62 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
IMPROVED PAULAR MERINOES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In the 10th vol. of 
your truly valuable paper, p. 168, after giving the prices 
obtained for the wool from two very superior flocks of 
Saxony sheep, you request other breeders of sheep to in¬ 
form you of the average weight of fleeces, and the pri¬ 
ces obtained, that the comparative profits of the differ¬ 
ent breeda may be seen. You ask me, in particular, to 
give you the price received for the wool of my flock. 
This principle of comparison is certainly a correct 
one; that we should be informed of the average weight 
£ fl eeces, prices received, and in fact the entire profits 
of die flock, is equally desirable. 
An individual may give to the public the weigh! of 
wool from one or two superior bucks, and thus convey 
the impression that his is the best and most profitable 
flock. Another may give the price received per lb. for 
his wool, without saying any thing of the weight of 
fleece, and in the estimation of manj^, he has the most 
profitable sheep. But let us do as our friends Grove and 
Morrell have done, and as you request others to do— 
give the weight of fleece of the entire flock, and the 
price received per lb., and it is the easiest thing imagi¬ 
nable for any farmer to draw a comparison, and decide 
which will be the most profitable for him, as an indi¬ 
vidual, to keep. In forming this decision, his location, 
and the nature and quality of his lands, will not be over¬ 
looked. 
But to the answer of your question. I ought perhaps 
to say in the outset, that I had a portion of the wool, 
(20 fleeces,) from my flock of Paular Merinoes manu¬ 
factured. For that which I sold, I received 40 cts. per 
lb. Now, allowing that the other fleeces should give as 
great a net profit as those sold, and the result will be, as 
the entire flock averaged 5 lbs. 5 oz., that I received 
$2.12| per head. And this, you will recollect, is from 
a lot of breeding ewes, each of which reared a lamb, 
and yearling bucks and ewes, with the exception of one 
stock buck. 
It may not be unacceptable to add an account of the 
profits of my little flock for one year. I find by refe¬ 
rence to my book in which I keep an accurate account 
of all my sheep transactions, that I had on hand on the 
1st Nov. 1842, 103 sheep. On hand Nov. 1st, 1843, 128 
sheep, which is, as you will perceive, an increase of 
about 25 per cent above all sold and all losses. I have 
received in addition to this, 
In wool,. $191.80 
In bucks sold,. 372.00 
$563.80 
Now, gentlemen, I know not but other flocks are bet¬ 
ter and more profitable. I will only say that I have en¬ 
deavored to improve my flock since I commenced with 
them, and think I have succeeded in some degree at 
least; and am desirous that they should stand upon their 
own merits. I will also add, that an extensive wool 
grower, of the denomination of Friends, after having 
examined them with much care, a short time since, said, 
(to use his own plain language,) “ Thee ought to call 
thy flock the Improved Paular Merinoes.” I have no 
objections to this addition, and if after the several ac¬ 
counts which you have had of this flock, you do not 
think it assuming too much, you will please place as a 
caption to this communication, “Improved Paular Me¬ 
rinoes.” Truly yours, R. A. Avery. 
Galway , Saratoga co., N. K, Dec. 20, 1843. 
SALT FOR CUT WORMS. 
Salt has been repeatedly recommended in many of 
the agricultural papers as an infallible repeller of the 
cut worm. I have tried only one experiment, which is 
al follows: Cabbage plants were encircled a few inch¬ 
es from the stem, with a ring of salt about an inch 
Ifcide and quarter of an inch thick; in other cases the 
slat was thickly strewed about them and in contact with 
the stems. In neither case, the cut worms paid the least 
regard to the salt, but walked right through it and de¬ 
stroyed the plants. In one instance, a cut worm was 
found after having eaten off a plant, quietly Tjposing 
with all the apparent ease and indifference of a philoso¬ 
pher, in a white bed of nearly clean salt. 
The best remedy appears to be the application of a 
roll of paper around the stems when the plants are set 
out, extending one inch above the surface, and three or 
four below. A burdock leaf wound round the stem, will 
answer the same purpose where cultivators are so for¬ 
tunate as to have this plant on their grounds. J. J. T. 
THE CARROT. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker— The improvements In 
the ancient and honorable art of agriculture in New 
England, within the last quarter of a century, are truly 
obvious, and particularly for the last few years it has 
become a subject of interesting contemplation to every 
lover of his country. 
Though the writer is desirous to contribute his mite to the 
laudable object of the pursuit of agriculture, it is because it 
is so intimately connected with the interest and well being 
of his country and the community. Within the last few 
years the cultivation of the carrot has engrossed a great¬ 
er share of his attention than that of any other vegetable. 
If then the few ideas which are hastily thrown together 
upon this subject, shall ultimately lead to the best method 
of cultivating this valuable and nutritious root, he will 
be richly rewarded for whatever pains he may have taken 
in observing and superintending its growth. We are sa¬ 
tisfied from experience that this plant may be brought to 
great perfection in any part of New England, and with 
suitable attention will abundantly remunerate the hus¬ 
bandman for all his necessary care and labor. Were our 
farmers who keep a large stock, to devote a spare acre to 
the cultivation of this root, we make no doubt they will 
at the harvest, find themselves in possession of a large 
store of feed of valuable and rare qualities for sheep, hor 
ses, and cattle, which will save largely of hay and other 
fodder, in times of scarcity of such crops. The three va¬ 
rieties of carrot that constitute the subject of these obser¬ 
vations, are the long yellow, the large field, and the Al- 
bringham white. Scarcely any vegetable during its 
growth presents a richer appearance than the carrot, 
whether we contemplate the yonng plant or the mature 
root. Hence it may be said in truth, to be an ornamental 
as well as profitable crop. 
For the table, the long yellow is preferable. Its sur 
face is smooth and fibre very compact. In proportion to 
its size, it doubtless yields the greatest amount of nutri¬ 
ment. Next to this is the large field variety, on which 
the horse feeds and thrives well, and it gives to the hair 
a peculiar smooth and glossy appearance. This root is 
short and rough, often sending off large radieles or 
branches of roots. When it grows luxuriantly, it is fre¬ 
quently hollow at the upper part. It yields a larger 
crop than the former, but is better adapted to stock than 
the table. The Altringham white is a long beautiful root, 
much less nutritious than either of the other varieties, 
and resembles some of the finest specimens of the long 
white turnep. It is a hardy plant, requiring less care in 
its cultivation than the other varieties. Stock feed and 
thrive well upon it. 
The soil best adapted to the carrot, is a deep rich 
loam, free from gravel or sand. If it be too adhesive or 
lumpy, ashes or lime may be mixed with it. If manure 
be used, it should be entirely decomposed or rotted, and 
intimately mixed with the earth. The ground should be 
plowed or spaded fine and deep, the whole being made 
mellow. 
The seed should be planted early in April, in drills not 
less than 22 inches apart. When the plants spring up, 
they should be early freed from weeds and the earth loos¬ 
ened around them. The feeble plants should be pulled, 
leaving only the most hardy ones. At the second weed¬ 
ing they should be thinned again, leaving the most healthy 
to grow, and thus continue, leaving the most thrifty ones 
not less than 20 inches apart, so as to give large room for 
the tops. In this manner, the writer has raised the yel¬ 
low carrot no less than 7 inches through, and at the rate 
probably of 600 or 700 bushels to the acre. 
Middletown , Ct., Dec. 23, 1843. M. 
