348 



tins, like the dippers used for sugar and coffee 

 by the grocers, to scatter it. But on land that 

 will bear the tread of horses a broadcasting 

 machine \vill answer much the best purpose. 



KEEPING SWEET POTATOES. 

 The best plan we have ever tried to 



keep 



sweet potatoes, for family use, is to pack them 

 in layers in goods boxes of dry sand — dried, if 

 necessary, on the kitchen floor. This will ab- 

 sorb the moisture from the roots and preserve 

 them sound until early summer vegetables can 

 be produced. A layer of dry sand and a layer 

 of potatoes on that, with sand strewed among 

 them ; then another lafser of sand supporting a 

 layer of potatoes as before. The whole to be 

 kept in a dry place. 



The principle of keeping all roots is to ex- 

 clude the pile from wet, and from rapid thawing 

 after a freeze, to ventilate it partially, and to 

 disturb it as seldom as possible. A dry bottom, 

 a plank flue with holes borgd in its sides and 

 lightly stuffed with straw at top, a straw cover- 

 ing and about eight or ten inches of dirt loosely 

 thrown up and not patted smooth with the spade, 

 would seem to fill these conditions. 



GRAYEL WALKS. 

 A correspondent of the Rural Intelligencer 

 gives the following result of his experience and 

 observation as the best way to construct Gravel 

 Walks : 



" First, dig the soil or lawn to the depth of 

 six or eight inches ; perhaps in deep soil ten or 

 twelve. Second, fill in one half of the depth 

 vdth small stones gathered from the surround- 

 ing grounds. Third, fill the remainder to the 

 surface with sand and coal or wood ashes, leach- 

 ed, and near the surface spread an even thin 

 coat of salt. Make use of the stone or iron 

 roller as soon as convenient, but more particu- 

 larl}^ after every shower for two or three months. 

 Your correspondent will in this way obtain a 

 deem and handsome drive. The salt is very im- 

 portant in the mixture of sand and ashes. An- 

 thracite coal ashes would be preferred, but the 

 purpose can well be answered by making u^e 

 of wood ashes, after leaching.-'^ — Cultivator. 



BPvEADSTUEFS. 



Comparative trade of Richmond, in Bread- 

 stuffs for the years 1855 and 1856. 



The following is a comparison of the receipts 

 of this city in the three leading articles of the 

 breadstuffs for the months of July, August and 

 September of the present and last year. It will 

 be seen that the receipt of Wheat the last thiee 



months exceed that of the same months lastj^ear 

 by the large amount of 231,485 bushels. Last 

 year the farmers generally held back their crops 

 for higher prices, and this accounts in a great 

 degree for fhe excess the present year ; but the 

 crop this year is no doubt larger than that of 

 last year. 



The amount of Flour brought in during the 

 three months is 1935 bbls. less than of last year. 

 This may be owing to the want of water to ena- 

 ble the country mills to grind ; but it is the opin- 

 ion of some conversant with the subject, that the 

 facilities of transportation, the demand for grain 

 for the city mills, and the high prices paid by 

 them, are taking the wheat from the country 

 mills and diminishing their operations. 



July, 

 Aug. 

 Sept. 



July, 

 Aug. 

 Sept. 



Wheat. Flour. Corn. 



1856 



1855. 



68,210 

 41^,980 

 245,680 



2,056 

 13,614 

 15,639 



14,667 

 28,772 

 29,313 



729,870 



31,319 



72,752 



25,547 



3,287 



7,836 



352,737 



14,827 



13,931 



120,101 



15.140 



6,620 



498,385 33,254 28,393 

 The folloAving is a comparative statement in 

 the inspections of Flour, in Richmond, during 

 the quarter just ended, and for the same period 

 of the three preceding years : 



1856. 1855. 

 Family, bbls. 1,897 2,294 

 Ex. Superfine, do 6,356 3,032 

 Superfine, do 117,835 110,681 

 do. half do 5,075 5,260 



Fine, bbls. 

 Middling, do 

 Condemned, do 



3,158 

 14,348 

 1,451 



2,478 

 8,045 

 1,620 



1854. 



2,004 

 2,510 

 95,933 

 3,287 

 3,137 

 8,856 

 1,462 



1853. 



2,033 

 2,883 

 84,614 

 4,175 

 3,433 

 •4,732 

 1,180 



150,120 183,410 113,544 101,063 

 Bichmoncl Dispatch. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



THE CULTIVATION OF ASPARAGUS. 



The asparaginous class of esculents, (Doudon 

 says,) may be considered as comparatively one 

 of luxury. It occupies a large proportion of the 

 gentleman's garden, often an eighth part, but 

 enters but sparingly into that of the cottager. 

 A moist atmosphere is congenial to the chief of 

 them, especially to asparagus and sea-kale, which 

 are sea-shore plants, and are brought to greater 

 perfection in the British Isles than anywhere 

 else, except perhaps in Holland. In the neigh- 

 borhood of London it is cultivated to a greater 

 extent than in any other place in the world ; 

 chiefly at Deptford and Mortlake. Some grow- 

 ers at these places, and especially Mortlake, have 

 above one hundred acres each. 



Asparagus officinalis is the common kind. 

 There is, properly speaking, but one cultivated 

 variety, although we frequently see other names 

 given, as Giant, &c., which is said to be larger 



