14 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JVL,V 13, 18-13. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTEK. 



Boston, Wednesday, Jdly 13, 1842. 



ENGLISH TURNIPS. 

 Where other seed has failed— where early peas have 

 grown, and in various vac.mt spots about the garden and 

 fields, the seed of the English turnip may now be suv»n. 

 Some have recommended sowing this seed among the 

 corn at the last lime of hoeiag. We have no strong 

 fdith in the economy of the course, unless the corn has 

 been planted in rows at an uneconomicalhj great dislance 

 apart ; say four feet or more each way ; and many far- 

 mers do plant as wide as thai, without being aware of 

 the fact. In fields thus planted, if there be not corn 

 enough standing on the ground to take up all the availa- 

 ble manure, some turnips may be obtained with very 

 Utile trouble. But where corn is thick as it should be, 

 iC one intends to get a good crop, say 70 bushels per 

 acre, turnips will not grow large enough to he worth 

 gathering 



New land may now be plowed up, manured and sowed 

 to turnips. Wo prefer manuring in drills, and sowing 

 BO that the crop can be conveniently thinned and hoed. 

 The old method of sowing broadcast and leaving the 

 plants without any culture to do what they can, is a 

 very slovenly and improvident way of managing with 

 the turnip. One faithful thinning and hoeing, is labor 

 well spent, for it greatly increases the crop, and not only 

 so, but it causes the roots to be so much larger, that 

 nearly, if not quite, all the labor expended upon hoeing 

 and thinning, is saved when you come to pulling and 

 topping. Should you sow broadcast, it is well to cut 

 through with the hoe after the plants are up, and then 

 form rows. These plants are usually left too IhieU. If 

 sowed before the 20lh of July on land in good condition, 

 six inches between the plants is little space enough. 

 The rows may be 15 inches apart on a flat surface. If 

 the ground is ridged, 30 inches is a good distance for the 

 ridges, and two rows or one may be put on the lop ol 

 each ridge, as you choose. If you have two rows, the 

 plants in each should be 8 or 9 inches apart, and the 

 plant in one should be opposite the open space in the 

 other. 



This root is less valuable for stock than any other 

 that is commonly cultivated, but as it can be sowed la- 

 ter, and requires less culture, it is well to have a con.si- 

 derable quantity of it on the farm, especially if the other 

 root crops are unpromising. Late in autuuin and early 

 in winter the turnip ii good for all horned cattle. 



point, has some fact to show that gruin is usually Ixft In this and my former communication I have bef-n 

 standing too long The last slatcrmint was this — ■' We j careful to avoid expressing more confidence in the vir- 

 cut a cart path through cur rye, while it was so green | tues of the White Ash, than the facts which have been 

 that we supposed it would not be worth threshing ; but ' collected will justify. And, even if I have erred in any 

 when we came to thresh, that was the best rye from the \ case, I see nnt that any can be injured by such experi- 



I ments as v»ill lead to the whole truth. I have never 



heard that any bad qualitii-s belonged to this tree. I 



POTATO BLOSSOMS. have often swalloweil the juice of ils leaves and bark 



field. 



Many accounts have been published which purport to after chewing them, and no unpleasant effects have re- 

 prove that the potato crop is increased several per cent, i suited. 



by taking off the blossoms. The earlier they are taken 

 off the greater the benefit. Tliis is a very simple expe- 

 riment, and we hope that many will try it; and this too, 

 with such accuracy that we shall be able to get some 

 valuable information. 



NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN. 



The hogs will want several supplies of muck, loam, 

 soil, marsh mud, or something else to be working over 

 while you are getting your hay. 



The weeds will grow among ynur corn and potatoes 

 and other crops, while you are handling the scythe and 

 the fork : — Don't be in such hurry to gel the hay, as to 

 lose two dollaas by neglecting the cultivated fields, while 

 you could save only one by f ticking to hay-making. 

 You do n't like to break off from hay-making in good 

 weather and stick to the hoe for a day or two — no won- 

 der — vve know how hard it is — and yet the farmer's in- 

 terest will often call upon him to do so. 



Permit me, therefore, to urge physicians, farmers, and 

 all others, to collect and communicate facts concerning 

 the virtues of the White Ash. S. W. 



iti 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION or FP.0IT3. 



Saturday, July 9, 1842 



From Or. Howard, Brookline — fine specimens of l_ 

 B'ack Hamburg and While Chassulas Grapes, and 

 Black Tarlaiiiin Cherries. 



From Dr. J. B. Adams, Boston — White Bigaieau Cher- 

 ries. 



From E. Vose — very large aad fine White Antwerp 

 Raspberries. 



J. L. L. F. Warren exhibited good specimens of tho 

 following Cherries : Morello, Napoleon Bigareau, While 

 Bigareau, Napoleon, Spaiah.nwk's Honey Heart. Also, 

 EaHy Royal George and Gio.xs Mignonne Peaches, and 

 Antwerp Raspberries. 



Very large Royal George Peaches and Savoy Bigareau 

 Cherrips— trom George Walsh, Charlestown. 



Carnation Glierries and White Thimbleberries — from 

 Col. Bigelcw, Medford. 



Handsome Gooseberries, from S. R. Johnson, Charles- 

 town. 



A specimen of Cantelope Melon, from J. L. L. F. 

 Warren 



Cucumbers from John White, gardener to Col. Per- 

 kins, Brookline. 



For the Comniitttec, 



P. B. HOVEY, Jr. 



TIME TO CUT GRAIN. 



Did you ever know grain cut so green as to shrink in 

 drying, and make less measure or less excellent meal .' 

 Of course we have no intention to affirm that it may 

 not be cut too young. But we do mean to say, that, as 

 far as our experience and observation go, the error has 

 been in letting grain stand loo long before it is cut. As 

 soon as the milk of the grain has become of a firm con- 

 sistency — not dry and Aacrf— but only firm, the grain 

 will cure as plump, as heavy, and as sweet, as it will if 

 left to stand longer. If cut while the straw is green, 

 more care and labor will be required in the curing, und 

 more labor perhaps will be necessarj to thresh clean— but 

 less grain will be lost in the gathering in of the crop; 

 the grain will be plumper and sweeter. Bushels of 

 grain are annually lost on most farms by the shelling 

 out while harvesting, and other bushcl.s by shrinkage, 

 which might be in great measure avoided by earlier cut- 

 lin". Almost every person lo whom we speak on this 



[Communicated,] 

 THE WHITE ASH A REMEDY FOR POISON. 

 In a communication in the New England Farmer a 

 few months ago, I endeavored to call public attention lo 

 the virtues of the White Ash. Whether any persons 

 have been induced lo try experiments with it, I am not 

 informed; hut I have extended my inquiries, and ob- 

 tained many important facts. 



I lately conversed with a Baptist minister who travels 

 much in Virginia and North Carolina. He assured me 

 that many penpln in these Slates well knew that rattle- 

 snakes and mociisin snakes have the utmost dread of 

 the White Ash, and ihat it will cure lho>e who are hit- 

 ten by these snakes. He related many facts proving 

 that persons had been cured when the effects of Ihe 

 poison had rendered them helpless, so that others bad to 

 apply the remedy. The bark or leaves is chewed, and 

 the juices swallowed, and also applied lo the wound ; 

 or, if there is time, a tea may be mode of the barker 

 leaves, and drunk freely, and also used externally. 



I have obtained other proofs of ils efficacy in curing 

 the bite of serpents, and of its preventing their biting. 

 I am now conf dent lhat many in all parts of our country 

 have some knowledge of its virtues ; and it seems sur- 

 prising lhat they have not been more regarded by our 

 physicians. In several medical works tha subject is 

 mentioned ; but I have found no physician or botanist 

 who has devoled much attention to it. One in Lowell 

 and one in Boston have promised to prepare medicines 

 from the White Ash, and to use them whenever they 

 have opportunity. 



I have recently had a case of poison from ivy. I took 

 a little branch of this valuable tree, and cut up wood, 

 bark, and leaves into small pieces, and poured half a Wonders of Philosophy. — The body of every spider 

 pint ot hot water upon them, and soon made a sirong contains four little mosses pierced with a multitude of 

 tea. I caused the patient to drink about a wine-glass ^ imperceptible holes, each hele permitting the pitssage df 

 full of the lea, and to bathe the poisoned limbs. The a single thread ; all ibe threads, lo the amount of a tbon- 

 cure was nearly complete ; but the dose ought to have sand lo each mass, join together wlun they come out, 

 been repeated after an hour or less. I was satisfied and make the single thread, with which the spider spins 

 that we can, by this mode, control this species of poison ; itaweh; so that what we call ilie spider's thread, coo- 

 but I am not able to say how it would affect cases of sists of more than four thousand united. This fact was 

 poison from dogwood. aecert.iined by Lewenhock. 



EXHIBITION or ELOWIBS. 



The exhibition today was unusually fine for the sen- 

 son. The show of Chinese Roses, Seedling Geraniums 

 and Dahlias was particularly fine. The following is a 

 brief report : — 



From D. Ilaggerston — about 75 Dahlias, well grown 

 and fine specimens for the season ; among them several 

 new kinds. 



From S. R. Johnson— extra fine specimens of tender 

 Roses — among which the Noisette Jauno Desprez was 

 the most remarkable. 



From Wm. Kenrick— Spira; jnponira, Ohio Lilies, &c. 



From Messrs. Winsliip — Spirfe almifolia. 



From S. Walker— Picoiee and Carnation Pinks. 



From Hovey & Co. — Chinese and Bouiboo Roses,. 

 Picoteo Pinks and Verbenas. 



From J. White, gardener to Col. Perkins— a few Dah- 

 lias. 



From J. F. Trull, Dorchester— Dahlias, and WaX 

 Plant. 



From W. Meller— Seedling Geraniums and Bouquets. 



From F. A. Bigelow— Dahlias. 



Dahlias and Bouquets from Dr. Howard and J. L. L. 

 F. Warren. 



From T. Warren, Portland- a fine bunch of Moss Ro- 

 ses, remarkable fur the clearness of the loliage and the 

 size and perfection o( the flowers. 



Bouquets from Hovey & Co., Misses Sumner, J. Ho. 

 vey, A. Bowdilcb, &c 



Native planti from B. E. Colling. 



