46 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. 1 



It leaves the meadow as clean as is done by 

 a common rake. The cost of making is not 

 more than three or four dollars. 



The drawing of it, at the head of this ar- 

 ticle, was taken from an instrument in the 

 possession of Wm. R. Smith, of Macedon, 

 Wayne county, N. York, on whose farm its 

 usefulness has been fully proved, and under 

 whose direction it was first constructed. 



Clover L.ays. 



It will undoubtedly be remembered that 

 innumerable experiments have proved that 

 clover lays, turned under, make an admirable 

 dressing for a crop of wheat the next year. — 

 Clover, if we mistake not, is a biennial — 

 that is, lasting but two years: after flowerino- 

 and going to seed the second summer, the 

 roots begin to decay, and ultimately die out 

 and leave the soil for the Herd's grass, or 

 other plants which may be sowed with the 

 clover. Hence it will be well, in order to 

 make the most of the roots as a dressing for 

 the wheat, to plough them under as early in 

 the season after haying as can conveniently 

 be done — by the following spring, the sod 

 has become decayed and in a good state to 

 promote the growth of the future crop. — 

 Maine Farmer. 



New Castle County, Delaware. 



It affords us no little pleasure to inform our 

 readers that an Agricultural Society has been 

 organized by the intelligent and spirited farm- 

 ers in New Castle County, Delaware. It is 

 known as the "Agricultural Society of 

 New Castle County." All citizens of the 

 county are eligible to membership, on the 

 payment of five dollars annually by land- 

 holders, and two dollars and fifty cents by 

 tenants. The Constitution limits "the efforts 

 of the Society to " Agriculture, Horticulture 

 and the rearing of Silk," and it is made the 

 duty of the Directors (18 in number) to col- 

 lect and communicate information, touching 

 improvements in husbandry, gardening, and 

 the growth of silk, and implements used in 

 their cultivation. From the high character 

 of the gentlemen engaged in the organization 

 of this Society, we anticipate for it an onward 

 and a prosperous course. It will have a ten- 

 dency to arouse the citizens of our sister state 

 to a serious consideration of their true inter- 

 ests; and will lead, we hope, to the formation 

 of similar societies in every county in tiio 

 Peninsula. Our friends in New Castle, have 

 gone to work m the right way. Previous to 

 the organization of the Society, we learn that 

 seventy-six gentlemen "impressed with the 

 importance of placing it on a secure and per- 

 manent basis," pledged themselves to pay the 

 sum of five dollars annually, for the ne.\t five 

 years. We presume that this number has 



greatly increased. We hope that every in 

 telligent and enterprising farmer in the cour 

 ty, will forthwith become a member of th 

 Society, and share in its blessings. 



We have the names of only two of the ofE 

 cers. J. H. Gibbons, Corresponding Secre 

 tary; James Camby, Treasurer — both wi 

 presume of Wilmington. 



From the Ohio Review. 



Culture of Ruta Baga. 



Having seen much published upon the sut 

 ject of raising ruta baga, all which has fel 

 short of the crop I took last fall from a smal 

 piece of ground, I am induced to give not or 

 ly the amount, bnt the manner of cultivaliiio 

 To give the amount alone of any particula 

 crop, without the manner of cultivating, i 

 no benefit to any one. 



I had a piece of dry sandy land, facing th 

 south which I wished to prepare for a fru; 

 garden and make more rich, and level tha 

 I could do by ploughing. I therefore covei 

 ed the ground about an inch thick with m£ 

 nure, and with a spade dug and turned in th 

 whole, to the full depth of the spade, takin 

 care that each load was covered as soon a 

 possible after spreading, to prevent loss b 

 evaporation. This was done, or finishec 

 the 5th of June. I then waited until I dii' 

 covered indications of rain, which I thin 

 was on the tenth of the same month, whe 

 I immediately took a hand with me and con 

 menced raking the ground with an iro 

 rake. I next took a large rake made of thre 

 inch scantling, with five teeth, ///««? incht 

 apart, and havinga man to hold, drew it acro$' 

 the ground, the direction which I wished i 

 have the rows run, making five marks. A 

 ter that, we placed one outside tooth in or 

 outside mark, making four marks, unt 

 the whole was completed. I then droppe 

 the seed quite thick in every row excej 

 the last eight, where I skipped ever 

 other row, leaving them thirty inche 

 apart, instead of fifteen. They came up i 

 a very few days. I then took of gypsur 

 one part, of ashes two parts, and bavin, 

 mixed the same, sprinkled about a quart pe 

 rod on each row. 



In five or six days I thinned them out, s 

 as to leave them from four to six inches apart 

 Ten days after I hoed them lightly, and gav 

 them another dressing as before, which wa 

 all the labor bestowed upon them, until the; 

 were pulled. 



From five rods of the ground planted fif 

 teen inches apart, I gathered 61 bushels 

 measured in a two bushel measure, weighinj 

 58 pounds to the bushel, which would mak( 

 1,952 bushels to the acre,or 113,'316 pounds 

 equal to 50 tons 1,516 pounds. From th( 



