366 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY ir, 1843, 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



BosTon, Wednesdat, May 17, 1843. 



ODDS AND ENDS. 



Tha last season /las been so unfavorable for lining 

 spring work, that farmers gentrally will have little time 

 thia month fir lioin j the linle odd jobs that it is desira- 

 ble til have done. Any hinis that may be given will be 

 lost upon most nt this time, we know ; but perhaps here 

 and there, a farmer may be so situnt 'd as to be able to 

 think a little about the minutia of his business. 



We like to ."iee the headlands of a field well plowed 

 up near to the fences, and then the spade and pickaxe 

 used for turning what the plow cannot get hold of. A 

 field without bushes and waste strips upon its borders, 

 epenks well for the neatness nnd thrift of its owner. 



The trees, too, on the farm will always be benefited 

 by labor bestowed in digging up and turning over the 

 soil around them. If the roots are not bruised by the 

 operation one need nnt fear digging too deep or too far 

 around. Scraping the trunks and branches, washing 

 with lye, potash water, urine, disB;)!ved dung, soap suds, 

 lime water, &c. &c., is serviceable to the growth and 

 health of the fruit tree. 



Priming, though better perhaps, either earlier or later 

 than now, is yet better at this season than not done at 

 all. 



Grafting — If your scions were cut al the proper time, 

 they may be set at any time before June. Many diffe- 

 rent composilionn are recommended for grafting wax. 

 Each of tliein is doubtless good. We have no one espe- 

 cially to recommend as profc-rable to all others. Last 

 Beason, upon the recommendation of a gentleman of 

 many years' experience in grafting, we melted beeswax 

 and tallow in equal parts; into this mixture, while hot, 

 wo dipped narrow strips of old cotton cloth, took tliem 

 out, and wound thi in into a ball. With these strips for 

 bandages, and with the beeswax and lallow for our 

 wax, we set an hundred or two of scions, which have 

 done very well. This is a wax easily made, and of very 

 convenient application. 



The Ho/r Yard. — The early part of the season is very 

 good for manure making by the swine, if you will fur- 

 nish them with materials. The practice too commonly 

 is to clean out the yard in April, and leave it unreplen- 

 islied until the hurry of spring work is over. In this 

 way, four or six valuable weeks are almost lost. As 

 soon as the yard is cleaned out, muck, leaves, soil, hay 

 or whatever else you may have on hand fur the purpose, 

 should be thrown into the yard at once. 



Working the Soil.—\\. is very favorable to the growth 

 of the crop to make the ground fine. The plow will 

 not often do this effectually. The plow is esfential in 

 fitting the ground for the roller and harrow — but it is 

 not of itself sufiicieiit. The best piocess we have found 

 for bringing our grounds into a good state for the crop, 

 and for easy working of the crop, is to roll immediately 

 af\er we have plowed, and then take the harrow and 

 go with it both ways. Some will object to this that the 

 harrow is too hard for the team. This is an objection, 

 as harrows are usually constructed. But for common 

 lands, a small harrow, not more than 3 1-2 feet wide 

 behind, and with the teeth small but numerous, is the 

 best. The common horse-harrow can be easily loaded 

 80 as to sink deep when you wish, and even then a com- 

 mon team will carry it easily. This loading can be easi- 

 ly accomplished. Take three or four sticks of hard 

 wood, four feel long each. Let one of them be only 4 



or 5 inches through ; another 7 or 8 inches, and another 

 a foot. On some rainy day, cut notches into each of 

 these that will let it on to the harrow frame, so that it 

 will hold in place. Tims prepared, you may, according 

 to your wishes, take the harrow alone — or the harrow 

 and a thirty pound log ; the harrow and a sixty or sev- 

 enty pound log; or the harrow and an hundred and 

 twentyfive or hundred and fifty pound log. We like 

 this way much better than the using of a harrow that is 

 very heavy of itself With such a harrow and with the 

 roller, we can bring our land into a better state than we 

 can with the plow. Farmers genernlly do not use the 

 harrow enough, nor let its teeth run deep enough. 



RUTA BAGA. 



Next to the carrot, among roots, wf prpfer the Ruta 

 Baga for feeding stock. And while we like the carrot 

 best, we do not think it advisable to cultivate that ex- 

 clusively. The season is often much more favorable to 

 one crop than the other, and the chances for a supply of 

 roots is better with the two kinds, than with either 

 alone. Besides this reason for trying both, we have 

 these others also — that the ruta baga requires a less ex- 

 pensive kind of manure, and should be sowed later, or 

 at a less busy time than the last of May and first of 

 June. When we have had the ruta baga upon stable 

 or barn manure, and have sowed early, we have had 

 luxuriant tops in the early part of the season, but tlie 

 roots llien almost invariably become wormy and rotten. 

 When we sow from June 20th to 2oth, on composts, 

 with little if any dung in them, our crop usually does 

 well. 



Muck or meadow mud and grey sand are the best 

 matters we have used for the main body of our compost 

 for this crop. Take 5 or 6 cords of the mud that has 

 been dried or frozen, and mix with this three cords of 

 the sand — grey or white— but not the red, which is im- 

 pregnated with iron. The action of the sand upon the 

 mud, in three or four weeks will reduce it almost to 

 powder, and will reduce the size of the heap almost 

 one-half, provided it be thrown over two or three times, 

 as It should be. Fifty or sixty bushels of live ashes or 

 an hundred of leached, thrown into the heap, will make 

 « j;cr?/ ffooi/ dressing for half an acre. Three or four 

 bushels of salt would be quite an improvement. Also, 

 10 or 12 bushels of bone substituted for one-hnlf of the 

 ashes, would make the compost still mora valuable. 



The ruta baga requires a soil that is free and light to 

 work, and that will pulverize completely. A grain 

 stubble or clover roots, either, when plowed in, is very 

 favorable to the ruta baga crop. The land should be 

 thoroughly worked before the manure goes on. Then 

 spread the compost on the surface, and with the plow 

 throw into high ridges :W or 30 inches apart. On each 

 ridge put a single row of seed. We have found the im- 

 •ported turnip, cabbage, and radish seed invariably to do 

 better than American grown — though of carrots and 

 beets we like American best. We always take English 

 ruta baga seed, soak it in blubber oil 24 hours, and then 

 sow. 



These are the safest and best rules we can give — and 

 by following them, we think the chances are almost 

 certain that 250 bushels will grow on the half acre, and 

 the chances are even that the yield will be 350. The 

 cultivation may be done mostly with the horse. 



(Jj=Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn informs us that his cherry 

 trees, which blossomed on the 1.5lh of May, in 1841, and 

 on the U)th of April, in 134'J, blossomed this year on 

 the 9th of May. (Sec page 303— article " The Season.") 



POTATOES. 



We must repeat our ajvice that potatoes be not plant 

 ed too deep. By this we have no reference to the quan 

 lily oftiirl put on the top of them ; but we mean tha 

 they shall have below them, three or four inches at leas 

 of soil that has been loosened by the plow. A gooi 

 way is to spread the manure, then lay the potatoes oi 

 the surface of the ground, and cover them with th, 

 plow or hoe, as is most convenient. A still better wa" 

 is to ridge up with the plow, and then set the potatoe 

 into the ridge — seed end up. 



The suggestion respecting the use of tan bark in th 

 production ufpotatoes, in an article on another page 

 is worth testing. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF KLOWERS. 



Saturday, May 13, 1843. 



We were gratified by the liberal contributions of on 

 friends today, and to learn from others that they iiiten 

 to contribute largely to our exhibitions during the pr« 

 sent year. It also gave us pleasure to see so many < 

 our li lends thus early in the season visiting our roorni 

 giving evidence that the science of horticulture and tb 

 love of flowers, has not been chilled by the icy hand e 

 winter. Our hall will be open every Saturday, from I 

 lo 1 o'clock, and we would respectfully state that w 

 shall do all in our power to make a visit to our rooi 

 agreeable to our fellow-citizens. 



The Tree Rose, in full bloom, from the garden of JJ 

 S. Sweetser, of Woburn, made a splendid show, an 

 while it was surrounded with admirers, we had M 

 Sweetser in our mind's eye, and thought we heard hir 

 exclaim, 



" O, fondest object of my care ! 



Still fairest found where all are fair." 



FroniMrS Sweeter, Woburn — Roses; A Tree rose 

 cut roses; yellow Noisette, Lamarque, White Tea, Bet 

 gal Triumphant, Blush, and pink do. ; new French dc 

 Geraniums— Ophelia, Annette, Portia, Decorum. 



From Isaac Livermore, Esq., Cambridge — Seedlin 

 Geranium, fine. 



From J. F. Allen, Esq , Salem — Roses r Lawrenci 

 rubra, Princess of Nassau (musk scented,) Agripin 

 (Bengal,) Victoria modesta (Tea,) Cramoisie supeiieui 

 Eugene Beauharnois. 



By Mr J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton — several ver 

 hai rdsnme Bouquets. 



By Miss Sumner, Dorchester — two showy Boiiqueti 



From the Public Conservatory, Boston — two seedlin 

 I'elar^oniums and a Fuchsia, worked with Guam 

 The effect of this new manuie is really surprising, bo 

 we are under the impression that while the growth 

 the plant is much increased, the flower is not at all im 

 proved. For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Chairman. 



Notice. — The premiums for Geraniums, viz ; lor III 

 best cut flowers, with foliage in single trusses, wiUb 

 awarded on Saturday, the 20th inst. The flowers mui 

 be in the stands by 10 o'clock. 



Per order, S. WALKER, C/iairnmn- 



EXHIBITION OF FRDIT3. 



In the absence of the Chairman of the Committee o 

 Fruit, we will state that Mr J. F. Allen had a bunch ( 

 Black Hamburg Grapes, and a dish of luscious Mal«J 

 Figs, fully ripe, and of good size. 



We will also remark that the two Pelargoniums, sei 

 in by Mr Teschemacher, were the seedlings which h 

 exhibited at the last anniversary, as having beentreale 

 with Guano. They were exhibited merely to show ih 

 virtue of this new manure in the production of bloon 

 each of them having more than 300 flowers. Bein 

 chance seedlings, it was not expected the quality of th 

 flower would be superior; but the great number ' 

 blooms for the first lime is very surprising. S. W. 



EXHIBITION OF VEGETABLES. 



Mr J. F. Allen, of Salem, exhibited a good specime 

 of Asparagus. J. A. KENRICK. 



