Storing Hoots for winter.—Agricultural Reports Am. institute. 
air inside, the roots had become frozen as far 
towards the centre as we examined. Of course 
we looked to the ruin of the heap as inevitable, 
which we regretted the more, as it contained 
the roots intended for seed. We used what 
we could while thus frozen, and hurried on 
the consumption as fast as possible, but had 
made little progess before an unusually early 
spring had fully established itself. We still 
kept the pile carefully covered, to prevent 
the escape of the frost, as we fully expected 
the roots would go with it. Our surprise 
may be conjectured, when on visiting the 
heap one day, we found all the frost gone, and 
the roots-every root- as fresh, hard, and plump 
and juicy, as when first put up. They kept 
m this condition till they began to sprout, 
when those intended for seed were set out 
and bore as finely as any we ever saw. The 
remainder were carried to a dry place, where 
they retained their flavor and full value till 
the last of May, by which time they were 
entirely consumed. This experiment taught 
us that it is not the freezing , but the sudden 
thawing that destroys roots, fruits , and vege¬ 
tables of all kinds. We have since noticed 
that apples in barrels may be frozen hard, 
yet if kept in a cellar or the lower part of a 
close brick warehouse, and the frost allowed 
gradually to escape, they are uninjured, and 
trees and many vegetables that are caught 
by a late frost in spring, or an early frost in 
Autumn, if shielded from the sun and kept at 
a low temperature till it has escaped, are 
not materially injured. For the above reason 
the experienced cook puts frozen vegetables 
in very cold water, as near the freezing point 
as possible, by which the frost is gradually 
extracted from the vegetables, and their fla¬ 
vor and character remain unchanged. 
Potatoes required for summer use, are 
sometimes buried in dry sandy land at con¬ 
siderable depth, either in the woods or the 
north side of a hill, and we have seen them 
taken out from such situations on the 1st of 
June, as fresh as when put in. Care must, 
however, be taken, that the soil is such as 
to hold no water at the bottom, or the roots 
will inevitably spoil. On clay soil, the only 
recourse is to have a ditch surrounding the 
pile, and sufficiently deep to conduct away 
any water that may fall on the bottom. One 
or more holes, according to the size of the 
heap, should be left on the top, which must be 
loosely stopped with hay or straw, to allow 
the escape of gas, which is constantly gene- 
rated from the roots. The above principles 
are applicable to nearly all vegetables under 
similar circumstances. 
AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
Reports from the Agricultural Department of the Ame- 
r.can Institute, October, 1842. 
Plows anl> Plowing. — cc The following plows were 
entered for competition: 
1st. One by F. L. WyckofF, of Fiat Bush, L. I., Wis¬ 
consin plow. 2d. One by Cornelius Bergen, Brook¬ 
lyn, L. I., Bergen self-sharpening plow. 3d. One by 
Minor, Horton, & Co., Peekskill, N. Y., M. H. & 
Co’s., No 22 plow. 4th. One by Philip S. Crook, 
Brooklyn, L. I., Bergen plow. 5th. One by Charles 
Howard, Hingham, Mass. 6th. Also for exhibition 
and plowing, by Mooers & Slater, Ithaca, N. Y., Side- 
hill and level land plows. 
The ground upon which the plows were tested, was 
a clayey loam, quite dry and hard at the surface with¬ 
out much sward, and unfavorable for smooth and hand¬ 
some work. It required, however, less power of draft 
than would be requisite in most soils. 
The competitors were requested to turn furrows each 
twelve inches wide and six deep. The following table 
gives the power required for each plow, and also the 
weight of the plows. 
Average power. Weight of Plow. 
F. L. Wyckoff’s Wicsonsin, 335 lbs. 140 lbs. 
C. Bergen, self-sharpening, 332i “ 131 C£ 
Minor, Horton & Co’s., No. 22 325 “ 139 £tf ; 
Philip S. Crook’s, Bergen plow, 312| “ 124 66 
Mooers & Slater’s, side-hill, 335 “ 166 “ 
C. Howard’s, sent by him from Mass, did not arrive. 
After testing the draft and examining the work exe¬ 
cuted by the several plows at the trial for plowing, the 
Judges decided unanimously, that of the plows entered 
for competition and tried by them, that 
Minor, Horton, & Co.’s No. 22 is best. 
F. L. Wyckoff’s Wisconsin is next best. 
Mooers & Slater’s side-hill and level land plow, en¬ 
tered for exhibition, is an implement of ingenious con¬ 
struction, which accomplished its work well. 
This last plow was not entered for competition. 
Plowing. —At the trial of plowing, there were four 
regular entries, and the lots were drawn as follows. 
viz : 
No. 1. By Cornelius Bergen, Brooklyn, L. I., self- 
sharpening plow. 
No. 2. By Philip S. Crook, Brooklyn, L. I,, Bergen pi. 
No. 3. By Mooers & Slater, Ithaca, N. Y., side-hill pi. 
No. 4. By F. L. WyckofF, Flat Bush, L. I., Wiscon¬ 
sin plow. 
Each of these plows was drawn by a span of horses. 
No. 5. Minor, Horton, & Co., of Peekskill, N. Y., 
who had made no arrangements for plowing, allowed 
their plow to follow a yoke of oxen picked up on the 
spot at the moment, and indulged Colonel W. L. Stone, 
of New York, with the privilege of acting as plowman. 
Each lot as staked off, was about 210 feet long, by 
27 feet, and contained about one-eighth of an acre. 
The texture and condition of the soil, were the same 
as that on which the draft of the plows had been tested. 
After an examination of the work, the Judges unani¬ 
mously decided that lot No. 3, plowed by Mooers & 
Slater was best. 
No. 4, plowed by F. L. WyckofF, second best. 
£C 5, “ Minor & Horton, third best. 
JEREMIAH JOHNSON, New York. ) 
ALLEN PUTNAM, Massachusetts. > Committee . 
PH. SCHUYLER, New Jersey. ) 
Corn and Oat Crops, belonging to Mr. IF. I. Betts, of 
Newburg, N. Y., to which was awarded the first Pre¬ 
mium. 
Field Crops —Com.—The soil was a very tough 
green sward, having been several years laid down to 
