1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



723 



south. The best flocks we saw in flie country 

 were here and there one of the Spanish breed, 

 which we took care to visit when we heard o(' 

 them. We were anxious to oblain information 

 respecting ihe Merinos of France, lor whicli 

 Buonaparte has done so much; as we had been 

 taught, by the knowing on our side of the water. 

 The history of our proceedings in this business is 

 just a counterpart oi' theirs. In 1786 Louis XVI. 

 established a tlock at Rambouiiiet ; the produce 

 was at first given away, or thrown away, exactly 

 as was the case in England. Here ends the first 

 chapter. Recourse was then had to public sale ; 

 and the hiirher the prices, the more eager the pur- 

 chasers. This hitrh-priced slock was well attend- 

 ed to, and succeeded accordingly. Fine wool was 

 produced and oflered lo the manufacturers, who 

 did not meet the wishes and expectations, proba- 

 bly unreasonably ones, ol' the growers. 'FJiis is 

 the second chapter of their history ; precisely like 

 ourown, but unfortunately for the French sheep- 

 masters, it proved of much longer duration. The 

 revolution came on, during which manufactures 

 suffered, and the ivool still lay upon hand. At 

 length, in an evil hour, Buonaparte (whose am- 

 bition branched out in every possible shape) re- 

 solved to cover France with fine woolled flocks, 

 and published his liimous decree of the Sih of 

 March ISll. This gave the final blow to the 

 Merinos. As soon as it appeared, all sales of 

 siieep ceased ; and even agreements, which had 

 been previously made, were set aside. From 

 that time to the present the. breed has been de- 

 <'liningin France. An eflTori is now making in its 

 favor, by the law which has just passed, allow- 

 ing the exportation of wool and rams." 



MODE OF PREPARING LAND FOR RUTA BAGA. 

 YIELD OF THREE ACRES. 



To the Editor of the Farmers Register. 



3Iiddletnwii, Mommmth co., A^. J., ? 

 November I2th, 1S39. 3 



Dear Sir — In your October No., there is an 

 article on the culture and cost of three acres of 

 ruta baga. copied li"om the Monthly Visitor, pub- 

 lished in New Hampshire, which I read with con- 

 siderable interest as I do all other communications 

 having relerence to the progress of root culture, 

 that important auxiliary lo successful farming. 

 In fact, the writer is perfectly convinced from ma- 

 ny years experience and observation, that no plan 

 or syptein of agriculture can be complete without 

 roots forming a very prominent part in the rota- 

 tion ; and the time will come, though now appa- 

 rently distant, when not only Virginia, but all the 

 eastern states will be independant of the western 

 country for their supply of beef cattle. It is pos- 

 sible, however, that the American farmers, who 

 are so sensibly alive to every principle of self- 

 interest, may obtain a complete knowledge of the 

 cultivation, and proper and economical use of this 

 invaluable root, much sooner than many people 

 expect, who have made the subject a part of their 

 study. Independantly, however, of the farmers 

 individually comprehending this matter, it is es- 

 sential also, that the laborers should understand, 

 and by practice, properly and directly at the first, 

 become expert with the hoe, and in singling out 

 the young plants without even for a moment 

 thinking of touching them with their fingers, 



however close they may be in the row. In enter- 

 ing into a consideration of the expense stated to 

 have been incurred (130 days at a cost of $98,") 

 in the culture of three acres of turnips, I must 

 confess that I never was so much at fault in my 

 life, in being unable to comprehend how it was 

 possible so large an outlay of labor could have been 

 devoted to that object. It is presumed that in 

 New Hampshire, hoes have not, as yet, found their 

 way, but that the good fiirmers there proceed on 

 the principle that "fingers were made before 

 forks,'' and have used them where the hoe, plough 

 or drill ought to have been exclusively made use 

 of. Besides, something is said about making out 

 the land in squares, and shaking over each inter- 

 section, seeds contained in a box, 2 or 3 in a place, 

 transplanting where they failed to come up, &c., 

 altoGether a bundle of absurdities and perfectly 

 contemptible, were it not that this was the first 

 attempt on the part of the New Hampshire farmer, 

 to raise a crop, (in which he appears to have been 

 eminently successful,) of the root of all roots, not- 

 withstanding President Muse's famous recorded 

 declaration that they are "utterly worthless, com- 

 posed chiefly of fibrous matter, a simple hydrate of 

 wood.'''' Oh ! what a sentiment for the president 

 of an agricultural society to deliver 1 To be char- 

 itable, however, it is inferred that he never saw a 

 crop of turnips which had been sown in proper 

 season. From this digression I will proceed to 

 say, that I never saw any thing more than half 

 a crop of any root obtained by dibbling, or what 

 is the same thing droppiuii seeds here and there ; 

 and early observed that the principle was wrong, 

 and the practice productive of nothing but disap- 

 pointment of a very grevious nature. Whoever 

 is parsimonious in seed, particularly turnip seed, 

 or beets for field crops, will reap his just reward. 

 One pound of the former, and four of the latter, 

 is the proper quantity which the drill in use on this 

 farm will distribute with the utmost precision, the 

 plants standing in the row, en an average, lialf an 

 inch from each other. But why have them so 

 thick? That is a question which has been put to 

 me a hundred times. The answer has invariably 

 been : You cannot obtain a full plant in their 

 proper places, except there are a superabundance 

 of them to enable you to make a proper selection 

 when they are hoed to their proper distance. But, 

 there is yet, another argument in favor of thick 

 sowing. An attentive observer of the turnif> 

 crop will remark a vast disparity in the general 

 appearance of the plants as retrards strength, and 

 of' their fitness to remain, four days after they are 

 up. How can tliis circumstance be accounted for. 

 Certainly not, that some seeds are more favorably 

 situated than others, as respects germination, &c., 

 lor it is found that plants in close affinity, present 

 the same striking contrast, and may be noticed 

 every where along the rows. Is ii constitutional 

 in seeds, as in animals to produce weak and strong 

 of their kind 1 The writer has long thought so, 

 from the result of several experiments he has 

 made with diflierent seeds, particidarly the turnip, 

 and uniformly arriving at the same conclusions, 

 that one-fijurth are unfit to be retained to stand for 

 a crop. Hence, the importance of a liberal allow- 

 ance of seed. Should the fbiegoinir reasoning on 

 this peculiar character of seeds be deemed by you 

 of any iniportance, a further elucidation from so 

 competent a source, would be interesting and use- 



