

F ARMERS' REGISTER. 



241 



one of a cold climate, and grows-rapidly after the 

 firs! frosts. I am, however, now (June 30,) eat- 

 in »■ ruta baga raised this spring in my garden by 

 mistake; the seed being sown instead of Savoy 

 cabbage. I find them very palatable. 



This turnip bears something the character of 

 the pippin apple, which increases in sweetness and 

 flavor by being kept. When the Swedish turnip 

 is first taken from the ground in autumn, it has a 

 raw, or rank taste, when prepared for the table; 

 but towards the middle of winter, it improvesvery 

 much. It is now sought after in our markets. 

 often selling for 50 cents per bushel, for the use of 

 the table, in mid-winter and spring. 



Its color is a fine rich looking yellow when 

 boiled, and the only objection I know to it is, that 

 during the process of cooking, it gives out an un- 

 savory odor. This is of less importance when ihe 

 kitchens are separated from the dwelling house. 



J. II. GIBBON. 



Philadelphia County, 2nd July, 1835. 



A REJOINDER TO MR. JOHN A. SELDEN S DE- 

 FENCE OF THE NEW FOIR-F1ELD SYSTEM. 

 To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Brandon, July 2d, 1835. 



It was alike foreign from my intention and wish 

 to appear again in the Farmers' Register on the 

 subject of the new iour-fiekl system. Nor from 

 this course would I now deviate, but for some re- 

 marks to be found in a communication from the 

 pen of my worthy friend, Mr. John A. Sefden of 

 "Westover, (which made its appearance in the 

 regular number of the Register for the last month,) 

 that seem to require some notice from me, howev- 

 er cursory, in justification of myself. At the same 

 time I shall endeavor to show that some of the ob- 

 jections to this system are not altogether so trivial, 

 and without foundation, as my friend would linn 

 make appear in his elaborate defence of his favo- 

 rite system. Still I cannot, and will not deny, that. 

 it possesses some great advantages; sufficiently 

 great, perhaps, more than to counterbalance, in 

 the opinions of many, the objections that may 

 be fairly urged against it, allowing them their full 

 weight. My confidence in my own opinions, on 

 any subject, certainly has not increased as my life 

 advances, and it is well known to me that some 

 things succeed much better in practice than could 

 be expected from an abstract consideration of all 

 the arguments pro and con. Nor must it be for- 

 gotten, that this system comes strongly recom- 

 mended to us by two of the most skilful cultivators 

 of the soil in eastern Virginia, my friends of Shir- 

 ley and Westover. 



My friend Mr. S. says that I charged him with 

 imprudence in recommending his system; and 

 surely this is rather a hasty assumption, as any 

 body may see (page 464, Vol. II. of the Register) 

 by referring to the passage from which he infers 

 the charge. I there slate t lie difficulties to be over- 

 come by each individual, in fixing on the best s\ s- 

 tcm; and then ask, if it is not imprudent to recom- 

 mend any system for universal adoption] I then 

 endeavor to show that no system can be suited to 

 all situations and all soils; but that the rotation 

 must be varied fo suit the peculiar circumstances 

 of each ease. Now Mr. S. must have meant to 

 recommend his system universally; or not; and as 



Vol. Ill— 31 



such was not his intention, the remark cannot ap- 

 ply to him; and if he had intended it (which he 

 tells us he did not,) the truth of the remark must 

 be evident to all. Besides, ihe proposition is gen- 

 eral, and applies with equal force to all systems; 

 and there is undeniably a great difference between 

 this and the naked affirmation that Mr. S. had 

 been guilty of imprudence. 1 even gave the ex- 

 ample of Arator's four-field system, than which I 

 know of no one more susceptible of profitable ge- 

 neral adoption, to show that even that system will 

 not answer in every case. 



After commending the four-field system of Ara- 

 tor in deservedly high terms, Mr. S. descants on 

 the frailty of human nature, which has prevented 

 the more general adoption of it; and the passage 

 in question might perhaps be misconstrued by one 

 who did not know him, into a charge of unworthy 

 motives against those who have had the temerity 

 to disapprove of his favorite system. I am unwil- 

 ling, however, to believe that such was his inten- 

 tion. When Mr. S. denounced in the strongest 

 terms the disastrous three-field system (as he call- 

 ed it,) he surely must have expected that those 

 who practice and approve that system, would say 

 what they could in its favor. The wonder was 

 not that I at length took up my pen in its defence, 

 but that I had not long before been saved the 

 trouble by some one of the many whose opinions 

 coincide with mine, and who are so much better 

 qualified to do justice to the subject. 



My friend asks, if it is generous and consistent 

 to adopt a system and then denounce it? Now I 

 mentioned that I had adopted this system on a 

 farm that had become foul under a lenient course 

 of management, and that I did not expect to con- 

 tinue it longer than for a single round of crops. 

 Surely the most scourging system might be re- 

 sorted to for the purpose of cleansing foul land, 

 and would, doubtless, be found the most effica- 

 cious. I said too, that I had a light field, exclu- 

 sively devoted to corn, which furnishes a sufficient 

 hoe crop; thereby removing an important objec- 

 tion to the system. If all this had been stated by 

 Mr. S. his question would have been sufficiently 

 answered without a single additional word from 

 me. There are, however, other strong reasons 

 why this system might answer on the farm in 

 question, and not generally on lands bordering on 

 the river. In the first place, this farm is better 

 naturally, than the ordinary river land, though, 

 perhaps, inferior to some favored spots; better for 

 instance than an adjoining farm which I cultivate 

 in three-fields. I believe too, that it is known to 

 Mr. S. that I use lime quite extensively, by the 

 means of which the crop of clover is ensured, and 

 the land otherwise improved. Besides all this, the 

 teams from the adjoining farm (cultivated in three- 

 fields) aid in preparing the fallowed land, giving 

 me a double force for that purpose. Surely these 

 might be considered sufficient reasons, even for 

 continuing this system here, when at the same 

 time it might be thought too severe and too ex- 

 pensive for general adoption on the river. It must 

 be recollected too, that my hostility to the system 

 is not utterly uncompromising. On the contraiy, 

 I admitted that, under certain circumstances, I 

 might myself pursue it. Allow me here to add, 

 that I will endeavor to give this system a lair trial, 

 and it' it should fulfil any thing like the promise 

 Mr. S. makes for it, shall certainly not be so blind- 



