342 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL, S7, 1X48.. 



vol 



ASH IIORTICULTURAI. RfOlSTER. 



BosTo:', Wkdkesuat, ApBit 27, 1842. 



ROOT CROPS. 



The tono of tlio agricultural press f.)r levcral > ufirs 

 post, hai been decidedly in fator of cultivating roots to 

 be eaten by uatlie and Bwine. Many former*, of accu- 

 rato obsprvBtion and sound judgment, after years of eipe- 

 rienco with these crops, prize them highly, and continue 

 their cultivation. There are some, however, of good 

 judgment too, who after years of trial, hare abandoned 

 their cultivation. Our opmion is in favor of these crops. 

 Wo find from nur minutes of past years, that allowing 

 forty d»jllai« per acre tor manure, including the cost of 

 spreadmg, that carrots, sugar beets, and ruta bacas, can 

 bo raised for about 15 cts. per bushel, taking the crops as 

 they averaged for four successive years. The ciirrots 

 have not cost more than the others. Though in some 

 eirasoni and on some soils, the beels and ruta bagos have 

 given larger crops than the carrots, yet thoy have about 

 as often been less productive. The beet is liable to suf- 

 fer, and almost ruinously suffer, from drought, and the 

 ruta bagi will bliglit or bo injured by worms. The 

 carrot is less liable to sulfer from the extremes of wot 

 and dryness, and it has fewer enemies. We have raised 

 it about as chuup per bushel as any root, taking the crop 

 of soveriil successive years into the account. Our crop 

 has average 450 bushels per acre or mors. 



CARROTS— SOIL TOR THEM, Ac. 

 There is no better root, so far as quality goes, and so 

 far as its fitness for all kinds of stock is regarded, than 

 the carrot. Given to oows, it makes rich -milk, and 

 sweet and yellow butter. Horses, oxen and swino, all 

 do well upon it. Tlio Lon^ Orange i> most extensively 

 cultivated, and is a good vnrifety. The mUc carrot, 

 which is not general known, for its introduction here is 

 recent, has proved more productive than the ytUow t it 

 grows partly out of ground, and is for that reason more 

 easily Imrvestud. Its comparative quality has not yet 

 been satisfactorily ascertained. 



For this crop *v8 prefer B light but ileen soil— loamy, 

 or a sandy loam. Soils somewhat gravelly, if plowed 

 deep, are friendly to this root. The land .should be 

 well dressed with line manure, wliicli should he ,w«ll 

 mixed in by plowing and harrowing. > 



If one intends to sow upon a flat surface, nrpavonient 

 way of preparing is to plow about ti.ree furrowsjon ^ach 

 side of a land, and then rake whatever slonea,t.r. lumps 

 there may be on them, inio tho furrow iast.plowed; 

 when this has been done, plow three furrows more, and 

 rake again; and soon until. the wlioie is Gnijihed. Then 

 sow the seed in rows about ).') inches apart; from 1 1-2 

 to 2 lbs. of seed is needed per acre. 



But if one chooses to sow on ridges, (and this ii proba- 

 bly tho most ecnnomical way,) then, after the manure 

 has been well worked into the iiurfuce, toko a liorie 

 plow and turn two back furrows together, thus njaking 

 a ridge: continue to do this until tho whole piece is put 

 in ridges. Rake the tops of tiie ridges, and then sow 

 unn row nii tho top of each. These ridges may be 20 

 to 21 inches apart. If th» latter distaiicr is ii.scd, n horse 

 plow or small cultivator may be used in the iiflcr tillago. 

 Ridging, compared with th« flat surface, requires leas 

 seed ; it gives fewer rows to weed and thin, and fewer 

 to dig at harvest lime. The result of our observation 

 and inquiries is, that the ridggd ground usually gives as 

 many bushels per acta as the flst surface. If we arc not 



mistaken on this point, the reasons for ridging are surely 

 very strong. An acre on flat surface, with rows 15 in- 

 ches apart, icquircs fiom 16 to 24 days work to lioo and 

 weed it three times. On ridges 24 inches apirt, whcio 

 the hotae can b« used, the labor would be but little more 

 (hao half as-much. Sow from the lOlh to 20lh of May. 



SUGAR DEET. 



'i'he siigiir beet and mangel wurlzol ore very similar 

 in the soil thtiy t'Ke, and in tlie moile of treatment they 

 require. Each prefers a warm, inoi.st and rich soil. 

 They are great water drinkers, and if they once suffer 

 much from lack of moisture, ti.ey never recover well 

 froo) the cliei;k then received. The preparation of tho 

 ground is the same as for carrots, when they are sowed 

 on ridges. The sirgar beet is very valuable lor milch 

 cows, causing a full flow of rich milk. 



There prevails an opinion that tho mangel ■wurtzol is 

 unfriendly to tht health of cattle. We think this, partly 

 at least, the result of prejudice. 



Sow both of these about the first of June. One and 

 an half lb. of seed per acre. 



RUTA BAGA. 



This root does best on a dryish soil, hght, and inclin- 

 ing to sandy or gravelly. The -manure from our barn- 

 yards, stables and hoji-yards, oftener causes a fine growth 

 o( leaves and (m army cf worms, than it does a good 

 growth of sound ruta haga roots. Wo have found bone 

 dust a very valuable manure for this crop. A compost 

 of 6 loads of soil, 6 of muck, G of sand, end 15 bushels of 

 bone, the whole wet with COO gallons o( soapboiler's salt 

 or spent ley, will be our dressing for liiis crop on one 

 half an aero tho present season. With a dressing con- 

 sisting of soil, bone and ley, we last year obtained as 

 fair and solid roots as we ever saw, and at the rate of 

 more than seven iiundred bushels per acre — though our 

 rows were 30 inches apart. One season we used bono 

 alone — tlio roots were fairer and belter than in tho con- 

 tiguous rows on barn manure ; and were less eaten not 

 only by worms, but by the fly. A compost of muck 

 and sand., in the proportions of one of sand to two of 

 muck, niid a bushel of ashes and three quarts of salt to 

 each thirty bushels of muck, and sand, na should be 

 more willing to use on dry land for this crop, than we 

 should strong dung. We will not recommend this, for 

 we /tare not tried t't.-^We mention it, bocaiise wo have 

 much ooiifidenco that it would do well, and also be- 

 came it is a compost which many fiirmers can make 

 with much convenience. Should you be so unfortunate 

 as to lose a calf, a lamb, a pig, a cow, or should the 

 meat in yi ur harrirl become tainted, cut it up fine and 

 distribute it through the heap, for this will furnish the 

 only ingredient in. which we suppose the heap to bo de- 

 ficient— that is, ammonia. A small quantity only of 

 good dung in the heap, probably would not prcducu the 

 evils we have experienced from pure and strong dt^ng — 

 viz ; rank foliage and hcsts of worms. 



The ground for this crop should be ridged ; .one pound 

 of Bfcd per acre will be ample, unless you wish to guard 

 .against destruction of the crop by th« fly, and in that 

 case, two lbs. iniiy be put on. , Sow from the 2Ulh of 

 Juno to the 1st of July. 



.rOTATOES— FOR STOCK. 

 On farnis where the potato usually 'yields well with 

 out much manuring, and with vary negligent cultivation, 

 as we ore t<dd it ollcn dees in the interior, aqd as wn 

 know it will on newly reclaimed meadow lands, and on 

 new lands, or jands that aro subjected to tlie plow for 

 the first time — in such places bo other crop, probably, 



will be found more profitable. The potato is more valuJI 

 able per bushel than the carrot, the beet, or the >'Utul 

 baga, and wherever it can be produced at the same cost, J < 

 it is tn be prufi-rrcd. In this vicinity, the Xong Red or 

 La I'luta is the most productive and mutt profitable on li. 

 all lands where it can be planted early. The quality ofj ^ 

 this was formerly inferior, but for the last few years i| "' 

 has proved about as good a table potato, from March to I' 

 July, as any variety that is common in this region. 



On very moist and on clayey soils, flat-sbaped pota- 

 toes are said by some good observers to do better than 

 round or oblung round ones — or rather, perhaps we 

 should s.'iy, that on light and dry soils, the round and 

 oblong round do better than the kidney-shaped and egg- 

 shaped. 



ENGRAFTING-WAX. \ 



An experienced roan at the business of engraftinj, ob- 

 jects to the use of rosin or any other similar eiibstancaj 

 in his engrifiing wax : such substances burn or best toaM 

 muuli. Tno parts of beeswax and one of tallow mak* j 

 his wax. While this is in a melted state he dips cheap* *< 

 tape into it and then winds the tape into balls. Withj 

 this tape thus greased, he binds in his scions; with hia - 

 composition lie fills the daft in the centre of the stock, 

 and all places where the air or water could gain admis- 

 sion. When a stock is large, he binds around it a wido 

 strip of woollen cloth, so that it shall extend about aa 

 inch above the stock and form a ilish or cup, which ha 

 fills with earth. He never puts scions in water. When 

 a scion has been cat off at at the top, be puis .wax on 

 the top. 



L 



THE SEASON. 

 When our last paper went to press, a coW rain storn 

 of two or three days continuance, was just closing. 

 Since then we have had variable weather, but mostly 

 pleasant. The peach blossoms opened on Thursday, the 

 21st. The season is several daysin advance of the ave- 

 rage of years. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

 Our thanks are due to Jordan & Co. for a copy of 

 Weeks's Treatise on Bees. 



Likewise to Chas. Uoliinson, Esq., for a copy of the 

 Transactions of tho New Haven Horticultural sod Aew 

 Haven County Agricultural Societies, for 1841. 



\\'o are also indebted to tho New York State Agricul- 

 tural Society, for a copy of llieir Transactions for IS4I. 

 This is a well bound and neat volume, of 411 pages. 

 We are pleased to see that Society embodying its doings 

 in this convenient form foi preservation and reference. 



Hounds in a Trsf.— Melt a pound of tar wilii four 

 ounces of tallow, add half an ounce of saltpetre, and stir 

 the whole togeilier. A coatof this composition applied 

 to a cut or Jtiruisc, will prevent decay, and cause tho 

 wound to henl. Before applying it, all unsound timber 

 should becleared tviKj .—,lJarfford Gour. 



It is said that if onions be planted in (ho some hill 

 with vine", they will protect tho latter from the depre- 

 dations. of iho striped bug. 



.A Rochester paper says there is a third more wheal 

 on the ground in Genesee county now, than there was 

 last spring. 



[ITB.'s communication will bo given, and his inqui- 

 ios answered, in our next. 



