No. 4. 



Potatoes — Live Fences, ^c. 



121 



on the ascent, or descent, or sidcland, as upon! 

 the level. The iron tine?, or teeth vvitii duck I 

 feet, are hollow, and the tin cups placed above; 

 them deliver the seeds into them, and they! 

 are thus conducted exactly into the drills or' 

 channels made by the tines, si as not to be; 

 affected by the winds or otlier accidents. I 

 These tines are raised or lowered so as to g'o 

 deeper or shallower, by means of small screwj 

 bolts, and are set and regulated with the 

 greatest ease. The harrow also works well ; 

 eo that in this small space is contained a drill,, 

 a seed dropper, a harrow and a roller, united. I 

 Bv this drill, with two horses and two men 



To thtt Editor of llie Farm^.Ti' Calnuot. 



L.ive F^iiccK, &c. 



Sir, — Althou^rh our cultivated lands gene- 

 rally present to the traveler a high dej^ree of 

 fertility, and most luxuriant crops, yet the 

 appearance of our farms is rendered uncouth 

 and rude by the unsiffhtly fences which are 

 in common use, and which are at the best but 

 a very imperfect barrier to the incursions of 

 trespassers, while they arc a source of con- 

 stant trouble and expense to the farmer. 

 The cfsneral introduction of live fences would 

 certainly be a most desirable improvement, 



nineteen acres a day are sown, harrowed, and (aiving- as they do a beauty and refinement to 

 rolled I One man and horse commence work | the landsc-ape, and at the same time forming 

 at fliur o'clock in the mornine, and continue j a fence impenetrable to man or beast. Com- 

 nntil eig-ht; a second mnn and liorse then; paratively few American farmers have seen 

 come on and work until twelve: when the i| any specimens of this mode of enclosure, and 



first man and horse return and work until 

 four, and then the second man and horse 

 come on and work until eig-ht. This order 

 is always observed during- the seed season. 

 The work for the horse is not laborious, but 

 the strongest and most active horses on tlie 

 farm are chosen for this purpose, for if the 

 horse be weak and slov,', the drilling will not 

 be straight. 



J. P. 

 Philad. Oct. 25, 1833. 



For the rarmers' Cabinet. 



Potatoes. 



but 'iew have any idea of the maimer of form- 

 ing a hedge. An extended dissemination of 

 the necessary information on this important 

 branch of asfricultural economy amongst the 

 farmers of the older settlements would, doubt- 

 less, soon have a practical effect, A small 

 corner of the land reserved for rail timber, 

 would suffice to raise enough of quick to 

 plant the hedges. And the additional extent 

 of tillable land, the neat and beautiful appear- 

 ance of the lields, deliverance from the oner- 

 ous expense and labor of patching and renew- 

 ing dilapidated fences, and enjoyment of .the 

 comfort and ease which cannot be felt by 

 those who have insecure fences, will be a 

 satisfactory reward for the little extra trouble 

 which attends the cultivation of the hedge. 



The most suitable plant for hedges is that 

 which is of dense growth, well armed with 

 thorns, tenacious of life, adapted toa diver.sity 

 of soils, and of as rapid growth as is consistent 

 with its other qualifications. The ground 

 for the fence should be well cultivated and 

 somewhat raised. The young sets are planted 



It has been remarked this season by some 

 farmers that potatoes on a northern exposure 

 have done much better than those exposed to 

 the south. It has been a very hot and dry 

 summer, at least the latter part of it, and this 

 circumstance may have had an influence to 

 produce such a result; but some are of the 

 opinion that they always do better on a 

 northern aspect. It would be well to have 



more observations made on this subject, and 'j in a double row. about a foot apart in each 

 if the remark is verified, advantage mi^ht be jrow. so as to form a zig--zag. When they 

 taken of it, perhaps tosome profit. It is welTjare about half an inch in diameter, they are 

 known that pot.itoes do much better and are J sometimes cut off near the ground, and the 

 more productive in the northern than in theJpproijts left to grow up; this makes a thicker 

 middle states, and that in the south they don't'! hedg-e, with fewer plants. But a more expe- 

 answer to cultivate to any extent. Thisllditious mode is to allow the plants to attain 

 shows that climate has much to do with their ithe hei'jht of eight or ten feet, being about 

 productiveness and value. In Ireland, alto, i one inch thick, and then to plajsh them ; an 

 where the summers are much cooler than in^joper.ition which is performed in the winter 

 this country; thev are reoreseuted as pro- '| by cutting off some of the stock at the height 



ducing very abundantly. It is also said that, 

 in the mountainous districts of our country, ' 

 where the atmosphere is always cooler than' 



of five or six feet, so as to have a row of 

 stakes on each side two or three fijet apart; 

 or sharpened stakes may be substituted for 



in the more level districts, thi-'V are produced ilthe living ones, but they are not so good 

 in great perfection. These hints are thrown j The remainincr branches are then thinned 

 out to call attention to the subject, that we, out and cut half off by a sloping cut at the 

 may accumulate facts for future use on this i^-round, .';o that thev will incline to an angle 

 point. jlof 4.^j°. They must not be laid too closely so 



Agrtcola. as to choke their growth, and yet especial 



