No. a 



IVhite Carrot. — Caterpillars. 



255 



tinned, was taken from a regular crop, and 

 was not a pet plant tied to a stake ; and those 

 who have the means of cutting such crops 

 into chaft", know that the larger and stronger 

 the stalk, provided it have been cut in proper 

 season, and well saved, the more nutritious 

 is the food. 



But whatever be considered by others, the 

 cause of the Hessian fly — whether it arise 

 from the condition of the soil or the influence 

 of the atmosphere — I must still continue to 

 believe it to be the effect of either the one or 

 the other, or both, and leave your correspond- 

 ent to choose between the " three theories 

 which are now before the public," concluding 

 in the words of a correspondent in the last 

 month's Cabinet, 



" How is it, that those of us who have been 

 guilty of planting Hessian flies, will be borne 

 harmless, if it shall please the Almighty to 

 bless us with a genial season 1 even Miss 

 Morris's crops of flics will come to nought, 

 if the weather be kindly, niaugre all her at- 

 tetripts at cultivation ; nor will they trouble 

 us again until the influences of a blighting 

 year — an unpropitious atmosphere — shall 

 again fall upon us ; then again, however, we 

 shall have them, never fear." Vir. 



White Carrot. 



" The white, or Flanders carrot, introduced 

 from France (where it was first brought into 

 notice by Mons. Viimorin), by Mr. Bosson, 

 appears, from the description given of it in 

 the Yankee Farmer, to be a ^desideratum in 

 root culture. It is there stated, one great 

 advantage which it possesses is, that from 

 the comparative shortness of its roots, and 

 their above-ground habits of growth, it is well 

 adapted to shallow soils, which have not depth 

 sufficient to grow the large-rooted varieties ; 

 it is supposed to be an amalgamation of the 

 carrot and parsnep. On comparison with the 

 orange and yellow varieties, the seed sown 

 on the 26th of May, the white, under many 

 disadvantages, proved far more productive ; 

 and while the former were only 15 inches in 

 length and 7 inches in circumference, some 

 of the latter reached the length of 2 feet, and 

 taking the lot together, were more than twice 

 in quantity than the former. The white car- 

 rot grows partly above the ground, like the 

 mangel-wurzel, so that they may be gathered 

 with much more convenience; some of them 

 being 6 inches above the ground, extending 

 19 inches below, which is more than the 

 length of any other of the varieties ; so that 

 besides the extension above ground, the white 

 carrot penetrates deeper than any other. 

 Seed of the white carrot was sown on the 

 20th of June, by way of experiment; this 

 was late, and on that account the produce 

 was probably 25 or 30 per cent, less than it 



otherwise would have been, but the yield 

 was at the rate of 600 bushels to the acre, 

 on land in good condition, but not extremely 

 rich. And although, in consequence of its 

 growing out of ground, it is thought to be 

 more suitable to shallow soils, it is not meant 

 that it is less suited to deep rich soils and 

 cultivation ; on the contrary, it is believed to 

 be more productive than any other variety in 

 any soil and under any cultivation." — Selected. 



We have been presented with a root of the above- 

 mentioned white carrot, weighing 2 lbs. 13 oz., perfectly 

 sound and good. The objection to its culture on the 

 ground of its seed lying long in the land before it vege- 

 tates, might be remedied by adopting the plan pursued 

 by the extensive carrot-growers in England, whose cus- 

 tom it is to mix the seed with a quantity of very rich 

 mould on a floor, sprinkling the Iieap with water and 

 covering it with a mat ; in a short time the licap will 

 require turning and well mixing, and soon after, the 

 seeds will be found to be germinating, when if they are 

 sown on a fresh and light rich soil, they will spring 

 away at once, and leave the weeds in the rear— it will 

 then be the fault of the cultivator, if they ever after 

 get the upper hand. Ed. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Caterpillars. 



Sir, — The last time I visited your beauti- 

 ful city, I could not but remark the many fine 

 trees in the streets, which were gracefully 

 hung with curiouslj'-formed tassels to the tops 

 of the highest branches, and wondered if 

 their owners vv'ere aware that each of these 

 singularly constructed cells, made of the frag- 

 ments of last year's leaves, and suspended by 

 filaments of silk to the slender twigs, is in- 

 habited by a small worm or caterpillar, which 

 only awaits the genial atmosphere of spring 

 to creep forth, for the purpose of depositing 

 its eggs on the foliage by myriads, to the de- 

 struction of the summer's glory. I cannot 

 believe that they would be permitted to re- 

 main as they do, if this fact were known and 

 understood, and I therefore take the liberty 

 of requesting that you will call the attention 

 of the persons to whom they belong to this 

 circumstance. It is singular, that although 

 those fragile cells are hung to the most ele- 

 vated and exposed parts of the tree, their in- 

 habitants do not suffer either from snow or 

 rain or frost, during the course of a long win- 

 ter, but remain unharmed amidst it all, nor 

 can the severest storms of wind and hail dis- 

 lodge them, their silken ropes being suffi- 

 ciently strong to secure them from every vio- 

 lence. Assuredly not one of them should be 

 permitted to remain, but be removed with the 

 greatest care, for, by so doing, millions of 

 summer caterpillars would be destroyed at a 

 blow. I pray you, Mr. Editor, sign their 

 death warrant by an insertion of the above, 

 and oblige A Country Subscriber. 



