1870. 



isTlW ENGLAND FAR^^IER. 



241 



soil IS un propitious tor a good growth of the 

 parsnip ; but peat meadows are most excellent 

 for growing the par.^nip. and all other roots 

 to the largest size. When the best result is 

 Fought in our Jersey cows, in the condition of 

 the stock, and quality of butter and milk, 

 then (he rich, sweet par.snip will have its day. 

 For family use, Abbott's and the Student's, 

 are preferable, while lor shallow soil the little 

 turnip rooter, is a gem. 



The Beet. I believe of beets, as of pars- 

 nips, that a day will come when the condition 

 ot quality will so far enter into our considera- 

 tion, that we shall grow the turnip and long 

 blood beet to feed to ttock. By planting 

 early in the season in rich soil and lldmiing to 

 a foot apart, a growrh of from 10 to 12 lbs. 

 can be attained, and I have had isolated speci- 

 mens weiirh over 20 pounds ! 



The Mangold NVukzel, to be excellent, 

 ought to be planted en high ground ; if for in- 

 creasing the quantify of milk, on low ground. 

 Sow not earlier than the (irtt of June for 

 the Long Red. The Yellow Globe is a good 

 sort for sandy soiL. If our farmers would 

 be brave enough to have their rows o\) inches, 

 and thin their plants to 15 inches apart in the 

 row, when yonog, they would l"nd that they 

 could do about all their tillage with the culti- 

 vator and hoe, while they would have just us 

 much iceight of crop, and the pleasuie cf 

 handling mangolds as big as their thigh, in- 

 stead of a^ big as their arm. 



TiiK Turnip. As turnips are grown both 

 for family use and for stock, we need to en- 

 courage good specimens of all sizes. Of the 

 Kuta Baga or Swede class, the best for family 

 use id the white variety known as "Sweet 

 German." Of the Yellow variety, Laing's, 

 London and Shamrock Swedes are now pre- ! 

 feried. Ol'the flat turnip, (he White and 

 PurpJe Strap-leaf are the earliest, but Yellow 

 Finland. Improved Yellow Globe, and Cow- 

 horn, are less subject to attack by the woim. 

 TuE Onion. The standard for the table 

 is found among those not over three inches 

 in diameter, with a fine, close skin, thin, com- 

 pact layers, a small neck, with the whole bulb 

 feeling about as hard as a stone. The Early 

 lied Globe, and Early "Cracker" are good 

 varieties, but the Early Danvers rules the mar- 

 ket in Essex county. The Potato onic-:! is the 

 earliest of all varieties. I would advise all 

 farmers to plant a quart or two of the potato 

 onion ^etts to be used in the family before 

 tho.-e raised I'rom seeds get sizable. 



The Cauisaue. I'he Marblehead Mam- 

 moth is the stamlard cabbage in Essex county. 

 For (licitaut markets the Stone, Mason and 

 Fottler become standard sorts. For family 

 use the Savoy f unily are decidedly the best. 

 The early Uim Savoy is early, and as reliable 

 for heading as any cabbage grown. 



i HE Squash. The Boston Marrow is, of 

 all OLliers, the pie squash. The American 

 Turban for a fall tqiiash, and the Hubbard 



for winter use, are, perhaps, the best we have. 

 These brief extracts from Mr. Gregory's 

 capital report, we think will be valuable to 

 every cultivator of vegetables. They may 

 rely on his authority as to what is best among 

 the many varieties cultivated. We suffer 

 continually by using, nat only poor .^eeds, but 

 poor varieties, and there seems to be no 

 way of protecting our-^elves, but by purchas- 

 ing of upright men who understand their busi- 

 ness. 



RAILROAD TRANSFOKTATIOJNT. 



During the war the price of railroad freiL'bts 

 were greatly increased, particularly at the West, 

 but as the price of produce was also high, farmers 

 had little cause to complain. But since the close 

 of the war and the consequent decline in prices for 

 farm products, there has been a good deal of com- 

 plaint on the part of Western farmers that the coyt 

 of transportation is kept at war prices. In some 

 cases there it is said that one-half or two-thirds of 

 the price of a crop is expended getting it to market, 

 and that more is paid to the railroad for trans- 

 porting a crop across the State than the farmer re- 

 ceives for raising it. The Prairie Farmer says, 

 "there 1; no question of the fact that the present 

 taritF on farm products is doing much to discour- 

 age pcKODS from engaging iu agriculture. Thou- 

 sands of acres of land a:e laying idl?, for the 

 reason that persons hesitate to improve it, fjr 

 fear that railroad charges on the crop will eat up 

 all the proiits that would arise from cultivating it. 

 It is the study of farmers now to ascertain what 

 crops can be produced that will involve the least 

 cost of transportation, and to devote their atteu- 

 tion to them. As high rates of fare discourage 

 railway travelling, so does a high tariff on farm 

 commodities prevent their being transported, or 

 even produced. Our land is fur less valuable, and 

 much poorer cultivated than it would be, if the 

 cost of transportation was reduced." 



The same paper publishes a call tor a conven- 

 tion cf "those opposed to the present tendency to 

 monopoly and extortionate charges by our trans- 

 portation companies, to meet at Bloomington, Illi- 

 nois, on the 20: h day of April next, for the con- 

 sideration of the present churges for the trans-por- 

 tation of treight by chartered coniparies and the 

 devising of means ihat shall have the elfect ro re- 

 duce them." 



We presume that this convention will also t.ike 

 into consideratiun the impoitance of a home mar- 

 ket. Without this, c\en l.iw charges for transpor- 

 tation to either side of the Atlantic will afford but 

 a temporary or partial relief. 



— Careless feed, irregular drink, and rough 

 usage after hard service, cause most of the com- 

 plaints from which horte-(le.-.h suffers. 



