631 



F A K M E Jl S ' K E G I S T K R , 



[No. 9 



The soil has a very great influence on (hcqualiiics 

 oClhe plants ; in a slron^ or very wet one, the 

 plants will incline to a rank flavor, hut if in a light 

 rich soil, they will he large ami succulent, without 

 without being unpleasant flavored in the least. 

 Khuharb may be propagated either by seed or 

 offsets from the roots. The first is generally con- 

 side.-ed the best method ; though the last is much 

 practised, and succeeds well, if care is taken to 

 retain a good bud on the section removed. The 

 ground must be well trenched and manured ; the 

 earth rendered fine and well mixed to a good depth, 

 and the seed sown, or the roots set, as early in the 

 season as the earth will allow. Hit is intended to 

 grow the plants in the open air, operations must 

 not conmience as early as when they are to be 

 forced, a process extensively adopted by garden- 

 ers near cities, as bringing the plant early to 

 market. 



lihubarb is forced by means of hot beds, or any 

 ofthe modes ol'produciug an artificial atmosphere 

 in cold weather, adojjted by gardeners ; but it is 

 usual to combine blanching with forcing, as giving 

 plants not only ofgood quality, but of fine appear- 

 ance. Blanching is accomplished in various 

 ways, all having the same object, that of excluding 

 light fi-om the plants while growing. Large puts 

 turned over the plants, over which manure is heap- 

 ed, are sometimes used, where blanching and 

 forcing are united. Others cover a lied of plants 

 with an open I'rame worked of wood, on and 

 around which the manure is placed. This mode 

 is preferred, as giving greater scope to the plants, 

 and by embracing a large area, being less 

 expensive on the whole. Some of those in 

 this country, who have been most successful in 

 the culture of the pie plant, reoonnnend that a 

 barrel from which botii heads are removed be set 

 over the plan!, and around which the manure 

 must be placed ; a board placed close over the 

 top excludes light, and the blanching is effected 

 readily. When additional forcing is required, the 

 top of the barrel as well as the sides may be cov- 

 ered. 



Great care must be taken in planting rhubarb, 

 not to have the plants too near. Five or six feet 

 will give better plants than three or lour ; and it 

 is agoodplan to cover the crowns ol'ihe r.lants du- 

 ring the winter with a few inches of rotted ma- 

 nure; thus giving an early start to the vegetation. 

 Little more culture is required after planting, than 

 to keep the beds free from weeds during the sum- 

 mer, and lijrking in a good dressing of well rotted 

 manure each spring. J)r. Bevan directs that no 

 stalks be gathered the first year, and that they al- 

 ways be cut sparingly towards the last ofthe sea- 

 eon, so as not to exhaust the roots too much. If 

 this is not attended to, spindling weak shoots 

 will be the result. 



HOLKHAM, THE SEAT OFTHE EARL OF LEI- 

 CESTER. 



I'"rom Bcnllcy's Miscellauj'. 



The grounds, including gardens, an>l park, and 

 forest, and meadows, and fields of corn, are bound- 

 eil by a circumlerence of lea iniies. Williin 

 this circumference is an artificial lake, regar- 

 ded by inanv as (lie Uiost siipcrb in England. 



Walks and rides intersect these grounds in every 

 convenient direction. Here yon move under a 

 Iriunqihal arch ; bel"ore you, arises soon a lofty 

 obelisk ; upon your right spreads out five hundred 

 acres of barley ; and anon yon enter Lady Anne 

 Coke's beautiful fiower garden, planted by the 

 taste of Chantrey. Sheep, whereof here are twen- 

 ty-two hundred of the veritable South Down 

 breed ; cattle, of which there are three hundred 

 belonging to the stock of Devonshire; milch-cows, 

 whereof thirty conslilute the dairy ; horses, 

 whereof fifty enjoy stalls at Holkham ; tenantry, 

 of whom tvvo hundred are happy to acknowledge 

 this excellent landlord ; and laborers, of wliom 

 two thousand are said to be continually employed 

 by him, meet your eye wherever it is turned ; and 

 nearly in the centre of this circumference stands 

 the House of Holkham — a magnificient pile. It 

 was erected about 80 years since by the Earl and 

 Countess of Leicester. It consists ofa large central 

 building with four wings, and you are informed 

 tiiat, ''measuring closely by all the angles," it is 

 just one mile in circumference. The house is 

 open lor public inspection on two days of each 

 week ; and well may it thus be opened, for it 

 contains treasures in tapestry, sculpture, and paint- 

 ing, that riclily repay the visitor lor his time and 

 trouble. In this n^pecf, as a repository of art, 

 Holkham is one of the many valuable houses in 

 England. There is in JOngland no Louvre, 

 England is truly rich in woiks of art ; but they 

 are scattered — a Claude here, a Titian there, and 

 distant a hundred miles or more, amidst sculpture 

 l)oth ancient and modern, may be found aSalvator 

 Rosa and a Raphael. — 



NEW REAPING MACHINE — GREAT SAVING. 



From tlic Farmers' Cabinet. 



On the 4th of July the farmers of this neigh- 

 borhood enjoyed ilie pleasure of seeinc the reap- 

 ing -RIachine, invented by Mr. O. Hussey, of 

 !>allimore, operate upon a field of wheat. Mr. 

 Hussey had been invited to exhibit his machine 

 before the '^Socielyof St. George'' s and /Jppnqui- 

 niinink for the Promotion of y/^^ricuUure,^'' and 

 ti;e 4ih of July was named as the day, and true to his 

 appointment, iVir. Hussey and liis patent reaper 

 made their appearance. Hundreds of farmers 

 were assembled to witness it, and many were the 

 doubts, surmises, and criticisms upon the machine 

 as it was viewed over and over as it lay in readi- 

 ness for trial. Some time after Mr. Hussey's ar- 

 rival, the society was called to order, and the de- 

 claration of independence was read, while the 

 greatest order and attention prevailed; after which 

 thesocietyadjuorned lothedinner-tableand partook 

 of an excellent dinner, prepared lor the occasion. 

 These interesting preliminaries being despatched, 

 and all things being in order, the two strangers 

 (Mr. Hussey and his machine) were duly intro- 

 duced to a field of standing grain, ripe and ready 

 for the sickle, and in the twinkling of an eye the 

 machine was off, clipping and culling, and saving 

 the grain in beatiful style. A cleaner and 

 more even stubble could not be produced. All 

 doubts vanished in the minds of the spectators. 

 Every head of wheal v.-as saved, and the.machine 

 wasdravvn with apparent ease by (wo horses, and 



