114 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[ArniL, 
of sunshine after a smart shower, would render 
the ground almost as hard as a -well-traveled 
road. But little impression would be made 
upon the ground by striking with a hoe as hard 
as it would bear without breaking. It was 
necessary to use a pick to get sufficient dirt to 
earth up potatoes, and after an immense ex- 
penditure of labor, they were worthless. This 
was also the case with cucumbers, squashes, 
pumpkins, beets, carrots, and parsneps. After 
two or three years' trial I suspected the cause, 
and seeded to clover, which produced an enor- 
mous crop. The third year after seeding I 
plowed again, and had good mellow ground to 
work, and an excellent garden. The land was 
a mixture of clay and gravel, with good natural 
drainage, the clay predominating — good land 
for wheat. I presume there are hundreds of 
highly manured gardens in Western New- York, 
rendered unproductive, indurated, and spoiled, 
by angle worms. 
Remarks. — Unless it can be shown that clover 
expels worms from land, the above experiment 
would merely indicate that the naturally heavy 
soil had been ameliorated and made more friable 
by the clover roots. The large amount of veg- 
etable matter left in the earth by a good crop of 
clover, acts very efficiently for this purpose. 
We can not consider the experiment conclusive 
as to the hurtfulness of earth worms. — Ed.] 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Turning Losses to Profit. 
Some time since I had occasion to pass by 
one of my neighbors, and found him employed 
in skinning his only cow. I expressed my 
sympathy for him. He good-humoredly replied 
that with every loss there was some profit; that 
feed was very scarce, and he was now relieved 
from all further trouble on that account; and 
furthermore, he could now pocket the money 
for the hide, which he could not have done had 
the cow lived. While musing on the calm and 
considerate philosophy he manifested under his 
loss, it occurred to me I had a similar case at 
home, and whatever consolation there was in 
my neighbor's system of financial ethics, I had 
a right to appropriate the benefit to myself. It 
is, perhaps, more or less true of every rural dis- 
trict in the Western States, that in them are 
found a few little-souled American farmers, 
who are not content with the annual income of 
their own farms, but appropriate the streets, 
lanes, and all other open lauds of the neighbor- 
hood, as summer range for their flocks or herds. 
But I now come to the point. Several years 
since I purchased some sheep from a distance, 
and in this purchase I innocently, but unfortu- 
nately, as I then thought, found I had intro- 
duced on my farm that bane of the ovine race, 
the Foot-rot. As soon as I ascertained the fact, 
I gave notice to my neighbors, promising to 
confine my flocks to my own premises, and 
frankly and pointedly stating the risk those 
would incur who would permit their flocks to 
roam over the country without restraint. To 
me this miserable disease was a source of 
anxiety, labor, and loss; but in the improved 
morals of trespassers, and to the public at large, 
it proved to be great gain. From thenceforth 
every man's sheep were kept at home, where 
they should be, and the neighborhood was thus 
relieved from this vexatious annoyance. I do 
not claim any patent right for my discovery in 
thus converting men into better citizens, neither 
do I claim much credit for my disinterested be- 
nevolence in the case referred to; but my ex- 
perience suggests that, because the teachings of 
the Bible fail in indoctrinating all men in the 
first principles of practical morality, such cases 
should not be despaired of as hopeless. And 
where the conscience can only be reached 
through the breeches-pocket, every reader must 
determine for himself when it is expedient and 
proper to submit to a similar inconvenience and 
loss, that a greater gain may be secured to the 
whole community of which he is a member. 
Moore's Salt Works, Ohio, February, 1863. G. 
[We of course do not recommend the intro- 
duction of the foot-rot as a means of improving 
the morals of a community. We knew of a 
man who put broken glass into the road ditches 
and "mud-puddles" along his farm, to keep his 
neighbor's hogs from wallowing there. His own 
swine playfully jumped into one of these pud- 
dles, and one nearly severed his foot in two 
upon the sharp edge of a broken junk bottle, 
rendering him partially crippled for life. Kind- 
ness, patient reasoning, and the inculcation of 
good principles, and neat habits, and a spread 
of improvement, by introducing books and pa- 
pers treating of agriculture and horticulture, 
will be the cheaper and better mode in the long 
run. — Ed.] 
• i »«i — »-•. 
Analyzing Soils and Plants. 
W L. Robbins, of Suffolk Co., N. Y., thinks 
it would interest other readers of the Agricultur- 
ist as well as himself, to have published a table 
showing the chemical constituents of the differ- 
ent kinds of farm produce, so that the cultiva- 
tor, by having his soil analyzed, could raise in 
rotation that class of plants best suited to it. 
There are plenty of tables of this kind, such as 
they are. Johnston's Agricultural Chemistry is 
full of them. Ten or twelve years ago we 
printed a large Chart closely packed with these 
kinds of analyses, but now esteem them of little 
practical value. By the aid of chemistry we 
are able to know to within a hundredth part of 
a grain the composition of soils and their pro- 
ducts, yet we can make little use of this knowl- 
edge. For illustration, we know that the ashes 
of wheat contain a large amount of phosphor- 
ic acid, and turnips but little, yet an applica- 
tion of phosphates to the soil does very little 
good to a wheat crop, while the superphosphates 
are the great turnip manure in England. This 
subject we discussed at some length in Volume 
XIX, pages 105-6, (1860). 
Start the Tomatoes Early. 
Those using hot-beds will have their plants 
up by this time. Those who have no hot-beds 
can yet gain some weeks by starting them in 
pots or boxes in the house. After the plants are 
up and have made two or three rough leaves, 
transplant them into small pots, and give them 
plenty of light and air. The small thumb-pots 
may be used for the first potting, and as they 
are so small that they readily dry out, a number 
of them may be placed in a box and surrounded 
by moss, saw-dust, sand, or anything that will 
retain moisture. AYhen it is found by turning 
out the ball of earth that the roots have filled 
the pot, they may be shifted to those holding 
about a pint, taking care all the time that the 
plants have abundance of air and light, and 
grow stock}'. They may be kept in their pots 
until all danger of frost is past, when they are 
to be planted out by turning out the ball of 
earth from the pot. The directions for after- 
culture will be given at the proper season. 
Earlier and better fruit is obtained upon light 
and sandy soil than from a wet and heav}- one. 
The small pear-shaped and the smooth red va- 
rieties are the earliest. The Fejce is-a few days 
later, but is so much more prolific and finer 
every way, that were we confined to one sort 
we should choose this. From a single year's 
experience with the French Upright, or Tree 
Tomato, we think well of it. It is a very com- 
pact and dwarfish variety, bearing its fruit close 
to the main stem. It needs but a single stake 
to keep it from being blown over, and as it can 
be planted as near as 15 or 18 inches, probably 
as much fruit can be got off the same space as 
from any other variety. It must be started very 
early, as the fruit is a little late, but it is very 
solid and, according to our experience thus far, 
every way desirable. Those who have no gar- 
dens, but have room in the yard to set a barrel 
or two, can obtain a supply of Tomatoes with a 
little trouble. John A. Briggs, of Franklin Co., 
Mass., writes: "Take a flour-barrel, knock 
out both heads, saw it in two in the middle, 
place the halves in auy vacant place, fill about 
two-thirds full of earth, and manure and set 
your plants in them, and you will find your 
plants, if attended to, will do as well as in any 
other place. The writer of this has practised 
this method for the last three years with perfect 
success. None need want for this delicious 
and healthful fruit unless they are too indolent 
to try the experiment." The plants grown in 
this way may be watered with waste water 
from the kitchen. 
»-. — ■ > . — . — 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Sweet Potato Culture. 
One page 6, January No., you say sweet pota- 
toes will pay when planted south of 42°. To 
show that you are correct, I give you the result 
of a measured plot. From 13 rows, 3 feet apart 
and 100 feet long, I gathered 43* bushels of fine 
potatoes, 36 bushels of merchantable potatoes, 
and Ti bushels of small ones to use for seed. 
Mode of Culture. — To cultivate with success, se- 
lect a sandy soil if possible ; if not, then the dry- 
est location ; don't move the ground under the hills 
or ridges formed for setting the plants. If hills 
are made, deposit a shovelful of manure on the 
ground, draw the earth up over it forming a hill 
10 or 12 inches high, leaving it a little Hat on 
top and it is ready for the plant. If planted in 
rows, strew manure (half rotten will do) on the 
ground every three feet, same as for Irish pota- 
toes. Manure don't hurt them ; leave the base 
under the manure about a foot wide undisturbed. 
With plow, spade, or fork, make the earth fine 
between the strips of manure, and throw it on 
the manure into a ridge 10 or 12 inches high. 
Rake off the ridges so as to leave them flat and 
about 3 inches wide on the top: they are then 
ready for the plants. The ridges may be made 
ready long before it is time to set the plants. 
Setting time from May 10th to middle of June, 
the earlier the better when danger of frost is over. 
When the vines begin to run, lift them two 
or three times, and lay on the top of the ridge. 
Keep down all weeds; an 8-loothed cast-steel 
rake is best to dress the sides. Rake the earth 
from the bottom to top of ridge to cover and 
smother the weeds. Run the rows north and 
south if possible. Planted on hard ground they 
grow thick and chubby, but on soft ground they 
grow long, thin, and comparatively worthless. 
Keeping. — After the first frost, dig on a dry 
clear day, handling with care. After drying a 
