FARMERS' REGISTER— TURNIPS— GEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, &c. 153 



fathering of tlieir leaves would not be compensated 

 y the price which they command : but the result 

 might be very difterent on several acres yielding 

 an unmixed and heavy product every year. 



G. 



For the Fanners' Register. 



Turnips. 



T^xtract of a Itiicr ft'om a Correspondcnl in England, to 

 Wi'liam Prince ^ Sons, of the Lin. Bot. Garden, res- 

 pecting the Turnip Culture in that country. 

 " The diiTerent sorts of Turnips aresown thus : 

 The Swedish at tlie end of JMay or iirst of June ; 

 a few of the Tankard are sovvn about the same 

 time; and about tlie midflle of June to the end of 

 that month, the Globe is sown ; and after these, 

 the yellov/ sorts. Some flirmers sow tlie yellow 

 varieties before the Globe— but, as they are very 

 early turnips, and apt to mildew when a drought 

 sets in, we recommend them always to be sov/n 

 last. The Tankard is not generally sown, except 

 for very early eating by cattle, in the month of Sep- 

 tember ; and, in mostcases, the White Globe is pre- 

 ferred, it being a much more solid root — and, if 

 sown equally early, superior to the Tankard. 'Ihe 

 later sown Globe follows in succession; about the 

 month of January the Yellows come in ; and after 

 them, for spring feeding, the Swedish, which, when 

 pitted before the frost sets in, and kept dry, will 

 remain perfectly fresh and good till the month of 

 June, if that is desired. But here, our cattle are, 

 before that period, either sold fat, or put out to 

 grass. The Swedish Turnip stands a great deal 

 of frost ; indeed, there are few winters in which 

 they are injured by it. But there ought always to 

 be a quantity stored, to be used for food during 

 snow storms. Horses are here fed during the win- 

 ter, with a few of them daily, along with their other 

 food." 



N. B. William Prince & Sons have imported 

 above a thousand pounds of the at>ove turnip seeds. 



or, THE I3IPORTAXCE OF GEOLOGICAL KXCW- 

 LEDGE TO AGRICULTURISTS. 



To the Editor of the Fanners^ Register- 



I have read with pleasure the article in the first 

 number of the Farmers' Register, entitled " Ge- 

 neral Description of Virginia." It is pleasingly 

 and intelligently drawn up, and I trust, at some 

 future day, the writer may be induced to furnisii 

 you with further details connected with the physi- 

 cal geography of Virginia. Thesfe, as they are 

 more or less connected with the mineral resources 

 of the state, are very interesting to your agricultu- 

 ral readers. In whatever direction the traveller turns 

 himself, but especially in the tide-water districts, a 

 steady spirit of inquiry seems to have set in con- 

 cerning improvements in agriculture. The great 

 importance of fossil manures, or marls, as they are 

 commonly called in Virginia, is fully acknowl- 

 edged. The intrinsic value of landed property in 

 the lower part of the state, is very much governed 

 by the presence or absence of those marls. Where 

 they do not appear near the surface, cither crop- 

 ping out naturally, or exposed in ravines or the 

 the banks of rivers, by the alorading action of 

 water, it becomes essential to inquire by investi- 

 gations of another character, whether those marls 

 are not found at depths whence they may be drawn 



Vol. 1-20 



at a cost which may justify their application as 

 fossil manures. The most ready way of acquir- 

 ing just information on tliis branch of the subject, 

 is by actual borings inditlerent parts of an estate, 

 and by inquiring into the history of the various 

 wells, if there are any, which have been dug in 

 it. It is impossible for an intelligent mind to en- 

 gage in investigations of this character, without 

 indulging moderately in speculations concerning 

 the origin of these fossil deposits; whetlier they 

 are accidentally and irregularly distributed in the 

 places where they are found, or whether they owe 

 their existence to laws as unchangeable as any 

 other natural laws. If investigations practically 

 conducted, result in this last opinion, the improv- 

 ing farmer, before he is aware of it, becomes a 

 student in the principles of geology — principles 

 which will go far to explain to him, without the 

 trouble of boring, whether shells are to be found 

 beneath the surface, and indeed of coming by a 

 fair approximation to the depth at which they lie. 



It is by so gentle a transition, the cultivator be- 

 comes, in the truest sense of the word, a philoso- 

 I)her, since knov.ledge can only be dignified with 

 the name of philo?ophy, when it can be made use- 

 ful to mankind. The most important science per- 

 haps which has hitherto fixed the attention of men 

 is geology, since it comprehends all the branches of 

 natural science, and obliges us to go inductively into 

 all the details of natural history, with the ultimate 

 View of tracing out all the harmonics of creation, 

 and applying our acquaintance with the laws of 

 nature to purposes conducive to the prosperity of 

 the human race. It appears to me that no condi- 

 tion promises so much unwithering happiness, as 

 that of the farmer, who knows how to enjoy life in 

 so refined and profitable a manner. Such a man's 

 life is a constant act of devotion in the temple of na- 

 ture. The Viinds may blow, the rains may fall, but 

 he is not long fretted ; he knov.s such things must 

 be, since they are necessary to the economy of na- 

 ture; and indeed, he can bring hismindtothe be- 

 lief, Avithout seeing exactly how it is, that they are 

 even incidental to his own prosperity. 



I have been insensibly led into the remarks I 

 have made, by a conviction that nothing embel- 

 lishes life so much as the love and knov.ledge of 

 nature. A Farmers' Register, is— and I think I 

 may fairly beg the question — a proper repository for 

 communications connected with any of the branches 

 of natural history, and it cannot he doubted that 

 any papers connected with the physical geography 

 of Virginia, will be very much relished by your 

 readers. We all love variety, for even farmers 

 ^ei tired of reading about barn-yard manure.— 

 The writer of the " General Description of Virgi- 

 nia," no doubt has it in his power to enrich your 

 pages v.'ith many interesting details, that otherwise 

 we may for a long time remain ignorant of. The 

 state of Virginia has not yet engaged in the exe- 

 cution of a project of incalculable importance to 

 her prosperity . I m.ean a geological map of her 

 whole territory, upon vi'hich, of a commensurate 

 scale, all her metallic and mineral deposits, her 

 iron, her lead, her copper, her gold, &c. &c. should 

 be accurately laid down, with their localities, di- 

 rection, elevation, extent and qualities. A map of 

 this cliaracter with a detailed report, constructed 

 from personal investigation, by competent persons, 

 Vt'ould be invaluable. It never can l3e sufliciently 

 appreciated until it is executed. ■ Men would then 



