VOL. XIV. KO. 39. 



AND C. ARDENER'S JOURNAL 



307 



hand weediiii;, but, I think, injures the roots.— 

 The sand should be laid in the rlieys hetwcen the 

 beds, in tlie tall, when the beds arc about to 

 recei'vc the toi.-dressing of stable litter to keep 

 them warm through the winter ; and when the 

 sand is about to bo replaced in the s|.ring, it 

 should be passed through a sieve of such size as 

 will not let the balls (that contain the seed) pass 

 throuch. This will be another means of prevent- 

 ing th^e seed from vegetating on the beds. There 

 is a practice very prevalent with gardeners to plant 

 lettuce, radishes, and other early vegetables on the 

 beds; this should never be done, and particularly 

 with radishes, as they have a long root that extends 

 to the roots of the asparagus, and must seriously 

 interfere with them. 



I frequently cut asparagus from three to five 

 and a half, and once 1 cut a spire six inches in 

 circumference, and from five to eight inches long; 

 it could have been cut longer, but it is never ten- 

 der near the root. — Correspondent of Farmers' Reg- 

 ister. 



[From the Maine Farmer.] 

 SCOTCH 0.\TS. 



Mr Holmes : — It is a well known fact to you 

 thatthe Kennebec County Agricultural Society, of 

 -which yon were corresponding Secretary, and of 

 course did the business, imported via New York 

 from Scotland, a number of bushels of Oats, in 

 hopes that seed brought from that mountainous 

 country to this might he useful. The seed was 

 sold at auction, and I purchased two pecks at one 

 dollar the peck. As they arrived late I was obliged 

 to sow them late in the season. I put them upon 

 good land, and they grew large in the straw, but 

 before they ripened were nearly all lodged down. 

 On threshing them out I found that I had eleven 

 bushels, norwithstanding, compared with those 

 sown they were very much shrunk and shriveled. 

 Last spring I sowed five bushels on two acres and 

 fifteen rods of land, in three several pieces, to try 

 ■what they would do. The land was in various 

 states of richness, some of it in good order, and 

 some of it poorer, some on a spear grass sod 

 ploughed eight inches deep— with little or no 

 dressing of any kind, the laud having been mowed 

 as long as it would give any burthen worth mow- 

 ing. I raised between seventy and eighty bushels. 

 From my experiments I think I may safely make 

 the following statements — viz: That they pro- 

 duce larger and more straw per acre than the 

 common oats. That they produce as many or 

 more oats. That the> are this year about five 

 pounds in the bushel heavier though not entirely 

 full, as part of my crop lodged and all were cut 

 too green. That they ought not to be sowed late. 

 That they will produce more of oats and straw on 

 land that is in rather poor condition. 



That a decaying or rotten sward of any kind is 

 sufficiently rich to ensure a gooil crop. That they 

 will probably bring in the market 124 cents per 

 bushel more than the common oats of this country, 

 and that it will prove a change of seeds that will 

 be of much benefit to the farmer for a number of 

 years to come. 



I have fifty bushels which I wi 1 sell at a fair 

 price compared with the price of other oats if 

 applied for at my house soon. The oats imported 

 weighed 44 pounds to the bushel. 



Elijah Wood. 

 mrahrop, Feb. 27, 1836. 



The following notice of, and directions for 

 sowing this fine grass, will be found interesting to 

 such of our readers as may desire to make an 

 experiment in its cultivation. We copy it from a 

 circular of G. C. Thorburn, Esq. 



LnCERNE, OR FRENCH CLOVER. 



Few articles of foreign introduction have ever 

 succeeded so well as this valuable clover ; many 

 of the first agriculturists in our country have, and 

 still continue to cultivate it with increasing suc- 

 cess. We could give the most respectable names 

 as references ; but would merely mention J. Buel, 

 Esq. of Albany, who has given it a fair trial, and 

 is fully satisfied of its excellent properties, and 

 great usefulness to the farmer ; and V. Livingston, 

 Esq. Greeusburgh, N. Y. The following is from 

 James Byrd, Esq. Flushing, Long Island, who has 

 cultivated it for the last ten years. He has kind- 

 ly communicated to us the result of his latest ex- 

 perience, which we recommend to the attention 

 of all agriculturists. Mr B. is well known as one 

 of the best farmers on Long Island, and what is 

 not a little creditable to his skill and horticultural 

 abilities, he beat Cobbett completely during the 

 Ruta Baga war a few years since. Mr C. acknow- 

 ledged that Mr Byrd's mode of culture and returns 

 exceeded his; and he was struck with admiration 

 when viewing his well kept field, and the superior 

 quality of his turnips. 



Flushing, 2 mo. 1834. 

 Respected Friends, 



I now hand you a particular statement how I 

 managed my Lucerne. 



1831. I this spring sowed twenty pounds of 

 seed on my wheat about the time clover is usually 

 sown, jind harrowed it both ways with a sliar|> 

 heavy iron-tooth harrow. It came up well, and 

 produced three good crops of hay the following 

 year. 



1832. Harrowed the lot three times over, and 

 in order to see whether it proved injurious, I had 

 part of it done six times over- I did not find that 

 it injured the plants, but it had this good effect, 

 that it killed nearly all the weeds and natural 

 grass, and was very beneficial to the Lucerne. 



1833. Had it well harrowed again this spring, 

 and had three good crops of hay. I weighed part 

 of the first crop after it was well cured, and 

 found it produced nearly two and a half tons per 

 acre. 



The harrow ought to be made in two parts, 

 and hung together with hooks and eyes, it being 

 much easier to clear them from grass than when 

 made in the usual way, and in my opinion, are 

 much better for all purposes; it ought to be so 

 constructed as for the teeth not to follow each 

 other. Be careful to pick up the stones after ev- 

 ery harrowing, and it would be well to harrow it 

 after every mowing. Light, dry land is best for 

 the grass. Unless the land is very level, I think 

 it would be best to place it in ridges twenty feet 

 wide. If sown in ridges, it must be harrowed 

 the long way. The clover ought to be raised 8 

 or 10 inches above the harrow, in order that it 

 may run level, otherwise it will injure the plants, 

 I had mine made with notches, to regulate the 

 height. I am convinced that the best way to 

 prepare land for Lucerne is to plough in plenty of 

 manure in the spring, and pknt it with corn, hav 

 ing it well ploughed and hoed, so as to be kept 

 perfectly clean. In the fall, after taking off" the 

 corn, sow wheat, manured with ashes. 



[For the New England Farmer.] 



aiamure:. 



iMii Fessende.n : — In a late number of the 

 Farmer, I observe that several persons in Ply- 

 mouth county have lately been competitors for 

 the premiums offered by the Agricultural Society 

 of the country, for compost manure. It appears 

 from the statement that in one year, (as I under- 

 stand it,) Rev. Morrill Allen, of Pendiroke, made 

 778 loads — Ezra Weston, Esq. of Duxbury, 685 

 do. — some others from 500 to 600 loads of 40 

 cubic feet to the load. 



I have no uiclination to doubt the correctness 

 of these statements, but am anxious to learn, what 

 1 presume these enterprising farmers are perfectly 

 willing the public should know, how this compost 

 is made. Manure in old Massachusetts is the 

 main spring to agriculture. Stable manure is 

 becoming expensive. In my immediate neighbor- 

 hood, nine miles from Boston, it is worth, if of 

 good quality^ about $5,00 per cord. Valuable 

 compost is made, with us to some extent, but I 

 know of no one who ever made in one year any- 

 thing like the above quantity. 



Should any of the competitors for the premi- 

 um referi-ed to, be disposed to give the public 

 some account of the materials they use, and mode 

 of conducting this business, I doubt not they will 

 confer a special favor on inany others besides 

 Your obedient servant 



E. F. Woodward. 



JVewton, March 26, 1836. 



British Manufactories. — A good deal was 

 published so;ne 3 or 4 years ago, touching the 

 wretched condition of the laborers in these great 

 establishments of industry. A commission was 

 instituted by Parliament to inquire into their con- 

 dition on the spot. The investigation apjiears to 

 have been conducted with care and fidelity. The 

 result of the inquiry was that the condition of the 

 operations, of all ages, especially in the large es- 

 tablishments, was far from being miserable. Their 

 labor is higher than that of the cultivators of the 

 soil. Adults earn per day from 3s. 6d. to 6s. 6d. 

 sterling, and some more. Their employment is 

 not unfavorable to health or longevity.^ 



Another fact of great importance is announced, 

 — "that improvements in machinery invariably 

 increase, at one and the same time the profits of 

 the mill owner and the wages of the workmen." 

 With this improved machinery, the manufacturer 

 can afford to pay his workmen a higher price. 



Remedy for the Lock Jaw. — We are inform- 

 ed by a friend that a sure preventive against this 

 terrible disease is to take some soft soap, and mix 

 it with a sufficient quantity of pulverized chalk, 

 so as to make it of the consistency of buckwheat 

 batter; keep the chalk moistened with a fresh 

 supply of soap until the wound begins to dis- 

 charge, and the patient finds relief. Our friend 

 stated to us that implicit confidence may be placed 

 in what he says, that he has known several cases 

 where this remedy has been successfully applied. 

 So simple and so valuable a remedy, within the 

 reach of every person, ought to be universally 

 known.— A". Y. Ev. Post. 



Charcoal. — This article is now carried through 

 our streets and sold at the enormus price of eighty- 

 one cents per barrel. — L. I. Star. 



