VOL. XIII. NO. 39. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL, 



309 



O.V THE PREPARATION OF THE LAND FOR CLOVER. 



Unless the ricliiicss of the land will cause thcni 

 to lodge, elover should be sown amongst oats, or 

 spring barley. 'J'lie grain should be well plough- 

 ed in, and the ground well harrowed, and the elo- 

 ver seed sown ininieiliately alter the liarrow, and 

 brushed in with a light brush, provided the grain 

 is not sown until after the hard frosts are over. If 

 the grain be sown earlier, it will be safer to defer 

 sowing the clover seed on it until the season shall 

 be thus far advanced, because, though after hav- 

 ing taken good root, the clover is a very hardy 

 jilant, yet when quite young it is liable to be kill- 

 ed, either by hard frosts, or by being exposed un- 

 protected to the rays of the sun. In favor- 

 able seasons, it will come up well w-ithout 

 brushing, but as, in case of a warm dry season, 

 about the time of coming up, much of tl\o seed 

 will otherwise perish, and the crop be rendered 

 too thin, it is much better to give them a slight 

 covering with the brush. The better the soil is 

 pulverised by the plough, harrow and brush, the 

 better the seed will vegetate, and the more level 

 or even the surface the greater the facility in 

 mowing. 



QOANTITY OF SEED. 



Almost universally, a false economy is practised 

 in sowing grass seed of almost every descrip- 

 tion in most parts of the United States. In this 

 country, a bushel of clover seed is generally al- 

 lowed to ten acres of land. If intended for pas- 

 ture, or if the seed be remarkably good and the 

 season very favorable, this quantity may he suffi- 

 cient. But if designed for mowing, or if the seed 

 be defective, as is often the case, or if the season 

 should prove imfavorable, the farmer will find, 

 that it would have been much more to his inter- 

 est, to have sown one and a half, or even two 

 bushels of seed on ten acres. It is true, that 

 generally, where one bushel only is sown on that 

 quantity of laud, the field will at mowing time 

 appear to be well covered with grass, but on ex- 

 amination, it will be found that the plants stand 

 thin on the ground, that the stalks are too large 

 and thick for good hay, and the quantity of grass 

 to the acre much less, than it would have been if 

 sown thicker, besides which, thin clover is much 

 more apt to lodge, than that which is thick, by 

 which, not only is the hay injured, but the mow- 

 ing greatly impeded. > 



SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT. 



As soon as the clover is up, if the land be not 

 very rich sow half a bushel of plaster to the acre, 

 this will have a powerful tendency to protect the 

 young clover from drought and the heat of the 

 sun, and thereby, to ensure the fields being well 

 set with grass. It is true, if the land be rich, and 

 the season favorable, the clover may stand well, 

 without the aid of the plaster, but otherwise there 

 will be great danger of losing the crop from the 

 want of it. Most of the complaints we hear of 

 clover not standing would have been prevented 

 by phistering it as soon as it came up. 



After the grain is cut, it would be best not to 

 pasture the field at all, but at all events, it should 

 not be pastured with heavy stock, and only until 

 tlie grain left is consumed, much young clover is 

 greatly injured by excessive pasturing during the 

 first season of its growth, and the loss thereby 

 sustained greatly exceeds the profits of the 

 pasturage obtained, besides the great injury to the 

 land. 



Should the weeds, or stubble, threaten to be in 

 the way of the scythe at mowing time, let them 

 be brushed down the preceding winter, or early in 

 the spring, or let the roller be run over the field. 

 After cutting the first crop for hay, which should 

 be doue when about half the heads have assumed 

 a brown color, if the land be not rich, and the 

 second crop he intended for seed, sow half a bush- 

 el ol' plaster to the acre, soon after the hay is re- 

 moved, the same quantity should have been sown 

 the April preceding on the .first crop. After cut- 

 ting the seed let nothing run on the field dtlring 

 the remainder of the year. 



CULTIVATION OP .IIADDER. 



There are consumed in the counties of Oneida 

 and Otsego, by three manufiicturing establishments, 

 about two hundred and thirtyfour thousand pounds 

 of Madder every three years. This article is dug 

 from the ground once in three years. Suppose 

 each acre produced from 1.500 to 2000 lbs., but 

 say the former, on a common soil, it would re- 

 quire 156 acres of land to produce Bladder for 

 these establishments, and perhaps the remaining 

 manufactories, cloth dressers, and families use hall 

 as much more, making in the w hole 356,000 lbs., 

 which at 15 cents per pound, the average price of 

 best Dutch Madder for the last twelve years, is 

 over .$50,000. What a large sum to send to for- 

 eign countries, for an article which can be culti- 

 vated here as well as potatoes ! I am well aware 

 that less than 156 acres will produce the above 

 amount ; as, according to thq quality of the land 

 and cultivation, it will produce from 1.500 to 2000 

 pounds of dry Madder, I think it would produce 

 2000 pounds on land that will yield in a good 

 year 50 bushels of corn to the acre. — The vi hole 

 cost of cultivation on rich deep loam, say sandy 

 loam, digging, washing, drying, grinding, rent of 

 land, seed, and interest of money, at 2000 pounds 

 to the acre, will not exceed 7 cents per pound. 

 There are without doubt, on most farms in these 

 counties, a few acres of land at least suitable for 

 the cultivation of this article. I consider that the 

 demand will be for years unlimited ; as thei'e is 

 not as yet in the circle of my acquaintance, more 

 than twentyfive acres under cultivation, nine of 

 which are under my management. The price of 

 American Madder, for the three past years, has 

 averaged about 23 cents, wholesale. The time 

 for digging, as is also for selling the toj) roots, or 

 seed, is from the 15th of September to the 15th 

 of October ; the price at this time is $3 per bush- 

 el, by the quantity. These top roots, are buried 

 in the fall like potatoes, and planted the following 

 spring in drills, six feet apart between the drills, 

 (giving room for a crop of potatoes the first year,) 

 and 12 or 18 inches apart in the drills. It is bet- 

 ter to purchase the seed in the fall, as it will bear 

 transportation nnich better when the buds are not 

 much started, — and the price is considerably low- 

 er. The bottom roots are also dug at this time, 

 and washed, (or rinsed, if dug from a light soil,) 

 dried, &c. I have, of three years old roots, un- 

 engaged, 150 bushels, or enough to plant from 23 

 to 25 acres. 



Mr James Eaton, of Winfield, Herkimer coun- 

 ty, is a successful cultivator and an honorable deal- 

 er in the article. There are also others, so that 

 applicants can be supplied to a considerable 

 amount. For more particular information, as to 

 the cultivation of Madder, see " Phinney's Calen- 

 dar, or Western Almanac, for 1834," — also a com- 



munication in the Cultivator for August, in winch 

 is stated my success in the Cultivation of tliis root 

 for two or three years past. 



As it is not the intention of the subscriber to 

 offer any remarks to the public but what he be- 

 lieves are founded in truth, he respectfully invites 

 editors of newspapers devoted to agriculture and 

 manufactures, to copy some portion of the above 

 into their respective papers — also other editors 

 who may consider the subject important to the 

 public. 



A small package of ground Madder will be sent 

 on application, to the care of the President, or 

 Committee of any agricultural society in the 

 State previous to their annual fair, for the inspec- 

 tion of members interested. — .V. Y. Cultivator. 



Giving strength to Thread, &c. — The 

 lixivium of oak bark has been employed for 

 scarcely any other purpose than that of the 

 tanner, and yet it is applicable to a great variety 

 of uses. If thread, cords, nets, coarse linen, &c. 

 be steeped in it, they acquire greater firmness and 

 durability. Fishermen have long resorted to this. 

 Nothing is more apt to spoil than skins, and yet 

 this preserves them. It is the same with hempen 

 and linen cloth. They contain much gummy and 

 resinous matter, which with tanning forms an en- 

 velope, and thus adds to their durability. Linen 

 ought not to steep more than eight or ten days in 

 this solution ; it acquires a very brown color. 

 When this color fades the operation may be re- 

 peated. 



The best method of preserving nets and cord- 

 age is the following : dissolve two pounds of 

 Flemish glue in fifteen gallons of water — di|) the 

 nets, &c., in this solution, and then steep them in 

 a strong solution of oak or chestnut bark, — the 

 tannin combines with the gelatin, and forms, be- 

 tween the fibres of the hemp, a solid net work 

 which adds great strength to the cords. Any 

 bark which contains tannin ma}' be employed in 

 making a decoction: so bones, parings of skins, 

 remains of fish, &c. and generally all substances 

 containing gelatin may be used in making gelati- 

 nous solution. Fishermen who throw away ge- 

 latinous fish, may use them for this purpose. — 

 Jour, des Connais. Usuelles. 



Cure for the whooping Cough. — Take 

 one fourth of a pint of sweet olive oil, the same 

 quantity of common leeks — cut them fine, and 

 simmer them moderately, two or three hours ; add 

 honey sufficient to make it palatable ; half a table 

 spoonful a portion for an adult. If taken four or 

 five times it will, in a few days, remove this dis- 

 tressing disorder. 



Ink. — The bark of the chestnut is said to con- 

 tain twice as much tan as that of the oak, and 

 gives with sulphate of iron a beautiful black ink. 

 The color which this tan produces is less liable to 

 change by the sun and rain, than that produced 

 by sumac. 



A pair of fut Cattle owned by Mr I. C. Bates, 



weighed the other day, four thousand three hundred 

 and forty pounds .' Mr Bates is one of the best 

 practical farmers among us. His sheep, horses and 

 cattle are of the finest breeds, and he understands 

 all about these matters. He is a real workingman, 

 none of your spurious pretenders. — Northampton 

 Cotirier. 



