230 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
have  lived  to  the  end  of  the  second  season. 
Seedlings  of  the  Hales  would  probably  revert 
back  to  the  original  form. 
OTHER  SPECIES  OF  'HICKORY. 
For  size  of  nut,  the  Westeni  Shell-bark  (C. 
sulcata)  exceeds  all  other  native  species.  They 
are  sometimes  foiuid  fully  two  inches  long,  witli 
a  point  at  both  ends,  ]  fnsk  very  thick,  also  tho 
shell,  which  is  coarsely  ribbed  and  of  a  dull 
white  or  browiush  color.  J'’ig.  0  reiwesents  a 
spocimen  of  tliis  species  received  from  Kansas, 
the  cross  section  showing  tho  size  of  the  kernel 
and  tho  thickness  of  the  shell.  'I’he  )lavi»r  of 
tho  kernel  is  good  enough,  Vnit  there  is  too  little 
meat  for  so  innch  shell.  JIciicc  tbo.se  nuts  aie 
seldom  gathered  for  use. 
The  Moclter-nut,  or  White-heart  Hickory  (C. 
ionnoUosa),  is  a  very  common  hi)C- 
cies  in  the  Eastern  Statues;  but  tho 
nuts  have  too  thick  a  shell  h)  be  of 
v.alue.  'J'ho  timber  of  Uiis  Hi>ocie.s, 
howcvci’,  is  very  valnablo,  as  is  well 
luiown  to  tmr  farmers  and  mechan¬ 
ics  generally. 
Then  wo  have  what  is  called  the 
Fig-nut  jn/i’cinn).  The  fruit  be¬ 
fore  being  divested  of  the  husk  is 
pear-shaped,  but  the  nut  itself  is 
oblong-oval  and  has  a  ratlns-  hard 
shell,  with  a  somewhat  bitterish- 
flavored  ktiruel. 
The  Hitbirnnt  (P.  auiarn),  found 
mainly  in  low.  moist  grounds,  hears 
a  small  nut,  with  very  thin  shell,  hut 
the  kernel  is  exceedingly  bitter,  and 
hence  the  wmmon  mime.  Tim  tree 
is  rather  slender-branched.  and  tho 
terminal  Imds  on  tho  twigs  am  ipiito 
distinct  from  tho  thi'oo  lirst-uamcd 
species,  which  are  largo  and  of  a 
roundish,  blunt  fonn,  while  those  of 
the  latter  arc  quite  small  and  point¬ 
ed,  as  shown  in  Fig.  C,  and  are  oov- 
ered  with  a  yellowish,  downy  pubescence. 
A  UNIQUE  VARIETY. 
We  cannot  refrain  from  meni, toning  one  very 
unique  variety  of  Hickory-nut  received  from 
Connecticut  a  vow  years  since.  Tho  sjiecies  of 
Hickory  to  which  this  variety  belongs  we  have  no 
means  of  determining,  but  were  informed  that 
it  is  a  genuine  Shell-bark  {^0.  allui).  All  the 
nuts  borno  by  tho  tree  are  of  tho  fonn  and  size 
sliown  in  7''ig.  7,  the  lower  half 
of  one  lobo  of  the  nut  being 
deformed,  or.  ns  it  would  ap¬ 
pear,  failed  to  develop.  This 
Bingular  malformnlion  of  all 
tho  nuts  ui)on  a  treo  is,  we 
own,  a  mystery  for  which  tliero 
is  no  accounting  with  our  pnts- 
eut  knowledge  of  vegetable 
physiology,  and  we  leave  it  in 
tho  hands  of  “  Harwiuitcs”  for  explanation. 
Tliose  curious  freaks  of  natm'e  are  especially 
interesting  to  the  scientific  arboriculnuist,  as 
they  often  aid  liiiu  in  unraveling  many  a  knotty 
question  in  regard  to  the  development  or  evohi- 
tion  of  species.  There  are  doubtless  Inmdreds 
of  such  freak.s  or  varieties  to  ho  found  in  the 
forests  of  this  country,  and  wo  hope  every  reader 
of  tho  lUiiiAh  Nkw-Yokkeu  will  he  on  the  look¬ 
out  for  them,  and,  when  found,  send  ns  speci¬ 
mens  for  our  cabinet.  We  also  would  like  to  get 
Biiecimons  of  the  dllToront  varieties  of 'all  native 
species,  in  order  to  ascertain  how  widely  they 
differ,  and  tho  inthience  of  soil  and  climate  upon 
the  nnt-beariug  trees  of  om'  country. 
Wo  intended  to  liave  said  something  about 
nut-bearing  trees  from  tho  secil,  also  how  to 
transplant  and  manage  them  in  after  years,  but 
for  want  of  space  this  will  have  to  he  deferred 
to  another  time. 
^anii  Croiiomj). 
OUT-LOOK  OF  FARMING  IN  BRITAIN. 
A  ooKUEHi'ofTnEXi  writing  to  tho  IMark  Lane 
Express,  in  sjicaking  of  the  general  prospect  of 
the  cereal  crops  of  (Ircat  Britain  says  : 
The  present  prospect  of  the  tillage  farmer  is 
far  from  cheering,  'riio  whole  of  tho  cereal 
crops  of  the  year  ar(;  nmlor  an  average  in  i>oint 
of  yield  per  aero ;  tho  area  under  wheat  is  the 
least  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  and  the 
qualify  to  a  gi  cat  extent  is  still  dependent  on  the 
season.  The  wheat  crop  of  1875,  taking  (piantity 
and  quality,  was  one  of  tho  most  improfttahle  to 
tlio  ]>roduccr  on  record,  and  .vet  (be  prices 
tbrougbout  tbe  liarvest  yeiu-  bavo  ruled  ex¬ 
tremely  low  -a  clear  i>royf  Ibid  onr  increasing 
population  Is  not  dependent  for  their  supply  of 
brundstulTs  on  the  lu-oducc  of  English  soil.  It  Is 
ovei  y  day  becoming  mom  ai)paront,  that  if  the 
British  faa’mcr  is  to  maintain  his  position  Jiotnnst 
of  necessity  direct  his  energies  to  an  increased 
production  of  milk  and  moat.  ITioro  arc  certain 
agitators,  possessing  ojily  a  slender  stock  of  agri¬ 
cultural  knowledge  and  e.xjverienco,  who  arc 
urging  tlio  farmers  to  lay  down  tho  whole  of 
tludr  arable  lands  to  grass:  every  practical 
farmer  knows  that  if  ho  is  to  keep  a  large  heatl 
of  stock  on  his  farm  be  must  of  necessity  grow  a 
certain  breadth  of  straw  and  roots.  Although 
tho  wages-of  the  agricultural  laborer  are  nomin¬ 
ally  high,  tlic  improvoments  in  agricultural  im¬ 
plements  lira!  macbjjiery  have  placed  the  farmer 
in  a  very  dilTcrent  position  to  that  of  even  fif¬ 
teen  years  ago.  flomparo  the  cost  of  getting  in 
Die  Jiui  vokI,  one  of  tho  most  important  and  ex- 
ptaisive  operations  of  tho  farm,  in  the  past  .and 
lircscjit  l•<•sJleclively.  In  tho  days  of  the  scythe 
and  tho  sickle,  taking  tho  wliolo  of  tho  crops  on 
a  large  farm  tho  cost  of  cutting,  carrying,  and 
thatching,  amonnUid  to  from  Ms.  to  20s.  per 
acre.  'I'lie  harvest  then  not  unfrcquontly  lasted 
over  a  iioriod  of  six  weeks.  Now,  with  a  good 
machine,  attended  by  eight  active  hands,  12 
acres  jier  day  of  a  fail’  standing  crop  can  bo  cut, 
tied,  and  Set  np.  Again,  at  the  sta(k,  a  sheaf 
elevator  worked  by  a  iJOiiy  reiwlily  does  the  work 
of  three  ordinai'v  hands.  I  maintain  that  on  a 
largo  farm,  well  equipped  with  machinery,  tho 
harvest  can  now  ho  secured  for  less  money  jier 
acre  than  it  could  in  1861,  although  tho  wages  of 
tlie  agvicultiu’al  laborer  have  meantime hiercased 
50  pi  r  cent. 
Your  correspondent  need  have  little  fear  tliat 
the  interests  of  agriculture  or  of  the  commnnity 
will  materially  snlTcr  oven  tliough  a  few  estates 
should  fall  into  the  hands  of  men  who  have  ac¬ 
quired  largo  lortunes  in  mereantile  pursuits. 
Who  arc  tiio  gr  eat  pioneers  of  the  imjH’ovcment 
of  onr  live  stoek,  tho  Imploraents  and  maebinery 
of  the  fanii,  and  even  tho  soil  itself?  is  it  the 
hereditai’y  chief  wbo  can  trace  his  lineage  and 
the  history  of  his  broad  acres  in  unbroken  descent 
fi’oni  the  days  of  William  tho  Eoniineror  to  those 
of  onr  own  time,  or  is  it  be  who,  through  innate 
jiei  soveranco  and  force  of  character,  has  risen 
from  the  ranks?  'I’lie  hereditary  lords  of  tho 
soil  arc  beset  with  many  grave  difiicnltioB:  how¬ 
ever  anxious  many  of  them  are  to  eqnijr  their 
farms  with  all  modern  requirements  inthoHha]M3 
of  permanent  improvements,  they  have  not  gen¬ 
erally  the  means  to  do  so  at  command.  Many  a 
landlord  with  a  large  rent-roll  is  only  tho  nomi¬ 
nal  owner.  Not  nnfrcquently  ho  is  saddled  with 
tho  interest  on  luortgagos  which  Jiave  descended 
to  him  with  the  ]»atrimony,  bosides  settlements 
to  relatives,  all  of  which  tend  to  ciu'tail  his  iu- 
como. 
On  the  owner  devolves  all  the  duties  and  ro- 
Hlionsihilities  which  naturally  attach  to  tlie 
ownership  of  a  lai-ge  estate  without  the  means  to 
discharge  them  satisfactorily.  Tho  present  is  a 
trying  season  for  oil  classes  whoso  incomes  are 
fixed.  The  indiilgenec  of  expensive  habits 
amongst  all  classes  of  society  is  a  besetting  sin 
of  the  ago,  and  by  no  other  class  is  this  more 
keenly  felt  than  it  is  by  tho  landowner,  who  tinds 
his  expenditure  yearly  iiiereasing,  whilst  his  in¬ 
come  rather  diminishes  than  increases,  and  the 
purchasing  power  of  his  gold  gradinally  grows 
less.  When  the  growing  coutidonce  has  been 
fully  restored.  I  liopo  for  hai'pier  and  more  pros- 
perouH  times  both  for  the  owners  and  oconpiors 
of  tlio  soil.  Your  correspondent  advocates  leases 
as  Uie  great  panacea  for  all  tho  ills  from  which 
agrionltuvists  arc  now  sniTering:  to  my  miud  a 
lease  witbont  a  well-defined  Tenant-Right  is 
somewhat  like  a  ship  without  a  rudder— com¬ 
pletely  at  the  mercy  of  every  storm. 
Many  who  arc  only  partially  acquainted  with 
tho  system  of  landholding  in  Scotland  attribute 
the  advanced  state  of  agricnltare  in  that  coiuitry 
to  the  pi’ovalonco  of  lea  sea:  there  are  other 
cau.ses  which  have  contributed  in  an  equal  degree 
to  this  result,  the  most  prominent  of  which  have 
been  a  higher  Btandavd  of  education,  a  simpler 
meilinm  of  circulation,  and  moro  liberal  system 
of  banking  than  that  offered  iu  England.  We 
are  no  doubt  on  the  eve  of  great  and  momentous 
A. 
Fig.  C. 
changes,  both  as  regards  tho  owner  and  tho  oc¬ 
cupiers  of  tho  soil.  Though  no  advocate  of 
small  holdings,  yet  I  deeply  deplore  the  loss  of 
the  yeoman  proprietor,  who  is  gradually  disaiv 
ixiaring  from  the  laud,  and,  with  him  is  depart¬ 
ing  that  sturdy  iuilopendence  for  which  tho  race 
was  HO  justly  celebrated.  Both  owners  and  oc¬ 
cupiers  are  now  tlioroughly  cognisant  of  tho 
necessity  of  giving  security  to  the  tenant  for 
the  capital  embarked  in  iniprovlug  and  cultivat¬ 
ing  the  soil.  I  hoiH)  to  seo  .aitso,  Flia’nix-liko, 
from  the  ashes  of  an  clTeto  system,  a  more  gen¬ 
erous  treatment  of  old  Mother  Earth.  Then  she 
will  literally  teem  willi  jdenty,  and  will  repay 
with  usury  tho  talent  committed  to  her  care. 
'  -  ■■♦♦♦ - 
WHAT  I’VE  LEARNT  LATELY. 
The  Agricultured  Gazette  in  speaking  of  tho 
veteran  agriculturist,  Mr.  Mkchi  says: 
One  derives,  and  has  derived,  so  much  infor¬ 
mation  from  time  to  time  from  tho  gonial  uttcr- 
uncos  of  Mr.  Mochi,  tho  result  as  they  are  of  a 
novor-wearying  observation,  that  I  venture  to 
follow,  at  whatever  distance,  iu  his  track,  and 
give  my  agricultural  friends  some  hints,  drawn 
from  my  own  personal  experience.  In  tho  first 
plaes)  our  second  crop  of  clover,  a  very  fair  ouo 
eousidering  tlio  season,  licing  just  down,  and 
some  heavy  showers,  so  much  needed  upon  tho 
farm  olsewhero,  having  succeeded  ratlicr  sud¬ 
denly  witli  tho  probable  elTect  of  our  being  only 
enabled  to  save  this  valnablo  fodder  by  tho  most 
anxious  exertions,  1  am  prepared  with  a  load  of 
refuse  salt,  wborewitli  to  strew  the  loads  well  us 
they  are  brought  iu,  in  some  degreo  of  necessity, 
if  not  damp,  at  least  in  a  condition  approacliiiig 
it  from  tlio  field.  Tlio  observance  of  this  pro- 
oantion  is  just  one  of  those  things  wliich  our  ob¬ 
stinate  men  for  some  reason  detest,  and  would 
manage  to  avoid,  were  I  not  present  in  tlio  flesh. 
We  treated  a  sccoml  crop  of  clover  thus  three 
years  since.  It  was  lovely  to  look  at  as  it  grow, 
it  was  abundant,  and  cut  in  tho  fairest  weather ; 
hut  of  course  August  i-s  never  resixiusiblo  for  its 
temper,  and  so  before  we  could  carry  wo  got  it 
well  soaked,  and  that,  unhappily,  at  the  most 
destructive  period— that  is,  when  it  was  fully 
half  di-iod,  and  lost,  consequently,  sugar  with 
every  wash. 
Well,  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  put  it 
together  under  all  chances  in  a  rick.  Nice, 
black,  foggy  stuff  it  was,  tixr.  The  \  cry  hinds 
held  their  master  in  contempt.  'I'he  bailiff  was 
boside  himself  with  disgust.  Still,  as  oiu'  rule 
is,  wo  jioraevored ;  wo  were  ohsfinate.  Well,  the 
winter  came,  and  1  tried  it  before  a  few  thiugs. 
Tliey  would  not  even  pick  it  over.  ’‘JVliglit  do 
for  yoimg  Irish  things  that  don't  know  any  bet¬ 
tor,  brought  up  on  hog  juice  and  rushes,”  an 
iuspecting  friond  observes.  Wo  are  obstinate, 
wo  observed,  aud  so  we  merely  gave  orders  that 
tho  food  be  changed,  and  the  convict  rick  bo  left 
alone.  After  a  wliilo,  one  bright  morning,  wo 
found  tho  cowman  littering  a  yard  with  our  ex¬ 
periment,  and  sneezing  vigorously  as  tlio  dust 
flew  up  his  nose.  Whoso  order  was  tliis  ?  Oh, 
between  tliom  they  had  tlionght  it  was  of  no 
good  for  aijytJdng,  and  so,  although  there  was 
lilcnty  of  legitimate  straw  about,  they  must  needs 
go  and  inte-rfero  with  my  iid  sttilT.  It  is  just 
one  of  thoHO  stupiilly  suiwrliuous  ])erf(»rinances 
which  rustics,  the  host  of  thorn,  are  given  to.  It 
fired  my  wrath  at  once,  aud  I  astonished  tJioir 
weak  nerves ;  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  tindiiig, 
12  months  after,  this  black  sudden  stackling  (it 
was  not  a  largo  one)  intact,  with  only  wanting  to 
bo  thatched  anew. 
Tliis  season  wo  were  short  of  hay,  and  out  of 
the  purest  obstinacy  1  obliged  tho  shepherd  to 
carry  np  with  me,  or  it  would  not  probably  have 
been  properly  done,  an  armful  of  this  frightful 
fodder.  Tho  shoep  were  upon  swedes.  Tho 
Hock  rushed  up  at  oiico  on  our  aixival,  aud  to  my 
delight  no  less  than  their  attendant’s  astouish- 
lucnt,  tliey  iiitched  iuto  tlio  nicks  at  once,  and 
never  left  tlicm  until  they  had  consumed  every 
scrap,  picking  oven  the  bones,  1  did  nothing 
I  more  than  give  the  order  to  bring  them  more. 
The  result  was  that  the  halLful  stack  was  clean 
eaten  up ;  tliat  it  lasted  some  six  weeks,  that  the 
alieop  throve  on  it,  and  the  shepherd  confe.ssod 
his  sorrow  when  it  came  to  an  end. 
Moral  of  all  this;— When  you  have  been 
obliged  to  salt  an  inferior  lot  of  hay,  give  it  time 
to  ho  thoroughly  impregnated  with  the  llavoriug. 
Halt  keeps  working  on  iu  the  dark  for  ages.  A 
wooden  lioor  on  which  it  has  been  once  laid  will 
keep  weeping  for  years.  And  it  so  too  keeps 
oil  extending  its  influence  in  thostack.  Anyhow 
the  first  year  nothing  would  touch  it.  Tbo  mil¬ 
dew  was  too  strong.  The  second  year  tho  Hook 
greedily  devoured  it.  Bo  it  rcmombeicd  that  it 
had  not  been  allowed  to  grow  coarse  and  fibrous. 
It  was  cut  iu  its  succulent  bloom,  only  tho 
weather  liad  wasbCHl  it  at  its  worst  stage. 
Another  hint,  which,  after  many  years’  use  of 
the  crop,  I  h.avo  only  just  found.  Onr  useful 
lucerne  crop  (Red  Handstone  formation),  which 
answers  splendidly  here,  has  kept  a  great  stock 
of  pigs,  horses,  aud  cows  thi’ough  tho  straits  of 
an  otherwise  exceeding  hard  summer.  Our  bulls, 
getting  less  exercise,  got  hot  and  feverish,  and 
broke  out  (over  their  thighs  especially)  with  an 
offensive  cniption.  “NVo  could  not  make  out 
what  it  was,  and  tlio  vet.  proscribwl  wildly,  when 
by  tho  merest  accident  wo  found  it  recorded  in 
Wliite's  work  that  tliis  is  a  common  oomplaint  in 
France  and  tho  Channel  Islands,  and  arises  from 
tho  luccruo  being  cut  green  and  wot — that  it 
should  he  allowed  to  wither  heforo  it  is  given  to 
cows,  and  that  these  should  havo  salt  always 
with  it,  and  some  meal.  On  stopping  the  Incerno 
the  eruption  soon  recoded.  It  was  our  first  ex¬ 
perience  of  the  disagreeable  disorder. 
Jicllr  Crops. 
HARVESTING  MANGOLD  WURZELS. 
As  tho  season  for  gathering  beets  and  other 
roots  will  soon  bo  at  hand,  wo  give  some  English 
views  iu  regard  to  gathering  and  storing  man¬ 
golds.  copied  from  tho  London  Field : 
Tho  harvesting  and  storing  of  mangold  wurzel 
is  among  tho  most  important  of  farai  operationH. 
When  ft  crop  shows  signs  of  flagging  leaves, 
either  from  lack  of  food  or  from  the  attack  of 
fungi,  or  iKjth,  it  is  as  well  to  (Mt  them  together 
as  Boou  as  may  be  convenient ;  but  with  regard  bi 
those  which  are  still  vigorous  when  frost  Iwgtns, 
it  will  1)0  well  to  watch  tho  glass  and  otlicr 
weather  signs,  as  a  few  degrees  of  frost  for  one 
or  two  nights  will  not  greatly  injure  this  crop  ; 
and,  indeed,  we  havo  harx’ostcd  mangold  os  late 
fts  November,  which  had  boon  visited  by  frost  so 
severe  as  to  cause  coiisiderablo  alarm  for  its 
safety.  If  mangolds  bo  harvested  in  dry  days, 
succeeded  by  frosty  nights,  wo  mako  a  jaiint  of 
never  commencing  to  pull  until  all  frost  has 
boon  removed  from  tho  plants,  ftiid  tbon  not  to 
take  np  moro  than  can  be  conveniently  carrictl 
bofoio  night  sots  in,  as  tho  leaving  of  roots 
exposeil  fiat  on  the  ground  in  a  frosty  night  may 
cause  premature  rottenness.  If,  however,  Uicy 
cannot  he  carried,  it  will  lie  well  to  jiroten't  them 
by  spreading  tho  leaves  over  tho  roots,  cither  as 
they  lie  in  rows  or  in  gathered-up  heaps. 
Our  modo  of  harvesting  is  to  pull  them  up 
and  place  in  ranks  siiflicieutly  wide  apart  to 
allow  of  the  passage  of  tho  carts  between  the 
ranks,  and  as  they  all  lie  side  by  side  tho  leaves 
are  out  off  witli  a  short  hook,  or  a  broken  hook 
does  well  for  the  purpose.  Hero,  however, 
groat  oaiition  should  be  used.  Tho  workpeople 
always  cut  them  too  close — in  fact,  they  too 
often  cut  off  tho  loaves  in  one  bunch,  thus  taking 
with  tlicrn  a  |Mirtlon  of  the  crowns.  We  tlioro- 
foro  watch  this  part  of  tbo  work  with  great  care, 
and  give  dircGtioiis  tliat  nearly  all  tho  life-stalk 
(petiole)  sliall  be  left  on ;  and  indecsi,  wo  aro 
not  particular  as  io  leaving  whole  loaves  hero 
and  there,  as  when  the  roots  are  caved  tho 
leaves  soon  dry  up  and  act  as  a  couvonieut  pack¬ 
ing  to  the  roots. 
Wo  find,  too,  that  dirt  on  the  roots  soon  dries 
up,  so  that  we  aro  not  over-particular  to  shako 
all  this  off  before  storing ;  at  tho  same  time  we 
coufess  to  a  profcrcncc  for  yellow  iuterniediate 
mangold,  on  account  of  its  very  smooth  outline 
and  fow  rootlets,  becauso  it  can  bo  pulled  with 
half  the  labor  of  tho  coarser  sorts,  and  will  come 
up  so  free  from  dirt  that  tho  knocking  together 
to  shako  off  the  dii’t  on  pulling  is  rciidcrod  nn- 
nccossary.  This  sliould  be  avoided,  as  it  is  apt 
to  braise  tho  shin,  and  so  do  mischief  j  and 
when  these  aro  used  they  scarcely  require  clean¬ 
ing  at  all,  or,  if  so,  it  will  bo  of  tlie  veiy  slightest 
kind.  In  stackiug,  the  first  point  for  considera¬ 
tion  will  bo  a  convonieut  site  for  the  ready  utili¬ 
zation  of  tho  crox>.  This  fixed  uiion,  wo  ehoosO 
tho  least  exposed  position ;  if  in  tlie  iicld  tho 
leeward  side — “in  the  lew” — is  chosen;  if  iu  a 
yard,  out  of  tlie  way  of  cutting  winds.  Anyhow, 
too  near  a  public  road  should  bo  avoided,  as 
they  are  liable  to  be  stolou  at  night  by  some 
passing  carter  or  other  person  with  a  convey¬ 
ance — “  they  aro  so  useful  for  a  horse  or  oow  or 
pig.” 
We  usually  jilftcc  a  fow  roots  near  tho  stables 
expressly  for  the  horses ;  but,  unless  you  de¬ 
termine  to  let  the  horses  havo  them,  avoid  prox¬ 
imity  to  tho  stables,  as  no  carter  can  resist  the 
temptation  of  stealing  mangolds  for  bis  horsc.s  if 
they  are  placed  conveniently  for  bis  purpose, 
and  he  cannot  get  them  without.  “  Get  man¬ 
golds,  get  them  honestly  if  you  can,  hut  get 
mangolds, ”  is  Ills  maxim ;  nay,  ho  acaroely 
thinks  it  dishoucst  to  take  the  master's  mangolds 
for  his  horses.  Well,  when  wo  havo  decided  uj)- 
oii  all  the  conflicting  claims  for  position,  a  cave 
is  commenced — that  is  a  heap,  which  we  make 
about  four  foot  at  the  base,  on  tho  bare  ground 
(wc  do  not  like  pitting,  as  the  bottom  of  pits 
may  become  wet).  The  roots  are  neatly  stacked 
in  a  triangular  form  at  an  angle  of  about  40  de¬ 
grees,  and  this  is  added  to  for  any  oouvenient 
length. 
As  the  work  is  carried  on  tho  stack  is  lightly 
covered  irith  loose  straw  to  keep  out  fro.st,  and 
the  thatching  should  be  carried  out  as  soon  as 
