390 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JUNE 7, 1813. 



AND nORTICULTUKAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, Joke 7, 1843. 



CARE OF TH-E GROWING CROP-TILLAGE. 



Too much labor can liardly bo bestowed upon our 

 prounHs wbile ihe orops are starling in tlieir growlli. 

 Faithful stirrings of the soil in June, .ire among the 

 most important and most profitable of all the labors upon 

 the farm during the year. 



We have often heard a farmer say, that in such a 

 year, a field of corn had but a single hoeing, and yet the 

 crop was as good as the farm ever gave. And frequent- 

 ly it has hafipened that potatoes had a single hoeing on- 

 ly, and did better than those on the farm that vi^ere hoed 

 twice and three times. From n few facts like these, an 

 inference is made in favor of slovenly tillage. That the 

 ground can be wrnrked too much and too deep in July 

 for either corn or potatoes, we have no doubt — but on 

 the contrary, wo believe that more harm than good to 

 the crops, is done by the deep plowing and high hilling 

 that are common in July. The stirrings of the soil, if 

 made before the corn shows its spindle on the earliest 

 stalks, and before the young potatoes begin to form, 

 are of very great service. 



We regard thorough, frequent and deep workings of 

 the soil in June, as the most profitable of all the labors 

 of the year. The time and manner of tilling the crops, 

 have more to do with the yield than is generally eup- 



The common practice is to go with the plow or culti- 

 vator through the cornfield early in June, and then with 

 the hoe draw a little fresh earth up around the corn. 

 The same thing is done in the latler part of June and 

 again in July. At the last time ;or hoeing, the plow 

 goes deep in tlie centre between the rows, and quite a 

 hill is made by drawing the dirt up around the stalks. 

 This process of cultivation we do not like. 



A better way is to take a small jiloio, at first, and plow 

 as deep and as near to the corn as po.^sibla. 'J'his will 

 cut many roots, we know, but the benefit of moving the 

 soil under the hill, or almost under, while the plants 

 are small, is more than enough to counterbalance the 

 harm done by rending the roots while the plant is so 

 small. If you cannot go deep enough by a single fur- 

 row to stir the soil down nearly as deep as you stirred 

 it at the time of plowing in the spring, then go twice 

 with the plow in .the same place. If your rows are 

 strai"ht and your land is free from rocks and other ob- 

 structions to the plow, you should so work that the 

 space on the row unplowed will be not more than six 

 inches wide, and your furrow should be six inches deep. 

 When you have thus opened the furrows, you may 

 immediately, or in a day or two subsequent, plow the 

 furrows back, or you may use a cultivator or harrow to 

 level them down. At a convenient time, you may use 

 the hoe and just scratch the surface around the corn and 

 remove the weeds. But the work with the hoe needs 

 be but little. With plow, or cultivator, or harrow, go 

 onco through your corn as often as every four or five 

 days, all through the month of June. About tho 20th 

 to tho 25th of June, take the plow and run as deep as 

 you can in the centre between the rows. These fur- 

 rows may remain undisturbed for four or five days, and 

 then leveled down with tho cultivator. After this time, 

 be very careful about disturbing the routs. Whatever 

 is done in July, should be only a •eralching of tho sur- 

 face. The hoe and a very light harrow may be used ; 

 but the plow and tho cultivator are both too heavy for 

 use then. Work deep, aad close to the corn, at first. 



Work deep afterwards in the centre between the rows ; 

 but when the corn grts to stand a foot high, only break 

 the surface crust and keep down the weeds. The rea- 

 son for our recommendation rest on tho fact that the 

 diep plowing of the ground just as the roots are ready 

 to enter and fill it, will put the ground in a much belter 

 state to nourish and feed those roots, than if tho soil is 

 not moved after the spring plowing. But when you 

 have once got the rools into the portion of soil that has 

 been plowed after the corn came up, be careful not to 

 rend those roots: the soil they are now in is in a good 

 slale, and be careful to let them work. If you put the 

 plow or cultivator in deep in July, you rend many roots ; 

 some new ones may form, but not many then. The ef- 

 fect will be to hasten the lipening of the corn, but to di- 

 minish the quantity. The course we here recommend, 

 goes upon the presumption that little if any earthing up 

 is to be done. We cultivate corn on a perfectly fiat sur- 

 face—make no hill— and we liko this, after years of ex- 

 perience, belter than we do the old practice. We put 

 no manure in the hill. But those who do, will find ben- 

 efit in turning out a pari ef the manure with the plow, 

 and then turning it back again. 



This matter of plowing and hoeing corn, is one 

 that ought to be studied by farmers more than it is. For 

 the amount of the crop does not turn upon the manure 

 alone, nor upon the natural quality of the soil— but 

 much, very much, upon the modes of tillage. You need 

 not fear that your labor will be lost which you bestow 

 in stirring and pulverizing thesuil up to the 20th or 25th 

 June. You may then work much, and work deep, and 

 all that you then and thus do, will be well paid for. 



Potatoes. — We have had less experience and less suc- 

 cess witii potatoes than with corn. But a single trial of 

 last year, gives us a persuasion that the same course of 

 tillage that we have described above, is well suited to 

 the potato, excepting that some hill mu.<t be made. We 

 plowed the dirt off from the potatoes on a small experi- 

 ment lot last season, running the plow rery near them 

 soon after they came up. Then we turned the d irt back, 

 and in this way the first hoeing may be reduced to very 

 little labor. Afterwards plow the dirt ofT and on 

 again, but do not run the plow so near to the row by 

 four or five inches the second time of working as you do 

 the first. After that you may run the plow in the cen- 

 tre between the rows, as deep as you can. 



the European recommendation that it be sown on a dry 

 sandy or gravelly soil, is wise for us, with our hotter 

 Buns and dryer summers. 



"THE CLAPP PULVERIZER." 



We are informed that the implement we described 

 last week, the combination of the roller and harrow, 

 was made by Mr Chamberlain, a blacksmith in Rox- 

 bury, near Roxbury street, and that he is willing to fit 

 them for any one who may wish to make trial of the 

 tool. 



FROSTS. 



On the mornings of Thursday and Friday ol last week, 

 June 1st and 2d, we had severe frosts in this vicinity. 

 In many gardens, the squashes and beans were cut 

 down, and it will be necessary to plant again. This, 

 we suppose, is about the extent of the damage, though 

 the cold was so great that the plowed ground was fro- 

 zen so that it would crack under tho feet. On Satur- 

 day morning there was a thaw. 



We were somewhat amused at hearing that there had 

 been no frost in June before for several years; for we 

 recollected that on the morning of June 6lh, last year, 

 there was a frost nearly ns severe as this of June 2d 

 this year; and yet the season was very fruitful. If peo- 

 ple would only lake the trouble to keep a record of the 

 seasons, and note the peruliarities of each, they might 

 save themselves from making many erroneous assertiona 

 vhich their bad memory otherwise subjects them. 



LUCERNE. 



We have noticed several times this season, the luxu- 

 riant growth of some lucerne mixed with grasses on a 

 part of the grounds on which the late Hon. John Low- 

 ell experimented. We know not how long it is since 

 tho lucerne was sowed ; but it is probably five years or 

 more. The suil we cannot pretend to describe with ac- 

 curacy, but it must be heavy and rather wet. It is a 

 sort of intervale on the banks of n small stream. Tho 

 subsoil must be quite wet; and yet two weeks ago the 

 lucerne tln-re was double the height of any of the other 

 grasses, and its foliage large and rich. Yes, two weeks 

 a"0 last Monday, when we saw it, this lucerne was 

 more than a foot high apparently, and had the ground 

 been covered with that alone, there would have been at 

 ihat time a good crop. 



We think the lucerne has not been tried so much in 

 this country as its luxuriance entitles it to. It has been 

 made to do well in various places, and we have no 

 doubt that a little experience with it, would enable us to 

 grow it successfully on most of our farms, and that we 

 should find it much more productive than any of our 

 graiises or our clovers. The appearance of that on the 

 Lowell grounds has raised the question with us, whether 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXItlBITlON or FLOWERS. 



Saturday, June 3, 1843. 



Joseph S. Cabot, Esq., of Salem, presented some very 

 fine seedling Pansies. It gave us great pleasure to ex- 

 amine such fine specimens of this universal favorite. 

 "The delicacy of its texture, and the vivacity of its pur- 

 ple are inimitable," says the Countess, inle Spectacle dt 

 la Nature. " The softcsl velvet, if set in competiliun 

 with this flower, would appear to the eye as coarse as 

 canvass." 



Mr W. E. Carter, of the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, 

 exhibited some very splendid bouquets, roses and otlier 

 cut flowers. 



From William Kenrirk, Newton— Pa-onies : Moutan 

 Banksii, and other kinds; Fraxinella, Iris, Wistaria eon- 

 sequana, or Chinese Glycine, Purple Beech, Honey- 



Froni A. Bowditch, Roxbury— Double Oleander. _ 



By S. Sweetser, Woburn— Tree-rose, (Sanguinia,) 

 Fushia, gracelis, cutting of 1842. 



From Jno. A. Kenrick, Nonantum Dale, Newton- 

 Dutch Pipe, Silver Bell, Pa;ony Moutan Banksii, P. Pap- 

 averacea, P. Tennilolin, P. Laiifolia,P. Prffiiox; Azalias, 

 Wayfaring Tree, Magnolia Cordata, New Scarlet Haw- 

 thorn, red and white Tartarian Honeysuckle, Caucasian 

 Honeysuckle, Spirae Hypericum, &c. 



Tulips and Bouquets, by S«muel Walker, Roxbury. 

 Among the tulips there were three new varieties. 

 For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Ch'mn. 



Notice. — The Committee on Flowers are requested 

 to meet at the rooms of the Society at 11 o'clock on Sat- 

 urday next, 10th insl., for the transaction of business. 

 Per order, S. WALKER, Ch'mn. 



EXHIBITION OF FR0IT3. 



From J. F. Allen— Grapes; Black Hamburg and Bar- 

 suraube— the latter fine. Also, beautiful Peaches, iha 

 first shown for tho season. 



For the Committee, 



OTIS JOHNSON. 



EXHIBITION OF VEGETABLES. 



Good specimens of Cucumbers were exhibited by Mr 

 J. L. L F. Warren. Also, Rhubarb, 12 stalks, which 

 weighed 5 1-2 pounds. „ 



" ^ JNO. A. KENRICK. 



