0. o. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



69 



ong ill slating tbot Englnnd is better adolped to ex- 

 isive root ci'illnre, mid iliat it is more profitable 

 ;re than it cnii be here, I hope tbnt I hove done no 

 in saying so, and that it will not prevent any 



from trying n t'cw. Thai tbc heavy Durham 

 lie which arrive toon at maturity when supplied 

 th abundance of oueculcnt food and extraordinary 

 e, are better adapted and more profitable for that 

 tntryj where stieh food is abundant, labor cheap, 

 i beef high; ilinn in onrs, where all are the reverse, 

 my hnniblu opinion, and 1 hope that none of my 

 low fiirmers will be offended at my eaying so. 



1 have often wondered nnd much regretted that 

 iiC enierprismg and wealthy gentlemen, who have 

 ml 50 niHch money in introducing these fine, heavy 

 uials, have never taken the trouble to ascertain the 

 ici amount of _/!«/(, or itainj ihallhey make for 

 food they consume, and let us know for certainly, 

 «' much they are preferable to our native slock. 

 Lei any one pass through various parts of Western 



w York in March and Aiiril, and see the number 

 meagre and half starved cattle which are etrol'ing 

 rough the naked fields, or shiveiing by the side ol 

 e fence or empty barns, and he will have rcn^on to 

 ink that it would not be much profit, to juch farm- 

 3 at least, to have animals that require more Juod 

 d better care. 



If we feed, and breed, our animaU so as to improve 

 em, our native slock would sonn become good ; 

 d if v.'e do not do so, the best breed in the world 

 11 soon degenerate. 



Yours most respectfully, 



W. GARBUTT. 

 Wheatland, Februa.T/, 1812. 



VVe must say that we consider the sentiments ad- 

 nced above by our good friend, with his qualifica- 

 ms, in the main sound and orthodox ; and so lar 

 ini his feeling any diffidence in sendingorwe in 

 iblishing, let bjm understand once for all. that we 

 I for ihe fullest and freest discussion. Sofarlroni 

 :ing oflended at another man's honest opinions be 

 use ihcy difler from ours, we should just as soon 

 ink of being oflended because his eyes are blue and 

 irs b!ai:k ; or because the point of his nose does not 

 ppcn to be placed at the same angle of inclination 

 the right or the left as our own. Away with such 

 jotry, it is only fit for fools and Inquisitions I 

 On the other hand, while we think our friend Gar- 

 ni is likely to err on the side of too murh caution, 

 a friend of Improvement," is Q little too buoyant 

 ith enthusiasm, and his morning sky is colored 

 nicwuot btyond nature. In their present condition 

 e cannot think of pulling :wo such animals in the 

 me yoke side by side ; but with friend Garbutt in 

 le filler and a " friend of improvement" forward, 

 e may g t along safely and succesefully, though in 

 jch case there must ol necessity be conoiderabic 

 lafing of B^des and of haunches, and a great loss of 



iver. 



>'.)W with all due repprcl for our friend Garbutr, 

 e cannot see the advantage or necessity of begin- 

 ing with the alphabet when we have already learni 



1 read, nor with a "friend of improvement," thai 

 ecauee wc have learnt to read, theretlire, we 

 now every ihinor, and there is no longer any occn- 

 ion for books. There is always some danger in go- 

 ng between opposing parties of getting hustled our- 



!, but wc shall, if wccan, get through) no matter 

 f our coat is torn. 



The value of raising vegetables fiir stock and in 

 arge qiianiities is well established in England. Why 

 ;annot we avail ourselves of their c.Tperience in a 

 luesiion which they have settled ; nnd let stock rais- 

 ng farmers, and wheat grooving farmeis too, make, 



stock an indifpensoble branch of husbandry 1 The 

 extent to which we pursue it must be settled by a 

 sound discretion, having refercnco to our wants and 

 to our mean?, and to the whole of our condition. 

 But the question of their utilily, in respect to keeping 

 our slock and the means of enriching our farms, is 

 no longer nn open question here any more than in 

 England. 



Then again in regard to the introduction of the Im- 

 proved breeds of cattle among us. In Englnnd the 

 most extraordmary pains have been taken lor more 

 than half a century, ihe highest skill exerted and the 

 most lavish expenditures incurred in improving their 

 breeds of cattle ; and through the liberality or the 

 commercial entcrpriao, or, if you pleose, the avarice 

 of many individuals, public spirited or otherwise, we 

 have the advantages of these improvements placed 

 direclly within our reach. Now why should wc not 

 avail ourselves of them, either by judicious crossing 

 with the best of our breeds, or by adopting the luire 

 stock and making for them such provision as is de- 

 manded, in order to maintain their superiority? Such 

 exertions would very much benefit our husbandry and 

 undoubtedly give iia an omple profit. At the same 

 time the expectations hold out by "o friend of im- 

 provement," that 200 dollars per head for our rattle 

 will in such case be a /«!p calculation, and instead of 

 getting 2J cents per pound for our mntton we shall be 

 sure of 3 or 10 cents, is not a calculation that we 

 s'lould think safe to encourage, ccitoiiily not in the 

 present dilapidated and fluctuating condition of our 

 currency, when no man can tell for bis life, what a 

 dollar is worth. Prices arc of all matters in political 

 economy, the most dift'icult subject of calculation, 

 combining, as they necessarily must, in order to any 

 safe reckoning, sj many various elements, such as the 

 condition of the currency, the supply of the article, 

 and the demands of the market. Wiih these brief 

 hints, we submit the case between the parties to the 

 cuan.-~lEdi(or. 



Madder. 



Our respected correspondent, L. A. L., who desir- 

 ed some information from us on the culture of madder, 

 we are compelled to refer to the subjoined notice 

 which appeared in the Genesee Farnirr in 1837, vol. 

 7, no. 39., which perhaps will be as full ns he desires; 

 if not, let him do us the favor to suy in what particu- 

 lars he desires further information, and we will meet 

 his wishes. We have delayed replying to his inqui- 

 ries because we hoped we should lind aoine itidiviilual 

 practicolly acquainted wilh its cultivation and man- 

 ngenient. Ti.at has not been our good foi lune, and 

 we have never seen the plant growing. We should 

 infer from the statements given, that the crop might 

 be cultivated to much advantage, if we liove only pa- 

 lienceenouah to woii fiir the harvest ; betas to pres- 

 eni prices of the article we know very little, and whoi 

 price it is likely to bear lour years hence, who is gifted 

 with the power of divining 7 



" Madder, or Rnbia tinctoiivin, io one of a large 

 lamilyof plants, and lor its valuable qualities in color- 

 ing has become an iinportani article of cultivation in 

 several countries, paniculnily Holland, where the 

 ;irovinceof Friesland is almost wholly devoted to its 

 production. In RadclUf 's Flemish Husbandry, the 

 iollowing condensed rules are given lor itsculiure; 

 The soil a rich sandy loam of from two to three feet 

 in depth, te the roots must have r lom to penetrate ; — 

 die land laid up in ridges in autumn if to be planted 

 111 the spring, and kept clean from all weeds ; -plani 

 in April, on ridges if the ground is wet, if not, on a 

 level, in rows 18 inches apait, and the plants 12 inches 

 distant in the rows ; — as niuch root as practicable 

 should be 'akch with the slips to be planted, and fro: 



they are dug by deep trenching, the roots quickly and 

 carefully dried to prevent discoloration or molding, 

 washed ond dried in a building resembling a hop oven, 

 and dun ground and packed lor utc. 



Rliidder roots are long and creeping, about as largo 

 as a quill, red within and wiihoul, and a single plant 

 will, in a good soil, yield aliout 4(1 pounds of fresh 

 roots, which will in drying be reduced about six scv- 

 cntlis. Some have dug the roots in two years, but 

 the roots do not then contain the proper quantity of 

 coloring matter ; and if they stand longer than three 

 years more is lost than is gained after that period. 

 Afl parts of the root contain tome coloring moiter, 

 but it ie in the middle part that the moat and the beat 

 is found, the microscope showing in this part a inulli- 

 tudc of shining red particles, conbliiuiing the rich 

 dyeing malerml, thickly dispersed omong the fibres. 

 "According to experiments made in England, five 

 pounds of frefch roois go os far aR tour of the dry ones : 

 and it is estimated ihat seven or eight pounds of fresh 

 roots are reduced to one in drying; hence the great 

 advantage of using green roots where practicable, be- 

 comes apparent. They are more exicnsivcly used in 

 a fresh slate in France than in any other country, and 

 are the recalled alizari." Good madder when ground 

 for the market is of nn orange yellow, passing into a 

 brown red, having ati acid sweetish taste and a strong 

 smell. 



Some improvements in the culture have been made 

 since it wna first attempted here, and if the amount 

 of product per-ocre may be considered ae a cri'erion, 

 our meihods have the advantage over those practiced 

 in Europe. Mr. Woodberry of West Winfield, Her- 

 kimer Co., in a letter to the Cultivator, says, — " It is 

 now ascertained that the beet method of jlaniina mad- 

 der, is in beds six feet wide, with four rows of plania 

 to n bed, leaving a space between the beds nine feet 

 wide unoccupied ; or it may be planted with rows of 

 corn or potatoes the first season. This space is use- 

 ful for various purposes, ns possing with a team to 

 carry manure, should it be considered necessary the 

 first and second seasons. The manure should be 

 dropped between the beds, and mixed wiih a plough 

 before it is used on the beds." By treating the inter- 

 vals in this woy, Mr. Bronson, a cu tivaior of madder 

 in the snme vicinity, on a few acres of land p anted 

 wilh madder, raised upwards of one thousand bushels 

 of potatoes; and bandsoms crops of corn have been 

 obtained in the same way. The advantage of plant- 

 ing in beds, arises from the greater extent to which 

 the tops may be eovoreil, as each earthing, properly 

 performed, adds materially to the quantity of the roots 

 produi-cd, the top itself to that extent being conven- 

 ed into root, and not to be distinguished in its quali- 

 ties from them. 



The following estimate prepared by Mr. Woodber- 

 ry, and it does not vaiy mater. ally from ihose furnitli- 

 td by other cultivators, shows at a single glance the 

 expense of cultivation, ond the value of the article 

 produced when ready lor market. 



Seed per acre 8 bush, at $4 $32,00 



Interest on land 4 years at $40 per acre 11,2(1 



Ploughing and harrowing twice, 2,50 



Dressing first year, 8,00 



" second year, 7,00 



" third yearj. 3,00 



Digging 21 ,00 



Drying, 2^ cents per cwt 12.50 



Grinding do do 12,50 



Total expense. 



.$111 



70 



Product if well cultivated, 5000 poHNdis, 



average price iO cts. per pound Jti> 1000,00 



Deduct ; 111,70 



Clear profit....... .f868,30 



We have heard bui one serioue objection made to 

 the culture of madder, and thai is, the long lime re- 

 quired for its cultivation allows great fiiictuaiions to 

 take place in the prices ; and those which may exiat 

 at the time of commencing with the p'ant, cannot be 

 relied on as those which will prevail when the article 

 is ready for niaiket. When we remember, however. 



IX to eightbushelswill be required foran acre, though iliat the demand is s'.endy, a d increaaing ; that the 

 his of course must depend mainly on the distance | quantity produced is not likely to vary suddenly ; and 

 idopted by the planter ;— plant nothing in the inter- ] ibai for a number of y nrs the price has ranged he- 



als, hulas the tops shoot up bend them occasionally 

 to the ground and partially cover w.th earth ; — when 

 ihe tops fall off in autumn, eartli the rows as a pro- 

 tection against frost, and in the spring hoe theinter- 

 vals thoroughly ;— 'the slips of the second year are the 

 lest to plant, and should be taken of! in the spring 

 when about an inch above tlie surface ;— three years 

 are required for the roots to arrive at perfectionj when 



twcfcii from 17 to 23 cei Is for good qualities, we think 

 little apprehension need be entertained of on over- 

 slocked market, or heavy soles. Seed at the proper 

 seasons, may, we believe, be obtained of the grow- 

 ers in the region we have mentioned, as well as milla 

 fiir grinding the roots, ond we shoidd be pleased to 

 learn that farmers suitably located, had added to their 

 other sources of profit, that of the culture of madder," 



