180 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DEC. 8, IS4I. 



HYBRIDS. 



There is sotnelliiiiij very curious in llie mixing? 

 of seeds. In tlie case of .Mr Whitman's turnips, us 

 related helow, where were two kinds in one pod, 

 which was produced from a single blossom, and 

 tiie farina or pollen (which is allowed to be the 

 fertilizer of the seedj of both the ruta bajra and llie 

 flat turnips must have lullen' upon it and impreq;- j 

 iiated the seeds accordingly. One would suppose 

 that the seeds would all of thpm have become mon- 

 grels, or as they are called, hybrids. But it seems 

 that they did not. 'J he mixture or hybrid charac- 

 ter does not always show itself the first year in the 

 seed. It is related that the celebrated English 

 horticulturist, Thomas Knight, mixed the farina of 

 a dwarf kind of a pea with a tall grey pea. The 

 seed that year resembled the common i,'rey pea as 

 usual, but the next year thaproduct of those seeds 

 partook of the nature of both its parents, and a new 

 variety was thus formed. Some time since, a friend 

 in York county gave us an ear of Tuscarora corn, 

 ■which grew by the side of some of the common 

 sweet corn. The kernels of the sweet corn we 

 picked out ; the remaining kernels were to all ap- 

 pearance fair specimens of the Tuscarora corn. 

 These we planted by themselves, at a distance 

 from any other, but in the fall we found kernels of 

 the sweet corn mixed in with the other. Next 



seeds. The small sized seeds, when 1 waa a boy, 

 over fifty years ago, were called the small sweet 

 melons. The small kind I have not planted or 

 raised any for several years past. 



The seeds that I planled last spring were not 

 of my raising, but were all of the largest sized 

 seeds. I am of opinion that both kinds of the 

 melon seeds were planted and grow near each oth- 

 er the last year, similar to the ruta baga seeds. 



If you think the above facts are worth publish- 

 ing in your columns, they are at your disposal. 

 J. WHITiMAN. 



.V. Turner, mv. 1811. 



EXPENSE AND PROFIT OF A POTATO 

 CROP IN VERMONT. 

 The following communication from Mr Ricli, is 

 of a kind which we always welcome. Exact ac- 

 counts are what all fanners like to look at — they 

 are what all fanners should keep. In what way 

 is it possible for a man to determine accuratdy 

 wiiich of his crops are, taking a series of years to- 

 gether, the most profitable, unless he does note 

 down the expenses of each and its worth ? It is 

 true that observation and good judgment may help 

 him to get near the truth, but this is all. The first 

 of January will soon come round again, and before 



t arrives, we advise every young farmer — (we don't 

 spring we picked out the kernels of sweet corn as ] very willirigly except the old ones) — to provide 



Dr. 



To 21 loads of long manure at 3s. $10 5 



' 1 1-2 days plowing, with 2 yoke of oxen 



and 3 men, 5 S 



' Man and horse 3 hours in furrowing, T 



' 32 bush, seed potatoes, at 2*. per bush. 10 t 



' 1 1-3 days planting, at 75 cts. per day, 1 i 



' First hoeing, 3 1-2 days, at 7o cts. ' « 2 ( 



' Second do. 2 3-4 ' at 75 cu. ' ' 2 C 



' Use of horse for both hoeings, 1 C 



' 12 3-4 days in harvesting, 9 5 



' Interest on land, at 850 per acre, 4 £ 



Deduct two thirds expense of manure 

 for succeeding crops, 



Cr. 

 By 477 1-2 bush 



potatoes, at 2.«. 



Deduct expenses. 



$159 1 

 41 1 



before, and planted nothing but fair looking Tus- 

 carora. At harvesting time we found the same 

 mix as before. The third season we again picked 

 out the sweet kernels, but in thefalUwe still found 

 some mixed in with the Tuscarora, and this too 

 when it was planted each year so far from any of 

 the sweet variety that the pollen of the one could not 

 blow on to the other. How long it will be before 

 we shall be able to get the sweet corn blood eradi- 

 cated from the Tuscarora, wo cannot tell. It 

 shows, however, that seedsmen cannot be too care- 

 ful in keeping plants from which they wish to ob- 

 tain seeds, separate from others of the same genus. 

 What are called Dale's Hybrid turnips, which is 

 a turnip with a ruta baga bottom and a flat turnip 

 top, we presume originated by mixing the pollen 

 of the two varieties, and perhaps if Mr Whitman 

 examines, he will find some among his that will be 



of the same or of a better variety than Dale's 



Maitte Farmer. 



RUTA BAGA AND FLAT TURNIP SEED IN 

 ONE POD. 



Mr Holmes — In a- former communication I 

 promised^that I would inform you of my opinion, 

 and the evidence I had that ruta buga and English 

 or flat turnip seed would both grow in one |)od. 



Last year, in the spring, I sel out my roots fur 

 seed, as usual. Beets, carrots, onions, ruta baga, 

 English turnips, &.c. The two last were set near 

 each other; when thoy became ripe, I carefully 

 gathered them separately. On the 17th of last 

 June, I planted the same seed which I gathered 

 from the ruta bagas, where no seed grew last year 

 except a few weeds. They came up ns usual : — 

 about one sixteenth part proved to be flat turnips ; 

 both kinds were in aliijost every hill. '1 he tops 



himself with a book in which to keep a journal 

 If this is done, he has it in his power to turn at 

 any time to all the minutes he wants^to enable 

 him to sum up the profits and loss of every crop. 



Shortham, Vt., Xov. \5th, 1841. 

 Mr Editor — Sir — In reading the agricultural 

 papers of the day, I frequently meet with the mode, 

 culture, expenses, and loss or gain of farm crops, 

 which I think is an advantage to the farmer, espe- 

 cially where thoy are particular in giving the de- 

 scription of soil and mode of treatment. Being 

 induced from the frequent recommendations in the 

 papers, to keep debt and credit of farm crops, I 

 will give you a statement of one acre and five 

 eighths of potatoes. Soil, about one half a deep 

 loam, the other loam and sand, (rather moist.) It 

 had lain to grass two years, and on the 12lh of 

 June I drew twentyonc cartloads of long manure, 

 and spread it evenly over the ground, and plowed 

 it under to the depth of eight inches, immediately 

 after spreading. The herds grass and clover had 

 attained a good growth ; so much so, that it 

 was necessary to have one hand keep up with the 

 plow, and with a forked stick prevent the grass 

 accumulating about the coultor. It was then tlio- 

 roughly liarrowod, and then furrowed anc' planted 

 as soon as possible. The ground was furrowed 

 three feet one way, and planted about two feet the 

 other; the potatoes being cut and covered two in- 

 ches deep. First hoeing, 15th July: ciiUivator 

 run twice in each furrow; second hoeing, 28th Ju- 

 ly, niid cultivator usod as in the first. 1 endeavor- 

 ed to have my hands hoe them on the level sys- 

 torn as much as po-ssiblo ; but owing to their being 

 furrowed very shallow, and the mode new, ihoy 

 were hilled njore than I intended to have them, 

 have resembled both kinds the summer through. ! The season was good until the second hoeing, and 



The flat or English turnip bottoms resemble the 

 ruta bagas in many respects. When convenient I 

 will endeavor to forward you a sample of some of 

 tho roots. 



Enclosed arc two kinds of water melon seeds, 

 that grow tho summer past from the largest sized 



from that time to the 1 5th of September was too 

 dry, (which was the case throughout the county.) 

 From that time to the 14th October, they grew 

 very fast, and on harvesting them 1 had four hun- 

 dred and sevcntyseven and a half bushels of pota- 

 toes. Now fur the account: — 



Profit, - - $116 C 



or $72 G8 per acre. 



1 wish your opinion or some of the eontributoi 

 to your valuable paper, on the following inquir 

 Last spring I purchased .55 loads of bone mi 

 nure from the slaughter house in my vicinity, ao 

 put them on to three and three fourths acres i 

 land, it having lain eight or ten years to pastur 

 The head and jaw bones were broken to pieces 

 little and then turned under. The piece was the 

 planted to corn on the 7th June ; produce, 40 bush 

 els per acre. Soil, a deep muck, inclining to cla 

 and rather moist. Tiiis piece of land 1 wish i 

 seed to grass next spring. Will spring wheat t 

 likely to do well, if not, what will ? Any info 

 mation will be thankfully received by 

 Your friond and subscriber, 



QUINTUS C. RICH. 

 P. S. — I have charged nothing for board in tl 

 above statement on the potato crop, as my Ubi 

 cost me from 10 to 12 1-2 dollars per month. 



1 think there is one great error with those w| 

 write, in withholding their names. Pieces mcrel 

 signed with a letter of the alphabet, do not can 

 such strcngtli with thein as those where tbe author 

 name is attached. 



Is there a remedy for warts on cow's teats ? 



Q. C. R. 

 dj"! am tempted hy the foregoing statement! 

 give an account, /com memory, o( my own petal 

 crop. My book is twenty miles from here. It wa 

 a wonderful crop. 



About the last week in May, I took a strip i 

 land three rods wide and forty long ; plain pastur 

 land with but little herbage on it. Soil mostly 

 light colored loam, inclining to a sandy loam. Brok 

 up and snhsoiled 2-3ds of this with two yoke i 

 oxen and two men 1-2 a day. Next morning brok 

 up the remainder with one yoke of oxen and on 

 man, one hour and an half One fourth of an acr 

 ot this land, was planted to potatoes. Before plow 

 ing, I spread upon the 1.4 acre three loads of rot 

 tin<r (not exactly rolled,) straw, potato vines, mead 

 ow inud, &c. which 1 found in tho barn-yard wlic 

 I purchased the place. After plowing I sprea 

 about four loads of the same powerful manure up 

 on the furrows and harrowed it in. The land ws 

 then marked out 4 feel one way and 3 feet 3 ir 

 the otlier. Then I planted 4 1-2 bushels of a 



