\X. \0. 4T. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



378 



w iiUn general use. Tlic bed, carrot and (Jio quantiiy or maniiroa ia increased. Manure iM the 

 edisli turnip are the moat profitable, both as tu |;reat inurce of fertilily. In proporlion, tliercfuro, 

 ir uilliienrc upon llie soil, and for the value of ns root culluro is made a part of n rotation sysloin, 

 r products. Tlic Engti:tli turnip ia very valua- wo should expect tlio soils to increase in fertility. 



lor an atlcr-crop, and tends to increase the fer- , 



,y of the soil, especially if cattle and sheep are j From th« New Gcncsec Farmfr. 



led into the field, and allowed to feed upon , — 



lliis means of fertility and of producing a CULTIV.-VTION OF RUTA BAOA. 



;o and valuahio quantity of fall or after feed, is Mr KniTon — Iliiviiic: hy cxpcrienco convinced 

 o.-it "holly neglected by our fanners. How myself that rula bafra and man-el wurlzcl can ho 

 y It wmild be, after wheat or winter rye, to sow prown snccpssrully in this country, I shall be happy 

 about the Iwentyfiflh of July, with turnips, and .f apy i|,jn„ \ cn„ say, rimy be the monns of caiis- 

 Jctobcr a good supply of feed would bo furnish- ,„„ t|,eni to be more genenilly culiivntcd. Vari- 

 or llie larm stock. I ous rensoi.s I have heard assigned by intelligent 



n the cultivation of root crops more attention farmers whv they do not ciiltivatr roots. Uutwhcn 

 t be paid to the character of the soil and to its i call to mind that in the old country I have heard 

 Jilion, than for the cultivation of grain crops, similar reasons as.iigncd by farmers, who now grow 

 henco it is that many farmers who have tried turnips as extensively as their neighbors, I do not 

 beet and rula baga have failed, by not attend- : despair of seeing root cultivation much increased 

 to the proper conditions ; but if the conditions ' ;„ this country. Of course, with our severe win- 

 adhered to, the crop is as certain, nnd much j ters, it would'not be profitable to grow roots to the 

 = profitable than grain crops. We will now sj,ne extent as in England, but every farmer might 

 ced to point out the requisite conditions for ; jrmw a few. The objections nrged nre, either that 

 culture, with the theory of the action upon the ; t|,o soil is not adapted to the crop, or the flies eat 

 Attention must be paid to the following par- 1 up the plants, or the grasshoppers destroy them, or j 

 *''^- I it requires loo much trouble and expense. AVitli 



The Soil — This should not be too light and regard to the non-adaptation of the soil, the pica j 

 y, nor too stiff and clayey; a light deep loam is reasonable, but I feel confident that even this j 

 luvial soil is best adapted to this crop. If the difficulty mav be surmounted. In reading an ac- 1 

 is wet, that is. if water is suffered to repose count of an agriciUlural meeting in Shrop°shire, in | 



the subsoil, the roots will be injured and the i a late English paper, I perceive that the premium i 

 fail. The soil should be dry, but not subject i for the best crop of Swede turnips or ruta baga. j 

 might. Depth of soil is a necessary requisite I was awarded to a farmer occupying a very sliffi 

 eots and ruta bogas, in order that the roots j day farm, and the judges remarked that they had I 

 have full liberty to penetrate as far as needful never seen a better crop. As the mode of <:ulti 



leir perfection 

 .i rich soil is another requisite to success. 



vation of this crop was stated to be novel, the grow. 

 er was reqnej^ted to explain his plan to the meeting. 

 is desirable for all kinds of grain, but espe- JThe novelty consisted in manuring and ridging his 

 ' for root culture; for although roots do not ^ land in the fall, instead of the spring. Consequont- 

 upon soil like grain crops, still there must be j ),,, his stiff soil would be mellowed by the winter's 

 dant food present, in order to give them that , fjost. The account which 1 saw, did not cuter in- 

 ty and perfection which makes them profitable j to particulars, but 1 think it would be advisable be- 

 . It may be that there is something in the fore sowing on the old plowed ridgos, to draw a 

 itution or vital powers of these plants, which very light harrow along them to gain fresh soil for 



crop pay for lhi» trouble ond expense .' I am fully 

 convinced tli.it it will. Mine, in spite of its onc- 

 iiiies, produced nearly 19 tons to tho acre ; the 

 year before I had 38 tuns to the aero in the same 

 fit'ld. Yours, truly, IJ. M. 



A FARMER IN DISTRESS. 



A fanner in a neighboring county, who had been 

 rfoting- for twenty or thirty years, and had made no 

 iinprovcment by fertilizing his fields, but had gone 

 on the old-fashioned plan of reducing the staple of 

 his soil, rcnkeil up a hv/ years since, and limed the 

 whole of his farm thoroughly, and that with mag- 

 nesian lime, too. Now, what i!o you think hti 

 boon tho consequence of this proceeding ? A few 

 days since, with a sorrowful countenance, he in- 

 formed the writer of this, that ho had no pasture for 

 his cowy, and should not have till after harvest. 

 The reason of so extraordinary a circumstance was 

 asked ; when he stated, that the field which, accord- 

 ing to his usual rotation of crops would have been 

 devoted to pasture, was so thickly set with grass, 

 of surli a luxuriant growth, that he had determined 

 to keep it for mowing, in addition to his other mow. 

 ing grounds. He, of course, hos to feed on hay, 

 and soil his cattle till after harvest ; and this dis- 

 asltr has befallen him in consequence of liming 

 his land and sowing grass seed much thicker than 

 formerly I The plain fact is, that he has grown so 

 much grass by his improved system, that he has na 

 pasture ; his fields ore all mowing ground. 



If the writers on the deli'terious effects of mag- 

 nesian lime, would travel through Burks, Montgom- 

 ery, Delaware, Chester, and Lancaster counties, 

 they would witness cffocis of a similar kind with 

 the aoovc, on thousands of acres of land — land 

 which, before the application of lime, produced but 

 very scanty pasturage, but now is first rate mowipg 

 ground. — Fanntrs^ Cnhintt. 



'.rs a large quantity of nourishment necessary 

 ■ir support. They may not possess the power 

 llecting food, like other plants ; they cannot 

 ■r up the nuiriment so readily, and"hence must 

 d with richer food. The soil must be finely 

 rizcd, and, so far as is practicable, freed from 

 s. This is necessary in order that the roots 

 not be obstructed; finally, they should be 

 free of weeds. The ground should be stirred 

 the cultivator and hoe. If sowed in rows, as 

 should be, this may be easily attended to with 



the seed, and also to destroy any weeds that may 

 have sprung up. I have seen a branch of a tree 

 used for this purpose : it would be less likely to 

 disturb the manure. 



As to flies, I have had my share, but they have 

 never seriously injured my crop. I find the best 

 remedy is to work your land fine hy rolling and 

 harrowing, have it in high condition, sow seed 

 enough for the flies and yourself, and soon after 

 the plants are up, to sow plaster or ashes over them. 

 Grassho[iper3 I have found more troublesome nnd 

 low and cultivator, without the necessity of ; vexatious than flies. Last year, after my plants 

 ing to the hoe more than once in the season. |,a,i heen hoed out to their proper distances, and 

 leory oj the Action of Roots upon the Soil. — when I considered them secure from all enemies, 

 icy divide it better than most crops. 2. They I perceived some of the plants drooping, and on 

 !n the soil by their roots; and 3. return to examining them I discovered that the bulbs were 

 >il a larger amount of manure than other crops. I gnawed all round. I rooted amongst the earth all 

 ree acres of grass, at two tons per acre, will about the plant, but could not discover the aggros- 

 Icss than 9000 lbs. to the cattle yard, while, sor. At length suspicion fell on the grasshoppers: 

 ere of ruta baga or beets, will give 36,000 lbs. ■ I watched Ihein closely, and detected thcni in the 

 >re than four times as much as the three acres act. I then waged a war of extermination against 

 iss land. It would, therefore, be economy for them. I and another person, with sticks, killed or 

 rmer to raise roots merely for manure. Hut routed every grasshopper in a field of about two 

 ne acre of ruta baga or beets (600 bushels,) acres. I wish, Mr Editor, you had seen us in our 

 early equal to three acres of hay, as food for, shirt sleeves, (for the weather was pretty hot,) pur- 

 stock ; hence the modes by which roots im- suing our flying foes. After this, I cannot cer- 

 the soil, are dividing and deepening it, fur- tainly gainsay the trouble of the crop, and they 

 ig a larger supply of food, which enables the who are afraid of trouble, had better not attempt to 

 t rr to keep a larger farm slock, by which the grow roots. After all, the question is, will the 



Effects of Different Colored Rays upon Fef^e- 

 tntion. — Plants will grow most luxuriantly beneath 

 glass of a iilue color. Beneath yellow and red 

 glasses the natural process is entirely checked. 

 Indeed it will be found that at any period during 

 the early life of a plant, its growth may be checked 

 by exposing it to the action of red or yellow light. 



This discovery is announced by Mr Hunt, the 

 Secretary of the Royal Polytechnic Society, in Eng- 

 land, who says in reference to it — " Blue glass ad- 

 mits the bine or chemical rays, to the exclusion, or 

 nearly so, of all others; yellow glass admits only 

 the permeation of the luminous rays ; while red 

 glass cuts off all but the heating rays, which pass 

 it freely. Yellow and red rays are destructive to 

 germination, whereas, under the influence of violet, 

 indigy, or blue light, the process is quickened in a 

 most extraordinary manner." 



" The man that misses sunrise, loses the sweet- 

 est part of his existence. I love to watch the first 

 tear that glistens in the opening eye of morning — 

 the silent song the flowers breathe — the thrilling 

 melody of the woodland minstrels, Jo which the 

 modest brook trickles applause — these, swelling 

 out the sweetest strain of sweet creation's matins, 

 seem to pour some soft and merry tale into the day- 

 light's ear, as if the world had dreamed a happy 

 thing, and now smiled o'er the telling of it!" 



There is more poetry in the above ten lines than 

 is to bo found in ten pages of some of the stuff which 

 passes for poetry because it 'jingles' well in rythin. 



