AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



^ 



PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 62 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Aoricditohal Wabbhoube.) 



l»l,. XMI.l 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 29, 1844. 



[NO. 48. 



N . E. FARMER 



CAPE COD SOIL. 



A field containing about two acres, was planted 

 ih corn by Mr Harvey riovvea, in Dennis, about 

 fortnii^ht since. A storm of wind, a day or two 

 ter, blew off the light soil to so great an extent 



nearly or quite to cover the fence on the lee- 

 ird side, and to leave il extreuiely doubtful how 

 nch of the field remained planted ; and Mr Howes 

 ill have to wait with patience until he ascertains 

 hat requires to be replanted It was estimated 

 at not less than 500 loads of soil were removed. 



What would the agricultural editors do with 

 ich soil as this?- — Yarmouth Regisler. 



Itj^Let it be protected from the winds by plan- 

 tions of everfjreen trees. This has been done 

 ider similar circur.istances in Europe, as appears 

 ( the (ullowin£r extract from a coiniiiunjcation by 

 on. Win. Foster, of Boston, in vol. xviii. No. 41, 



the New England Farmer: 



" Beiwixt Bordeaux and Bayonne, in France, 

 ere is a great extent of sea-coasi, from whence 

 e blown iuMuense drifts of sand, which were en- 

 naching fearfully on the fertile soil beyond. The 

 rench oovernment had made various attempts to 

 op its progre.ss without success, until about sev- 

 ity years ago, when a philosophical engineer pro- 

 jsed to prepare a wide belt of hind the whole 

 •ngth, taken from that part yet capable of cultiva- 

 on, aud to sow it broadcast with pine. The plan 

 jcceeded, and the sand-drift has been stopped." 



Instead of sowing the seed, it would be more ad- 

 isable to transplant the trees, and with them as 

 luch of the soil in which they grew as cnnvonient. 



The next measure would be to stiffen the soil 

 y mixing with it clay or peat ; but we do not know 

 lat either of these substances is procurable on the 

 lape. If not, it might cost more than il would 

 ome to, to transport them from elsewhere ; but of 

 lis our Cape Cod friends must be the judges. Soil 

 ■om the salt marshes might be of use for the above 

 urpose. But the mere prevention of the drifting 

 f the sand by breaking the force of the winds, 

 /ould be a great help, and this we think is practi- 

 able by the method above proposed. — Ed. 



Jlsparngtis A medical correspondent, on whose 



tatement we can most implicitly rely, informs ns 

 hat the advantages of this plant are not sufficient- 

 y estimated by those who sulfcr from rheumatism 

 nd gout. Slight cases of rheumatism are cured 

 n a few days by feeding on this delicious esculent ; 

 nd more chronic cases are much relieved, espc- 

 ially if the patient carefully avoid all acids, wheth- 

 r in food or beverage. The Jerusalem artichoke 

 IBS also a similar effect in relieving rheumatism, 

 riie heads may be eaten in the usual way, but tea 

 lade from the stalks, and drunk three or lour times 

 . day, is a certain remedy, though not equally 

 agreeable. — York (Eng.) Courant. 



Sprinkling asparagus with sea-water, when six 

 nches high, is said to be very beneficial. 



MANAGEMENT OF CORN. 



To the Editor of the A'. E. Farmer : 



Sir — \a I have seen several different plans for 

 planting corn in hills and drills, &c., inyourvalua- 

 ble paper, I will give you my method of planting 

 corn in drills. 



I have been in the habit, for a number of years, 

 of planting corn in drills, on deep soil, and as fol- 

 lows : Plow about inches deep, taking care to 

 lay the furrows as level as possible. Before plant- 

 ing, harrow it lengthwise of the furrows a number 

 of times, and until it becomes mellow. It is 

 then furrowed out. North and South, at the dis- 

 tance of 4 l-'i feet apart, about 4 inches deep, with 

 a small horee-plow, going across the piece and 

 back in the same place, throwing the soil each way 

 from the centre of the drill ; I then fill the fur- 

 rows with compost manure made from my hog and 

 barn. yard, with a portion of stable manure: it will 

 take from IG to IS cords to the acre: it is covered 

 with the plow, by turning a furrow on each side of 

 the drill. The corn is placed in the two latter fur- 

 rows, 17 inches apart in opposite intervals, in what 

 would be termed the dead furrow, without manure ; 

 the two double rows will be 18 inches apart, and 

 the cultivation between the double rows, 3 feet ; 

 the manure to be kept covered. I drop 2 kernels 

 of corn in a place, but never suffer more than one 

 stalk to stand, unless there are missing hills, and 

 in that case I allow two to stand next to the miss- 

 ing. 



My reasons for this plan of planting without 

 manure in the hill are, that it prevents the stalks 

 from getting an over growth in June, and the ears 

 will set lower on the stalk, and will take less 

 strength of soil to support them. The stalk of 

 corn has two sets of ro its ; the first set extend 

 deep into the earth, draw the moisture, &c., and 

 will stand the drought equal to a shrub bush. The 

 second set of roots, called fibre or corn roots, and 

 by some cob roots, extending all over the ground 

 near the surface, which tend to making corn, will 

 have the benefit of the manure that is deposited 

 for the purpose of making corn, and not stalks: in 

 this mode of culture, I have raised over 100 bush- 

 els of corn to the acre. I am confident in the ulti- 

 mate success of this mode of drill planting, it will 

 raise corn enough over and above the ordinary 

 mode, to pay the whole expense of cultivation. 



One of my neighbors contended that this plan 

 of planting was not a good one, on account of the 

 sniallness of the stalks in June, and with that quan- 

 tity of manure he could raise more corn on the 

 old plan ; he therefore prepared an acre of land on 

 a wager that ho could beat. He plowed his land 

 and spread the same quantity on the surface and 

 in the hill ; it was planted in hills three feet apart 

 each way : he raised the largest growth of stalks 

 that I ever saw: in fact it was all stalks, for he 

 did not raise the tenth part of corn that was raised 

 on my plan. Both planted the same sfasou. Ma- 

 nuring corn in the hill for the purpose of getting 

 a large growth of stalks in the early part of the 

 season, and having no deposit to carry it out, is in 

 my opinion bad policy : it only tends to make 



stalks to the injury of the grain ; for if the ears set 

 high on the stalk, it will require great strength of 

 soil to carry them through. Corn should be plant- 

 ed early, but it should have but the natural soil, 

 and should not be encouraged beyond that. Keep 

 the manure deposited to make corn. 



Yours, &c. G. S. 



Warwick, R. I., May 20, 1844. 



{jy^Our correspondent's prescriptions are rather 

 unseasonable for this year's use ; but, like certain 

 other valuables, they may be " warranted to keep," 

 and be as good next year as when •' bran new." 

 Will he favor us with an account of other practices 

 in his husbandry .' — Eu. 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



IMPROVE THE BORDERS OF FIELDS. 



Strips of land on the borders of fields, next to 

 the wall or fence, where the plow could not be 

 brought to work, are very often suffered to lie idle, 

 and produce nothing. Now, if such strips were 

 improved by planting bush beans or peas, or win- 

 ter squashes, they would yield a product of more 

 profit, I venture to say, taking into account the ex- 

 pense bestowed on them, than the same amount of 

 land planted with the main crop of the field. 



"Many a mickle makes a muckle," says the 

 Scotch proverb ; and a hill of bi'aiis here, and of 

 squashes there, in spots which would not otherwise 

 be occupied with any thing of value, will count up 

 at harvest, and furnish a supply of these excellent 

 vegetables for family use, sutficient, perhaps, for 

 the whole winter. 



This may seem to some a small matter: not so 

 do 1 view it; it is an object worthy the farmer's 

 attention. He certainly renders his reputation of 

 being a good husbandman somewhat questionable, 

 who suffers any portion of his land to lie idle, that 

 could be just as well improved, and with an assu- 

 rance of profit. 



Many such unoccupied strips of land as those 

 alluded to, might be put to a useful purpose, I 

 think, in being planted with the sun-flower — the 

 seeds of which, some maintain, are no less valuable 

 for poultry than grain. If these seeds have such 

 value, most certainly they would well repay for 

 the expense incurred in raising them. 



D. 



Utility of Geese to the Farmer. — It has been long 

 remarked that cattle of all kinds are never ui'- 

 healthy where geese are kept in any quantity ; and 

 the reason assigned is simply this, that geese con- 

 sume with complete impunity, certain noxious 

 weeds and grasses, which taint more or less, ac- 

 cording to their abundance, the finest paddocks de- 

 pastured by horses, bullocks, and sheep. Most far- 

 mers are aware of ihie, and in many places where 

 the beeves appear sickly, geese are let into the 

 pastures, and the soil where they tread is converted 



for the time being into a sort of infirmary JVeto M 



Farviers' Jour. 



