Vol. v.— i\o. -2. 



NEW ENGLArVD FARMER. 



the vessel used is similar to one of our claims. 

 This butter keeps well and is sought after for 

 exportation. The cows and other horned cattle 

 are kept in the stables almost all the year, where 

 they arc fed with carrots, turnips potatoes, buck- 

 wheat, rye. oats, hay, straw, &c. When tliey are 

 taken to tlie pastures, they are fastened to stakes 

 by cords, and after the grass within their reach is 

 consumed, the stakes are removed. The sheep 

 are kept on the heaths in the summer. 



Tlie Encyclopedia remarks that "the agricul- 

 ture whicli IS common to tlie country is in as high 

 perfection in Brabant as in England, and the best 

 parts of England are even sometimes surpassed." 



[Ibid.] I 



PRODUCTIONS OF LOUISIANA. | 



The cotton is an annual plant with leaves not ! 

 unlike those of the hollyhock. It branches con- 1 

 siderably, grows on the rich lauds, as high as a 

 man's head and bears a beautiful yellowish-white 

 flower. The rows are made perfectly straight, 

 and six feet apart, and kept entirely clean of weeds. 

 In September the balls begin to open, picking ; 

 commences, and is continued, until the stocks are \ 

 ready to be pulled up,burued off,and the ploughing i 

 to commence anew. Sugar-cane, the next im- • 

 portant article of culture in this state, is e.xtending , 

 in cultivation every year. Sufficient sugar might : 

 be made here for the consumption of the United ; 

 States. The only impediment to extending this 

 species of cultivation is the groat capital that it' 

 requires to commence the business profitably. — 

 A sugar establishment is necessarily a very ex- I 

 pensive one. The sugar-houses on the coasts re- j 

 semble our large cotton factory buildings at the 

 north. The process of manufacturing the sugar, ; 

 though expensive, is simple. The cane is planted 

 the latter part of the autumn in slips, aud ^•.rheu 

 in full growth is not unlike a field of maize in ap- 

 pearance. The stalk is about the size of that of 

 southern corn, and the juice, though deemed a 

 luxury here, has to me rather an unpleasant sweet- 

 ness. Rice and indigo were formerly cultivated 

 here to a greater extent than at present. Corn, 

 sweet potatoes, melons, and all northern fruits, 

 with the exception of apples, flourish here. Figs 

 are raised here in great abundance and perfection. 

 The figtree grows luxuriantly, and is raised with 

 ease. Oranges, when I desended the Mississippi 

 for the first time, were lying under the trees as 

 abundantly as the apples fall in the north country. 

 Nothing can have a grander, and more rich ap- 

 pearance, than these delicious orange groves, 

 either when their blossoms yield their ambrosial 

 perfume, or when their golden fruit, shows itself 

 from the beautiful evergreen foliage. Louisiana 

 undoubtedly exports more value according to the 

 e.xtent of land cultivated, than any other country. 

 The cotton plantations yield from ten to fifty thous- 

 and dollars a year, and many sugar planters, proba- 

 bly, derive twice that sum from their annual ciop. 

 [Flint's Travels.] 



MERIDIAN OF LONGITUDE. 

 It has been strongly urged by M. de la Place, 

 that all the nations of Europe, instead of referrmg 

 their calculations of longitude to the meridian of 

 their principal observatory, should have some com- 

 mon meridian ; which would introduce into the 

 geography of the world the same uniformity that 

 exists in its almanacs and in its arithmetic. M. de 

 la Place recommends the Peak of Teneriffe, or 

 Mont Blanc, as a suitable meridian. 



From the Jlmtrican Farmer. 



ON THE CULTIVATION OF TURNIPS. 



.'\fter fifteen year's experience,! recoininend the 



following practice, which, if carefully followed, 



may be made a certain, and not an uncertain crop 



— as is mostly asserted. 



The laud suited to this crop ought not to be rich 

 hut of a medium fertility, and pulverized by re- 

 peated ploughings and harrowings, until very fine; 

 as near the consistency of pulverized virgin soil 

 of new land as possible, and the turnip crop will 

 very suitably succeed all early spring crops, such 

 as potatoes, peas, radishes, beans, and clover after 

 I the first mowing, and will do without manure, pro- 

 j vided the fonr first enumerated have been manur- 

 ed in the spring. 



M.tNURE. 



' A small dressing of manure is necessary, say 

 ten ox cart loads to the acre, of ashes or old cold 

 nianure,such as yard shovellings, &c. unfermented 

 manures will spoil the crop by making it run to top, 

 rendering the root hot and spikey. 



SEED AND ITS PREPARATION. 



This is one of the most important parts to be at- 

 tended to ; without good true seed, all the other 

 labour is lost. I am frequently offered seed by the 

 bushel, which is acknowledged to be saved from 

 the refuse turnips, which, if one is suffered to 

 go to seed among twenty good ones, will spoil the 

 whole. With such seed it would be as impossible 

 to raise good turnips, as it would be from radish 

 seed. 



In order to hasten vegetation, and by that 

 means escape the ravages of the fly, it is best to 

 soak the seed in rain water twenty-four hours : 

 but if wanted sooner n fpw minutes in warm water 

 will do. It is strongly recommended to soak the 

 seed in lamp oil, which is said to impart a disagree- 

 able flavour to the seed plant, which saves it from 

 the fly. After soaking the seed, it ought to be 

 rolled in plaster, or ashes, to dry them ; and for 

 sowing broad cast, I mix three half pints of seed 

 with a busliel of the mixture to the acre,; but 

 those who have Bennett's drill may sow the naked 

 seed in rows about twelve inches apart, by closing 

 every other slide, which will save much time in 

 hoeing. 



TIME OF SOWING. 



In the neighbourhood of Baltimore, if the turnip 

 seed can be got up quick, it will do to sow as late 

 as the 25th of August, for table use; and for stock, 

 it would be well to sow from the 9.5t]i of July to 

 the 10th of August. Two weeks later will do on 

 the tide water and in old Virginia; the ground be- 

 ing well prepared, the manure spread when neces- 

 sary, once ploughing, and then immediately give 

 the ploughed ground one stroke with the harrow ; 

 then sow the seed while the ground is damp, and 

 give it one stroke with the harrow, and the plants 

 will soon appear. After they are up, should the 

 fly be destructive, roll them with a roller. As it 

 is apt to be dry at this season of tlie year, it is 

 best to sow a little before or soon after a rain, to 

 get the the plants up ; otherwise the seed often 

 perishes ; but sowing on fresh ploughed ground is 

 a great advantage. 



HOEING, &c. 



After the plants are up and the largest leaf has 

 grown as large as a cent, run the harrow through 

 them, which breaks the crust, buries the young 

 weeds, and moulds the plants ; and from the three 



13 



j half pints of scod, if the fly lius not been destruc- 

 tive, there will be plenty of plants to admit of the 

 I liarrow being run each way, which puts the ground 

 ^ in fine order among the plants : then commence 

 j with the all-important work of hoeing, without 

 j which all the other work will be nearly lost. Each 

 I liand must take about five feet wide and use the 

 j hoc actively, and single out the plants as near 



I twelve inches apart as. can be done by the eye. 



This is a tedious operation; but four or five hands, 

 I sticking close to it, will soon learn to do the work 

 ; quick, and get over a large piece of ground in a 

 day ; and after it is done, there will be one single 

 plant to eacli foot of ground, instead of a dozen to 

 the foot in some places, and only one to the yard 

 ' in others,as is the case when the seed is sown'thin, 

 and left without hoeing or thinning ; in conse- 

 quence, in one case they will bo too thick to grow, 

 and in the other will not grow for want of culture. 

 The white flat or white Norfolk is the best kind 

 for early use. and the ruta baga, and yellow bul- 

 lock, for late use. Either of these ought to be 

 sowed earlier than the above — tlie first a month, 

 and the latter one or two weeks. The white stone 

 and tankard turnip, are good kinds, particularly 

 the latter, as it grows to a great size and is sweet. 

 ROBERT SINCLAIR. 



BLACKSTONE CANAL. 



The excavation of the canal in this town advan- 

 ces more rapidly than we had expected. A con- 

 siderable distance is already finished, and it is ex- 

 pected that the first mile, now under contract, will 

 oe co^npleted next month. It is intended to re- 

 sume the location downward from this town this 

 week, and to put it immediately under contract, so 

 that wB have full confidence in seeing the work 

 completed ready for the passage of boats next 

 season. 



The influence of the Canal, even in prospect, 

 upon businesis, is e.xtensively felt and acknowledg- 

 ed. Preparations are making to carry on branch- 

 es of manufactures, which could not be done to 

 profit without the facilities of water transportation. 

 When the canal shall have gone into actual oper- 

 ation, its eficct, combined with the advantages we 

 already possess for manufacturing, will give in- 

 creased value to, and call into use, the immense 

 water power yet unoccupied in this vicinity, thus 

 adding to our population by giving profitable occu- 

 pation to thousands, extending and invigorating 

 trade, and securing to the agriculturist a ready 

 market and a good price for all the surplus product 

 of his lands. Tfce time is now past wlien any 

 dread is felt at the extension of the manufacturing 

 business ; but, if there are any yet in doubt of its 

 efiects, let them view the improvements of the 

 flourishing towns of Fitchburgh, Southbridge, 

 Dudley, Leicester, Oxford and Millbury, and they 

 may be satisfied. [Wor. Spy.] 



TO MAKE VINEGAR. 

 To every ten gallons of rain water add one gal- 

 lon of molasses, and one of brandy, mix them well 

 together, and place the cask in a garret or some 

 warm dry place, and occasionally shaking it, in a 

 few months it will be fit for use. [Am. Fanner.] 



A Marble Establishment in New York, with the 

 use of Steam Engines, performs the operation of 

 cutting, levelling, polishing and moulding marble, 

 with so much facility, that mantel-pieces, which 

 two years ago would have cost $700 are now made 

 for $250. J 



