THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



77 



to make it more fluid, and the first coat particu- 

 larly should be well worked in between the 

 shingles. It gives a black, glossy color to the 

 roof, and cannot fail to add to its durability. 



T, S. P. 



NEW METHOD OF GROWING ASPARAGUS. 



The Editor of the Horticultural Magazine, 

 recommends a trial of the following method of 

 growing asparagus, which is practiced at Nice, 

 and of which a high account is given in the 

 London Gardeners' Chronicle. Take a quart 

 wine bottle 5 invert it over the head of a stalk 

 of asparagus just rising from the ground, and 

 secure it by three sticks so that it cannot be 

 knocked over. If left in this state, the aspara- 

 gus will grow up into the interior of the bottle, 

 and, being stimulated by the unusual heat and 

 moisture it is then exposed to, will speedily fill 

 it. As soon as this has taken place, the bottle 

 must be broken, and the asparagus removed, 

 when it will be found to have formed a thick 

 head of tender delicate shoots, all eatable, and 

 as compact as a cauliflower. 



Stockley, Nansemond Co. Feb. 21, 1843. 

 To the Editors of the Southern Planter: 

 . Gentlemen, — I notice in your valuable perio- 

 dical that Mr. James Gordon took the premium 

 offered by the Henrico Agricultural Society last 

 year, for the best acre of sweet potatoes, viz : 

 544 £ bushels to the acre, which we Nansemond 

 planters think an enormous yield. The sweet 

 potatoe crop is one of our chief staples, and we 

 pride ourselves more on the quality than the 

 quantity of the article. I do not think the aver- 

 age crop in my neighborhood has exceeded 75 

 bushels per acre, during the last five years. The 

 object of this communication is to beg the favor 

 of Mr. Gordon to give us his " modus operandi" 

 through the medium of the Southern Planter, 

 the quality of his land, quantity and kind of 

 manure used, &c. &c. 



Whilst my pen is in hand, I will give my 

 limited experience with regard to the mooted 

 point of suckering corn. After a trial of five 

 years, I have satisfied myself that irreparable in- 

 jury is done the corn by pulling off the suckers. 

 1 think that in consequence of the wounds in- 

 flicted on the growing plant, the crops of fodder 

 and corn are both greatly diminished. I will 

 cite one year's experience, (1840). My corn 

 was planted 4^ by 4 feet, and two stalks allowed 

 to remain in the hill. In July it was not unusual 

 to see four suckers on many stalks. I directed 

 twenty rows through the middle of the field to be 

 suckered ; balance left with all the suckers on 5 at 

 gathering time, very many of the suckers had 

 each a full ear on them, growing from the side 

 of the stalk, many of the parent stalks produc- 

 nig two large ears. The suckered, produced 



no more than the unsuckered parent stalks. The 

 latter furnishing me an additional quantity of both 

 grain and fodder, independent of the labor saved. 



D. H. Hatton. 



In an experiment of sowing corn broadcast, 

 on the 1st of June, at the rate of one and a half 

 bushels per acre, on rich land, Gen. Harmon, of 

 Wheatland, Monroe county, New York, ob- 

 tained 18 tons of green stalks per acre. The 

 stalks were small, and almost entirety without 

 ears, and so full of saccharine matter, that the 

 cattle ate them perfectly clean when dry, though 

 they were not cut up fine. The yield was esti- 

 mated at six tons dry fodder per acre, and was 

 raised on a clover sod turned over and sown the 

 last of May, and the corn cut September 15. 

 The saccharine matter, which goes to supply 

 the corn in the ear, is retained in the stalk when 

 not suffered to ear, and materially adds to its nu- 

 tritive properties. — American Agriculturist. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 TO DESTROY IVY, &c. 



Ivy and laurel may be useful, but until I as- 

 certain their value, I shall continue to eradicate 

 more or less of them every year. One induce- 

 ment to destroy ivy is for the purpose of adding 

 to my arable and pasture fields ; and another is 

 the preservation of my sheep from this poison. 

 The use of the grubbing hoe for this purpose is 

 a tedious business, and I have determined to try 

 an implement which I shall call a Grab. 1 have 

 no doubt but that an implement can be made of 

 iron, which will tear up by the roots every ivy, 

 and dogwood, and other stole and brush rooted 

 shrub. Those of much height should be cut 

 off a few feet above the ground, and the grab 

 fastened toward the top, and immediately under 

 a knot or limb. A yoke of oxen hitched to the 

 grab, by means of a chain, will do the work ; 

 but in some cases, it may be necessary to assist, 

 by cutting a root at the off side. What think 

 you of an implement after the fashion of a 

 blacksmith's tongs, much stronger of course, 

 with the handles widely extended, and the grab 

 end curved inward and somewhat sharp ; or 

 what think you of an implement after the fash- 

 ion of dividers or compasses; one side being 12 

 inches long with a ring attached, and the other 

 9 inches long and terminating in a hook ? Now 

 if a chain be drawn through the ring and dropped 

 over the hook I think we shall have a severe 

 grab. The inner edge of this should also be 

 sharpened, and the plates should be 1\ or 3 

 inches broad and about 1 inch on the back. 



1 would be very thankful to any one who 

 will insert in this paper, the model of a grab on 

 a better plan than either of the above. 



D. D. 



February 18, 1843. 



