358 
CULTURE OP MADDER. 
requiring much care and skill, as well as outlay 
of capital. The directions have been mainly 
gathered from foreign works, detailing the meth¬ 
ods practised by the plodding Dutch in Holland 
and Germany. These accounts have appeared so 
frightful to Americans, that none of them have 
dared to undertake the business ; and Yankee en¬ 
terprise and labor-saving ingenuity have never 
been exercised upon it. 
It is true, the crop requires three or four years 
to arrive at maturity, and needs considerable labor 
and some knowledge ; but the quantity of land it 
occupies, and the amount of labor it requires, is far 
less in proportion to the value of the crop than 
those of any other farm crop that can be named. 
These assertions are fully corroborated by the ex¬ 
perience of an enterprising American farmer, Mr. 
Joseph Swift, of Erie county, Ohio, who has been 
engaged in the culture of madder for five years 
past. After having informed himself on the sub¬ 
ject, and becoming satisfied that the business was 
practicable and profitable, he at once planted nine 
acres —a quantity that would astonish Mynheer 
Van Hollander. This he allowed to grow four 
seasons, and the crop was harvested and sold in 
the fall of 1842. The following are some of the 
results of his experience. The product of his best 
land was at the rate of 2,000 lbs. per acre ; and he 
is certain that, with his present knowledge, he 
can obtain 3,000 lbs. per acre—which is more than 
the best average crops of Holland or Germany. 
The quality was superior to the average of im¬ 
ported madder. 
Amount , Cost, and Value of Product. —The 
labor required, including the whole time, with 
the digging, cleaning, threshing, &c., was from 
eighty to one hundred days’ work per acre. 
The outlay for buildings, fixtures, &c., did not ex¬ 
ceed, in all, fifty dollars. The value of the crop 
was at the rate of fifteen cents per pound, at 
which price he sold most of it—notwithstanding 
the circumstance of its being unknown to purcha¬ 
sers, and all the prejudice that usually exists in 
such cases. The result, then, in figures, fairly 
stated, stands thus, for an acre of good land prop¬ 
erly managed: 
By 2,000 lbs. of madder, at 15 cts. per lb. $300 00 
Contra—To 100 days’ work, mostly boys, 
at 75 cts. per day, $75” 00 
Use of land, 4 yrs., at $4 
per year, 16 00 
Grinding, packing, &c., 9 00 
- 100 00 
Leaving a net:profit per acre of $200 00 
Mr. Swift was one of the earliest settlers of that 
section of the country, having resided nearly thirty 
years on the farm he now occupies, which con¬ 
sists of about 400 acres of choice land, mostly al¬ 
luvial, in the valley of the Vermillion river, seven 
miles from Lake Erie. At my request, he fur¬ 
nished me with the following practical directions 
for the cultivation of madder, which he remarked 
must be understood as intended for those who 
wish to cultivate only a few acres, and can not 
afford much outlay of capital. Those who wish 
io engage in the business on an extensive scale, 
would need to adopt a somewnat different prac¬ 
tice : 
Soil and Preparation.— -The soil should be a 
deep, rich, sandy loam, free from weeds, roots, 
stones, &c., and containing a good portion of vege¬ 
table earth. Alluvial bottom land is the most 
suitable ; but it must not be wet. If old upland is 
used, it should receive a heavy coating of vegeta¬ 
ble earth, (from decayed wood and leaves.) The 
land should be plowed very deep in the fall, and 
early in the spring apply about one hundred loads 
of well rotted manure per acre, spread evenly, and 
plowed in deeply; then harrow till quite fine and 
free from lumps. Next, plow the land into beds 
four feet wide, leaving alleys between, three feet 
wide, then harrow the beds with a fine light har¬ 
row, or rake them hy hand so as to leave them 
smooth, and even with the alleys; they are then 
ready for planting. 
Preparing Sets and Planting. —Madder sets, 
or seed roots, are best selected when the crop is 
dug in the fall. The horizontal uppermost roots 
(with eyes) are the kind to be used; these should 
be separated* from the bottom roots, and buried in 
sand, in a cellar or pit. If not done in the fall, 
the sets may be dug early in the spring, before 
they begin to sprout. They should be cut or 
broken into pieces, containing from two to five 
eyes each ; i. e. three to four inches long. The 
time for planting is as early in spring as the ground 
can be got in good order, and severe frosts are 
over, which, in this climate, is usually about the 
middle of April. With the beds prepared as di¬ 
rected, stretch a line lengthwise the bed, and with 
the corner of a hoe make a drill two inches deep 
along each edge and down the middle, so as to 
give three rows to each bed, about two feet apart. 
Into these drills drop the sets, ten inches apart, 
covering them two inches deep. Eight or ten 
bushels of sets are requisite for an acre. 
After Culture. —As soon as the madder plants 
can be seen, the ground should be carefully hoed, 
so as to destroy the weeds and not injure the 
plants; and the hoeing and weeding must be re¬ 
peated as often as weeds make their appearance. 
If any of the sets have failed to grow, the vacan¬ 
cies should be filled by taking up parts of the 
strongest roots and transplanting them ; this is 
best done in June. As soon as the madder plants 
are ten or twelve inches high, the tops are to be 
bent down onto the surface of the ground, and all 
except the tip end, covered with earth shoveled 
from the middle of the alleys. Bend the shoots out¬ 
ward and inward, in every direction, so as in time 
to fill all the vacant space on the beds, and about 
one foot on each side. After the first time cover¬ 
ing, repeat the weeding when necessary, and run a 
single horse plow through the alleys several times 
to keep the earth clean and mellow. As soon as 
the plants again become ten or twelve inches high, 
bend down and cover them as before, repeating the 
operation as often as necessary, which is commonly 
three times the first season. The last,time may 
be as late as September, or later if no frosts occur. 
By covering the tops in this manner, they change 
to roots, and the design is to fill the ground as full 
of roots as possible. When the vacant spaces are 
