64 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
porting and storing the crop. He states the expense of cultivating and 
manufacturing 10,000 lbs. roots, including all charges, af 192 francs, 
about 36 dollars, leaving as a profit on t his quantity of roots, about §25, 
say $35 the acre, clear profit. Upon 1,200,000 lbs. of roots, the average 
produce of three hectares, he estimates a nett profit to the manufac¬ 
turer, after deducting interest on capital, repairs, &c. of 6,650 francs, 
about $1,260. 
After penning the above, we received the interesting leter of M.- Le 
Ray de Chaumont, which will be found under the head of correspon¬ 
dence, showing the importance of beet sugar as a household manufacture. 
SUMMER PRUNING. 
We are advocates for summer pruning, both from experience and phi¬ 
losophy. And tve invite those of our readers who are wedded to the old 
practice of pruning at other seasons, to examine the reasoning in favor 
of our practice, contained in the following extract, which we make 
from the essay on useful and ornamental planting, published by the so¬ 
ciety for the diffusion of useful knowledge. It contains interest facts 
in vegetable physiology, and indicates the propriety of early fall plant- 
ing. 
“ Every individual leaf of a tree is furnished with its own particular 
series of vessels for the course of the sap, and not only prepares and 
elaborates the sap for the increase of substance of its own branch, but 
also for the parent sterh and root. Hence it is that trees regularly fur¬ 
nished with branches from the base upwards, have more tapering stems, 
than trees with branches confined to the upper half of the stem, the in- j 
crease being equal, from the point where the branches begin, downwards 
to the root; or, in other words, whatever length of stem from the root 
upwards is destitute of branches, that part of it, from the period of 
losing them, increases in size equally throughout. [Hence the impor¬ 
tance of taking off the lower branches of trees intended for timber; 
and of taking out the centre shoot of fruit trees, when they have at¬ 
tained a sufficient height to form a top—the object in one case being to 
obtain a straight clean bole, for timber, and in the other a low-wide 
spreading top for fruit—aslraight lofty tree giving the most and best tim¬ 
ber, and a low ani spreading one giving the most and best fruit.] With* 
out a just knowledge of this principle in the economy of vegetable life, 
the important process of pruning in the culture of forest trees, cannot 
safely be performed by the forester. That the sap never ceases wholly 
to move is evident in the increase of the roots and buds during the win¬ 
ter, when the plant is leafless ; but its descent is particularly distin¬ 
guished for greater force and activity at two periods of the year, spring 
and mid-summer. The ascent in the spring is the strongest, and con¬ 
tinues until midsummer, gradually diminishing in force as the new 
branches and leaves are perfected. This generally takes place about 
the begining of July, when an apparent cessation of ascending motion 
in the ascending sap immediately succeeds, and continues usually for 
the space of a fortnight or three weeks—[during this apparent time Of 
cessation is the proper time to prune! according to the age of the plant 
and the state of the weather. A second ascent of sap, and growth of 
shoots, now take place, but with diminished vigor; unless from acci¬ 
dent, disease or unfavorable weather, the spring growth has been 
checked, and the first flow of sap prevented from being exhausted, in 
the production of branches, leaves and blossoms. It is worthy of re¬ 
mark, that those shoots which form fruit, flower or seed buds, have sel¬ 
dom, if ever, any second growth ; but remain without increasing in length 
until the next spring. The midsummer growth is almost always con¬ 
fined to those branches which carry wood buds only. After the second 
growth is completed, the effects of the descending sap in the formation of 
new hark is apparent in the healing up of wounded parts of the stem and 
branches, which now proceeds with more activity than during any other 
season of the year. Branches pruned off smooth at the stem, though 
the latter be healthy, young and containing a perfect pith, before or 
shortly after the completion of the midsummer growth, do not produce 
shoots from the edge of the wounds caused by their removal, which always 
happens, more or less, when pruning is performed on free growing trees 
after the fall of the leaf, and before the full development of the spring 
shoots and leaves. It is to be observed, however, that the reproduction 
of branches from the edges of a wound is greatly assisted by leaving 
a portion of the branch or shoot, on its parent branch or stem.” See p. 
4, 16, 17. ' " ' ' ■ _ ■ df( 
HAYMAKING. 
Why is it invariably recommended, whenmedicinal herbs are to be 
preserved for use, that they be dried in the shade ? For two plain rea¬ 
sons; first, because an intense summer’s sun deprives them of a por¬ 
tion of their medicinal virtues ; and secondly, to prevent their quality 
becoming deteriorated by dew and rain. The same precaution is ob¬ 
served in the curing of hops, and it is no less important in the curing 
of hay. The sun abstracts much of the best properties of both. It is 
for these reasons, that in many of the best farming districts, the grass 
is never spread from the swath ; but, after it has partially dried there 
it is cured in the cock, where it dries evenly, that is, the moisture be¬ 
comes equalized in the mass, and the stems dry as fast as the leaves, 
—and where neither the sun, nor the rain, nor the dew are liable to do 
it material injury. And we contend, that there is not only a great im¬ 
provement in the quality of the hay, by this process of curing, but an 
increase in quantity, the leaves and finer parts being all preserved, and 
a manifest saving in labor. The labor of spreading and raking is in a 
measure saved; the grass being cocked from the swarth with the fork, 
and after it has cured there, the hay being partially spread for two or 
three hours to complete the process. We gave our mode of manage¬ 
ment in our last volume, and it might be deemed superfluous to repeat 
it here; but we earnestly beg, that farmers who have not adopted it, 
will give it at least a partial trial this month, especially with clover. 
We estimate the gain, in this crop, by the new over the old mode, at 
least one-third. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH THE POTATO. 
Mr. Howden, of Scotland, has made experiments with 130 varieties 
of the potato, most of which are unknown among us. From the tables 
which he published, the product of the different species varied from 
280 to 745 bushels the acre, we suspect Scotch measure. The produce 
of four eyes, cut from the cluster species, and planted in four different 
kinds of soil, was— 
On a strong rich loam,... 34 pounds, 
On a light rich loam, ... 29 “ 
On a good gravel,. 19 “ 
On a sandy soil,..... 15 “ 
In an experiment accurately managed, under the London Horticul¬ 
tural Society, with a view to ascertain whether whole potatoes or sets 
were best for seed, five acres of ground were taken for the experiment, 
and five kinds of potatoes were planted, one half with whole tubers, 
and the other half with pieces containing one eye each. There was 
obtained— Tons. Cwt. Lbs. 
From the tubers,. 113 2 17 
From the single eyes,. Ill 3 54 
The difference, about two tons, was hardly equal to the difference in 
the weight of seed. From a series of experiments made by the society, 
they publish the opinion, “ that, in order to acquire the greatest possi¬ 
ble weight of potatoes, per acre, it is necessary that large, heavy sound 
tubers should be employed; and that the space allowed for the growth 
of each plant, should be as nearly as possible such as it would natu- 
turally occupy, if suffered to spread freely on all sods without inter¬ 
ruption; that this space will vary according to the habits of different 
varieties, and can only be determined by actual experiments; and that 
too much, and too little room, are alike injurious to productiveness. 
Finally, that it is quite practicable to double the crops that are usually 
obtained.” 
Mr. Knightraised 34 ton 9 cwt. per acre, which, estimating the bushel 
at 60 lbs. would be about 1,166 bushels to the acre; and he is of opinion 
that still larger crops may be obtained. The soil was a rich garden 
mould, and the manure employed was chiefly decayed oak leaves. The 
tubers were planted nine inches in the soil, and the mould was after¬ 
wards raised three inches higher in ridges, to guard the young plants 
from frost. 
The Rohan Potato, a new variety which has lately appeared in Swit- 
zerland, surpasses all others in size and productiveness, and is said to 
be very farinaceous and of excellent flavor. Three tubers, chosen at 
random, weighed 13 lb. 11 oz., 11 lb. 9 oz., and 9 lb. 13 oz., and a small 
tuber, having only four eyes, weighing, when planted, a few grains 
less than half an ounce, produced 484 lbs. The earth is dug 20 inches 
deep, and the sets, containing two or three eyes, are diobied in, four 
feet apart. This statement is from The Cultivator, of Jan.T835 pub¬ 
lished in Switzerland. A dozen tubers of the Rohan potato have been 
received from France, and planted by a friend in the couhty of Greene ; 
so that if they are as valuable as represented, we are likely to profit 
by them. ;; v ■ i.l ... • - 
“Come, let us reason the matter together.” —It is a practice with many 
farmers, in ploughing sward ground, to endeavor to turn the furrow- 
slice entirely over, so that the grass side shall lie flat in the preceding 
furrow; while others lap every furrow r -slice on the one which precedes 
it, so that it reposes in an angle of 45°. The latter is called the im¬ 
proved mode of ploughing. When the furrow-slice is laid quite flat, 
“ the weight and tenacity of the soil consolidate its surface almost im¬ 
mediately, and obstructs the action of the weather in breaking down 
the texture of the soil, as well as that of the harrows in raising a tilth, 
or the greatest depth of mould for covering the seeds,” and if the sur¬ 
face is level and- the soil tenacious, the water when in excess, having 
no passage under, reposes upon the top of the sod. But when the fur¬ 
row-slice is lapped upon the preceding one, in an angle of about 45°, 
every furrow forms an underdrain for the passage or reception of the 
w'ater, leaving the surface dry; the greatest possible surface of soil is 
exposed to the influence of the atmosphere ; the soil is kept loose and 
porous by the breaking down of the sod, as the roots of the grasses in 
