1880 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
515 
hand,” as its acidity ripens into richness. If this 
fruitfulness is to continue, we shall be encouraged 
to plant cherry trees in abundance once more. 
Notes from the Pines. 
“The Pines,” in view of which the present 
“ Notes w are written, are not those of New Jersey, 
but of Old Jersey. The Island of Jersey is not 
quite as large as its newer name-sake—as it is but 
eleven miles long by half that in width. The Island 
fs best known to Americans as the home of the 
Jersey Cattle (which many persist in mis-calling 
“Alderney,”) and to Englishmen, in general, as the 
source of their early potatoes and some of their 
best fruits. As Paris is France, so is St. Heliers, 
Jersey, it being the port and business center, with 
streets crooked enough to gladden the heart of a 
Bostonian, and side-walks so narrow that the peo¬ 
ple walk in the road-way as much as on the walks 
along the sides. Soon after arriving, I visited 
The Market of St. Heliers. 
Were this the proper place in which to do so, I 
should try to describe this curious museum of 
things brought for sale by “ The Toilers of the 
Sea.”—I think that Cod was the only thing I rec¬ 
ognized. There were eels as large as one’s leg, 
crabs a foot across, and several other sorts of less 
dimensions; lobsters with spines on them, besides 
limpets, winkles, and other things that we do not 
have, and probably should not eat if we did. 
The Vegetable and Fruit Market 
was very full. The vegetables were scarcely differ¬ 
ent from those in the London Market, but the fruits 
finer and much more abundant. Excellent apples, 
and pears, were in great plenty. The pear “Louise 
Bonne de Jersey,” though not so well colored, is 
much better flavored than with us. Figs (fresh) 
very large and luscious, were cheap, to those who 
are fond of them; these ripen in the open air, and 
the trees are quite common all over the island ; 
grapes, on the other hand, need glass, and there are 
6 ome immense vineries, much of the fruit from 
which goes to London. I bought such Black Ham- 
burgs for a shilling (34 cents) a pound, as we rarely 
see in our fruit stores for $1 per lb. Blackberries 
grow wild in plenty, and just now illustrate the old 
adage that “ blackberries are always red when they 
are green.”—The few ripe ones were very small, 
consisting of but few grains, badly shaped, and 
quite inferior in flavor to any of our wild kinds. 
Our delicious cultivated sorts do not appear to be 
known here or in England. It is doubtful if there 
i6 enough heat to bring them to their full perfec¬ 
tion, but I think they should be tried. 
Farming and Jersey Cattle. • 
The cattle, at least, do not come under the head 
of horticulture, and it is likely that something may 
be said at a future time on both these topics by my 
associate, as occasion offers. The farming is most¬ 
ly, in fact, market gardening on a large scale. Any 
farmer, when asked what is his principal crop, re¬ 
plies “ potatoes.” For several years this has been 
the “money crop” of the Island, and it is culti¬ 
vated by manuring quite as highly as do our mar¬ 
ket gardeners for their crops. 
The Treatment of Seed Potatoes 
is quite peculiar, and might perhaps be tried by 
some of our growers of early potatoes, especially 
in those Southern States where the crop is an im¬ 
portant one. Already the “ seed ” is being pre¬ 
pared for next spring, and we see them everywhere 
in large quantities. Potatoes of medium size are 
selected and placed in boxes, usually made for 
the purpose, though other boxes are some times 
employed. We saw at several places in the town 
the boxes, or rather skeleton crates, exposed for 
sale, I think, at a penny each, but am not sure of 
the price. A rough sketch will allow the artist to 
represent it. It will be seen that it is a shallow 
box, 24 inches long, and 13 inches wide, with sides 
3 inches high; it is of about 4-inch stuff, the bot¬ 
tom being of three slats of similar material, with 
nearly 4-inch spaces between them. In each corner 
of this box is a post 7 inches high and l-in. square; 
a strip connects the posts at the ends, and across 
the top runs a lengthwise strip one inch wide by I 
thick; this is let into the end pieces so that it is 
flush at the top. The potatoes are set “ seed-end ” 
up in these boxes as closely as they can be packed, 
taking care to put those of a size together. At first 
the boxes, when filled, are put in any convenient 
place in the open air, fully exposed to sun-light, in 
order that they may become thoroughly greened. 
As cooler weather comes on, they are taken into the 
house, and stacked up in some suitable place. The 
peculiar form of the boxes allows of putting one 
upon another—as many as may be desirable—and 
still have sufficient ventilation and exposure to 
light. By the time the weather will allow of their 
being planted, strong sprouts about two inches long 
will have grown. The planting is done by setting 
the potatoes upright in the furrow in the same po¬ 
sition they had in the box ; great care is exercised 
in handling while planting, in order not to break 
the sprouts. As the planting may be delayed un¬ 
til all danger of frost is over, the potato, when 
placed in the soil, is ready to go on and grow at once. 
Much is Gained by this Method. 
In planting in the ordinary way, the potato re¬ 
mains for a long time in the soil before the vegeta¬ 
tive process begins, while by this method all the 
preparatory work is done in advance, and growth, 
having already begun, is at once continued. I hope 
that some of our growers will try this Jersey meth¬ 
od and report the results. I am aware that cutting 
the potato some weeks in advance of planting, and 
placing them in a warm room to “sprout” is not 
new with us, but the method here described, be¬ 
ginning in the fall, and inducing a slow and sturdy 
growth of sprouts is somewhat different, and seems 
to me to have some advantage over that manner of 
preparing the “seed,” and is worthy of a trial. 
The Yield of Potatoes per Acre, 
under the method practised in Jersey, is veiy diffi¬ 
cult to ascertain, as their measure of land ( vergee) 
and their measure for potatoes ( cabot ) are quite un¬ 
like ours, and besides, they estimate the yield per 
vergee in the £. s. d. it returns, rather than by the 
measure of potatoes it gives. A rough calculation 
shows that their potato crop returns from £40 to 
£90 per our acre, which is not far from $195 to 
$435 per acre ; in some cases the returns have been 
as high as £120 per acre, or about $580. Though 
considerable sums are laid out for guano and other 
fertilizers, these are not all chargeable to the 
potato crop, as a second crop, usually turnips, is 
taken the same year, and in their rotation a crop of 
wheat is followed by clover, and all these are ben¬ 
efited by the heavy manuring given the potatoes. 
Sea-Weed, or “Vraic,” 
is largely used as a manure, both spread at once 
on the land, and put up in heaps to form compost. 
While the drift sea-weed can be collected at any 
time, the gathering of that which is attached to 
the rocks is regulated by law, or custom, but, I 
think, by law. I much regretted being a few weeks 
too late fortlie “Vraic ” harvest, which is said to be 
a festival of peculiar interest upon the Island. 
Orchards are Numerous, 
but the trees are generally in bad condition, the 
moist atmosphere encourages the growth of those 
obscure vegetable forms to which our orc-hardists 
give the collective name of “Moss.” Here the 
bark of the smallest twigs is covered with a green¬ 
ish growth, which must essentially affect the health 
of the trees. Besides, the orchards are almost 
without exception in grass, and used as pastures 
for cows. When the cows are pastured they are 
rigged with a curious halter of rope and two pieces 
of curved wood; a part of this affair, which can¬ 
not well be described, goes over the head, and a 
rope from each side of it is tied around the fore¬ 
legs of the animal, the object being to prevent 
browsing on the trees. While the cows, with this 
halter, can graze easily, they can not lift their heads. 
Private Gardens 
are often very fine, and there is scarcely a farm¬ 
house, however unpretending, but has a small 
piece of ground in front, tastefully planted and 
well kept. The English exclusiveness in such 
matters prevails here to a great extent. The fine 
places are generally surrounded by a wall, often 
8 or 10 feet high, and only a glimpse of what is 
within is had through the open gate. Pastures, now 
the last days of September, are as fine as they are 
with us at any time. It will be supposed that the 
lawns are in correspondingly good condition. More 
perfect lawns cannot be imagined anywhere. A 
favorite tree for planting on lawns is the 
Auraucaria Imbricata, or “Monkey Puzzler,” 
a most formal tree, not hardy with us, but which 
grows here in great perfection. We plant Sweet 
Peas, and the July heats finish them. Here in Jer¬ 
sey, they are still in abundant bloom, often growing 
to a great hight. Perhaps these, more than any¬ 
thing else, most forcibly impressed upon me the 
great difference between Old and New Jersey. This 
difference is further illustrated by roses in full 
bloom. The Lemon Verbena (Lippia citriodora) 
here forms a tall, hardy bush. Camellias are hardy 
in the open air; I saw one that had not failed to 
bloom abundantly for 20 years. There are many 
other things which show how mild a climate this 
Island enjoys—among them the Laurestinus, which, 
with us, even a mild winter would kill, is seen here 
everywhere just coming into flower; in one case I 
saw two bushes 10 or 12 feet high, trained to form 
an arch over a gate-way. Here and there we are 
reminded of home by some American plants. In 
several gardens 1 have seen large clumps of our 
Cardinal Flower, 
Lobelia cardinalis, forming a mass of scarlet such as 
few plants can equal. It may be that the fact that 
our common things are thus appreciated abroad 
may induce some of our nurserymen to turn their 
attention to the growth of our native plants. One 
sees on every farm a larger or smaller patch of 
The Jersey Cabbage. 
Several years ago our seedsmen offered the seeds 
of this as “ Jersey Cow-kale,” and from this I in¬ 
ferred that it was used in Jersey as feed for the 
cows. The fact is that it is never fed to cows, but 
is grown especially as food for pigs. It is a Kale 
rather than a Cabbage, as it never heads. It natur¬ 
ally has a tall stalk, but as the lower leaves are 
picked off for the pigs, the stalk goes on increasing 
in length, and it is not unusual to see them 6 and 8 
feet in hight. The 6talks, when ripe and seasoned, 
make excellent walking-sticks, being both strong 
and light. In St. Heliers, there are several shops 
with signs showing that the owner is a 
“ Manufacturer of Cabbage Canes.” 
Mounted with a ferrule, and varnished, they are 
one of the specialties of the Island, and few 
strangers visit here without carrying off one or 
more “Jersey Cabbage Sticks.” In some cases 
they are mounted with silver heads. Another reason 
for growing this Cabbage, i6 for its supply of leaves 
in which to pack butter. The neat pats of Jersey 
butter—and how delicious is Jersey butter at home 1 
—are always sent to market upon a leaf of this 
gigantic Kale. It is with regret that we leave this 
charming Island. In conclusion, I would advise 
eveiy one who visits Europe to make a visit to 
Jersey. I know of no other place, at home or abroad, 
that combines so many attractions for those who 
would see rural life in its highest development. 
The Farmer’s Garden.— The common idea 
among farmers, that manure and labor spent on 
the garden is nearly thrown away, is absurd. 
The cultivated field pays just as we invest 
labor and manure upon it. The garden, with 
more thorough cultivation, and a greater variety of 
crops, pays still better. It brings its offering to 
the table, in some shape, every day in the year. As 
the frost comes out of the ground in the early 
spring, it yields horse radish, artichokes, and pars¬ 
nips. With the first genial days of April and May, 
it gives you pie-plant and asparagus, etc., etc. 
