, are more apt to leave too 

 ihw than too many. As it is very diflicult to be 

 sure of getting new seed from gardeners, it would 

 answer very well to any one who intends cultivat- 

 ing carrots rn grow his own seed; this I attempted 

 alterwards, but the hares eating the roots up, I got 

 it from Wethersfield in Essex, where I have al- 

 ways been supplied with good seed, the price va- 

 rying from 6(1. to 2s. 6d. a pound. Hoeing two 

 acres and a half by workmen at Is. 4d. a day,|cost 

 me 3^. 14s. or 1/. 12s. per acre. Run them over 

 a third time by my harvest-men, worth about 2s. 

 an acre. October 10th, began to take up the 

 crop which I let out to the workmen at three far- 

 things a bushel, topping, tailing, and measuring 

 included. 3/em. One half-penny is good pay for 

 it, and has always been taken at that price since 

 by the workmen. Product of the two acres and a 

 half, 851 bushels, sold at 8d. per bushel. All ex- 

 penses paid I cleared 20/. 



1772. — Sowed one acre and a quarter, March 

 24th, six pounds seed per acre; April lOth, three 

 acres more 4^- pounds per acre; began to hoe June 

 1st, at 30s. per acre, twice hoeing. Mem. Hoed 

 about 10 rod per man per day. June 11th, har- 

 rowed one acre after being hoed a week, but tore 

 up many young carrots, and did considerable dam- 

 age. August 1st, began to hand- weed by women 

 at Is. per acre. October 27th, began to take them 

 up at one half-penny a bushel, topping, &c. in- 

 cluded ; finished November 14th. Total produce 

 1040 bushels, or 250 per acre. 



Expenses. 



EXPERIMENTS OIS CAUROTS. 



By the Rci\ Mr. Carter, of Flcmpton, Suffolk. 



From Young's Annals of AgricnltUR'. 



The soil on which the following trials were 

 made is sand, about 18 inches deep, upon an im- 

 perlect clay bottom. 



1771. — March 18tli, sowed one acre with carrot- 

 seed; April 5th another; and the end of ihe month 

 a third: fijiir pound oi" seed per acre. Began to 

 hoe May 27lh; put out an acre at 1/'. Is. but the 

 workmen found the plants so very small and fiill 

 of weeds, that they could not trn on by the acre, 

 which obliged me to get them hoed by the day at 



Hoeing as above, - 



Weeding, 



Taking up, 



24 pounds of socd at 2s. 



1000 Bushels sold at M. 

 Reserved 40 bushels, - 



£6 7 6 



4 8 



2 3 4 



2 8 



11 3 1 



Expenses, - 

 Profit, - 

 Or, per acre. 



Mem. My man thinks that six bushels of car- 

 rots do not more than equal one of oats for horses; 

 in which case the value of carrots is Ad. a bushel 

 oats being 2s. 



1773.— Februrary 2nd, sowed one acre and 20 

 rod with 10 pounds of seed ; began to hoe May 



