S02 FARMERS' REGISTER— STUMP MACHINE— CATERPILLAR BRUSH, &c. 



By planting earl)- in autumn, onions will be fit 

 for use tlie next season, a month or two sooner tiian 

 if planted in the spring, — which is a great conve- 

 nience. 



Some have insisted tiiat a rotation of crops ought 

 to include onions; while others liave been satisfied 

 to sow or plant them, year after year, on the same 

 ground. lu favor of the latter practice, it may be 

 remarked that onions require a soil rather difter- 

 ent from common vegetal)ies, — that is iosay,shal- 

 loio but rich; and one piece of ground so appro- 

 priated can be most conveniently kept in that state, 

 for as soon as the crop is taken off, it may l;c ma- 

 nured, well hoed, raked over, marked out, and 

 planted again without delay. And that such lands 

 do not deteriorate, is evident from the fact that v.'itli 

 a very slight dressing, the crops have been found 

 successively to increase. The cro|) that gained 

 the premium of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Society in 1830, was estimated at 657 bushels; and 

 it grew on an acre which had been cultivated with 

 onions several years. 



' The top onion' is only a variety of the common 

 kind ; and some bear bulbs, some seeds, and occa- 

 sionally I find one which bears both bulbs and 

 seeds. I destroy the young stems when there are 

 too many shooting up through the patch ; but i( 

 they are not destroyed, they will produce tolerable 

 onions. When I gather the crop, I take up all to- 

 gether, separating the onions from the stems. 



A PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



A CHEAP STUaiP MACHINE. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



My neighbour W. in Warren Co., has a very 

 valuable Patent Stump Machine, with which he 

 extracts the largest stumps, and places them side 

 by side so as to form a duralde fence. But as his 

 Patent Machine costs so much that every farmer 

 cannot or will not, procure one, I propose to re- 

 commend one of a cheaper and humbler kind, 

 which every farmer may have without paying for 

 a patent-right — and which he may find useful in 

 ridding his fields of a great obstruction 



Procure a white-oak log about 8 or 9 inches in 

 diameter, 30 or 40 feet long, let it season for a year. 

 Having chopped some of the roots of thestumj) pre- 

 paratory as usual to taking it out, lay one end of 

 the log against the side of the stump, and chain if 

 fast with a large log chain, — w ith a pair of oxen 

 at the other end, stumps of common size are easily 

 taken out ; making the stump itself the fulcrum, 

 and operating in the same manner that surgeon's 

 puUicans do in drawing teeth. 



This experiment is easily made, without any 

 unusual or extra expense — and although it is not 

 so powerful as the patent machine, yet its power 

 is very far beyond the rail in the hands of a man, 

 which' I am surprised to see still in use. 



MEADVILLE. 



August 3d, 1833. 



and destroyed about 500 nests or webs. This is 

 not far from the truth, as the trees number nearly 

 500, and the nests averaged one to each tree. The 

 brush is made expressly for the purpose, is conical, 

 about S inches long, tapering to a point at the apex, 

 and presenting an exterior of short stiff bristles. 

 Being fixed to the end of a pole, it is thrust into 

 the caterpillar's nest, and being turned, collects 

 the entire web with its inmates, which are then 

 readily separated fiom the brush and destroyed. 

 The brush was recommended by the late T. Pick- 

 ering, and cost me fifty cents, atThorburn's seed- 

 store. 



CATERPILLAR BRUSH. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



August 23. Sent John at 3 P. M. yesterday, 

 to destroy the caterpillars upon my fruit trees, 

 which had become numerous and unsightly, with 

 my Pickering brush. He came in at eleven to- 

 day, and told me he had gone through the orchards. 



TO TOUNG HOP GROWERS. 



From the Amherfit Cabinet. 

 The most common fault with hops at the time 

 of inspection is tlieir want of strength. In most 

 cases, when hops ai'e marked down by the inspec- 

 tor, the difficulty lies not so much in a bad flavor, 

 as in the want of a sufficient quantity of that aro- 

 matic fragrance peculiar to this vegetable, and 

 whicli is a sure sign of strength and excellence. 

 Hops deficient in strength are, when rubbed in the 

 hand, generally accompanied with a dry, chaffy 

 appearance. The volatile oil, which appears to be 

 the last thing that enters the ovary, (or fruit,) and 

 which yields the fine flavor, and without which 

 the hop is good for nothing, is not there in any 

 considerable quantity. This deficiency in oil, and 

 consequent deficiency in strength and smell, may 

 arise from three causes. The ^ivsi h picking too 

 early, and before the hop is matured or ripe. Hops 

 picked as soon as they are grown are worth noth- 

 ing. At that stage, instead of the fruit being sa- 

 turated with its ov/n volatile oil, as the first sort of 

 hops nmst be, that oil is only beginning to be ela- 

 borated from the sap. The second cause of the 

 want of strength arises from over drying. Hops 

 that are perfectly dry and mature, and when pick- 

 ed from the poles are of the first quality, are some- 

 times dried to seconds or refuse. In that case the 

 oil is dissipated in the air by heat. I am satisfied 

 of this, for I have seen the operation performed in 

 my own hop-house more than once. I have seen 

 good hops dried until the oil was chiefly expelled, 

 and they would rub into chaff and yield but little 

 fragrance. This may be done without burning 

 them, or a change of color. The third cause of 

 weak hops may sometimes, though I think rarely, 

 arise from nature. I saw a few bales last year 

 grown by some of our most judicious and experi- 

 enced planters, which were feeble; yet, in all j)ro- 

 bability, were picked at the right time and cured 

 in the best style. If in some few cases the defi- 

 ciencj' of strength arises from causes beyond the 

 control of man, yet generally the planter need not 

 look beyond liimsclf for the ground work of se- 

 conds and refuse. If hops be kilned scantily, care 

 should be taken to shovel over the heap once a day 

 for a few days, and occasionally to examine them 

 down at the bottom. In 1882, hops picked the se- 

 cond week, i. e. after the 10th of September, were 

 better than those of the first week. Hops maybe 

 bad, also, from dirty picking, and various other 

 causes. In brief, take care not to pick too early 

 nor dry too much. 



STEPHEN PEABODY, 



Milford, August 15, 1833. 



