ENGLAND FARMER, 



JUNE 29, 1S3G, 



Extract of a Utter from a gentleman in Paris. | 



Cdltivation ok the Sugar Reet — (Silesian 

 Ceut )— This i)laiit requires light grouiul that has 

 some depth. Those who cultivate it rcguUirly, 

 -rive it one ploughing before winter, an.l nnother 

 Til Feliruai-j', or in the course of fvhirch ; it is then 

 tuurowed in order to make it as smooth as jiossi- 

 ble. It should not be sown tiil the frost is no 

 longer to be feared— it may be sown, according 

 to circnmstanees, from the end of March to the 

 endof May. It is sown either by scattering like 

 wheat, or in furrows, regularly distance.l, say nine 

 inches apart. Tlie first mode (like wheat) is much 

 quicker — the second more profitable. It saves 

 one good half of the seed which is usjd for the 

 first mode. The seed thus sowed, and covered 

 by something like an inch of ground, soon makes 

 its api.earance. When the sprouts are four or 

 five inches from the ground, it is proper to thin 

 them, that is to say, to pick out the excess of the 

 plant which may injure the growth of those which 

 you wish to remain, and care must be bad to sup- 

 press such plants as are less healthy and vigorous, 

 and preserve those that are more so. 



When the plant has been thus thinned, or while 

 yon are thinning it, it should be weeded, with a 

 weeding hook or a hoe — tiiis is done here to ad- 

 vantage, by a weeder, drawn by a horse. This 

 weeding operation must be rcjieated two or three 

 times while the plant remains in the ground to 

 5)revent wi:(l jilants from injuring the growth of 

 the beet and choking it. 



When the seed hn.s been thrown on t'le ground 

 in the common way, like wheat, it often happens 

 that several parts have received no seed ; in this 

 caso, the best of the pk^nts that have been taken 

 from those places which had too many, are to be 

 picked and placed where they are wanted ; but to 

 have them succeed, care should be taken that the 

 root should stand upright in the hole made to re- 

 ceive it. If the weather continues long dry, it 

 would be well to water it. During the vegetatio:i 

 of licets, care should be taken to prevent the 

 leave- being taken of!', the grov\tliof the plant 

 would be injured by it, and the los.s of the root 

 would be greater than the pro t that would aixrne 

 from the leaves taken to feed the cattle,, of which 

 cows and other animals arc quite greedy. 



The beets ought always to be rcajied before the 

 frost or frost-time has <-on\c, to avoid the danger 

 of losing the crop. In every part of Trance that 

 operation takes place in October. 



!f it were a possible thing to extract the juice 

 of a crop of b(;ets as soon as they are out of the 

 ground, the produce would be njncli greater than 

 when they or a great part of them are kept for 

 several months un worked. But the sugar manu 

 facturer is always forced to keep for several 

 months, a great part which has not been submit- 

 ted to the operation. It is necessary, therefore, to 

 place them in some safe place, where they may 

 be found when wanted, free from rot and fermen- 

 tation, that is to .say, before the p'ant has suffered 

 either vegetati(jn or intc.nal movement. 



Two conditions .ire indispensable for the pre- 

 -eervatio'i of beets ; i rst, that they may be kept in 

 a place suificionlly ilry to prevem rotting without 

 heing hot enough to promote vegetation or fer- 

 mentation — second, that they be completely shel- 

 tered from the frost. Whatever | art is touched 

 by it, i« '"S* '"■' '''" fabrication of sugar. 



An arpent of laud, that is to say, 1344 square 



fathoms, of six feet (French) square, produces 

 20,000 lbs. weight o^he tool.— Philadelphia Com- 

 mercial Heralil. 



The Wheat Cr.op. — Some of the Southern 

 papers make loud complaints of the failure of the 

 wheat crop. The Richmond Whig of the 1.5th 

 instant, says of the crop of wheat throughout the 

 State, that, — 



" What the hard winter left, the fly had neaily 

 extirpated. The small remainder spared by the 

 Hessians, is now consumed by the rust, the efTect 

 of near three weeks unintermiltcd rain. In addi- | 

 tion to the assaults of the (ro.st, the fly, the cheat, 

 the rust, the strut, and Heaven knows what foes 

 besides, James River and other streams have been 

 visited by a fresh, the greatest for twentytwo years. 

 This has left the wheat fields within its influence 

 unworthy of the scythe. The failure of the 

 wheat crop has become so common, so invariable 

 indeed, in middle Virgmia, that it is probalrc ag- 

 riculture in that region will undergo another 

 revolution." 



The Newark Daily Advertiser says that in the 

 lower part of Sussex county in New Jersey, the 

 Fly has nearly destroyed what little prospect of 

 grain was left by the severity of the winter. Sim- 

 ilar complaints were received from the county of 

 Warren. But in Essex, Bergen, MontTionth and 

 Somerset counties, the fields look "passably well." 



Rota Baga.— It may be that it will encourage 

 the raising of Rnta Baga, if I state my success in 

 that crop the la.st season, though net a remarkably 

 large one, yet as the hay and "food for cattle has 

 been, it was a profitable one. It grew on just 

 one fourth of an acre of ground, which yielded 

 204 bushels by weight, 64 lbs. to the bushel — the 

 si'ine as the law requires that potatoes should 

 weigh. 



It is supposed by most farmers that two thou- 

 sand pounds of this vegetable and a ton of hay 

 will sustain our cattle as long or go as far in our 

 stock as two tons of hay fed out undrrstandingly, 

 or in other words, they are worth as much, 

 |)0-.md for pound, as English hay. According to 

 the above number of bushels and weight, there 

 grew on the quarter of an acre six tons ami a half 

 and fiftysix ponnds. Hay is worth twc^uty dollars 

 per ton— if Rtita Baga, weight for weight, is worth 

 twenty dollars per ton — the six tons and !i half 

 and fiftysix pounds amounts to one hundred and 

 thirty dollars fiftysix cents; equal to five hundred 

 and twentytwo dollars twcntyfour cents per acre, 

 when forage is thu.s high. 



i will now give an account of the actual profit, 

 as I sold some, and might have so'd the whole at 

 the same rate, fi)r as hay has been high I evi- 

 dently undereold. Two shillings a bushel 1 sold 

 for, sixtyfour pounds by W( ight per bushel — at 

 that rate the 204 bushels amount to sixtyeight dol- 

 lars equal to two hundred and se\entylwo dol- 

 lars the acre. All can see that I undersold, as 

 forage has been this season — hut as the worth of 

 hay 'is, lake one year with another, they are worth 

 anil will bring twenlyfive cents the bushel, if kept 

 until April — at that rata my quarter of an acr;- 

 would bring fifiyoue dollars ; equal to two hun- 

 dred and four dollars per acre. Is it worth whde 

 to attend to rai ing Ruta Baga — ll.'is question will 

 be better answered whtn i make known the ex- 

 pense as I intend in a future communication. — 

 ' Maine Farmer. 



(From the New York Fanner.) 



successpuii farming. 



Mr Minor: 



Sir, In my letter to you of January 27, 1835, 



I said, " my farming operations bad necessarily 

 been very limited," &c. &c. Another season has 

 passed, and 1 embrace a few leisure moments to 

 give you some account of my success, on the 

 same farm : not, however, in the way of boasting, 

 but to show you that I have not been unsuccess- 

 ful. The farm consists of 110 acres, and put 

 down in the tax-book second and third rati! land 



I SO acres in cultivation, and the remainder wood, 



of which 1 only had the privilege of cutting for 



fencing. Rent foiu- hundred dollars per annum. 



It was considered by many as a very high rent, 



a very hazardous imdertaking, and that I never 



should get enough oft' to pay rent and meet expens- 

 es ; which, in fact, was the case the fiist year, as I 

 was minus two hundred and thirty dollars. I could, 

 however, account for it, in repairing and altering 

 the stables for my cattle, building pig-stye, dig- 

 ging well, draining, rei)airing, and making new 

 fences, drawing tnanure from the city, — the ben- 

 efits of which I received the next year. Of my 

 success you can form an opinion from the state- 

 ment below. For certain reasons 1 have withheld 

 the nctt proceeds. Suflice to say, I have made up 

 the deficit, and added to my caijilal. 



I am a mere novice in farming — I am by pro- 

 fession a printer — it is new business to me — 1 

 have much to learn, and for what little I do know, 

 I am indebted to agricultural publications, and to 

 lessons derived from Mr Buel, and other eminent 

 farmers, who I am proud to number among my 

 acquaintLmce. 



The question is often a.sked me, " Where did 

 you imbibe your notions and taste fiir farming ?" 

 iVIy answer is, » V» hen a boy, eight or nine years 

 of age, 1 used to ' ride horse' for my grandfather, 

 to plough corn ; and if, perchance, I should allow 

 ' old Dobbin' to tread upon a hill of corn, look out 

 for a lump of earth at the urchin's head I !" He 

 is n )W dead and gone — hut the lessons he taught 

 me are still fresh in my memory. He was a good 

 farmer- he had a time for every thing, and every 

 thing must be done in time — a place for every 

 thini'. and every thing in its jilace. His fences 

 were always in good order — his buildings in good 

 repair. His stock fed regularly, and at regular 

 hours; not feeding to sin-feit one day, and half 

 starving them the next. In short, he had a sys- 

 tem, and followed it strictly — anil made money by 

 farming loo It His pork barrel and granary were 

 never eiuply. He never ran up accounts with the 

 merchants, nor run in debt because his credit was 

 good He lived to a good old age : and died, as 

 |,e lived — an honest man. Peace to his ashes. 



On looking over my sales-book, ! find the fol- 

 lowing articles passed to the credit of the farm : 



Cattle, consisting of 1 cow and 7 calves 



(Durham short horn,) 

 Sheej), consisting of bucks, ewes, and 



lambs, for breeding, 

 Pigs, princii ally, for breeds, 

 Milk sold, besides feeding ihe calves, 

 Pasturing cattle and horses, exclusive of 



my own stock. 

 Potatoes sold for family use, 

 Ruta Baga turnips, 487 bushels, at 20 



cei'is [)er bushel. 

 Barley, 100 bushels, at 80 cents. 



$825 00 



615 00 

 276 00 

 157 80 



136 13 

 615 69 



97 40 

 80 00 



