122 



Sowing Parsneps, Beets, 6fC. — »/i Barrow Hoe. Vol. III. 



care must be had not to leave holes, particu- 

 larly near the bottom. There is no farther 

 trouble except an occasional trimming. 



The white thorn is in general use for 

 hedges in England, but it is certainly not so 

 well suited to this climate. The Osage 

 Orange is said by those acquainted with it to 

 be in every respect well adapted ; but its pro- 

 pagation is said to be attended with difficulty. 

 It* some person acquainted with this plant, 

 would contribute to your interesting sheet 

 directions for propagating it, and cultivating 

 it in fences, (if different from the mode prac- 

 tised with the wliite thorn,) it would be of 

 great value and interest to the agricultural 

 community, and an especial obligation to those 

 of your subscribers^ who make the request. 

 Respectfully, yours, 



MUNITOR, 



Centre county, Sept'r. 22, 1838. 



To the Editor of tlic Farmers' Cabinet: 



Sowing Parsnepsj BeetS) &c« 



The circumstance of having sown parsnep 

 seed on Christmas day, and this sowing hav- 

 ing produced an excellent crop, both in re- 

 spect to quality and quantity, and a friend in- 

 forming me that in the past summer (1638) 

 he had excellent sugar beets from seed that 

 had been shaken from some seed stems in 

 1837, consequently seed had been in the earth 

 through the winter of 1837-8, have given 

 rise to a train of speculation, that led to the 

 following conclusions, that I request you will 

 lay before the readers of the Cabinet for their 

 consideration, and most earnestly are they re- 

 quested to submit the theory to the ordeal of 

 experiment. That parsnep seed will remain 

 in the earth all winter uninjured, and vegetate 

 freely in the spring is matter of fact, and v, hat 

 has been told of the beets, goes to show they 

 possess the same property. Onion seed be- 

 longs to a hardy family, carrots, parsley and 

 some other seeds we have reason to believe 

 possess these properties, and are very tena- 

 cious of life. 



Taking these circumstances into considera- 

 tion, it brings us to the conclusion, that sowing 

 of parsneps, beets, onions, and some other 

 kinds of garden and field seeds in the fall, 

 and so near to the freezing sea.son, that there 

 is no probability of their vegetating, so as to 

 expose their tender plants to injury by frost; 

 on the contrary, that the seeds will remain in 

 the gromid ready to shoot out with the earliest 

 influence of spring, which will insure to them 

 the beneficial effects of that season, whereby 

 they will have established strong roots, be- 

 fore ib.G intense heat, and the drought of sum- 

 mer has arrived, to stunt their growth. There- 

 fore it is reasonable to presume, tiiat tiiese 

 plants will progress to great perfection ; but 



should this in some cases not be the result, 

 the practice will secure an early crop. 



But there is another important consideration 

 that recommends the practice, where it shall 

 be found to answer ; — October, November, and 

 December are periods in which the farmer, 

 gardener, and his laborers, are not very much 

 pressed with business, and in as much as they 

 can plant and sow their crops during these 

 months, they will lessen the press of business 

 that has to be performed in spring; they will 

 have more leisure to do the spring seeding, 

 and also to do more of it. 



Taking all things into consideration, the 

 experiment is worthy of trial, from ]\Iaine to 

 Florida; it may not in full suit every where, 

 and yet, in part, ansvver in all places. 



As yet, we have very limited specific facts 

 as to the acclimating of plants. In the north, 

 the onion is a biennial plant ; it is ready for 

 market one season, and matures its seed the 

 second — whereas, at Philadelphia, the bulbs 

 are not ready for market until the second 

 year, and produce seed the third. These ha- 

 bits of the onion merit attention, and when 

 carefully considered and compared with the 

 characters of other plants, may lead to new 

 and happy discoveries. I. R. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



A Barro^v Hoe, 



T\". 25. 



For cleaning between the rows of drilled 

 crops, used tor this purpose in the sugar dis- 

 tricts in France. The knife or cutting part 

 is thin, and made of well tempered steel, and 

 when it is much worn, it is unscrewed and 

 turned sur'itcc downward, and is thus made 

 to sharpen itself. It is a very effective in- 

 strument, as the pressure on the handles 

 gives the power to cut nearly as deep as a 

 skim plough. It is used for cleaning gravel 

 walks also, or hoeing surfoces that are too 

 hard to be operated upon by the hand hoe. 



J. P. 



A charitable man censureth not his neigh- 

 bor ; he believeth not the tales of envy and 

 malevolence, neither repeateth he their slan- 

 ders. He assisteth the poor in their trouble ; 

 he rejniceth in furtheritig the prosperity of 

 all men. 



