1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



253 



For the NeiP England Farmer. 

 THINGS BY THE WAYSIDE— No. 5. 

 "TREES BESIDE THE WALL." 

 This is a good suggestion of yours, Mr. Editor, 

 and deserves an extensive investigation. That 

 trees having roots under stone walls, or a large 

 rock, thrive better than those out in an open field 

 where the scythe passes close to the soil over the 

 roots annually, is quite evident to the careful ob- 

 server. The earth under a large stone, a collec- 

 tion of small stones or a stone wall, is always 

 light and mellow, easily penetrated by the surface 

 roots near the top of the ground, seeking light, 

 heat and moisture, and sustains a remarkably 

 uniform degree of temperature both summer and 

 winter. Hundreds of fruit trees are annually 

 killed by drought in summer, and frost in winter. 

 Neither heat or cold will destroy fruit trees in a 

 healthy condition if the roofs are properly pro- 

 tected. Three years ago last summer I lost a 

 beautiful Seckle pear tree by drought. Since then 

 I have carefully guarded against both drought and 

 frost by mulching, the practice usually adopted 

 by nursery-men and fruit-groM'ers. I have no 

 doubt but a body of stones covering the whole 

 surface under the tree would be nmch better, es- 

 pecially old trees. I have noticed inquiries in 

 your paper concerning the cracking of fruit trees 

 in winter. This probably is occasioned by the 

 pressure of sap to the top of the tree, by freezing 

 of the roots. So far as my observations have ex- 

 tended, thrifty and rapid growing trees are the 

 first to suffer in this way. 



CORN AND POTATOES — PROFITS. 

 Indian corn is recommended by a large major- 

 ity of writers in New England as our most prof- 

 itable field crop. This runs counter to my expe- 

 rience, and I beg to differ. Last summer I plant- 

 ed three-fourths of an acre of lis^ht sandy loam 

 to corn, and one-fourth to potatoes in the same 

 field. Fourteen loads of unfermented manure per 

 acre was the amount used, the poorest portion be- 

 ing reserved for the potatoes. Fifteen bushels 

 of shelled corn and forty-five bushels of potatoes 

 was the crop raised. The corn was worth one 

 dollar, and the potatoes fifty cents per bushel. 

 By planting the three-fourths of an acre in corn 

 to potatoes, I should have realized four times as 

 much in value at less expense. This agrees with 

 my experience and observations for the last three 

 years, and I think will satisfy any person who 

 will look at the price of potatoes for several years 

 past at New York and Boston quotations. I be- 

 lieve light sandy soils are the best for potatoes 

 in these times of rot. High manuring, for the 

 last few years, has proved quite injurious. 



CARROTS AND RUTA BAGAS. 



A strong desire to possess information upon 

 this point of agricultural intelligence, has led me 

 to inquire into the experiments and results of 

 many of my neighbors, who are engaged in this 

 and many other experiments of a kindred nature ; 

 and I find a large majority of those I have con- 

 sulted to be strongly in favor of raising ruta ba- 

 gas in preference to carrots, for three leading 

 reasons. 



L A much larger crop can be grown upon the 

 same breadth of land, manure, quality of soil and 

 every thing else being equal. 



2. They can be grown at much less expense, as 

 they can be grown in drills, or sown broadcast 

 among corn ; and I find it very convenient when 

 sown among corn to sow the seed upon the ma- 

 nure heap before spreading or laying out into 

 hills. 



3. Nearly all kinds of stock relish them much 

 better than they do carrots, they sell more readi- 

 ly in. market as a garden sauce, and command a 

 higher price. 



SEASONING AVOOD 



for home consumption or for the market is a very 

 important branch of business among farmers at 

 this time, and any information upon this subject 

 seems to me to be of importance. Wood prepared 

 for the stove or open fire while green, corded up 

 in the open air, say two or three months, then 

 securely packed up under cover, is much more 

 valuable than when cured in the condition of 

 four feet, or cord wood. Many kinds of wood, 

 birch in particular, spalt badly unless prepared 

 for the fire while green. To avoid this, when 

 cording up wood for the market or home con- 

 sumption, pile it with the bark up. 



L. L. Pierce. 

 East Jaffreij, N. H., March, 1858. 



THINNING OUT VEGETABLES. 



It was Cobbitt, we think, that remarked, when 

 speaking of the ill effect of thick planting, that 

 one cucumber plant in a hill would bear more 

 fruit than two, two more than four, and so on, 

 and if there were fifty plants in a hill, the whole 

 of them put together bear no cucumbers at all ! 

 The truth is, there is a much greater loss in al- 

 lowing vegetables to stand thickly together than 

 most are at all aware of. To insure a crop, plenty 

 of seed is sown, with the intention of thinning 

 at the proper time ; but when thinning day ar- 

 rives is requires rather more nerve to commit 

 what appears to be the merciless havoc of tearing 

 out nine-tenths of the beautifully growing young 

 plants, than most people possess. A crop of 

 beets has just commenced forming handsome 

 bulbs, precisely one inch asunder in the row ; 

 certainly something of the surgeon's temper is 

 needed to lay nine-tenths of these withering in 

 the sun ; cucumbers are just beginning to throw 

 out their yellow blossoms, and it seems to some 

 a hard matter to tear out three-fourths of the 

 dozen now growing in the hill. It must, howev- 

 er, be done — all the surplus plants in a bed of 

 beets or turnips, or a hill of cucumbers, squashes 

 or melons are to be regarded as so many posi- 

 tive, downright weeds, obstructing the growth of 

 the rest, and yielding but little or nothing them- 

 selves. If our crops are to be crowded and 

 stunted, we would quite as Millingly have it done 

 with pig-weeds and fox-tail, as to have them 

 smothered and the soil exhausted by seeds of 

 their own species. 



Many years ago, when the cultivation of the 

 rutabaga was first introduced, we could invaria- 

 bly distinguish the crops of the novice by the 

 thickly-growing, half-developed bulbs. "O ! but 

 they had thinned them to a very great extent — 

 they had cut out three-fourths, and reduced them 

 from one inch to four inches in distance," whereas 

 none should ever stand nearer than a foot to each 



