Vol. 1.— No. 30. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL,. 



2ae 



equal, viz : about twenty-five per cent. ; but 

 I found, at the same time, that the produce 

 of this equal quantity of plant differed ma- 

 terially iu weight. When it came to be 

 dressed, the dew or land-rotted averaged 

 from 13 to 16 per cent, of fibre only, whilst 

 the water-prepared gave from ICto 25 per 

 cent. This difference in weight I consider 

 'o be quite sufficient to defray the extra ex- 

 pense of water-rotting, whilst the value of 

 the article would be enhanced one-third 

 more. My strong desire to investigate this 

 subject fully induced me to make other trials, 

 by boiling and steaming, in order to avoid 

 the rotting process altogether ; but I did not 

 succeed in any of them sufficiently to war- 

 rant their recommendation to the public. — 

 On the contrary, I became convinced that 

 neither would answer. 



My next investigation was an attempt to 

 ascertain the nature of the subject in which 

 the fibre lies imbedded, and found it to con- 

 MSt of gum, mucilaginous matter, and a pe- 

 culiar kind of vegetable extract, containing 

 a small quantity of tan. These substances 

 were precipitated from their solutions by 

 means of re-agents, when, after drying, the 

 gum bore a greater resemblance to gum lac 

 than to any other substance, and was per- 

 fectly soluble in solutions of pot ash, wheth- 

 er caustic or carbonated, and also capable 

 of being dissolved in alcohol. The other 

 parts, as mucilage and extractive matter, 

 were soluble in water ; hence, I conclude 

 that pot ash is the cheapest solvent for cleans- 

 ing flax, and that this can be best applied 

 when it has been cleansed from the woody 

 part and manufactured into cloth. 



In the management of hemp and flax, I 

 would recommend the following method be- 

 cause it saves labor, and is more convenient 

 to dress. When the plants are pulled, care 

 should be taken to sort them, by putting the 

 longest lengths by themselves ; and, for the 

 purpose of facilitating the handling of it at 

 the machine, it is well to put about one 

 pound of the plant into a bundle as soon as 

 the seed is thrashed, which is done with ex- 

 ceeding expedition by the machine. Let it 

 tie put to rot in water — the surface, after the 

 plant is immersed, to be covered with boards, 

 or straw, or any thing else, to exclude the 

 sun's rays, which will cause the whole to have 

 the same color. If troughs or vats are made 

 use of, (I would certainly recommend them 

 where the farmer can possibly procure them) 

 after the plant has been forty-eight hours 

 in water, it should be drawn off, when the 

 water will be found to be exceedingly dis- 

 colored ; and this should be repeated ; after 

 which, let the plant remain immersed until 

 it be sufficiently rotted, which must, of 

 course, be determined by experience and 

 judgment. 



The disagreeable smell, so much dreaded 

 and deprecated, will, by this process, be 

 greatly diminished. When the wealhei and 

 'he water were both warm in summer, I have 

 known flax rot in seven days; in other in- 

 stances, in cold weather, I have known it to 

 lie buried for ninety davs, without injury." 

 N. GOODSELL. 



Note — The above tatter was written before I 

 had visited Europe, and at that time I had not lear- 

 ned the process described by Mr. Besnard as 

 practised in the Netherlands, which is undoubted- 

 y the best of any known at the present time. I 

 have examined flax from different countries and 

 ■*o Batl the opinion of manufacturers who were 



competent judges, who universally acknowl- 

 edge that the Dutch flax is superior to any other 

 for manufacturing purposes. We shall continue 

 this subject by giving some extracts from Mr. 

 Bernard's report, also his "observations on the 

 treatment of flax in the Netherlands," including 

 the choice and preparation of soil, sowing, pull- 

 ing, rippling, steeping, breaking and scutching, 

 and such other general observations as we think 

 will be sufficient to direct farmers to manage their 

 flax in a manner that shall render it equal to the 

 best Dutch flax. 



SMALL FARMS MOST BENEFICIAL. 



Those who have strictly investigated the 

 subject, consider large farm9 comparatively 

 less productive than small ones ; while they 

 at the same time impose upon their owners 

 a degree of labor much greater in propor- 

 tion than would seem to be required by the 

 mere difference of size. A farmer in mode- 

 rate circumstances, with fifty or sixty acres 

 of land, for instance, will bring every inch 

 of it into a high state of cultivation — the la- 

 bor employed in preparing his grounds will 

 be more than douhly compensated in his 

 subsequent exemption from toil ; while the 

 owner of a wide spread territory of three or 

 four hundred acres, which he has but spar- 

 ingly supplied with nourishment, must work 

 more sedulously upon every acre during the 

 progress of vegetation ; and, after all, read 

 but a meagre and inadequate harvest. As a 

 single acre of land highly cultivated, can be 

 made to yield a crop equal to three or four 

 scantily prepared, it must be obvious, that 

 the extra labor in dressi7ig the former, is a- 

 bundantly more than saved by the diminish- 

 ed labor in attending it. A striking exem- 

 plification of this fact may be viewed by any 

 of our farmers, who will take the trouble to 

 visit the grounds attached to the House of 

 Industry at South Boston — there, they may 

 have the theory and illustration directly be- 

 fore their eyes. Those grounds, it is said, 

 have produced this season, from three to 

 four tons of hay per acre — which is two or 

 three times the quantity of ordinary crops. 

 So exuberant was the grass that there actu- 

 ally was not room, upon the surface where it 

 grew, sufficient for the purpose of making 

 the hay. And this was entirely owing, as we 

 are told, to the previous pains taken to en 

 rich the soil by plentiful additions of suitable 

 compost. 



Were the same policy pursued by the ow- 

 ners of large farms, there would be little 

 need of emigrating from the New England 

 to the Western States ; for the very tracts, 

 which now, under a careless system of cul- 

 ture, barely afford sustenance for a single 

 family, might be made to support three or 

 four — and that, too, with much less toil and 

 trouble, in proportion to the quantity culti- 

 vated. Many of our farmers grasp at the 

 management of too spacious a territory — 

 the consequence is, they impose upon them 

 selves a state of slavery; they accumulate 

 nothing, except now and then an additional 

 patch of land, which serves only to increase 

 their burdens without augmenting their in 

 come. Were they on the contrary to con- 

 fine their exertions to smaller spots, while 

 their crops could be rendered equally if not 

 more abundant, they would themselves, en 

 joy life better — become more independent, 

 and, with better share of frugality, more 

 wealthy ; they would acquire time to insti- 

 tute experiments, and to examine Improve- 



ments; they would attain what they scarce- 

 ly now ever possess — h isurc — whereby we 

 mean, not the privilege of being lazy — but 

 that sort of leisure which poor Richard de- 

 scribes as a time of doing something useful 

 — time for study, for reflection, for familiar 

 converse, for looking after the education of 

 their young — in short, for realizing the bles- 

 sings after which they are constantly toiling. 



From Lorain's Husbandry. 

 SMUT, OR TUNOUS ON EARS OF INDIAN CORN, 



If this plant be wounded by injudicious 

 cultivation, or in any other way, the sap 

 commonly exudes from the wound, and it 

 very often happens that a fungus is formed 

 in and grows out of the part affected, and 

 becomes very large. 



The size of the wound increases with the 

 growth of the fungus, and the stalk is cor- 

 roded as far as the fungus becomes attached 

 to it. I have often removed them, both be- 

 fore and after they had become very large 

 In some instances this has prevented the in- 

 jury that is too commonly done by them. — 

 But, in general they quickly grow out a- 

 gain, and eventually injure or destroy the 

 fruitfulness of the plant. However, I have 

 never known extensive injury done by the 

 fungus to a crop of maize; and but little of 

 it would appear, if the plants were not wound- 

 ed by an inconsiderate cultivation. 



Cucumbers. — We have authority to state 

 that the sale of cucumbers, at stall No. 84, 

 Faneuil Hall Market, Boston, raised on one 

 acre of ground this season, privious to the 

 16th July, amounted to upwards of #500. 

 A". E. Farmer. 



METEOROLOGICAL TABLE, 



for the week ending July, 23, 1831. 



-I 1 - ' 

 I 1-1- 

 ~ 51 " 



E 



M 



E 



M 



Face of tlie 

 Sky. 



Observations 



■:.: 



8129,50 

 68 29,42 

 61)129.25 

 70 1 29 .26 

 S4I29.36 

 72j29,3B 

 72 29,26 

 66 29,35 

 77 '29,37 

 70129,35 

 76 29,38 

 74 29,30 

 75] 29,20 

 76129,24 



I- 



fa.ir 

 rainy 



do 



cly 



fair 



do 



rain 



fair 



do 



do 



do 



cly 



do 

 fair 



2-10 

 ! high wind 



1 510 

 1-10 rain 



lliar. 4 cl'k 

 |3-10 rain 



29,10 



T^TThe Barometrical and Thermometrieal coscrna. 

 lions are registercdatlO o'clock & M.ond P. 3I.,tcIlicJi 

 by afrong scries of experiments mode fur the purpose- 

 shorn that time to give a nearer mean overage of the 

 relative heat of a day ihtin any other time. 



ROSES, DAHLIAS, STRAWBERRIES, 



and Quicks. 



THE proprietors of the Albany Nursery have 

 printed a classification of 140 of their finest 

 Roses, according to color, to enable purchasers to 

 select a variety with certainty and economy, with 

 characters indicating the size of the flower and 

 habit, and the prices annexed. This may be seen 

 at the office of the Genesee Farmer. 



They have imported and propagated many var- 

 ieties of the finest double Dahlias, which may be 

 selected by the flowers, at the Nursery, until the 

 frosts of Autumn. 



They will have for sale from this time forward 

 plants of the Methvcn Strawberry, at $2 50 pel 

 hundred. Forty-seven of these berries haveweigh 

 ed a pound. They are good bearers and of fine 

 flavor. Also, most of the other esteemed varieties. 

 See catalogue. 



They have likewise for sale, 50,000 plants of 

 the three thorned Locust, (Gleditschia triacanth- 

 us) two years old, and of good size to be planted 

 for hedges, at $5. per 1000. 



Orders for any articles from the Nurrery, may 

 be sent by mail, or addressed to the care of L 

 Tucker, Rochester. BUEL& WILSON. 



Albany Nursery, July 16. fit 



