VOL. xxt. Ni>. ar. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



211 



KIDGE V3. FLAT DRILL. 



A corrcspniident of the Doncaster Gazette says : 



•' Ifavinjj heard various discussions on the rela- 

 ive merits of ridginrr and flat drilling white tur- 

 lips, I rrsolicd this year to bring the matter to the 

 iroof, hy trying the experiment in two or tliree 

 ields. I tnod in one instance flat drilling on land 

 rhich had laid a fortnight, against ridging and 

 Irillinsr on fresh monld ; the flat IC inches apart ; 

 Ihe drilled or ridged 27 inches apart. Tli'-y were 

 lolli c;irefiilly lioed and singled; but the flats yel- 

 Qwed very early and stopped growing ; whilst tlio 

 idged liixnriated in their ample space, and grew to 

 in uncommon size : Ihe difference in the weight of 

 :rop per acre is to the amount of some tons. Ad- 

 oinirig these, I plowed down mnnure, and drilled 

 in the flat, but they scarcely did better than the 

 ither, though they had all the same top-dressing ; 

 hilst the ridged ones, immediately contiguous, 

 Tith the same quantity of manure, did exceedingly 

 Tell. .-V few further observations I made on these 

 xperiments may not be without interest. We 

 ook a few loads of dung, or rather litter, fresh 

 rom the fold — the exact soil that modern science 

 greatly approves, but the turnips rejected the 

 lew fashioned views, and grew both sulkily and 

 ardily ; indeed the difference was astonishing be- 

 wcen this am! once-turned manure. In the same 

 eld snme were not rolled, some done with a wood- 

 n roller, and some with a heavy stone one, across. 

 The eli'ect on the turnips was slight, but on the 

 leeds impiirtant; for. just according to the weight 

 if the roller, had the weeds been repressed in 

 heir growth. 



Should these observations be worthy a place in 

 he Gazette, you will, by their insertion greatly 

 blige yours, &c. 



P. S. — I venture an assumption for the purpose 

 if eliciting remarks from some of your numerous 

 eaders, that fold manure acquires more vegetative 

 jualitios during the process of fermentation than it 

 OSes by the escape of ammonia. 



FROZEN POTATOES. 



The results of repeated experiments show that 

 jotatoes injured by frost are not rendered value- 

 ess ; hut that very good flour or meal may be pre- 

 lared from them, if the weather continue sufficient- 

 y cold to permit of repeated thawing and freezing. 

 Jy this process, properly conducted and continued, 

 he watery particles are expelled, and the inner 

 jart of vegetable substance is gradually converted 

 nto meal. The meal or flour thus formed, can be 

 -eadily .separated from the outer skin or peel. M. 

 Einhofl" exposed soft watery potatoes to the action 

 jf frost, and oiitained a very superior flour, which 

 was preserved in good condition for two years, even 

 in a (liiiiip cellar. When it happens, in conse- 

 quence of tl:e unusual severity of the season, that 

 large quantities of potatoes are injured by frost, 

 excellent and nourishing meal may by this process 

 be prepared therefrom, with very little expense or 

 trouble. Travellers relate that in the native coun- 

 try of the potato, the more elevated and colder re- 

 gions of Peru, the inhabitants expose quantities of 

 this vcrretable to the action of frost, for a similar 

 purpo.se. After repeated alternations of freezing 

 and thawinij, the whole mass is thrown into a kind 

 of vat and well kneaded or trodden with their feet 

 to separate the skins or peels. It is then put into 

 coarse baffs, and placed in a stream of clear running 

 water, where it is left three or four days. When 



taken out, it is spread as thin as is convenient, and 

 dried in the sunshine, and thereafter ground into 

 flour. — Translat. from the German for ihe Genesee 

 Farmer. 



PRODUCE OF FIVE ACRES OF LAND. 



To the Etlilor of the New Encland Farmer : 



Though there is much of romance in the (iccounts 

 sometimes published of large crops, so that a so- 

 ber-minded man hardly knows how much deduction 

 to make from them in order to believe any part, 

 yet it is also true that /arts in agricultural, as well 

 us in other matters, are often stranger than Jidion. 

 I send you the following statement of the produce 

 of a plot of land measuring .5 acre-s and 1 1-G rods, 

 for the past year, owned and cultivated by Mr 

 Joshua Tappan, in Newbury, county of Essex. I 

 was on the piece in October, and from what I saw 

 of the crops harvested, independent of his own 

 statements, I have no doubt of the correctness of 

 the yield as given by him. 



Produce of the Lot. 



1 ton of hay, worth $12 00 

 C6 bush, corn, 44 00 

 42 do. oats, J2 60 



61-2 tons beels, 3.3 00 



272 bush, carrots, 4.5 00 



12 do. parsnips, 3 00 



2 do. ruta bagas, 2.') 

 4 do. French turnips, 50 



42 do. flat do. 4 20 



6 do. cabbages, 50 



274 do. potatoes, 54 80 



122 do. onions, 40 00 



3GO0 loose cabbage heads, 36 00 



I7GI good cabbages for market, 26 00 



1 1-2 bush, sunflower seed, 1 50 



1 peck carroway seed, 4 0(1 

 1-2 peck cabbage seed, 6 00 

 1-2 do. turnip seed, 3 00 



40 lbs. carrot seed, 17 00 



20 do. onion seed, 8 00 



2 bush, beet seed, 15 00 

 4 do. peas, 6 00 

 2 do. beans, 3 00 



120 lbs. sage, 12 00 



10 lbs. hops, 80 



10 bush, tomatoes, 7 00 



11 do. apples, 4 50 

 4 dolls, worth rhubarb, 4 00 

 2 dolls, worth asparagus, ■ 2 00 



in many instances. Four hundred dollars worth of 

 products from five acres of land, when prices arc 

 low as at present, is a large amount — Ed. N. E. F. 



Yours, &c. 



$405 65 



A. W. DODGE. 



Hamillon, Dec. 29, 1842. 



Oy'The prices annexed to the above articles 

 are given by the editor, and not by Mr Dodge. 

 We have put the sums low, generally, and some of 

 them probably are less than Mr Tappan sold the 

 marketable part of his crops for. But every one 

 acquainted with farming, well knows that most 

 crops have a refuse, unsaleable portion. This por- 

 tion is included usually in the gross amount of 

 crop, but cannot be sold for much. For this rea- 

 son, we must put prices low, or we shall mislead 

 many readers. 



The stover, or corn fodder, is not included in the 

 above: it probably was worth from 12 to 15 dol- 

 lars. 



As the quality of the articles was unknown to 

 us, we probably have hit wide from the true mark 



KMPROVEMENT OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



'i'he care bestowed upon the improvement of do- 

 mestic animals in this county, has been chiefly di- 

 rected to working oxen, and the excellence to which 

 they have been brought, is not only a subject of 

 ju.st pride, but evidence that a similar attention ia 

 only necessary to produce on equal amelioration in 

 the qualities of our cows, sheep, swine, and horses. 

 So far as my limited observation may permit me to 

 to judge, too much stress has been laid in the Uni- 

 ted States, upon the groat superiority of horned 

 cattle, imported at extravagant cost. 1 think it is 

 a consideration of much importance, that our na- 

 tive cattle have become acclimated, and adapted to 

 our means of sustenance, and to improve them, 

 whether for the dairy, or for drauglit, appears to 

 me to be a more certain dependance, than to at- 

 tempt to niaintain the high points of a race pam- 

 pered by luxuriant pastures and extra feeding. 

 Now and then a cow of the native breed is found 

 to possess extraordinary qualities for the dairy, and 

 if her progeny should receive only half the care 

 with which tlie Durham Short-horns have been 

 reared in England, [ think it would be found that 

 the superiority of the latter for our purposes, is 

 more imaginary than real. No material improve- 

 ment in this part of our live stock can be expected, 

 until the produce of our dairies shall become an 

 object of more attention than heretofore ; and when- 

 ever that shall be the case, every farmer will find 

 the necessity of supplying them, especially during 

 our long and hard winters, with greater abundance 

 and variety of food, and warmer shelter, under 

 which treatment their value will be greatly enlianc- 

 ed. 



Perk Raising. 



The immense advantages which the Western 

 country aff'ords for the raising of pork, and the 

 very low price to which it has, in consequence fall- 

 en, discourage the hope of any successful competi- 

 tion in that article, unless we can produce it of 

 such a superior quality as to give it a preference 

 for home consumption. No class of animals so 

 speedily shews the results of attention to their im- 

 provement, as swine; and in none are there more 

 marked diversities of character, whetlieras respects 

 the quantity of foo^ necessary for their subsistence, 

 the time required to prepare them for market, or the 

 quality of the meat. Although we may not be au- 

 thorized to calculate largely upon this part of our 

 stock, it is important that what we do raise, should 

 be of tlie best description. 



Sheep. 



Our sheep are evidently of a mixed and degonc- 

 rate race, notwithstanding which, mutton is fre- 

 quently brought to market of excellent quality ; 

 shewing what might be expected from an improved 

 breed adapted to our climate. The Southdowns, 

 in England, are preferred to all others, for the ex- 

 cellence of their meat, and have the additional re- 

 commendation of being hardy, easily kept, and pro- 

 ducing fleeces much beyond mediocrity. The few 

 specimens of that celebrated breed which have 

 been introduced here, present.si striking contrast to 

 the gaunt and diminutive frames of our ordinary 

 sheep. Hon. Eben'r Jackson's .Address to the Mid- 

 dlesex Co. (Conn.) ^gricul. Soc. 



