Raising lndigO“~Tour in England. 
mi 
draw them over the plants, by which they 
were swept on to the ground, and while in 
this situation, he sowed fresh slacked lime 
over them, which nearly cleared the field. 
A. subsequent application of the last remedy, 
effectually vanquished the marauders. 
Raising Indigo. —We would earnestly call 
the attention of our southern agriculturists, to 
the consideration of again making indigo a 
staple in their productions. It was formerly 
raised in large quantities at the south, but we 
believe the profit of producing it was mate- 
rially lessened by Its subsequent extensive 
culture among the natives of British pro¬ 
vinces in the East Indies and elsewhere; and 
the great demand for cotton since created 
here, has withdrawn public attention from 
this subject altogether. A writer in the S„ W. 
Farmer says, one reason of abandoning the cul¬ 
tivation of it in South Carolina was, the escape 
of an offensive, and to some extent, deleteri¬ 
ous gas, in the fermentation. This difficulty, 
modern chimistry can undoubtedly obviate. 
Edwards’ history of the West Indies, written 
many years since, gives some important data 
on the culture, manufacture, and expense of 
producing it, though a modern American 
genius put on this subject, will doubtless de¬ 
velop some new, improved, more economi¬ 
cal, and profitable plan of raising and prepar¬ 
ing it for market. 
T<rar in England, No. 8. 
Irrigation and Water Meadows .—One of 
the greatest and most beautiful agricultural 
improvements that we saw in England, was 
the water meadows ; and these interested us 
the more, in consequence of our feeling the 
necessity of adopting them in our own cli¬ 
mate, where they are doubly needed on ac¬ 
count of its much greater dryness; and the 
superior facilities from the natural surface of 
America and its numberless rivers, brooks 
and springs, which seem almost formed by a 
beneficent Providence, for the express pur¬ 
pose of irrigating our thirsty and parched 
lands. We shall pass over such as are found 
on the Humber, and other rivers emptying 
directly into the sea, as they are flooded by 
means of embankments through sluices, at 
the rise of tides, in a manner already familiar 
to our readers on the Jersey marshes in the 
vicinity of New-York, as also at Philadelphia 
and other places along the sea coast. They 
are also much on the same principle as the 
rice fields at the south, which are flooded 
from the sea or the Mississippi. 
All who have ever heard of the overflow* 
ings of the Nile, or passed up the magnificent 
valley of the Connecticut, along the banks of 
the Genesee, and the wide spread delta of 
the Mississippi, and hundreds of others of 
our rivers, cannot but have noticed the sur* 
passing fertility given to the land, in conse 
quence of the annual rise of their waters, 
and the deposite from the enriching sedi¬ 
ment ; it is to avail themselves of something 
like the advantages of these great overflow* 
ings, on a small scale, from their own little 
rivers, that the English landholders have con* 
structed their water meadows, and in some 
instances have gone to a very great expense 
in so doing. It is computed that there are 
at least 70,000 acres of water meadows in 
Gloucestershire, Berks, Wilts, and Hants, 
which have been made at an expense of from 
5 1. to 45/. per acre, the average not being 
less perhaps than 15/. or say $75 per acre. 
Johnson asserts, that in 1821 forty acres of 
the Freegate Whins, ten of which were made 
from a poor sandy soil, thrown up by the sea 
in the vicinity of Edinburg, cost 1000/., and 
let for about 600/. per annum, and are in a 
constant state of improvement. The Craig- 
intinny meadows, near the same place, let for 
20/. to 30/. per acre per annum, while “ in 
1826, part of the Earl of Moray’s meadow 
fetched 57/. ($275) per acre per annum.” 
But it must be recollected that these are in 
the vicinity of a large town, where the grass 
is cut daily, and carried in fresh, and retailed 
at high prices for soiling. In no other way 
could these meadows command such exor¬ 
bitant rents. They yield four to five crops 
of grass every season, which if dried, it is es¬ 
timated would nearly equal two tons in 
weight at each cutting. But the water used 
here for overflowing is unusually rich , it re¬ 
ceiving the wash of all the sewers of this 
large town, and hence their greatly increased 
fertilising effects. 
As it respects the enriching matter found 
in other waters, we quote from Johnson’s 
Far. Ency. page 684. “ With regard to the 
composition of river water, there have been 
several chimieal examinations ; that of the 
Thames was analysed by Dr. Bostock, who 
found in 10,000 parts, after most of its me¬ 
chanically suspended matters had subsided, 
about 1 3-4 parts of foreign substances, viz: 
Organic matters, 
Carbonate of lime, 
Sulphate of lime, 
Muriate of soda, 
Parts. 
0.07 
1.53 
0.15 
0.02 
