52 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Aiifr. 31, 1831. 



niiitiiig ull the labor, the average expeuse to me 

 has been from 6 to 8 cents the yard. 



The system of underdraining has nowhere in 

 this coimtry, to iny knowledge, been so succtssfidly 

 adopted as on a farm of 250 acres, belonging to H. 

 W. Delavan, Esq. oCBallston. This gentleman, dis- 

 tinguished alike for intelligence and enterprise, has 

 in a few years, nearly quadrupled his products, by 

 underdraiuing and other judicious management. 

 Extensive fields, that abounded in springs and 

 poachy ground, and which made but a sorry return 

 for the expense of cultivation, have been reclaimed 

 and ameliorated, anil rendered highly productive and 

 the whole farm now exhibits one of the best .speci- 

 mens of neat and profitable husbandry that is to be 

 found in our country. A detail of his farming op'e- 

 rations, particularly in draining, would be highly 

 interesting and useful ; and from the laudable am- 

 bition this gentleman has always manifested to be 

 useful to his country, I venture to say he woidd 

 not withhold a detail of Ids agricultural improve- 

 ments, if requested to furnish it for your join-nal. 



Jllbamj, Aug. 22, 1831. J. Uuel. 



We should be happy to receive and publish any 

 communicfilions relative to the improvements al- 

 luded to. — Editor. 



PRESERVATION OF THE SWEET 

 POTATO. 



Mr Fessenden — Tlie successful culiivaiion of 

 this valuable addition to our edibles, depending, 

 i^i some measure, on the preservation of the seed 

 tubers through the winter season, in a state fit 

 for germination, the discovery of some adequate 

 means fur atcairnng this object was ileemed an 

 interesting subject for chemical investigation. Al- 

 lliongli partial success only has attended the ex- 

 perimenls inslitnted thus far, a more correct knowl- 

 edge of the circunislaiices uniler which the de- 

 Composing changes take place, has been obtained, 

 and we have reason for the conclusion, that an 

 exact method is within the scope of careful ex- 



in vegetables, or to use it, in a condit'On to absorb 

 or impart moisture, as its temperature is dimiidsh- 

 ed or ivrreased. In contact with moist vegetable 

 matter, if generates carbonic acid, a gas, which in 

 moderate quantities is not prejudicial to vegetation 

 and which possesses antisi'ptic jiowers, in a high 

 degree. With this substance the following exper- 

 iments were made. 



Late in Nov. lSi9, a quantity of marketable 

 charcoal was reduced to a coarse powder and free- 

 ly exposed to the solar rays several hours. Some 

 small tubers from seed of the Virginia kind of 

 sweet i>otatoes, raised on the estate of John Low- 

 ell, Esq. after being dried were packed in a cask 

 with the prepared charcoal, in such a manner, that 

 each root was surrounded by it and the separate 

 layers had a distance of half an inch. The cask 

 was imperfectly closed and placed in a silnalii n, 

 where the teniperaiure for several months of cold 

 weather varied but little from 60 Fah. Afierafevv 

 weeks from the contraction of the wood, the hoops 

 dropped and the joints were quite open, no further 

 alteration was noticed. About the middleof .\pril 

 1830, the contents of the cask were inspected, those 

 roots which occupied the sides nearest the cask 

 were dry and liritile, those nearer the centre were 

 perfectly healthy and well preserved, many of them 

 having sprouts and put out embryo leaves; a 

 few had decaye<l and rendered the charcoal moist 

 and warm in the vicinity : oftlie whole quantity put 

 up, a few less than one half, were in a slate fit for 

 immediate cultivaliou. These were planted by Mr 

 Wyujan and in the usual season, the table was sup- 

 plied fiom this source. 



From the results of this experiment, it was in- 

 feredthat the charcoal was too dry when first used 

 and that the situation was objectionable, from the 

 temperature beirig loo high. 



Early in Nov. 1830, some charcoal which had 

 been laid on moist earlh, for the absorplioji of mois- 

 ture was reduced to a coarse [jowder and u^ed for 

 packing in the same way ; some of the tubers pro- 

 duced from 'he subjects of the former experiment, 

 inal source 



jienmentiMg. 



Having received the assistance of Mr Isaac i together with more from the o 

 Wyman of Roxbury, in that jiart of the cxper- ' part of these, were cut and bruised by the hoe, all 

 imeut relating to the cultivation of the preserved ' were fresh from the earlh. The cask containing 

 seed, I consiilcr, that if the experiments are of any [them, was placed in a larger one, and the space of 

 practical value, much of it is due to his attention. ' om-, or more inches in width all round, was filled 



In a theoretical point of \iew, the attainment of, with ashes: — the experiment noted as A. 

 the object depends on the following circumslances. ' Another cask was filled as before, but the char- 



1. In choosing a situation where the temperature | coal wasmoistene<l, the containing cask was en- 



is such, as not to destroy the germinative powe of 

 the seed by desiccation, or to excite it to act 

 prematurely; so regulated, that congelation of the 

 juices could not take place, and so equable, that 

 sudden changes would not occur. 



2. The absence of an excess of tnoistm-e, over 

 that naturally belonging to the tubers, and essen- 

 tial to their healthy state. 



3. The presence of an atmosphere, favor:d)ie to 

 vegetable life and if possible, [)ossesslng antisep- 

 tic power. 



The closest approximation to these properties 

 is found in a medium of loosely compacted, pow- 

 dered charcoal. Its feeble conducting powers 

 render an elevation, or rediiclion of temperature, 

 within the mass, from any cause without, almost 

 impossible, and the same property enables it to re- 

 tain its original temperature for a long time un- 

 changed. Its relations to moisture are such, that, 

 we are enabled to render it so dry and absofbenf. 



closed iu another; the experiment noted as B. 



The third cask was filled as the others, but the 

 charcoal was rendered sensibly wet, the cask was 

 not enclosed. Another situation was chosen, the 

 temperature of whi(h,was seldom so low as 32 Fab. 

 nor higher than 60 ; in this the casks were placed 

 until the termination of the experiments. 



About the 1st of April, 1831, the casks were 

 opened, that of experiment A. ccmtaiidng nuich 

 moist charcoal ; a part of the tubers had vegetated, 

 ])ut out leaves or shoots, and decomposed into a 

 soft moist matter, another portion was advancing 

 to the same state, some with shoots were perfectly 

 sou7id and healthy and ull which had been cut or 

 bruised were sound and just sprouting. More than 

 one iialf of the original quantity was fit for plan- 

 ting, and many of those rejected as worthless, re- 

 sumed, under inore favorable circumstances, their 

 usual jiowers. 



Experiment B. served only to establish the fact. 



as to prove a powerful desiccator ; so moist, as to of the prejudicial influence of too much moisture, 

 form a vegetating source and hasten putrefaction I a few only of the roots were preserved, the rest, 



without any traces ol' vegelaiion, had decompos 

 in the cask containing wet chaicoal, puirefai-tion 

 had taken plai-c, no tracesol' organization reiiiain- 

 iiig. The results of experiment A. are such as 

 to alford grounds lor the conclusion, expressed in 

 the first part of this jjaper; we have only to vary- 

 in a degree, our mode of experitneuiing, to over- 

 come any diffirullies which have been observed. 

 The most important and fivoralde indicaiion is, 

 that in every instance, vegetation had preceded de- 

 composition, that it had arrived at a stage, in which 

 it required a change of simatiou, or premaiure de- 

 cay was induced. To check ihe disp<.siiion Jo 

 vegetate and still maintain the circumsiai.ces as 

 nearly the .same as possible, will bean object iD 

 future ; experiment titnl acciilent has pcdnted out 

 to us, one mode, in which this cfTecl may be pro- 

 duced. It is probable also, that if the time ill 

 which the subjects are exposed, ^vas shortened by 

 removuig them from their original situation, to one 

 recently pre])ared, of the same material in the 

 same state, complete success woold be insured. 

 Roxbury, ^-ithJhig. A. A. Haves. 



DESTRUCTION OF INSECTS. 



Mr Fessende.n — Now is the time to destroy 

 caterpillars. The eggs, from wdiich they are pro- 

 duced, are now to be found in bunches on th» 

 twigs ol' fruit trees. By taking off those bunches 

 the vermin are destroyed in the egg. The color 

 of the bunches is now so miu-h darker than the 

 bark of the twig, that they are easily found ; it 

 will, by degrees, become lighter, until it will be 

 very near the color of the bark. The eggs are 

 laid in July. They remain, where laid, unatfected 

 by change of weather, by frost or heat, until 

 spring, when tln'y are hatcheil by the flowing of 

 the sap, and vegetative jjower of the twig. Each 

 bunch of eggs will proiluce a swarm of tatei^- 

 pillars that will have a nest by themselves. The 

 nest is usually built on the branch that bore the 

 twig on whieli llie eggs were laid. .As caterpil- 

 lars have no disposition to leave the tree, on which 

 they were hatched, until the time when they leave 

 their nest and separate to come ('■gether no more, 

 it is very easy to leep small trees free from their 

 iiesis, by destroying the eggs. 



I found, the first week in July, this year, that 

 miiy bunches of eggs were then laid on my peach 

 trees, and small apple trees. I have since taken 

 from those trees more than five times the number 

 of bunches of eggs that I have ever before seen 

 on such trees in one year. If in other places, 

 such quantities of eggs are laid as were on my 

 trees, and they be not destroyed before hatching, 

 the caterpillars, next spring, will eat all before 

 them, in spite of all opposition. 



A few twigs, with bunches of eggs on them, 

 taken from a peach tree, anrl from an ajiple tree, 

 the 26th of July, will be sent, wiili this, lo you, 

 to be shewn to any person, who may wish to see 

 them. For that purpose will yon be pleased, 

 oficially, to receive and dispose of them and of 

 this,as the safety and beauty of fruit trees, another 

 year, may seem to you to require. .\ Farmer. 



iff mar/i's by the Editor. — .\ little attention to the 

 objects recommendeil above will save much time 

 anil labor, and much more effectually accomplish 

 the destruction of caterpillars iu many instances, 

 than can in any other way he accomplished. Thie 

 twigs mentioned by our correspondent, with the 

 eggs of the insects attached to them may be seen 

 at the office of the New England Farmer. 



