NMW E]^€J1.AND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at thk Agricoltobal Warkhouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. X. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 8, 1832. 



NO. 30. 



(S(E»SLisa'jfrs:ra^iiaa®srg9 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



HORTICULTURAL PREMIUMS, &c. 



Mr Fess£\den — It was with imicli pleasure 

 that I noticed in your last No. your intentions of 

 inserting weekly in your valuable paper, original 

 commuuieatious on the general growth, manage- 

 ment, and cuhivation of the different varieties of 

 garden vegetables, and our most esteemed fruits. 

 Undoubtedly with the knowledge and zeal with 

 which some of our eminent and scientific men 

 are possessed, you will have plenty of able, and 

 intelligent contributors ; and will be able to furnish 

 much useful information, and add nuich more to 

 the already well earned reputation of your paper. 

 Of what advantage to the public is that which any 

 scientific man discovers, new and interesting, unless 

 it be widely, and extensively circulated ? and 

 thi'ough what medium can this be more properly 

 done than through that of papers, or periodicals. 

 Much has been, and much more can still be done ; 

 indeed, there is no end to the improvements which 

 are yet to be made iji jiractical, and experimeiital 

 horticulture. Few if any of the pursuits which 

 occupy the mind of man, have of late received 

 more attention, (especially in England) than the 

 study of this distinguished science. Look back 

 to the time, when those houses called conservato- 

 ries were heated liy making large holes in the 

 ground, and filling them with peat or ashes ; and 

 then look at the elegant, neat, .ind perfect system, 

 now coming almost universally into use, the heat- 

 ing of the same, or similar houses by hot water; 

 this is, however, but one, and almost the least of 

 the many, and equally rapid, and useful improve- 

 ments which are yearly and continually made. 



I was led to make these remarks, on reading 

 in one of your late numbers a communication 

 respecting 'Agricultural Premiums.' I read it with 

 extreme pleasure, as my views were in exact 

 accordance with those of your correspondent. 

 No pains should be spared that will give encour- 

 agement, and stimulate our intelligent and 

 industrious farmers. Agriculture and Horticulture 

 may be said to go hand in hand together ; they both 

 have alike received the attention of rich and poor. 

 How often is it that we pass the humble cottager's 

 httle farm, and see his pastures clothed with green, 

 his fields with the ripening corn, and the blushing 

 grapes hanging in clusters from his little vineyard ; 

 and perhaps a little patch in front of bis dwelling, 

 blooming in nature's most vivid colors ? 



But I have digressed from the course in which I 

 intended to have written at first. My attention is 

 to speak a few words in relation to ' horticultural' 

 premiinns ; not that I wish to dictate to any one 

 how, or what should be done, but merely to offer 

 a few suggestions with respect to the awarding of 

 premiums, and to point out what I think, gross 

 iuequalities in the lists for the last two years. In 

 the first place — take the list for garden vegetables, 

 and what do we find. A prize of one dollar for 

 a dozen Beets ; a dozen Carrots, &;c, &c, the 

 same ; Cucumbers raised in the open air, two dollars, 

 and those forced but one .' Is not here a great 

 mistake ? Why, does not almost every person who 



knows anything of raising such vegetables, know 

 that to grow a Beet, or Carrot, requires but little 

 more than a mere novice — while to force a Cucum- 

 ber is one of the first requisites of a perfect 

 gardener .' What kind of a gardener would he 

 be thought (especially in England) who on inquiry 

 whether he could force Cucumbers, Grapes, and 

 Melons, what a one, I ask, would he be thought, 

 slioidd he say he could not ? Why, no gardener 

 at all, unless some jobbing one (and there are many 

 here and there) as lets himself to dig, milk, bake, 

 &c, (and as the phraseology goes) ' have no 

 objection to take care of a horse or gig.' The 

 same remarks will apply to the premimns on 

 grapes raised in the open air, and those forced. 



And again, the flower lists present the same 

 mistakes ; here we have five dollars for Chinese 

 Chrysanthemums, and only three for Tulips, two for 

 Hyacinths, and two foi Ranuncules, that on 

 Chrysanthemums as much as that on Tulip and 

 Ranuncules together ; those who are adepts in 

 the art of raising these delightful flowers, those 

 I ask, which requires the most care ? Will a 

 Tulij), or a Ranunculus grow from a mere cutting 

 and perfect its flowers in one season ? Certainly 

 not ! and does not the compost in which Chrysanthe- 

 mums are grown, require at least to be mixed one 

 year before it is used in order that it may become 

 pure, and sweet, so as not to injure, or destroy 

 their splendid and beautiful colors .' Again I say, 

 certainly not ! All then must be aware that the 

 i;rii:es are here also very unequally distributed. 

 Undoubtedly, with many, it is not so much the 

 sum of the prizes, as the credit of being the most 

 skilful grower ; but there are many, especially 

 those who make a busmess of raising these ele- 

 gant plants, that like to be well paid for their 

 trouble ; and were they raised double and more 

 equally adjusted, it might compensate them more 

 fully for the care which is absolutely necessary, to 

 procure a beautiful bloom ; and would, I think, be 

 the only means, by which the society's, show 

 glasses will be filled so as to present any imconimon 

 assemblage of those elegant, and truly styled 

 queens of flowers. 



There is also wanting a system in regard to 

 awarding premiums, a system like, or similar to 

 those now existing among the first horticultural 

 societies in England ; at least it is certain, that 

 some new method should be adopted, different 

 from that of the last two years ^ as it seems there 

 has not been general satisfaction given ; and unless 

 there is one adopted we may soon despair of ever 

 having but very few interesting or gratifying 

 shows. Let us imagine a show of fifty glasses of 

 Tulips, fifty of Hyacinths, and fifty of Ranuncu- 

 lus ; all this I think we might have, if everything 

 is managed as it should be ; to be sure the society 

 is yet but in its infancy, and will improve yearly. 

 The manner in which some of the Horticultural, 

 and Floricultural societies in England award their 

 premiums, (and this I have had from those who 

 have been present) is as follows. The pots, 

 lasses, or whatever the plants or flowers may be 

 in, are arranged in rows, or on the stands, and 

 every pot or glass is numbered as it is brought in ; 



enter and make their selections, without the least 

 knowledge of either the owner, or grower ; and 

 they hardly, if ever, fail to give the utmost satis- 

 faction. And thus it frequently happens, that the 

 poor and hundjie cottager, who can find an hour 

 or two af^er his irksome day's work to s])end in 

 his httle garden, and attend to the delightt'id task 

 of raising a few Pinks, Carnations, Tulips, Ran- 

 unculus &c, is the successful competitor. But I 

 am taking up too much room in your useful paper, 

 to follow the subject any farther at present. For 

 myself, I should like to hear the opinion of many 

 gentlemen upon the same subject. And I again 

 repeat that these are but mere suggestions, and 

 are made with the only view of advancing the 

 true interests of the important science of Horti- 

 culture and Floriculture. 



Should I be able to contribute anything in the 

 way of information through your paper, you may 

 perliaps hear again from your friend, 



Cambridge, Jan. 30, 1832. RnsTiccs. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



CULTURE OF RUTA BAGA. 



3Ir Editor — -I send you a few observations 

 upon the culture of the Ruta Baga ; if you consid- 

 er them worth publishing they are at your service. 



The way that I think best for raising this crop, 

 is as follows. The year before, take a piece of 

 green sward in the spring, give it a good manuring 

 with green dung, spread it evenly over the ground 

 and plough it ■cder. At the proper time plant 

 with corn, taking particular care to let no weeds 

 go to seed during the whole season. After the 

 corn is gathered, there is no more to be done to 

 the ground, for I do by no means approve of fall 

 ploughing, though I once had a different opinion, 

 but now think it to be injurious to any soil suitable 

 for turnips. 



The next spring, as soon as the ground is 

 sufficiently dry, it is ploughed ; then let it remain a 

 little more than three weeks longer, and plough 

 again, and at the end of three weeks more plough 

 the third time and give it a good harrowing. By 

 this time, if the land is what it should be, it is in 

 good condition to receive the plants, which sliould 

 be set as soon as possible after the barrowings. 

 The intermediate time between the ploughing 

 will give nearly all the seeds of weeds a chance 

 and time to sprout that may remain in the ground. 

 These operations will bring it to about the first of 

 July, which is not too early to insure a large crop. 

 To procure the plants the seed should be sown on 

 a separate piece of land in the early part of June, 

 but I should recommend to not sow so thick as is 

 generally practised. If the plants stand too thick 

 before trai]Si)lanting, they never take good roots 

 but are sickly and tender, the turnips will have 

 long slim necks and not grow near so large, round, 

 or handsome. 



The form of setting is in rows two feet apart, 

 and the plants within a foot of each other in the 

 row.s. The most expeditious way of setting that 

 I have ever seen practised, is for some person to 

 go before and drop the plants singly at the distance 



above mentioned ; he is followed by two others 

 the committee then being absent, they afterwards | with very small wooden shovels or slices, — with 



