1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



217 



deep, and therein, at every 10 inches, drop five or 

 six seeds. 



Such particular and good directions are given in 

 William Cobbett'a Year in America, also inserted 

 in the Baltimore American Farmer, 1st volume, 

 that I refer to it; as soon as convenient pull up the 

 corn-stalks, and throw the earth on each side to 

 the turnip bed; the rows will of course be five feet 

 apart, but where land is plenty, this is an advan- 

 tage. If there was no corn I should not plant 

 ruta baga at a less distance titan lour leet. The 

 following spring plant corn in the turnip bed; it will 

 receive the benefit of the manure. I am con- 

 vinced land this way will be much improved and 

 produce double crops; the last crop (turnips) more 

 valuable than the corn. 



I planted eight acres this way last year; the sea- 

 son was dry, and my people awkward; the seed 

 though good, came up badly, from drought and 

 bad planting; my ruta baga being exhausted [ fill- 

 ed up with Norfolk turnip; crop hardly set till late 

 in September. Turnips, as Cobbett sa} s, are poor 

 watery things, compared with ruta baga, and so 

 they are; yet, quite beneficial to cattle fed on dry 

 food. Most of my field consisted of Norfolk tur- 

 nip, and I commenced on them, reserving the ruta 

 baga till the last, having many oxen; I regularly 

 led, during December and January, 30 bushels of 

 turnips per day, chopped up raw, and found much 

 advantage. 



My allowance of ruta baga, was five bushels 

 per day, which was boiled, for experiment. I fed 

 two horses one month thereon, without grain, only 

 rice-straw; 1 never saw horses thrive better. Some 

 sheep were fed on boiled ruta baga, raw Norfolk 

 turnip and cotton seed; I never saw fatter mutton. 

 Poultry requires no better food. My negroes had 

 free access to the turnip patch. I preferred the ru- 

 ta baga; seldom eating a meal without a plenty. 

 When the frost happened in February, the Nor- 

 folk turnip was entirely destroyed, and though the 

 ruta baga were frozen, after being thawed, they 

 remained good. My present crop oi corn, plant- 

 ed in the last year's turnip beds, looks very well. 

 I am respectfully, dear sir, 

 Your most obedient servant, 



JOHN COUPEE. 



From the Southern Agriculturist 



observations o& the stink-weed, (cas- 

 sia occidentals) recently termed 

 the florida coffee. 



St. Helena, June 15, 1835. 



Dear Sir — In the last number of the Southern 

 Agriculturist, I see a short article upon the Flori- 

 da coffee. The writer is perlectly correct in say- 

 ing that it is nothing more than a useless weed, 

 which grows here abundantly, but he has mistaken 

 the name, supposing him to have purchased the 

 same kind of seed that I did. He calls it ihe horse 

 indigo, (fiabtisia tinctoria,) the Sophora tinctoria 

 of Linnaeus. This plant is delineated in Prof. 

 Rafinesque's Medical Flora. The plant which I 

 have hatched on the contrary, is the Cassia occi- 

 dentalis, or Styptic-weed, or as it is very signifi- 

 cantly termed in a note to the communication, 

 stink-weed. It grows more abundantly in the 

 town of Beaufort, than any other locality with 

 which I am acquainted. It may be that Florida 



beats it in this respect, but if they can send all 

 their seed elsewhere, they will be getting rid of a 

 nuisance, and make a handsome profit into the 

 bargain, il" the seed maintains its original price. 

 So great was its abundance in the vacant lots in 

 the town of Beaufort, and so offensive its smell, 

 that the inhabitants of that town, in the year 1817, 

 when the bilious fever prevailed to an alarming 

 and deadly extent, conceived the impression that 

 the cause might be owing to this loathsome weed, 

 or at least contributed to by it. They, therefore, had 

 them cut up in all parts of the town, but unfortu- 

 nately neglected removing them. The consequence 

 was, that they became still more offensive. Since 

 then, they have every year cut them down when 

 working the streets, and "thrown them like the 

 loathsome weed away." It is frequently used there 

 as a styptic to fresh cuts, and I have been inform- 

 ed is considered useful for that purpose, but never 

 having tried it myself, cannot say what its proper- 

 ties are in this respect. 



I saw some of the prepared coffee in its pow- 

 dered or ground state, and it had the appearance 

 and the smell of coffee, but not. its peculiar aroma. 

 Indeed, there are a thousand things which when 

 charred and ground, will deceive many persons. 

 The rye thus prepared is used extensively in the 

 northern states, in the interior, that with long 

 sweetening (molasses) in contradistinction to short, 

 (sugar) forms the principal morning beverage. In 

 Germany, Chiccory is used either alone or com- 

 bined with cofiee, and this not at all confined to the 

 poorer classes, but by many who consider it a.s 

 giving an additional flavor to the cofiee. So, also, 

 in many parte, the roots of the Dandilion, (Lenn- 

 todoa taraxacum) is prepared and used in like 

 manner. Indeed, as they are. now appl> ing India 

 rubber to so many purposes, I would not be at all 

 surprised if some one should advertise Caoutchouc 

 coffee, as it has already been converted into bread, 

 it can certainly be burnt into an imitation or sub- 

 stitute lor cofiee; and the same may be said of deal- 

 boards, to all those who may choose to deal in 

 such substitutes, when the genu-ine article, as our 

 northern brethern can assure us, can be procured 

 at a much cheaper rate. 



Respectfully, yours, 



CHARLES WM. CAPERS, M. D. 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 

 IRRIGATION OF GARDENS. 



"In the south of Spain, no garden is formed 

 but in a situation where it can be irrigated; and 

 the water for this purpose is drawn from deep wells 

 by what is called a noria, viz., a kind of water 

 wheel, which is described and figured in Loudon's 

 Encyc. of Agr. The ground is laid out in small 

 squares, separated by channels for conveying the 

 water. Each square is a level panel, sunk a few 

 inches below the water channel; and at one angle 

 of each panel is a small opening in its bank or 

 border for the admission of the water. On the 

 margin of the squares, garlic is commonly planted. 

 The olive is raised from truncheons of 8 feet to 10 

 feet in length, and from two inches to three inches 

 in diameter. 'They are sunk about four leet orfive 

 feet into the ground; and the part of the truncheon 

 above ground is covered, during the first sunnier, 

 with a cone of earth or clay, to the height of from 



