208 



USEFUL KECBIPTS. 



drills. If the seminal leaves are powdered in the 

 slighest degree, it is sufficient; but should rain wash 

 the lime off before the turnips are in the rough leaf, 

 it may be necessary to repeat the operation if the 

 fly begins to make its appearance." 



Upon this subject, Dr. Harris, of Cambridge, 

 says: "I am disposed to rank the turnip as a root 

 next in value to the potato. In many countries it 

 forms a large part of the vegetable sustenance of 

 man and of his domestic animals. It is stated that 

 in England, soon after the turnip appears above 

 ground, a host of little jumping beetles, called by 

 the farmers the fly, attack and devour the seed-leaves, 

 so that on account of this destruction, the land is 

 often obliged to be re-sown, and frequently with no 

 better success. The consequent loss sustained in the 

 turnip crops of Devonshire, in the year 1780, is esti- 

 mated, in Young's Annals of Jlgricnltnre, to amount, 

 at least, to one hundred thousand pounds sterling. 

 In the same country the caterpillar or the cabbage- 

 butterfly attacks the turnip also in great numbers. 

 Insects allied to these are found upon the turnip in 

 this country. The leaves, in all stages of their 

 growth, are eaten through and through with numer- 

 ous holes by a smafl, black, jumping beetle, a species 

 of Hatlica. Some of these insects infest several of 

 our useful plants, such as the horse-radish, the mus- 

 tard, the radish, the cucumber, etc. The same means 

 for protecting these plants are to be used, because 

 the habits of all the halticas are similar. It has been 

 recomniLnided to sow a quantity of radish seed with 

 the turnip seed; for the jumping beetles are found to 

 be so much more fond of the radish than of the tur- 

 nip leaf, that it will desert the latter for the former. 

 Air-slaked lime, sifted or dusted over plants, in some 

 instances preserves them; and sprinkling with strong 

 alkaline solutions will kill the insects without injuring 

 the plants. 



USEFUL RECIFES.3 



How TO Prove and Prepare Seeds for Plant- 

 ing. — Take a small piece of white rag, in which tie 

 about half a thimble full of the seeds intended to be 

 proved, of any kind, such as onions, beets, &c., and 

 boil them twenty minutes. If they are good, they 

 will sprout from one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an 

 inch. Turnip, cabbage, carrot, or any other kind of 

 good seed wiU swell and burst the skin, more or less, 

 and sprout a little. The seed that will not stand this 

 ordeal, should not be used. The farmer had better 

 put in grain or other crop, than lose his labor by 



sowing such seed ; all seeds should be put in cold rain 

 water over night, before sowing; it will soften the 

 skin of the seed and hasten the growth of the crop 

 by some two or three weeks, than if the seed had not 

 been so prepared. Also, all spring grain should be 

 put into cold rain-water, as before mentioned. In 

 case of the spring proving dry, (as is not unfrequent- 

 ly the case,) it would prove to be of the utmost ad- 

 vantage to the farmer. 



On the importance of procuring good Seed, and 

 Hints respecting Imported Seed. — Seeds, when im- 

 ported from foreign countries, should be put into tin 

 or other air-tight boxes, and hermetically sealed. 

 Seed merchants here should be careful that this is 

 done, as it would be of great benefit to the public. 

 I have known instances where seeds have laid in large 

 seed establishments, in England, for upwards of five 

 years, and _then sent off to America. Care should 

 be taken to procure good, new, bright seed, particu- 

 larly when imported from abroad. 



Hotv to procure the best Seed of various kinds. — 

 When you set off' your plants for seeding, such as 

 cabbages, turnips, beets, &c., care should be taken to 

 manure the ground well, with good, short, rotten ma- 

 nure; set them out in a damp, shady place, if possi- 

 ble, so that the sun will not have too much power 

 on them. When they come in blossom, cut out the 

 middle stalk low enough to leave five or six branches 

 standing on the sides of the stalk below; the seed 

 wiU be plump, full, and true. At the time when on- 

 ions and leeks are in blossom, one third of the middle 

 portion of the blossom should be cut out, and the 

 same operation should be performed on all kinds of 

 blossoming vegetables. This is the way to procure 

 true heads of cabbage, and true bulbs to turnips. I 

 would advise farmers and gardeners to take out a 

 portion of the blossom of every kind of vegetation, 

 when set off for seed. 



Hints on raising Onions. — Prepare your ground 

 in the faU of the year, just before the frost sets in; 

 sow at that time, at the rate of six or eight bushels 

 of salt to the acre, such as has been used for curing 

 meat or fish, will answer, but if pickle be used, do so 

 at the rate of One quart to the square foot. It will 

 kill hundreds of weeds, and other noxious roots. 

 The manure should not be put on before spring; du- 

 ring the winter your manure should be prepared; use 

 such as hog-pen, chicken, horse, slaughter-house, hoof- 

 shavings, woolen rags, malt screenings, and refuse 

 hops from the brewery, or cow dung. Mix any or 

 all of these together, and you will have excellent ma- 



