88 



The Beet Culture. — Cheap Roofs. 



Vol. VL 



beet is troublesome and laborious, but if the 

 crop will pay for it, that is all that ought to 

 be required; it is a fallow crop, and when 

 well-managed, will be found of superlative 

 importance on a stock-farm, besides lengthen- 

 ing the chain a link in a rotation of crops, by 

 introducing one that is uncxiiausting and 

 cleansing; and tiiat is all that an active and 

 intelligent farmer should expect; but he must 

 be bolh, to insure the success of such culti- 

 vation. Yet, after this, " to have no crop," is 

 bad indeed, and the cause ought to be inves- 

 tigated : is it that the soil is unproductive, or 

 was the seed defective ] I suspect the latter, 

 for very much of that which was disposed of 

 the last season was extremely light and poor, 

 although generally sold as imported — the 

 truth of which I strongly suspected at the 

 time. Or, was it for the want of deeper 

 ploughing to break up the hard-pan- — an evil 

 which is seldom suspected, because out of 

 sight, but which is the ruin of thousands of 

 acres of crops, subjecting them to starvation 

 in a season of drought, and mildew and dis- 

 ease in a time of great moisture, prevent- 

 ing the superabundance from passing away 

 through the subsoil, when it remains to chill 

 and putrefy the lateral roots of the plants ; 

 and then come diseases of all kinds, bugs, 

 lice, flies, &c. ; and to this hidden cause is 

 no doubt often to be attributed, the rising of 

 the crops in a time of frost — an evil of incal- 

 culable magnitude. 



But the greatest of all defects in the sys- 

 tem of agriculture practised amongst us is, 

 the neglect of cultivation at the fall of the 

 year, and preparation during the winter; — 

 for we thus throw too much of our labour 

 into the spring months, at which time a fort- 

 night lost can never be regained, for every 

 fortnight has its duties which must be per- 

 formed and can not be neglected ; and on 

 stiff and cold soils, and in such seasons as the 

 past, the evil is increased tenfold by neglect- 

 ing fall-ploughing. All land designed for 

 corn, oats, and green and root crops, should 

 be ploughed deep during the autumn or early 

 winter, being first spread with long dung, 

 where that is intended to be given, and can 

 be obtained : the oats to be sown in the spring 

 — as early as February if the season will ad- 

 mit — without a second ploughing, harrowing 

 them well into the frost-shaken surface of the 

 land, which forms an admirable seed-bed, by 

 no means so liable to be overrun with weeds 

 as fresh-turned land at that season of the 

 year: and thus a fortnight might be gained, 

 to be devoted to the cleaning of the root- 

 crops in the spring. But this system I con- 

 fess I do not expect to see practised amongst 

 us for many a long year to come; our neces- 

 sities do not require such a forestalling of 

 labour, and we can procure the means of liv- 



ing easily without it : it is not to be expected 

 from those who can support a family of eleven 

 persons on the third-part of a farm valued at 

 $4,000 only, according to Professor Colman's 

 interesting account detailed in the same No. 

 of the Cabinet: so I suppose we shall grum- 

 ble and go on. Tyro. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Cheap Roofs. 



The simple mode of roofing out-houses by 

 nailing thin boards on light rafters, may be 

 introduced to very great advantage, particu- 

 larly in the country. It is only to subject the 

 boards before using to the action of fire, by 

 way of thoroughly seasoning them ; nail 

 them on immediately, and cover them with 

 sheathing-paper and a dressing of tar; and 

 a covering, almost for a life-time, may safely 

 be calculated upon. 



The rafters, 3 inches deep, lA thick ; the 

 boards half-an-inch thick, straightened on the 

 edges and closely nailed. The following 

 composition for covering such a roof was era- 

 ployed at Wickham twenty years ago, and is 

 at the present time as good as when first 

 laid. The roof is nearly flat, having a run 

 of one inch only to the foot, the boards being 

 securely nailed and covered with a course of 

 sheathing-paper, such as is used under the 

 copper-sheathing of ships, made fast by small 

 flat-headed nails. To 8 gallons of common 

 tar, add 2 gallons of Roman cement, 5 lbs. of 

 resin and 3 lbs. of tallow ; boil and well-stir 

 the ingredients so as thoroughly to incorpo- 

 rate them, and lay on to the roof while hot, 

 with a brush, spreading it very evenly; then 

 sprinkle it while hot with sharp, sifted sand, 

 and when cold, tar and sand as before, after 

 which a single coat of tar once in five or six 

 years will preserve the roof for an age. 



To the above may be added, an incombus- 

 tible, impenetrable wash, prepared according 

 to the following directions. Slake stone-lime 

 with hot water in a tub, covering it to keep 

 in the steam ; pass six quarts of it through a 

 sieve, it being in the state of fine dry pow- 

 der, and add to it one quart of fine salt and 

 two gallons of water, boiling and skimming 

 it. To every five gallons of this boiled mix- 

 lure, add one pound of alum, half-a-pound of 

 copperas, and by slow degrees half-a-pound 

 of potash and four quarts of fine sharp sand. 

 The mixture will now admit of any colour- 

 ing-matter that might be preferred, and is to 

 be applied with a brush. It looks better than 

 paint, and is as durable as stone ; it will stop 

 leaks in a roof, prevent the moss from grow- 

 ing and injuring the wood, rendering it in- 

 combustible ; and when laid upon brick-work, 

 causing it to become impenetrable to rain or 

 moisture. G. D. 



