390 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



June 20, 1832. 



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Boston, Wednesday Evening, Jnne 20, 1832. 



INDIAN CORN. 



When the plants nre three or four inches higli, 

 run a furrow with a one-horse plougli in the in- 

 tervals between the rows, as near as can he conve- 

 niently done without injuring the plants; making 

 two furrows iu each, turned from the rows ; and 

 then the weeds should be killed with the hand-hoe, 

 and a little fresh earth drawn about the plant — 

 such were the directions of Dr Deane. Judge 

 Peters, of Pennsylvania, however, observed that 

 " wherever the harroic has been fairly tried, its ad- 

 vantages over the ^ZoHg"/!, in corn crops, have been 

 decisively shown." 



Iu Memoirs of the New York Board of Agricul- 

 ture, vol. ii. page 25, it is said, that " every farmer 

 prefers stirring the soil about the hills of corn at 

 least three times during the season ; but they dif- 

 fer considerably as to the times and methods. If 

 the soil is sandy, or a fine loam, it may be liarrow- 

 ed once and ploughed twice, as a substitute for 

 hoeing. But one should go tlirough the field each 

 time, with a hoe, and set up all those hills which 

 have been disturbed by the team or plough. This 

 method is not considered as preferable in any case, 

 excepting where a farmer has land enough and la- 

 bor is high. Three regular hoeings and plough- 

 ings, under all other circumstances, must be pre- 

 ferable. 



POTATOES. 



Potatoes may yet be planted ; and those who 

 havejand to spare for that root, may possibly de- 

 rive benefit from the following directions, copied 

 from the work quoted above. 



Seed potatoes should never be cut ; one whole 

 large potato is sutiicient for a hill. The out side 

 skin of a potato, called the cuticle, is the most du- 

 rable part, and retains the moisture for the use of 

 the young plants, until it is all exhausted. If po- 

 tatoes are cut, the nutritive juice is absorbed in a 

 great measure by the earth. The evil of cutting 

 seed potatoes is more manifest on a dry soil than 

 on a moist. It is a mistaken opinion, that a whole 

 potato is not so good on account of bringing the 

 plants too near together ; for the roots will yield 

 all we seek for, spread in all directions, and fill 

 the hill. 



Potatoes, if planted in a sandy soil, will yield one 

 third more, if a table spoonful of plaster be thrown 

 upon the naked potatoes iu each hill, after they are 

 dropped, and before they are covered. 



Yard manure is very useful if laid over the po- 

 tatoes in each hill, after an inch of soil has been 

 laid on them ; and then the hill covered as deep as 

 usual. But if the manure is laid directly upon the 

 naked seed or under it, a drought will injure the 

 crop. 



The most conveiiient method of raising pota- 

 toes, is to plant them upon the margin of corn- 

 fields. Then a horse may turn upon them when 

 ploughing among the corn, without injury. 



Potatoes should be hoed when first up, just to 

 clear out the weeds, without making any hill. Af- 

 ter they grow up about six or seven inches, they 

 should be liilled up fi)r the last time. If weeds 

 spring up among them, they should be pulled out, 

 not hoed out. For if hoed again, many new po 

 tatoes v.ill set, which will never grow large enough 

 for use but will check the growth of the others. 



CULTURE OF YELLOW LOCUST. 



Tho Robinia pseudo-acacia, or Yellow Locust 

 Tree, is superior to any other kind of wood for 

 ship-tunnels, Miill-cogs, and fence posts, as v/ell as 

 for various other purposes, besides possessing the 

 remarkable property of enriching sandy soils. Its 

 culture is very easy, and may be propagated in 

 great abundance by sowing the seed in April, iMay, 

 or June, in a bed of good sandy loam, which is its 

 favorite soil, and covering half an inch deep. — 

 Previous to sowing, put the seed in a bason, pour 

 scalding water, and let it stand all night ; pick out 

 such seeds as are swollen, and plant them imme- 

 diately ; next evening repeat tlie same process 

 with such as have not swollen the first niglit, mix 

 the whole and sow them ; they will come up in 

 the course of the following month, numerously ; 

 for nn seeds grow more freely. When a year old, 

 transplant them out of the seed-bed into nursery 

 rows, four feet distant, and, plant from plant, one 

 foot in the row. Having two or three years' 

 growth in these rows, they may be planted suc- 

 ccssfidly in any warm and tolerably rich sandy 

 ground. They may also be propagated by suck- 

 ers, which they throw up abundantly, especially if 

 some of the wide-extending roots be cut through 

 with an axe. An acre of these trees, planted at 

 two feet distant each way, will contain 10,890 ; 

 at three feet distant, 4,840; and at four feet dis- 

 tant 2,7"22 ; and it is thought at the South, that no 

 appropriation of land is more lucrative than that 

 devoted to this purpose. 



HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL, 



Kept at the garden of the proprietor of the New Eng- 

 land Farmer, in Lancaster, Mass., thirtyfive miles west 

 from Boston, on the river Na!«hua. 



May 25th. Very cold, snow during the past 

 night, and remains on the surrounding hills till 

 past noon ; rainy, uncomfortable day. Rock Alys- 

 sum (Alyssum saxatile,] Statice, Anienia, and Daisy 

 leaved Catch Fly (Silene bellidifolia,) in bloouj, 

 beautiful dwarf perennial plants. Apple trees in 

 full bloom ; also, Lily of the Valley (Convallaria 

 raceroosa,) and Trillium erectum, handsome indig- 

 enous perennials. Tulips in perfection. 



2<ith. Cold morning, warmer in afternoon, and 

 showery; sowed .Mignonette, Dwarf Case-knife 

 Beans, Musk-melons, and Drumhead Lettuce ; and 

 planted Potatoes. 



28th. Cloudy, part of the day; planted Early 

 IMohawk String Beans, and Melons; cold night. 



2i)th. Frost in some places, very little damage 

 done ; fine day ; planted Sweet Potato Slips, Beans 

 and Melons ; transplanted Ice Plants, Blue Com- 

 melina, and Tri-colored .\maranthus. 



iiOtli. Rainy, gloomy day ; transplanted Indian 

 Shot plants (Canna indica,) and S«eet Potatoes ; 

 boisterous, stormy night, much rain. 



31st. Windy and much rain through the day ; 

 some damage to hot-bed lights ; river very high ; 

 Spiderwort (Tradescanlia virginiea and alba) in 

 bloom, handsome perennials which continue to 

 bloom through the summer ; Coralline Pseony 

 (Pa^onia corallina,) beautiful single Pn=ony ; .-Vn- 

 chusa and Amsonia latifolia, indiflerent perennials : 

 Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris purpurea and alba,) 

 Snowy Phlox (Phlox nivalis,) beautiful dwarf pe- 

 rennial ; Periwinkle (Vinca major, minor andher- 

 bacea,) and Honesty (Lunaria biennis,) in bloom. 

 I Many birds found dead from the inclemencj of the 

 1 weather. 



June 1st. Cloudy greater jiart of the day, more 

 moderate ; transplanted Indian Shot plants and 

 Cypres vine, from hot-bed. 



2(1. Fair weather part of the day, very cold at 

 night aiid squally ; ))lanted Yellow Pole Beans (a 

 new variety from South America,) New Early 

 Orange Squash ; transplanted Thunbergia and 

 Seedling Dahlias, from hot-bed. 



lid. Sunday ; cloudy and rainy. 



4th. Cloudy and cold ; planted Early Long 

 Warted Summer Squash, and sowed new flower 

 seeds from Tuscany and China, in pots ; Sweet 

 Rocket (Hesperis matronalis,) Perennial Flax 

 (Linum perenne,)and Lychnis floscuculi, in bloom, 

 handsome perennials. 



5th. Cloudy and dull ; planted Winter Squash- 

 es, wed Parsnips and Carrots. 



6th. Cloudy and cold ; vegetation at a stand, 

 and prospect very discouraging ; Forget-me-not in 

 bloom, a neat little annual ; planted Persian Mel- 

 ons and more Sweet Potatoes. 



7th. Cloudy, a little warmer, sun shone a few 

 minutes; Senecio Aureus in bloom (indigenous 

 perennial.) Sudden change of weather at one 

 o'clock, P. M.; cold afternoon ; prospect more dis- 

 couraging ; plants which have been taken from 

 hot-bed in danger of perishing. 



8th. Cloudy, sun shone an hour, warmer in 

 forenoon ; su<lden change again at 1, P. M. 

 and cold ; planted more Long Warted Summer 

 Squash. 



illh. Cloudy, warmer in forenoon, colder in af- 

 ternoon ; apple trees still in bloom ; arranged a 

 circular clump of flowers of one hundred hardy 

 annuals, as a specimen flower bed, so planted that 

 the tallest are in the centre descending down to 

 the outer circle which are d wart plants, no two 

 flowers of a color or shape beside each other, think 

 it will have a pleasing eflect ; transplanted Ice 

 Plants, anrl fine imported Balsams, from hot-bed ; 

 hoed Early Jefltrson Corn, and planted over 

 where destroyed by worms and cold ; Peas have 

 been hoed and look fine. 



10th. Sunday ; cloudy. 

 ■ 11th. Cloudy morning, a little rain ; 10 o'clock 

 the sun shines, fine warm day, prospect a little 

 more encouraging ; Iris plicata and Pseonia offi- 

 cinalis in bloom; Cypripedium in bloom, curious 

 indigenous perennial. 



The season is at this time at least twelve days 

 later than it was last year, if I may judge from the 

 blooming of flowers. Seed onions and beets look 

 very promising ; the onions which were sowed, 

 very bail ; they came up well four weeks ago, and 

 have declined for three weeks, many have i)erish- 

 ed beyond all liope, and some parts of the beds 

 will be so thin as hardly to pay ibr weeding — 

 Long Blood Beet is making its appearance and 

 looks promising ; Lettuce, Carrots and Parsnips, 

 well, but very backward ; the Cabbages, Spinage, 

 Salsify, Tomatoes, Sage, Summer-savory, Rliu- 

 barb, <i;c, came up well and only want wami 

 weather; Beans are trying to pu^h themselves out 

 of the ground today ; Sweet Potatoes in the same 

 condition as when planted, grubs have destroyed 

 some of them. Seeds in the Flower Garden come 

 u]) well and the more hardy kinds are in good con- 

 dition ; but the tender annuals, and particularly 

 such as were taken from the hot-bed, very bad, 

 but think they will start soon. 



Liberality consists not so much in giving a great 

 deal as in giving seasonably. 



