Vol. I.— No. 9. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



67 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMBR. 



CARROTS. 



Messrs. Editors— In number 6 of your pa- 

 per, I noticed an article on Carrots, in which 

 that vegotable is strongly recommended as a 

 cheap, wholesome, and invigorating food for 

 horses, ^-c. Now, sirs, although I am neither 

 an Agriculturist nor Horticulturist, and not 

 much°of a Horse otngist, yet having, as I con- 

 ceive, thoroughly tested the properties of car- 

 rots, as an article of food for horses, I beg 

 leave to communicate the result of that test 

 through the medium of your interesting Jour- 

 nal : 



In the summer of 1829, I became possessed 

 of two horses, lhat were so lean and ungainly in 

 their appearance, that they would have caused 

 a " Rozinante" to blush for the degeneracy of 

 his race. A neighbor of mine advised me to 

 feed them on carrots : 1 did so — and their ra- 

 pid regeneration equalled my most saneuine 

 expectations. I continued this diet until they 

 were in what is called good order, when ha- 

 ving occasion to travel about four hundred 

 miles, I resolved to ride one of the horses and 

 have the other put to work. Before I got to 

 my journey's end, however, I found that the 

 horse on which I lode was losing flesh faster 

 than he before had gained it, for which I was 

 at a loss to assign any adequate reason ; I fi- 

 nally concluded, however, that he was unwell. 

 Having with much difficulty rode him home, I 

 was surprised to find the horse which had been 

 worked, poorer, if possible, than the *' bony 

 steed" which I bestrode — the former having 

 been fed entirely on carrots. I communicated 

 the circumstance to a gentleman in the neigh-, 

 horbood, who had been a drover for a number 

 of years, thinking that he might probably ac- 

 count for the phenomena. 



From him I learned, that whenever be be- 

 came possessed of a poor horse, he immedi- 

 ately dieted him on carrots, mixing with them 

 a little oat or corn meal ; or else, after fatten- 

 ing them on carrots alone, he always fed them 

 on meal, fur two weeks, or more, before dri- 

 ving or working tin m ; because, from the rapid- 

 ity with which they acquire flesh, when fed on 

 this esoulent, their flesh is not solid. This I 

 subsequently found to be the case. 



As you truly observe, horses will fatten 

 quicker on carrots than on any other diet, but 

 1 would recomn;end that they should be chop- 

 ped fine, and mixed with meal, as their fles!., 

 when fattened in this manner, will be much 

 more firm and durable. Monns. 



Rochester, Feb. 21, 1831. 



SELECTIONS. 



A Memoir on the Cultivation of the Vine iu A 



merica, and the best mode of making Wine. Se 



cowl edition. By John Apluw. 



We have perused this work, and we do not 

 hesitate to pronounce it a valuable manual for 

 those who are wishing to cultivate the Vine. 



For the benefit of our readers, we make the 

 following extract from it : 



INSTRUCTIONS TO PLANTERS OF VINEYARDS 

 FROM CUTTINGS. 



1st. In making choice of a situation, I would 

 recommend it to be as near the top of a hill 

 as possible, having a gentle slope ; any soil 

 will answer, except a heavy clay ; and any 

 exposure from north, south, east, or west, or 

 point between those quarters: though from 

 the great heat of our sun, and the length of the 

 seasons, I am inclined to think a northern expo- 

 sure the best for delicate, foreign grapet, — oar 

 natives will ripen in any exposure. 



2nd. If the ground has not been prepared, 

 by raising a crop of potatoes, or other ame 

 liorating crop, and if the land is not natnrally 

 rich, in the month of September, or early in 

 tfctuber, give it a manuring and plough it deep, 

 three, four, or five times, to ameliorate it. 



3>l. Mark out the rows, two at five feel a- 

 nart-, and then leave a.n interval of qui? or fpn 



feet ; then again, two rows at five feet, and 

 then an interval as above mentioned. By this 

 mode of planting, they will have a free circu- 

 lation of air, and (hey may be worked wilh 

 the plough, taking care not to go too near the 

 vines, where they must bo worked with the 

 tpade and hoe. 



4th. Stretch in the course a line, and at 

 every four feet dig a holo from eighteen in- 

 ches to two feet deep, and if the surface 

 ground is rich, or has been manured as above 

 mentioned, it will answer to fill the holes wilh, 

 when plantinjthe cuttings; otherwise, have a 

 compost of well rotted dung mixed with virgin 

 earth, or earth and ashes. Or make a trench, 

 by running the plough a few times, and remove 

 the earth, the surface or rich earth on one side 

 of the ditch, and that which lies deeper, on 

 the other, or opposite side. 



5th. Provide your cuttings, which shonld be 

 of shoots that are strong, and well ripened, of 

 last year's growth ; the bottom part shonld be 

 (Hit off smooth near the joint, and the upper 

 :srt should be cut about half an inch above 

 iho upper bud or eye, sloping from the opposite 

 side of the bud, so that if it should chance to 

 bleed, the sap will not run on the bud. The 

 cutiiags should be from 16 inches to two feet 

 long, and have five or six eyes. 



Oth. Having vour trenches or holes dug, put 

 into the bottom a few inches of any rubbish, 

 stone, brickbats, oystershells, or any thing else 

 that will let down the water, and on that put 

 some earth, and plant one cutting in each, four 

 feet distance, and fill the hole or trench with 

 the surface earth or compost, bending the bot- 

 tom of the cutting with your foot, and press 

 the earth close lo the cutting, leaving but one 

 eye above the surface of the ground : and if it 

 should be in the autumn or winter when they 

 are planted, cover the upper bud with a small 

 hillock, which must be removed in the spring, 

 as soon as the buds begin to swell ; and if 

 from any cause the upper bud should perish, 

 remove the earth to within half an inch of the 

 next bud below, when there is but little dan 

 ger of its not growing. When you plant 

 your cuttings, set a stake to each — a common 

 lath will answer for two years. If the wea- 

 ther be dry, whan planted, ihey must be wa- 

 tered. 



7th. Keep your vineyard clear of weeds, by 

 working it occasionally; and snfler but one 

 shoot to grow this season, by rubbing off all fl- 

 itters wilh the finger and thumb; or if the 

 shoots are weak let all grow. 



8lh. In the autumn, raise a little hill of eanh 

 about the plant, sometime in the monlh of No- 

 vember. And this finishes the first season. 



9th. Second year.— In the spring, say Feb 

 runry, March, or April, according to the lati 

 tude, after rubbing off tho lower bud, prune 

 the vino to throe eyes, if of strong growth, 

 and if weak, to two eyes, and after theysheot 

 rub oil' the weakest, leaving two shoots on the 

 strong shoot, and but one on the weak one. — 

 Theie will be frequently two shoots Irom one 

 bud; rub off tho lower one of the two as it is 

 always the weakest, and keep the vineyard 

 clear of weeds as last year, and tie the shoots 

 lo a stake as they grow, and they must be sof 

 fered to grow ai full length. This ends the se- 

 cond setison. 



10th. Any time from November to April.ao- 

 cording to the latitude, after rubbing off the 

 lower eye, prune each shoot to three eyes or 

 buds; and provide good stakes this year, from 

 six to seven feet long, and from one inch and a 

 half to two inches square, either of oak, cbes- 

 nut, cedar or locust, and lie the two shoots one 

 on enoh side of the stake, and suffer them to 

 srow at full lengih, and rub off all the side 

 shoots, and if there should any fruit appear, 

 suffer but one cluster of grapes to each shoot 

 to ripen, so that the shoots may gather strength 

 to produce a fair crop the next year. But there 

 may be some of ibe vines so strong on the 

 third year, as to prodrrce a fair crop of grapes, 

 and as I do not know how to describe it, it 

 ifluV tre left Jo Che discretion of the Vt^rrefgn ; 



and more can be explained in a few minutes, 

 and shewn in a vineyard, ihan c«n be satisfac- 

 torily described on a sheet of paper. Tfti's ends 

 the third season. 



11th. This soason coming in, the vines may 

 be pruned in the same months, as mentioned 

 in the preceding article. But as it is to be a 

 fruit bearing year, the pruning must be differ- 

 ent. First tie the bottom of the main stem of 

 the vine fast to a stake, and culling your shoots 

 that are lo bear fruit, so as lo leave from eight 

 to sixteen buds, according to the strength of 

 the 6hoot,then take one of the shoots and bend 

 it in a circular manner, so that it will make near 

 a semi-circle, and tie it fast to the south side 

 of the stake, and take the other shoot and tie 

 it in the same manner, on the opposite side 

 of the stake from the first, and the shoots of 

 tho two lower buds, one oneachshtot, mum 

 not bo suffered to hear any fruit this season ; 

 hut must be suffered to grow at full length, and 

 tied one on each side of the stake and suffer- 

 ed to grow at full lengih, to bear fruit the next 

 year. 



12th. When the grapes are about the size 

 of peas, cut off the end of the vine at least 

 two joints boyond the last cluster of grapes, 

 that they may grow to the greater perfection. 

 \nd when they become ripe, and are gathered 

 and the ground is kept clean of weeds, and 

 worked over in autumn. This ends tiie fourth 

 season. 



13th. When you ngain prune your vines cut, 

 off those that have borne fruit down to 2 eyes, 

 having rubbed offlhe lower one, to raise shoots 

 to produce fruit the next year, and when tbey 

 shoot if the vino is of very vigorous growth, 

 another stake may be added, and the whole 

 four shoots be suffered to grow at full length 

 to hoar fruit tho next year, otherwise the wea- 

 kest may bn rubbed off, and the two remain- 

 ing trained as above described. 



By planting the rows two at five feet apart, 

 and then leaving an interval of 10 feet, there 

 will be about 1400 plants to an acre, and each 

 plant according to the number of bearing 

 shoots and eyes left, will have from 3D to 60 

 clusters of grapes. 



By having the land very rich, we may calcu- 

 late upon every vine root producing on an av- 

 erage, forty clusters of grapes, which, at four 

 ounces each, will make ten pounds to each 

 plant; and fourteen hundred plants will pro- 

 dace fourteen thousand pounds of grapes in 

 the clusters on an acre, and each fifteen pounds 

 of grapes will produce a gallon of wine, there 

 will be at the rate of upwards of nine hundred 

 gallons of wine produced from an acre; and 

 on the worst years there will be at least four 

 hundred gallons produced from each acre* 

 when the vines are properly trained and culti- 

 vated. 



14th. Some persons may, perhaps, prefer 

 training their vines on trellises, and my advi&e 

 is, in that case, to hare the rows at least ten 

 feet apart, and the vines from five to six feet 

 in the rows. The trellises may be made by 

 putting stakes, as above mentioned, and tie 

 poles to them horizontally, at eighteen inches 

 from the ground, and two feet above the first 

 pole; and parallel to it tie another pole, and 

 at two feet above that, and parallel to the oth- 

 ers, tie another, which will make the trellis five 

 feet six inches high : and there may be from 

 three to five shoots left to each root of the 

 vine. 



Note — The vineyard will require to be wor 

 ked in tho spring and autumn, with the plough 

 or otherwise, also tn the summer, to keep it 

 clear of weeds. 



JJ» A few copies of the above work for 

 sale at the office of the Genesee Farmer— pvi.c'e 



THE EFFECTS OF IGSOHANCE. 



Of one hundred persons committed fo (Sler- 

 kenwell prison, EnglaBd, for assauUg, not one 

 could write well enough t'o net is watdsrrjan 

 ov.^r the rc"st. 



