vol.. XVI. NO. 31. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



245 



CULTIVATION OF THE CRANBERRY. 



We have had several inquiries in relation to the 

 tniltivalion of tliis fruit, the demand for which is 

 rapidly increasing in our markets. Feu' things are 

 more easily ^rown than the cranberry, and the cul- 

 tivation is very simple. Nothing more seems ne- 

 cessary to success than bojj or peat earth; if the 

 bogs are sandy, so much the better, but too much 

 wet is fatal to the hopes of an abundant crop. On 

 the sandy coasts of Massachusetts, where wet bogs 

 Of meadows abound, the cultivation of the cranber- 

 ry is increasing, and pieces of ground hitherto of 

 no value, now yield handsome incomes. It is 

 found they grow well on these sandy bogs after 

 draining, and the following is stated to be the 

 method pursued by Mr Hall, of Barnstable, who 

 has for some lime produced them in large quanti- 

 ties : 



"If the bogs are covered with brush, it is re- 

 moved, but it is not necessary to remove the rush- 

 es, as the strong roots of the cranberry soon over- 

 power them. It would be well, if previous to 

 planting, the ground could be plowed ; but Capt. 

 Hall usually spreads on beach sand, and digs holes 

 four feet asunder each way, the same as for corn ; 

 the holes are, however, deeper. Into these holes 



isods of cranberry roots are planted, and in the 



wpace of three years the whole ground is covered." 

 Mr Kenrick remarks, that "although a moist soil 

 is best suited to the plant, yet, with a suitable mix- 

 ture of bog earth, it will flourish, producing abun- 

 dant crops, even in any dry soil." 



Loudon asserts that Sir J. Banks, who obtained 

 this plant from America, raised in 1831, on a square 

 of 18 feet each way, three and a half bushels, 



'equal to 4G0 bushels per acre. Any man who has 

 a bog swamp, may raise cranberries, by draining it 

 so that the surface at least shall be dry, either in- 

 verting the surface, if liard enough, with a plow, or 

 covering it with sand, and planting as above di- 

 rected. When well set, the yield of an acre will 



} not be much, if any, short of 200 bushels. — Albany 



\'Cult. 



Plaster — Speaking of plaster, a correspondent 

 af the British American Cultivator says : — "A great 

 deal has been written by scientific men, intending 

 to show the chemical agency of plaster, but with- 

 out controverting any of those ingenious theories, 

 there are certain practical facts which afford amus. 

 ing criteria, and in which any one may in the pro- 

 per season satisfy himself by going over a field in 

 the morning or evening, which has been partly 

 plastered and partly not; when vegetation is in 

 full vigor, he may observe large dew-drops in the 

 grass or grain, where plaster has been sown, but 

 Lhe grass or grain on other parts of the field will 

 be quite destitute of dew or moisture. This fact 

 seems to be a convincing proof that affinity for 

 moisture is one cause of its fertilizing power. I 

 find that repeated dressings of plaster will have the 

 affect of destroying the wood sorrel, Oxalis acotosa." 



Soaplocks Protected. — By the new tariff, a duty 

 Df twentyfive per cent, ad valorem, is put upon " hu- 

 man hair cleansed and prepared for use." Our 

 bucks will therefore be relieved from the rivalry of 

 foreign "soap-locks." — Gen. Far. 



From the New Genesoo Farmer. 



ON WINTER MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP. 



Mr Colman — I think, so far as I have observed, 

 with regard to the management of sheep durinc 

 the winter season by many farmers, that there is 

 room for some little improvement as to the nuinner 

 in which they are protected from storms, and also 

 the manner in which they are fed. Perhups I can- 

 not better give my views of the treatment of sheep 

 in winter, than by sending you a short statement 

 of my own practice upon this subject for a number 

 of years past. My custojn has been to provide 

 comfortable shelter for them, where they can be 

 well protected from storms, separating the lambs 

 and weaker sheep from the older and stronger ones, 

 and putting them into a yard by themselves, pro- 

 vided with feeding troughs, in whicli they are fed 

 half a gill of corn or peas per sheep daily, and 

 with hay once a day, but no more than they will 

 eat up clean; and then they are fed on straw 

 through the day. The old sheep are fed one gill 

 of corn or peas each, daily, without any hay, giv- 

 ing what straw they can eat. I have generally 

 commenced feeding grain by the middle of Decem- 

 ber, and continued to feed until about the first of 

 April. I am satisfied by comparing my sheep witli 

 other flocks of about equal number, in the spring, 

 that it is not only better for the sheep than to win- 

 ter on hay without grain, but much cheaper. It 

 will be perceived that the amount of grain con- 

 sumed by each sheep, if fed one hundred and 

 twenty days, would be less than half a bushel ; the 

 cost of which would be all that the farmer would 

 feel, and in fact, all the e.xpense there is, save the 

 time of feeding ; for straw when brought into the 

 shape of manure by sheep, I consider worth more 

 than in any other state, as there is no other animal 

 that mixes it so fine and evenly with animal ma- 

 nure, to be applied to land in a long and unfernient- 

 ed state. 



Salt should be given regularly onee a week, 

 which conduces much to the health of sheep. I 

 seldom lose a sheep from my flock during the win- 

 ter, which I attribute to good sheltering and regu- 

 lar feeding. If some farmers should not like to be 

 at the trouble of feeding thrashed grain to their 

 sheep, I would recommend feeding peas in the 

 vine, as I have seen it practiced with good suc- 

 cess. 



It would appear that there is very little diversi- 

 ty of opinion in most parts of the country, with re- 

 gard to sheltering sheep in winter, as they are sel- 

 dom provided with any, except what they can find 

 by shifting from one part to another of a stock- 

 pen, placed upon the most bleak and windy place 

 on a farm, or changing their quarters from one side 

 to another of a barn without cither shed or hovel 

 attached to it, to protect them from the peltings of 

 a storm, as pitiless as their owner. The merciful 

 man will be merciful unto his beasts. 



Yours, &c. M. N. 



Genesee Co., Dec. 1842. 



Oy'The last No. of the New Genesee Farmer 

 l;anie to us enlarged and improved. Mr Colman 

 will continue to be its editor until the lat of March. 



Cure fur Warts in Horses and Cattle. — A valued 

 friend, of great experience in horses and cattle, 

 and who has imported and bred many of the best 

 in the United States, says that a strong wash made 

 of pearlash and water, applied thrice a day, will re- 

 move tumors and warts British Amer. Cull. 



LEACHED ASHES. 



We have long since been thoroughly acquainted 

 with the extraordinary effect of leached ashes, and 

 are of the opinion tliat their fertilizing (lunlities 

 chiefly consist in imparting to the soil a capacity 

 to appropriate and disseminate more abundantly the 

 fertilizing constituents of tlie atmosphere. 



In the spring of 1839, we applied three wagon 

 loads of leached ashes to five roods of old meadow 

 land, that had been mowed, and occasionally pas- 

 tured for 35 years. The crop which was cut f^rom 

 this meadow the year previous to the lop-dressing 

 of ashes, did not yield more than one ton of hay, 

 and that of an inferior quality ; whereas the one 

 which succeeded the dressing, yielded upwards of 

 two and a half tons of the best quality of hay, and 

 the following crop produced nearly a like quantity. 

 The influence of the single dressing was visible 

 the two last years. We confidently state that the 

 additional quantity of hay realized from the three 

 loads of leached ashes, equal to 80 bushels, was 

 not less than three tons. The most extraordinary 

 effect produced from this experiment, was the ac- 

 tion of the ashes on the common white clover, in- 

 digenous to the country, which grew to the height 

 of twelve inches, and apparently as thick as it 

 could stand on the ground. 



We made another experiment with leached ash- 

 es which may be worthy of notice, on a crop of ru- 

 ta baga, which proved not only of great importance 

 to the plants, but was a. great preventive of injury 

 from the little tormenting fly, which has been the 

 great bane to successful turnip culture in Canada. 



It has been a practice in England for many 

 years to pare and burn certain lands that had been 

 unoccupied for many years previous, the sole ob- 

 ject of this process being to give a dressin" of 

 ashej to the land. 



By adopting proper means to renovate soils 

 which have been exhausted by unskillful cultiva- 

 tion, they may be brought back to their virgin quali- 

 ties, and be made the most profitable lands in cul- 

 tivation. The two most powerful agents that are 

 abundantly accessible in Canada, are gypsum and 

 ashes. The important and various uses of these 

 agents will be subjects of our most constant care 

 and interest to communicate to our readers. 



In the meantime we beg to enforce the impor- 

 tance of the subject upon our friends, and solicit 

 them to procure a (qw loads of ashes, which they 

 may obtain from any soap-chandter in British Ame- 

 rica, and spread them broad-cast on their meadow 

 or pasture grounds, at the rate of 70 bushels per 

 acre. The effect produced will remunerate them 

 tenfold for their trouble, and act to stimulate them 

 to renewed exertions in making other interesting 

 experiments. 



Leached ashes will be found particularly effica- 

 cious to oats, peas, buckwheat, turnips, potatoes, 

 and the broad-leaved grasses, and in no case will 

 be found injurious to other crops. — British Amer. 

 Cull. 



A large quantity of American provisions has 

 been imported into G. Britain, under the new tariff. 



In the obscurity of the cottage, far from the se- 

 ductions of rank and aflluence, is nursed the vir- 

 tue which counteracts the decay of human institu- 

 tions ; the courage which defends the national in- 

 dependence ; the industry which maintains ail the 

 classes of the Stale Alison. 



Every advance of science increases the amount 

 of social happiness. 



