1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



42o 



For the New England Farmer. 



EARTHING UP CELERY. 



Mr. Editor: — In your "Calendar for August," 

 you say ; "The earthing up about the (celery) 

 plants must be carefully attended to this month." 

 I cannot agree with you, because experience,one of 

 the best "teachers, has taught me, that celery 

 ought not to be earthed up at all, until within a 

 short time, say three or four weeks befure you 

 want to dig it. Last season, (as I have before 

 said in a communication that appeared in the 

 Farmei- last winter) I tried both ways, earthing 

 up at different times through the season, commenc- 

 ing as so )n as the plants were large enough ; and 

 also the plan of not earthing up until a short 

 time befiiro I wanted to dig it. The result was, 

 as I expected, the first, was more or less rusty, 

 some ol it considerably so, while the latter, was 

 blanched twenty-two inches high, white as snow, 

 and perfectly free from rust ; it was good en9ugh 

 to take the first prize of five dollars at the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society's Rooms, last Fall, 

 notwithstanding there was quite a number of com- 

 petitors. I only ask those who are raising celery 

 this year, and you in particular, Mr Editor, to try 

 both ways, and I feel confident, that you all will 

 agree with me, that celery should not be earthed 

 up until within the last three or four weeks ; I 

 really don't like to disagree with so good a man 

 as the Editor of the Farmer, but I could not help, 

 after reading the "Calendar," giving my experi- 

 ence with this wholesome vegetable. J. F. c. H. 

 Newton Centre, Aug. 2n3. 



When it is melted fit for use, add some Spanish 

 brown, or yellow ochro, or any other coloring 

 substance of the kind that you wish to have, first 

 ground tine in some of the oil, then lay it on with 

 a brush while it is hot, and thin as you can have it. 



Some days after the first coat is dry, put on a 

 second. It is said that it will preserve planks for 

 ages, and keep the weather from driving through 

 brick work. Common white paint may be used 

 on the top of it, if required, for the sake of appear- 

 ances. 



Two coats should always be given, and in case of 

 using it on machinery, the several parts should be 

 painted witli it, before putting them together, and 

 a third coat put on to cover joints, and after be- 

 ing put together, especially if exposure to the ac- 

 tion of moisture and weather — such as gutters, 

 carts, tops of posts, and timber,- on, or near the 

 ground. The wood should be perfectly dry when 

 the composition is applied. — Maine Farmer. 



Remarks. — We have never practised earthing 

 up celery, as recommended above, but will make 

 the experiment which our correspondent suggests 

 with great cheerfulness. He has had ample ex- 

 perience, and undoubtedly understands the best 

 modes of cultivation, although he does not fully 

 argee with some other excellent gardeners. Culti 

 vators of this wholesome plant, will do well to try 

 both modes of "earthing up.' 



ROUGH PAINT FOR FARMERS. 



A subscriber, who subscribes himself by the 

 very expressive name of "Economiser," requests 

 us to publish, for the benefitTof himself and others, 

 a,{Iurahle as well as cheap paint, to preserve the 

 "heavier and more exposed implements, such as 

 carts, as well as rough gates and such like fix- 

 tures." 



We have often published recipes of the kind, 

 and it is p )ssible that we have given the fallow- 

 ing more tlian once to our readers. We obt;\.ined 

 it from the archives of useful knowledge, and it is 

 an old but useful recipe, and our friend will find it 

 to be durable, if well prepared and well applied. 



T.ike twelve ounces of rosin, and eight ounces 

 of roll brimstone, each coarsely powdered, and 

 three gallons of train'oil. Heat them slowly, grad- 

 ually adilingfmr ounces of beeswax, cut "in small 

 bits. Frequently stir the liquor, which, as soon as 

 the solid ingredients are dissolved, will be fit for 

 use. 



What remains unused will become solid on cool- 

 ing, but may be remelted on subsequent occasions, 

 if wanted. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NOTES BY THE WAY. 



August 6th, 1853. 

 Mr. Brown: — To aid you in portraying manners 

 living as they rise, I will give you a brief sketch 

 of an excursion yesterday to view the growing 

 crops on some of the highly cultivated grounds in 

 the vicinity of Salem. I visited the fiirms of 

 Messrs. Kendall Osborn, RiouardS. Rogers, Na- 

 thaniel Felton, and Aaron C. Proctor of Dan- 

 vers; — and R. P. Waters and Lyman Mason of 

 Beverly. All of these gentlemen are known as 

 substantial and successful cultivators. My aston- 

 ishment was most awakened by the extrat>rdinary 

 crops on the gi'ounds of Mr. Mason — particularly 

 rMhba^es, squashes and onions. By some magic or 

 other, his grounds turn out products exceeding 

 anything before vritnessed. I presume this mag- 

 ic arises from the materials collected on the beach 

 near by — unlimited quantities of which come in 

 for his use. Notwithstanding many apologies 

 made for the appearance of his grounds, by reason 

 of a want of sufficient help to look after the weeds 

 at _ the proper time, the crops are luxuriant— the 

 onions, many of them already two inches in diam- 

 eter, and so thick that a dozen or more could be 

 counted in the space of one foot — all as viu;orou8 

 and healthy as possible. The cabbages bi7l fair 

 to cover the ground completely — scarcely a space 

 occurs through the entire field, in which there 

 will not be a perfect head. Mr. Osbokn's field of 

 onions is more extensive than jMr Mason's, and if 

 I do not mistake, will yield 2000 bushels on his 

 four acres. Mr. Proctor has a field nearly as 

 large. I had no time to examine the crops on 

 the farms of Mr. Felton and Mr. Watkrs. Their 

 barns and stock, are in the best condition. On the 

 fiirm of Mr. Rogers' culture of the first order is 

 to be seen. His field of carrots promises well. 

 His Avorking oxen, three pair, are equal to any 

 others to be found. They cost as I was informed 

 about $200 a pair. I was shown a grass field 

 on this farm, that has yielded 4 tons of hay to the 

 acre, the present season, caused chiefly by the 

 dressing of liquid manure applied — the machine 

 for distributing which, I examined. It consists 

 of a large cask mounted on wheels, into which 

 the liquid is pumped from a cistern, from which it 

 flows into a distributor that scatters it like drops 



