AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY i THE JfOST USEFUL , -diYD THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. -Wabhinotok. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
YOL. XII.—NO. 14.] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1854. [NEW SERIES.—NO. 40. 
m- FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, tfc., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
EDITOR’S FARM NOTES; 
OR GLEANINGS AMONG PRACTICAL MEN. 
Monmoutii County, N. J.—Last week we 
went out a few miles into what may be called 
the banner potato county of New-Jersey, if not 
of the whole country. Will some one give us 
the statistics as to the number of these raised in 
Monmouth? Just at this season, however, 
strawberries seem to be the chief product. We 
went down to Keyport, Tuesday P. M., (June 6,) 
on the steamboat John Hart—Capt. H Whit¬ 
lock —and having a little curiosity to find out 
the character and amount of produce coming 
from Keyport, we applied to the clerk of the 
boat, Mr. T. J. Murphy, who very kindly copied 
for us from his receiving-book some of the prin¬ 
cipal items, which made up the morning’s 
freight into this city. We added these together, 
and here is the summary: 
Strawberries, 68,100 baskets; Gooseberries, 
1500 quarts; Oysters, of large baskets, holding 
more than a bushel each, 711; Sheep, Lambs, 
and Calves, 64. This is only the quantity of 
these articles that came in the morning boat. 
Another boat which came up in the afternoon 
probably brought as much more, making the 
almost incredible number of 186,000 baskets of 
strawberries from a single port in one day. Add 
to these those coming from other parts of the 
county, and from Bergen and other places in 
New-Jersey, we think we are safe in saying that 
theNew-York market received during last week 
300,000 to 400,000 baskets of strawberries daily, 
and yet several times during the week the sup- 
plyfwas quite unequal to the demand. 
From Keyport we went to Middletown Point, 
where we met with friend Morford, of the 
Standard, and from him, and Mr. Jacob Ten 
Eyck, of Ten-Eyck’s Hotel, we learned several 
interesting items in regard to Monmouth marls 
and Monmouth farming. We next visited the 
farm of Mr. John S. Whitlock, some four miles 
or more from Keyport. This farm consists of 
250 acres of rolling land. The general charac¬ 
ter of the soil is a sandy surface, clay sub-soil, 
with a compact bed of conglomerate stones not 
far below the surface. There are several beds 
of the green-sand marl on this farm which are 
invaluable. 
Mr. Whitlock has some 25 acres of straw¬ 
berries, mostly of the Early Virginia Scarlet va¬ 
riety. These are in several plots on differen 
parts of the farm, generally on the more sandy 
and barren knolls. They are set out in April 
and September—the latter month is preferred— 
in rows 4 to 5 feet apart, and the sets 12 to 16 
inches from each other in the row. Two hoe- 
ings during the first spring is about all the care 
they receive. Some plots have been top-dressed 
with marl to good advantage. While we were 
there Mr. W. had 105 women and hildren pick¬ 
ing strawberries, at about $1 per hundred 
baskets, and he was sending some 9,000 to 
10,000 baskets a day to New-York city. Mr. W. 
mentioned one plot of Scotch Runners which 
yielded 12,000 baskets per acre, 14 months after 
setting out. They were in rows five feet apart, 
and the plants set 16 inches from each other. 
The location was on the side of a hill near a 
small brook, and the soil quite moist. He put 
out in April a single plant—a Victoria—which 
gave 400 sets the next year, and the year after 
yielded 520 baskets for the market, besides 
those consumed in the family. Mr. W. has also 
two plots of Black Raspberries—called the Ohio 
ever-bearers, or monthly-bearers. Last year 
seven-eighths’ of an acre yielded $350 worth of 
berries, and another plot, one-tenth of an acre, 
produced $73 worth. 
We visited the farm of Judge Spader, six and 
a half miles south of Keyport. This is a beau¬ 
tiful location, somewhat elevated, and having a 
gentle southern inclination. The soil appears 
to be of excellent quality. Judge S. has exper¬ 
imented with guano, -and after careful trials 
thinks it produces little benefit. He very highly 
esteems the blue-shell and green-sand marls, 
which are abundant in the vicinity. We noticed 
a field of wheat which strongly reminded 
us of some flourishing fields we have seen at the 
West. From present appearances the yield 
from this field will not be less than 30 bushels 
to the acre. 
By the way we may remark, that grain dealers 
are already in the field, and they are offering to 
contract for the above crop, and others in the 
vicinity, at $1 75 a bushel, the buyer to take it 
at the farm after harvest. If those who have 
been in the business for years are now making 
such offers as the above, we may infer that there 
is a fair prospect of continued high prices. 
Adjoining the above farm is that of Mr. John 
Herbert, who cultivates 120 acres. He has full 
20 acres of potatoes, which are the leading crop 
in this vicinity. Few other sections of the 
country have been so exempt from the disease, as 
most parts of Monmouth county. 
Mr. Herbert has two fields of potatoes side 
by side, which were planted at the same time. 
To one was applied a heavy coating of marl, and 
to the other a small quantity of marl, mixed 
with 200 lbs. per acre of guano and a little plas¬ 
ter. This mixture was put in the hill when 
planting. We observed that in the guanoed 
field, the potatoes are twice as large as in the 
field receiving marl only. In the guanoed field 
are bulbs as large as walnuts, while the bulbs 
are not yet set in the marled field. Present ap¬ 
pearances are that the earlier maturity of the 
crop will doubly repay the cost of the guano. 
The marled field may produce a heavier yield. 
We shall be glad to hear in reference to this. 
We advise experimental trials of guano upon 
early potatoes in this vicinity. Perhaps the 
union of marl and guano may give both bulk and 
early maturity to this crop. 
In former trials Mr. H. has found that at the 
usual price of wheat, guano applied to that crop 
has just about paid for itself, that is when 
plowed in previous to sowing. That harrowed 
in or used as a top-dressing has not been so 
beneficial. Probably at present prices of grain, 
the use of guano would be quite profitable. 
On the road from Middletown Point to Free¬ 
hold, (near which all of the above-named gentle¬ 
men reside,) we noticed on the farm of Mr. Tice 
a plot of half an acre or more of grapes, which 
are grown almost without cultivation. Sod 
ground was turned over and the vines put out 
at 8 to 10 feet from each other, in rows about 
10 feet apart. Along the rows at short intervals, 
branches, or tops of small trees are set up, the 
stumps of the side limbs being left for crotches. 
Across these, small poles are placed, so as to 
form along the rows a kind of rude fence, 7 or 
8 feet high, upon which the vines run. Mr. T. 
tried the Isabella and did not succeed with it; 
but he has for seven or eight years been quite 
successful with a variety which he calls tho 
“garden grape.” These, he says, are smaller, but 
are hardier and earlier than the Isabella. They 
are quite sweet and bring a pretty good price 
in the market. We do not describe this method 
to recommend its adoption, but to show how 
simple means may sometimes be adopted. Mr. 
T. without any care or expense of cultivation, 
annually gets some hundreds of dollars worth 
of grapes. Last year a single vine yielded grapes 
that sold for $30. 
We design, as soon as we have opportunity, to 
continue our visits to other parts of this county, 
and especially to visit some of the best marl beds. 
- • 9 * - 
A RELIC OF OLD STYLE FARMING. 
In a recent trip through Eastern Connecticut, 
we discovered by the road-side an old-fashioned 
plow. We had scarcely seen one for twenty 
years, and we should hardly have been taken 
more aback, had we seen the old bay horse we 
used to ride when a boy, grazing by its side. 
It was not laid by in that promiscuous collection 
of broken-down carts, harrows, boards, and pea 
brush, which form a striking feature about 
many a farm-house, but there it lay, with its 
