No. 1. 



Top-Dressing. — On Sheltering Sheep. 



31 



during winter. I was not conveniently situ- 

 ated for the experiment the present year, and 

 am now desirous of hearing from those who 

 have entered upon their cultivation, that I 

 may be prepared the next spring, by sub- 

 soiling a portion of land in the autumn and 

 burying long manure, according to a plan 

 proposed of late, and which I conceive would 

 be very likely to insure large crops. I find 

 there are two species of the white carrot, the 

 most productive being that which makes a 

 large portion of its root above ground : it has 

 been lately cultivated in the Island of Jersey 

 —that country so famous for the last century 

 for parsneps as cattle-feed — and from accounts 

 published by Colonel Le Couteur, to whom 

 the world is indebted for a most valuable 

 treatise on wheat, and who is a host in him- 

 self, the success attending it is complete; he 

 says, " In Jersey, the prize crop of parsneps 

 this year afforded 24 tons to the acre, while 

 the white carrot, a prize crop also, which 

 I have cultivated experimentally, gave me 

 nearly 33 tons to the acre ; an enormous crop, 

 which, if equal to the parsnep for butter, will 

 of course supersede it, as my parsnep crop in 

 the same field, and cultivated alike, only pro- 

 duced 16i tons an acre, which, nevertheless, 

 was a very fair crop." I remember seeing 

 roots of the white carrot the last winter which 

 weighed more than two pounds each, and 

 hope to find some well grown at the exhibi- 

 tion of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, 

 on the 29tli and 30th September next — and 

 where, too, I trust we shall meet with many 

 agricultural friends from distant parts of the 

 country: I certainly anticipate much pleasure 

 and happiness of the right sort on that occa- 

 sion of mutual reciprocity. H. 



Chester County. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Top-l>ressing. 



On a late visit to the delightful gardens of 

 Mr. Biiist, in 12th street below Pine, I saw 

 the principle of top-dressing carried out on a 

 plan that I had never before witnessed — seve- 

 ral large beds of dwarf roses are covered to 

 the depth of two inches with perfectly rotted 

 dung, in which it does not seem that a single 

 weed has ever made its appearance. The 

 plants exhibit a high degree of health and 

 vigour, and judging from this instance, I am 

 prepared to believe that the system would be 

 as applicable to the farm as to the garden. I 

 have therefore turned to the papers on this 

 subject, which have of late appeared in the 

 Cabinet, and re-perused them with increased 

 interest. Indeed the theory is very plausible, 

 as we can readily conceive, that if this body 

 of manure had been buried at the roots of 

 these rose-trees, the effects would indeed 

 have been deleterious. 



In Mr. Buist's garden, I saw also the Bok- 

 hara clover in bloom : its flowers are diminu- 

 tive, white, pea-blossom shaped, and hung on 

 spikes at the top of the plant : judging from 

 appearance, it will be long before a quantity 

 of seed sufficient to sow much land will be 

 procured, but in all probability the cultivation 

 might be extended by the root, after the 

 method practised with lucerne, by cutting 

 off the crown of the plant an inch or so 

 below the surface, and dividing it by slips, 

 which, if planted separately and watered, will 

 readily take root and produce abundantly, the 

 root which remains in the ground forming 

 another head and throwing up other shoots 

 in great profusion ; and thus the cultivation 

 might be extended very expeditiously. The 

 walks in these very pleasant and extensive 

 gardens are covered with exhausted tan from 

 the pits, and are thus rendered dry and clean 

 even in the worst weather. This plan should 

 be adopted generally, as it also prevents the 

 growth of weeds, saving one half the labour 

 of cleaning. C. 



On Sheltering Sheep. 

 I WISH to see the whole race of hardy 

 sheep extirpated from the soil. Instead of a 

 race, hardy, wild, starved, comfortless, dis- 

 eased and thinly clad with the shaggy, coarse, 

 open coat of the goat or the wolf, let us sub- 

 stitute upon our mountains and plains a well- 

 fed, cultivated sheep, with a comfortable and 

 sufficient inside lining of nourishing food, and 

 the external defence from the cold, of a thick, 

 close and valuable fleece; his health and 

 strength and real hardiness supported by 

 shelter, whenever nature may point out to 

 him the need of it. Let us hear no more the 

 distressing and disgraceful accounts of the 

 numbers of sheep perishing with cold, but of 

 the numbers preserved, and of the merit of 

 flock-masters in their plans of winter protec- 

 tion. While the notions of hardiness prevail, 

 and of sheep that will starve within an inch 

 of their lives, there can be but little hope of 

 the improvement of which they are suscepti- 

 ble, and to which this country ought to as- 

 pire ; there are none that ought to be exposed 

 without some kind of shelter to the rigours 

 of the winter and early spring, or without a 

 sufficiency of food to support them in a thriv- 

 ing state ; these things are necessary, if it be 

 intended to force the growth of their fleece 

 to its utmost weight, and to preserve the 

 quality, in its highest degree of condition and 

 fineness. It matters not how much an ani- 

 mal eats, provided it pays for it. — Lawrence. 



The individual who lives a life of temper- 

 ance and virtue, and partakes daily of sufl5- 

 cient active exercise, requires no opiate to 

 lull him to repose. 



