204 



NEW ENGLAND FARiVlER. 



Jan. le, 1828. 



[From the NeiD York Statesman.] 



AGRICULTURE. 



We recently published a correspondence be- 

 uveen Isaac M. Ely, Esq- of this city, and Judge 

 Buel, of Albany, relative to the method, and the 

 advantages, of the cultivation of Lucerne. The 

 correspo'ndence threw much light on the subject, 

 and has been extensively re-pu 'lishe.a, as being 

 highly interesting to the fanner. We are now 

 favored by Mr. Ely, with another communication, 

 which will be found below, from Vinburfrh Liv- 

 ingston, Esq. of Westchester county, who has 

 also devoted his attention to that species of grass, 

 it will be seen, that he entirely .-oncurs with 

 Judge Buel. Mr. Livingston is an intelligent and 

 zealou-s agriculturist ; and he is aid^d in his ex- 

 periments and efforts for the advancement of ru- 

 ral economy by the enlarged views acquired in 

 foreign travel : 



To the Editors of the StaUsman. 



I send you a further communicatioi on the cul- 

 ture of Lucerne. From your agricultural notice 

 of the correspondence between Jud^^e Buel and 

 myself on this subject, i have no .icubt .ur. Liv- 

 ingston's interesting 'ettcr will find its appiopriate 

 place in the Statesman. Yours, &c. 



Jan. 5th, 1828. 1. M. ELY. 



Calandar, (near Yonkers), l{'i:'cbester ^ 

 Counti/, December Sis', 1S27. ^ 



Dear Sir — Your favor of the 2ljth lasi. toireth- 

 er with an accompanying copy of '-the States- 

 man," you were so obliging as to se.-^d me, I re- 

 ceived by this morniug's mail. 



I have attentively perused the .^utcment of 

 Judge Buel, in his letter to you on tlid sui/jnct of 

 Lucerne, and am pleased to find •''"' '""- —fo-io-x-'o 

 !n its culture, so fully acr'->''^ "''tli '"y own. The 

 first experiment I ms^" "'''' '^''s K^kss was in the 

 summer of IcJJ- out the seed did not vegetate, 

 owiiif doi'-^'''S'*s to their being unsound, ratlier 

 than in any peculiarity of ninnagement ; for, when 

 Bornl, they appear to germinate as freely as those 

 of red clover. Not being discouraged by my first 

 essay, I prepared the fullouiug ye;ir. the same 

 pie '.e of ground for the reception of fresh seed. — 

 This was sown, broadcast, in the early part of 

 July, 1822, without a protecting cover. The pUnts 

 soon made their appearance, notwithstanding a 

 period of dry weather which succeeded, and con- 

 tinued togro.v finely till cliecked by the frost. — 

 .\s the crop was neither cut nor depastured, a 

 large burden was left on the ground ; and in the 

 ensuing spring, before other grasses had yet start- 

 ed, the Lucerne e>;hibited a flourishing uroAth. 

 Without entering into any further details respect- 

 ing this crop, it will be sufficient to say, that it 

 completely justified, in all respects, the encomiums 

 I had read upon its value. It may he well, how- 

 ever, to remark that, in accordance «ith the di- 

 rections <if some wrile.'s on the subject. I had the 

 ground harrowed for the alleged purpose of ex- 

 tirpating weeds and promoting its vigor. This 

 was done in the third year of its growth, and by 

 these means more llian half of tii? roots were de- 

 stroyed. The remainder, however, continued to 

 grow well for u year after ; but as the crop did 

 not exhibit the flourishing appearance as before, I 

 determined upon breaking up the ground. 



In the beginning of May, 1S23. I had about two 

 awes sown with Lucerne. The ground was divi- 

 ded into three pieces, and each piece was aloBg 



with the Lucerne, sown with a different grain 

 crop. These consisted of barley, buckwheat, and 

 winter rye. The result of the e.xperiment was as 

 follows, viz. that sown ivith the rye proved the 

 best, and that with the barley ranked next in qual 

 ity ; but what accompanied the buckwheat was 

 entirely smothered The Lucerne, growing on 

 the two former pieces, being now in the 4th year 

 of its growtti, is in a most vigorous state, and so 

 far from evincing any symptoms of dpcline, con- 

 tinued to grow, the last 'eason. more lu.-iuriantly 

 than ever. I commenced cutting it, last spring 

 on the 27th of April. It then yielded, I should 

 judge, at the rate of a ton and a half to the acre, 

 on the supposition that the grass had been cured 

 into hay. It was cut for the piirpose of soiling, 

 ; and given to horses in the stable and to working 

 'oxen. The produce amounted, during the season, 

 to six cuttings. In tliis >xpe iment the quantity 

 of seed used was at the rate of 20 lbs. to the acre. 

 It was cultivated on a soil similar to that describ 

 ed by Judge Buel as in<iispensable to its success. 



It is unnecessary, here, to recapitulate all that 

 has been said and vvritten in favour of this plant. 

 I would remark, however, that the great advanta- 

 ges which have been alleged in its favour are 

 fully borne out by my own experience. It may 

 further, be well to observe, that, in referring to the 

 remarks of Judge Buel, there is no Hiffirulty what 

 ever ;n its being made into h;iy when managed in 

 the mode he describes. And it seems to me a mat 

 ter of some importance to bear in mind that, al 

 thoush the virtues of Lucerne hav6 been most 

 largely descanted upon by the British writpr.s,it is 

 a plant wnich is far better adapted to our climate 

 than that of Britain The Letter country, it w-oulc 

 appear, does not possess the requisite decree or 

 heat and dryness to onanrc the full advantaire of 

 its real value. And it seems to be expedien:, if 

 not necessary, in that country to cultiva'e at the 

 expense of drilling, while here it answers with 

 perfect success in the easier and cheaper method 

 of hruad cast. 



Notwithstanding, however, what has been said 

 in praise r-f the merits of this grass, I am not un- 

 aware of the objections that have been made to 

 its general introduction in this country More 

 especi illy of those advanced by a distinguished 

 agriculturalist in the vicinity of Pniladelphia. It 

 was my intention to have noticed them, and to 

 have offered some views of inaividual pra<-ticc in 

 relation to the subject, leading to a difference of 

 conviction. The length, however, to which 'his 

 communication has already attained, prevents me 

 from dwelling any longer upon the merits in 

 question. With great respect, I am yours &.c. 

 Vakbrugh Livikgsto.v. 



J. M. Ely, Esq. 



the method they practice to preserve it. To re- 

 medy this evil, the' method which I have practised 

 for u considerable number of years, with gratify- 

 ing success, is as follows : 



In the month of December or January, when the 

 water-pools are frozen to a sulficient thickness, 

 say one or two inches, proceed to break the ice 

 in pieces, and draw it off the water with iron 

 hooks, conveying it to the ice-house in carts, as 

 quick as possible. Before throwing it into the 

 house, three or four men should be employed to 

 break it in small pieces, about the size of common 

 road-metal. Then carry it into the house, where 

 two men should be again employei. in pounding it 

 almost to powder. Lay the bottom and the sides 

 of the house «ith a layer of wheat straw, three or 

 four inches thick. After there are about two feet 

 of ice thus pounded, take ten pounds of salt, and 

 dissolve in ten gallons of boiling water. When 

 the salt is sufficiently dissolved, pour it on the ice 

 through a common garden watering-pot ; thus 

 going on regularly every two feet, watering, and 

 laying the sides with straw till the house is tilled, 

 finishing with a double quantity of salt water. — 

 After it has been in eijfht days, and when it has 

 subsided, fill up closely with stnul bundles of 

 straw, to exclude all air as far as possible. 



An ice-liouse filled in this manner, will be found, 

 when opened in summer, to be as firm as a rock. 

 and to require at all times the force of a pick-axe 

 to break it up. It will be found to keep three 

 times longer than the common method of filling 

 ice-houses, and is more suitable for being received 

 from the ice-house for use, as it will keep three 

 times longer when exposed to the air. I was in- 

 duced to try the above method, on account of our 

 ice house being placed in a very exposed situa- 

 tion. The sun shines from rising to setting on it, 

 and it was found impossible, before adopting this 

 plan, to keep ice above a year, and now it keeps 

 three years, and the last of it is as good as the 

 first. I remain, sir, &c. James Yousg. 



miford House, Sept. 5, 1827. 



From Ibc Gardener's Magazine. 



On preparing Ice and filling an Ice-house, so as 

 the Ice may keep for two or three years. By .Mr. 

 James Y'oung, gardener to Henry Smith, Esq. of 

 Jfilford-house, jYotlinghamshire. 



Sir. — None of your correspondents having laid 

 before us the proper method of preserving ioe, so 

 as to keep in an exposed situation through the hot 

 months of summer, for one, two, or more years, as 

 may be required, I now venture to do so. Most 

 gardeners who are in the habit of laying up ice 

 annually for summer use, complain of its melting 

 away too rapidly. This, I presume, is owing toi 



Front Cobbeu's Ride in France. 

 FREKCn TI^EYARD^. 



Between Fless and Amiens, near a little village 

 Called Aicanois, there is a vineyard, consisting 

 perhaps, of about fifty acres. "The vines were 

 growing very low, tied to little sticks, as our car- 

 nations are tied up in the gardens in England ; — 

 and, from all the ideas I had had of vines, before 

 I saw these, I could not conceive at first what sort 

 of vegetables they could be. 



FRENCH -MODE OF TRAINING PEACQ TREES, &L 



I observe, here, [Province of Isle de France], a 

 method of training peach trees, and other wall 

 fruit, which I did not see at Montreuil. Against 

 some of the wall in gentlemen's gar.. ens there are 

 rods, quite straight and round, with the bark left 

 on, and about an i ich in diameter. The rods arc 

 placed against a wall long-wise, and perpendicu- 

 lar, so as to cross one another, like lattice-work, 

 leaving square spaces of about six or eight inches, 

 placed in this manner, and fastened together, the 

 rods form a fra^ie for the trees, or vines to grow 

 against, and as the branches and shoots must be 

 kept, by means of this frame, from touching the 

 wall, they are perhaps, more healthy than they 

 would be, being fastened to the wall itself instead 

 of these rods. 



