282 



THE FARMERS CABINET, 



VOL. r. 



or ox is four years old before it is profitable to 

 sell. But there is another difficulty. 1 liave 

 before observed that there was wanting, for 

 the consumption in the United State?, from 

 45 to 75,000 acres. The amount of Madder 

 roots, for planting, dug la.st fall, was 1000 

 bushels. There will bo planted this spruig, 

 say something more than 100 acres; next 

 fall there will be for sale, roots amounting to 

 250 bushels, and next year, enough to plant 

 200 acres. Probably it will take ten years 

 or more, to procure a supply of roots to plant, 

 equal to the consumption of 1835 — 6 or 7. I 

 iiave before me a communication from a re- 

 spectable correspondent, detailing the mode 

 of cultivation in Holland and France, together 

 with queries, requesting my answers, which 

 I will most cheerfully give, and which will 

 be forwarded to be inserted in your paper, 

 should you deem the above worthy of publi- 

 cation. 



I have, for many years past, believed that 

 the soil and climate of Ohio, was peculiarly 

 favorable to the culture of silk, madder, and 

 the grape for making wine; and having re- 

 sided here in course of the last and present 

 years, several months, I have been more and 

 more confirmed in that opinion. What hin- 

 ders this State from rising in rank above New 

 York 1 Let every farmer take an agricultural 

 paper, and improve the privileges that nature 

 has given them. I have examined the soil and 

 privileges of this country in particular, and 

 do not hesitate to say, I believe that it equals 

 any part of the United States. There is, I 

 believe, no desirable fruit or grain that grows 

 north of Philadelphia, but wiiat flourishes 

 here. It is certainly a most desirable soil 

 and climate, compared with thatoftho middle 

 ';ouncios of New York. Many of the farm- 

 ers of this section, only skim the surface of 

 the land with the plough. What hinders 

 the water, in the spring and fall, from settling 

 in the ground through the sub soil, and burst- 

 ing out in springs ? Shallow ploughing. 



Whac hinders the farmer from obtaining thirtv 



wheat to the acrel- 



-Shallow 



bushels of 



ploughing. I wish I were able to commit to 

 paper all I feel in favor of manual labor, or 

 agricultural schools, backed by nutnerous 

 agricultural papers, containing communica- 

 tions from a Buel, a Colman, and a host of 

 other scientific and practical farmers. I am 

 not a practical farmer, in a large way, my- 

 self, but the aid I have received from perusing 

 those papers, for a few years past, has been of 

 great benefit to me — yes, ten times the ex- 

 pense of four agricultural papers per year. 



Not being brought up on a farm, how could 

 I exercise judgment in the selection of a 

 horse, ox, sheep, or hog 1 I read the commu- 

 nications of writers of acknowledged reputa- 

 tion, on the subject, and compared their argu- 



ments with my own reaeon, improved by pre- 

 vious reading, and made my choice. How 

 should I be able to select and cultivate the 

 various grains and grasses, or to till the ground 

 to a proper rotation of crops, or select and 

 engraft with my own hands the best fruits in 

 the country, and last, though not least, to have 

 a good garden ] 



I might go on and multiply reasons why I 

 will patronize agricultural papers ; but know- 

 ing my inability to do justice to the subject, 

 and fearing your readers will think I an fish- 

 ing for some particular individual, [ will con- 

 clude with wisliing you and your brethren 

 in the cause, many subscribers, and that you 

 will consider me one of them. 



R. BRONSON. 



Birmingham, Huron County, Ohio. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Peacli Trees. 



Sir, — I have observed several communica- 

 tions in your paper, relative to the Peach 

 Tree, recommending certain processes for 

 preserving this valuable tree from premature 

 decay. There is one cause of destruction 

 which I have not observed in any of them. 



In this country the severe winters have 

 sometimes acted so powerfully on the body 

 of the Peach Tree, as to destroy it; which 

 has induced some persons to enclose the whole 

 body of the tree, during the winter season in 

 straw. This is done by placing the straw 

 with the but end on the ground, and extend- 

 ing it upwards to the first branches; the whole 

 is then confined firmly around the tree by 

 bands of straw, or strings, suitable for that 

 purpose. 



I have heard of no trees being destroyed 

 by the winter, which have been treated in this 

 manner. 



Three or four quarts of unslacked wood 

 ashes, placed around the tree at the ground 

 extending upwards, as far as possible against 

 the body of the tree, and after this from half 

 a bushel, to a bushel of washed (or clean) 

 sharp sand, placed over the ashes, and on the 

 ground around it, and also extending up the 

 body of tiie tree as far as possible, has been 

 found to be an excellent process to prevent 

 the destruction of this tree by the worn), and 

 at the same time increase the growth of it : 

 The sand seems to prevent any space around 

 the tree, sufllcient for the insect to deposit 

 its eggs at the root, which would otherwise, 

 (in common soil) be produced by the action 

 of the wind on the tree. The sand also ad- 

 mits more moisture from rains, probably than 

 would be admitted by most other substances, 

 placed to the same height against the body 

 of the tree. The caustic quality of the ley, 

 produced by moisture from rains, passing 



