1846, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
43 
With the exception of the extraordinary expenditure 
for new fixtures, or renewals, or alterations, the pro¬ 
duce of the farm and the income trom the academic de¬ 
partment equal the expenses of the Institution and the 
entire management of the estate. 
In explanation of the item “ scientific excursions,” it 
should be stated that tours for study and observation, 
of greater or less length, are made by corps of the classes 
in the vacations between the terms. To aid them a sheet 
has been published at Hohenheim, including a notice of 
every feature in agriculture, manufactures, collections 
in natural history, localities of rocks and minerals, 
breweries, vintages, mills, &c., &c. The value of the 
sheet can easily be conceived. 
This system of excursions is a part, perhaps I may 
say, of continental or European education. Apprenti¬ 
ces, even, are required by law to travel a year before 
they can commence business in Germany. The students 
of the Polytechnic school of Paris, have travelled over 
repeatedly, I have been informed, the French king¬ 
dom. 
An early observer of mankind describes his hero as 
one who “ had seen much of cities and of men.” In 
France, oppportunities for observation seem to have 
lost none of their regard, to which according to this 
writer of antiquity they are entitled, among those Who 
control more or less the education of Europe. 
Before me lies a book of 330 pages octavo, illustra- 
ted'by a series of large plates, some twenty iu number, 
embracing a detailed description or Hohenheim, its 
buildings and grounds, and its system of instruction, in 
theory and practice, with a record of almost every item 
of information to be desired concerning the institution. 
Beside it lie a pile of statutes, catalogues, farm plans, 
inventories, lecture schemes, &e., &c., all of which I 
could wish for the sake of those interested in grounding 
agricultural institutions in America, were translated into 
English. 
From these, and what I have observed during two 
days, I have drawn the imperfect account as given 
above. I can but hope, general as it is, that it may be 
of service. 
I should not perhaps neglect mentioning that my 
notes in many particulars record the superior excellence 
of American implements and expedients when com¬ 
pared with the best I have seen here. An institution 
enjoying royal patronage, and furnished at the outset with 
a royal estate and edifices, should in the course of tweny- 
-seven years, have evolved a system of agricultural edu¬ 
cation possessing many excellencies. This was the least 
that could have been expected. Notwithstanding all the 
effort bestowed upon improvement, several features im¬ 
pressed me as imperfect; and yet it is possible that my 
associations in the new world disqualify me in a mea¬ 
sure for forming an opinion as to what would be practi¬ 
cally the best for Germany. I will only add that 
the distribution of labor among the' faculty, seemed to 
me to be susceptible of modification for the better. 
The Professor of Chemistrry, has botany, mineralogy, 
geology, and zoology, besides the duties of a pi*actic- 
ing physician, (!) entrusted to him. Now if there be 
any one science pre-eminently at the foundation of ra¬ 
tional agriculture, it is chemistry; and in view of this, 
that the professor of this department should have his 
energies divided upon such a variety of different and 
distantly associated (in some respects certainly) branch¬ 
es of science, and his efficiency lessened, naturally, in 
proportion, impressed me as a great oversight. In the 
department of chemistry, not a single step towards 
settling the weighty problems for the farmer is being 
taken. I say this with undiminished regard for the 
rare combination of industry, talent, and perseverance 
presiding over the chair of Chemistry and Natural His¬ 
tory at Hohenheim. It is impossible that he should do 
more than he does. 
In general, in the French and German institutions, 
one of the schemes of professional life, is to furnish fa¬ 
cilities for scientific advancement. The world is thus 
benefitted, and though the sphere of instruction may 
thereby be more limited, the knowledge imparted will 
be proportionally more profound. This feature, to 
this moment characterizing scarcely an institution th 
America, is not kept in view in the apportioning of 
duty among the departments of instruction at Hohen¬ 
heim. Were one to ask what has roused universal at¬ 
tention in the last twenty years to the subject of direct¬ 
ing all processes of art by science, and in the last eight 
years of improving agriculture by drawing aid from 
the same source, the answer would come from a few 
professional chairs, where men of capacity, industry, 
and energy, have been provided with conveniences &>? 
prosecuting scientific research. 
Truly yours, E. N. Hors ford. 
CULTURE OF CARROTS AND ONIONS. 
Mr. Editor —Having had good success in raising 
carrots, onions, &c., I have had a desire to make my 
mode of raising such vegetables public, as it differs in 
some respects from the modes usually practiced in this 
country. But when I considered I was not well skilled 
in writing articles for publication, I was led to hesi¬ 
tate, until I reflected that language—the vehicle by 
which our ideas are communicated—may be compared 
to the carriage which conveys the produce of the far- 
mer to market; and when I remembered tnat it matters 
little whether the carriage is constructed with two,, 
three, four, or even five wheels; so long as the produo® 
is easily, expeditiously, and safely conveyed, it gave mso 
some more confidence. And then again, I received ad¬ 
ditional encouragement by some remarks of a corres¬ 
pondent of the Albany Cultivator, who, after speaking 
of the reading of agricultural papers, says:—“This 
reading gives an opportunity of becoming acquainted 
with the practical experience of farmers. It is much 
to be desired that more of this class of farmers could 
be induced to give their views. There is too frequent¬ 
ly a reluctance to writing. This reluctance should bo 
overcome. It is not expected that plain farmers should 
always frame sentences in the style of literary writers, 
nor is this necessary—give us the/«c?sinan intelligible 
manner.” And so I am encouraged to proceed. And 
to commence, I will state the amount of carrots and 
onions I obtained, and then some of the means used to 
obtain so large crops. But before proceeding, I will 
remark that I have no doubt that in several respects my 
mode of management may be improved upon. 
Of carrots, I had at the rate of twelve hundred nine 
and a half bushels to the acre, large measure, and of 
onions, six hundred and thirty bushels. 
The land on which thesecrops grew—being of a full 
middling quality as to richness—was plowed early in 
the spring, at a time when the ground was in a sufficient¬ 
ly dry* state to pulverize. It was then harrowed seve¬ 
ral times over. Then plowed a second time in such a 
manner as to have no treading of the team upon it. A 
row of boards to stand upon while sowing the seed, 
was laid down on one side of the ground about to be 
sowed. With a common hay rake, six or seven feet in 
breadth was soon made sufficiently level to sow. A 
line fastened to two stakes was stretched to mark the 
place where the first row was to be sowed. Then with 
a common garden hoe, a place near one inch deep was 
made for the seeds. The onion seeds were then sowed 
very evenly and expeditiously with a contrivance which I 
will hereafter describe, and covered with the hoe. 
Then the line was moved fifteen inches to mark out the 
place for the second row. The boards were then moved 
over the row that had been sowed, so that the second 
row could be dug out, sowed and covered as was the 
first. The line was then moved to mark the third row, 
and the boards were also moved over the second one, 
which was already sowed. In this manner I proceeded 
until the whole was finished, and the ground presented 
a beautiful level and mellow appearance, as if a light 
roller had passed over it, without having the- appear- 
* As there is often too much moisture in land to plow it early in 
the spring ; and as carrots^ onions, and parsneps, need to be sowed 
early, it would doubtless, in many cases, be well to ridge the land 
up in the fall. 
