590 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



one dollar per bushel. When, moreover, we es- 

 timate its lattening qualities lor stock, its superior- 

 ity on land too poor lor clover, to any thing yet 

 tried among ns as a green dressing lor ihe soil, 

 and the fact that no kind oC long lorage is belter 

 lor farm horses, mules, cattle and sheep, than the 

 pea vines properly cured, as they easily may be. 

 we surely ought to lake more trouble than any ot" 

 us, I believe, have yet taken, lo ascertain every 

 thing in regard lo this highly valuable plani that 

 can be certainly known about it. For instance, 

 we mighi cerlainly ascertain which is ihe earliest 

 ol all ihe varieties that are cultivated in Virginia. 

 We might also ascertain with certainty, bj'^ a lew 

 comparative trials, which oC all ihe varieties was 

 most productive ; and how many, or nearly how 

 many bushels, on an averaae, each kind would 

 yield per acre, when cultivated in ordinary land. 

 Another point, loo, which is of some imporiance, 

 at least in ihe irarden cullure of the Indian pea, 

 might readily be dete^aiined, and this is, Ihe dil- 

 lerence in quantity between the vines eiuck like 

 pole beans, and those suffered to run on the ground 

 without support. I have reason to believe that 

 ;he Ibrmer would produce double, and Irora a 

 smaller surliice of ground. This practice would 

 be too expensive for field culture, but certainly it 

 would be lar preferable in a garden, lor a small 

 square in Indian peas would ihen yield full as 

 much, and probably more, than one ot the same 

 size in pole beans. 



The old adage, '' de gustibus nil disputandum,^' 

 there is no disputing about tastes, forbids me to 

 make any positive assertion as to which variety is 

 best for eating. But I will venture to add, for the 

 benefit ol those who may not possibly have met 

 with the particular variety which I have called the 

 Norlh Carolina pea, that every (lerson ( have ever 

 met with who has tried it, prefers this kind to all 

 others. A gentleman from that state informed 

 me the other day that the same prelerence is 

 given lo it there also. For my own part, I deem 

 all good, and I have tasted all, except the black 

 and red lory-pea, and the Chickasaw. This being 

 the only one whose vines do not run, is best for a 

 green dressing to land, as they can more easily be 

 plouixhed in than any running vines. They will 

 grow in land of medium quality, to the height of 

 about four feet, each plani throwing out numerous 

 long, succulent branches, the leaves of which are 

 uncommonly large, and when planted from three 

 to four leet apart each way, with two or three 

 stalks in a hill, they will completely cover the 

 ground, as soon as they attain their lull growth. 

 This they will not do sooner ihan some time in 

 September, as they ripen laie, and of courtc should 

 be planted early. 



I will close this letter by a brief statement of a 

 method of curiner the vines, recommended to me 

 by one of your old correspondents, the late Mr. 

 fierbemoni, of South Carolina, a iientleman highly 

 distinguished, as you well know, for his intelli- 

 gence and zeal in the cause of American hus- 

 bandry. This is the method : pull up the vines 

 when fully grown, expose them lo the sun until 

 they are somewhat wilted, but not dried ; then 

 stack them in alternate layers with straw, either 

 of wheat, oats, or rye, sprinkliuir a little common 

 ealt on each layer of the vines, and top the whole 

 with a sufficient quantity of straw to prevent the 

 stacks from leaking. This process converts the 



layers of staw into a provender nearly equal to 

 the vines themselves ; and the whole soon be- 

 comes a richer long forage lor larii) horses, cattle, 

 and sheep, than any kind of hay or corn-(bdder ; 

 and n)ay easily he made on larms destitute of 

 meadow land. The vines of all the varieties of 

 Indian pea might be thus cured ; and since all 

 will produce, on poor land, a heavier growth than 

 any other plant whicli we could cultivate for hay, 

 oil such land, no farmer need ever lo want long 

 lorage enough lor his slock, unless he keeps more 

 than he ought to do. But this is an error, that 

 almost every Virorinia fiirmer commits ; and what 

 ;s most remarkable is, ihat none are more guilty 

 of it, than a large portion of those who declaim 

 most against the practice. Thus endeth all that 

 you will hear at present, li-om your old friend, 



James M. Garnett. 



P. S. Our eastern brethren, 1 believe, are 

 generally ignorant of what we call Indian peas; 

 (or none of the varieties are cultivated in any of 

 the eastern or northern stales, at least I have 

 never seen anv growing lariher north ihan Mary- 

 land. That they would succeed well in a higher 

 latitude seems to me highly probable, and I am 

 sure they would be much valued, as a vegetable 

 for table, were ihey once inlroduced. 



TOMATO TART. 



Froni the Boston Cultivator. 



A lady sends ihe editors of the Saturday Cou- 

 rier the following recipe for making tomato tart : 



" Roll out your dough very ihin, and place it on 

 the plate in which you intend baking your tart, 

 and slice your tomatoes very thin, spread them 

 over the dough very thinly, take about two table 

 spoonfuls of brown sugar, and one of ground 

 cinnamon bark, spread the two over the tomatoes, 

 bake it well, and you have a delightful tart. 



A TRAL OF FATTENING QUALITIES OF WO- 

 BURNS AND BERKSHIRES WHEN FED ON^ 

 THE SAME ALLOWANCE. 



From ttie Kentucky Farmer. 



'' There was put under my care on the 13th 

 August, by Dr. Martin and James F. Taylor, 

 two Woburn* and one Berkshire sow, for the 

 purpose of being fed ; and I received directions 

 lo iiive each one five pounds of corn a day, and to 

 increase the (luaniity until I should find what 

 quantity the smallest eaier of ihe three would 

 consume. 



On ihat evening, I gave to each one of them 

 two and a half pounds of corn, and the next day 

 five pounds each, and on the 15th, nearly six 

 pounds each ; one of the Woburns (Patience) 

 lailed lo eat all of her allowance, and the next 

 day was very lame, (I suppose slightly founder- 

 ed,) and their Ibod was again reduced to five 

 pounds each per day, until the 20lh, when Pa- 



* Mr. Duncan, who first accepted the proposal, was 

 sick at the time, and his sow had met with some acci- 

 dent, so she was not fed. — M. 



