From the IVth volume of the Memoirs of the Philadelphia
Agricultural Society; Richard Peters, President; Wm. Tilghman,
James Mease, George Logan and Robert Coleman, Vice Presidents;
Roberts Vaux, Secretary.
1. The SESAMUM ORIENTALE or BE-NE, written BENE, for making oil of
the seed, from Bengal, Africa, Georgia, and the Mississippi. See
Archives of Useful Knowledge, by Dr. Mease; Encyclopædia Britanica;
Accounts of East India Agriculture, &c. It is planted in the end of
April and gathered in the end of September, in 32° N. lat.; raised
also in 34° 50' N. lat. The oil is fine for salad, and all the other
uses of _olive_ oil, and may be extracted, as is the flax-seed oil,
or by boiling water, to the top of which it will rise, and may be
skimmed, and bottled or put into casks. It is very common on the
west coast of Africa, and grows to most advantage on poor, sandy
hills. It is said never to become rancid, but to improve with age.
[Letter of Thomas M. Forman, Esq. Rose Hill, near Savington, Cecil,
Md.] In the same letter is an account of Napoleon or Crawford RYE.
It is described to grow very tall, having a solid stalk, probably
capable of resisting the fly, like Jethro Tull's solid-stalked
wheat. This grain is said to improve in the Cecil county soil and
climate.
2. Plan of FENCES of living trees for posts, such as the Sugar
Maple, and _wire_ for rails; by White & Hazard, Whitestown,
Philadelphia county, lowest falls of Schuylkill. Common fence for
100 acres, for 50 years, costs $3,080. Do. of wire fence for 50
years, costs $1,751. Add profit on trees, such as American black
Walnut, curled or sugar Maple, Mulberry, Apple, (244 trees producing
annually, at one dollar, $244) Buttonwoods, &c. which the projectors
make to produce $14,098, in fifty years. Interest on annual produce
sufficient to keep such wire and live-tree fence in repair, from
the time of completion for ever. Other orchard lands can be spared.
These fences are good against the worst cows;--they are easy to
repair. Inquire at R. Watkin's tavern, at the falls of Schuylkill.
3. Accounts of LIME and KILNS, and cooking STOVES, in Spain; by
Anthony Morris, Esq. formerly of Philadelphia, now of Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, A. D. 1816.--In burning lime, the Spanish peasants
use only the small Shrub or brush wood, not larger than a man's
little finger to the size of a pipe stem. The kiln is like ours in
Whitemarsh, &c. except that the top of the kiln is very little above
the surface of the ground, and is covered with clay to confine the
heat. The arch within is of such height as to give the full benefit
of all the flame of those dry, light materials. The Spanish lime,
like our best Pennsylvania lime, is very good. The Spanish practice
is recommended, where lime stone is plenty, wood scarce, and brush,
trash and weeds so abundant as to impede or injure culture. In the
same letter is a cheap method, as to fuel, for heating irons; and an
economical kitchen, as to fire, for cooking.
4. A letter from Mr. Jefferson, concerning the success of the
GYPSUM, or Plaster of Paris, in Albemarle, Virginia, 200 miles from
the sea-coast; also concerning improved hill ploughing, by his
ingenious son-in-law, Col. Thomas M. Randolph.[3]
[3] See the engraving of Col. Randolph's Hill-side Plough, page 18,
vol. IV. Philadelphia Agricultural Society's Memoirs.
5. An American Plough, approved in England; as is our Cradling
Scythe.
6. Also, further notice of the Mangel Wurtzel, for the culture of
which see the Philadelphia Society's Memoirs, vol. III. Seed of a
new kind, called the orange-coloured Mangel Wurtzel, has been sent
to President Peters by Robert Barclay, Esq. grandson to the old
Apologist of Uri. The progress in the culture of this root, in Great
Britain, is great. Mr. Peters thinks the mottled kind best, and
recommends the greatest care as to seed. It appears in other parts
of this volume that 60 to 90 tons of Mangel Wurtzel, or Scarcity
Root, or the improved Beet, have been produced by an acre.
5. In pages 107, 108, 109 and 110, are some interesting notices of
the Mangel Wurtzel, or Scarcity or Beet root, by Mr. Isaac C. Jones,
of Philadelphia. It appears that this gentleman was led into some
experiments, after an entire city occupation of 20 years, by reading
some interesting accounts of such experiments in the European books.
In April, 1816, a piece of ground, not quite one fifth of an acre,
was planted with the seeds, in parallel rows, of two feet three or
four inches one way, by one foot the other. On gathering the crop in
November, 1816, it was found that it weighed 8180 pounds, and that
the weight of the leaves, pulled off from those roots, at different
times through the season, was 5,595 pounds. They would have been
more, but as the season of 1816 was uncommonly dry, the pulling was
omitted for some weeks. This plant is very valuable for farm stock,
and _most so for milch cows_. The leaves are excellent through the
summer, and the cut or chopped root through the winter, when dry
food is used. The Mangel Wurtzel, or Scarcity root or improved Beet,
is excellent for the table, and is preferred by Mr. Jones' family
to the red or garden beets, which are abundant and very fine in the
Philadelphia market. The same gentleman raised in 1816, on 23 square
poles (23/160ths of an acre,) 110 bushels of the long or orange
Carrot root, being at the rate of nearly 800 bushels to the acre. A
bushel of those Carrots (cut with an approved instrument in the form
of an S) weighed 47 lbs., and a bushel of the Mangel Wurtzel, cut
in like manner, weighed 55 lbs. The Carrots produced 800 bushels,
and the Mangel Wurtzel, at this rate, 900 bushels to the acre, each
_in the uncut state_. As he planted the Mangel Wurtzel, Mr. Jones
found it easy to dress with the plough and one horse. The Carrots,
when up, require the hoe and the hand altogether. It appears, that
the seeds of this plant, about which the utmost care is necessary,
may be had of John S. Skinner, Esq. Baltimore, and Mr. M'Mahon,
Philadelphia, and of the seedsmen in New York, Hartford, Boston,
&c. The Mangel Wurtzel fell into some disrepute in England, about
the year 1810, but the marchioness of Salisbury revived it. It
was introduced into Ireland, in 1787, by seed from Dr. Letsom, of
London, but the good qualities not being known, nor the culture, it
fell into disuse in Ireland also. But a machine for the planting
of it was invented by Mr. Edward Linsey, and now it is extensively
cultivated there and much approved. The leaves produce two or more
crops in the north of Ireland in summer and autumn, and those
leaves and the roots in winter are deemed excellent for milch and
beef cattle, in that great butter country. Irish sowing time is
April and May. Preparation the same as for turnips and potatoes:
two drills to be opened two feet apart; sufficient dung to be used,
according to the state and quality of the ground. Then cover the
dung with the double mould board plough, at once, or the single
plough at twice, by ridging them up as high as can be well done,
with a man shovelling between the drills, right and left, smoothing
the surface of the dung, which will leave the ridge about a space of
ten or twelve inches broad. This complete method of fallowing will
repay the trouble of shovelling, by raising a full proportion of
earth under the roots. When the ground is thus completely prepared,
two boys or girls can sow from two to three acres per day. After
sowing, it should be well rolled, which completes the process.
The crop is afterwards to be treated in the same manner as turnips
or potatoes, by putting to and taking off mould, &c. After the roots
have been raised, the ground is in fine order for wheat or any other
crop.
_Example of Cultivation._--Wolf M'Neil, Esq. Ireland, sowed one
acre; from the leaves, fed 40 pigs through the seasons of last
summer and fall; then gathered 84 tons of roots.--On these fed nine
cows and five calves during winter, and had, on 22d April, 1815,
eight tons remaining, besides 100 roots, which he transplanted for
securing good seed, _an all-important object_ in this culture.
(To be continued.)
[We recommend to our readers the purchase and study of "_The
Code of Agriculture_," written by Sir John Sinclair, the first
president of the _public_ British Board of Agriculture. London
edition, about 612 pages in one octavo volume; also, American
Hartford edition, Connecticut. It is probably the first farmer's
manual, or _handbook_, extant in our language, and was concocted
by the labours of 26 years, and with the aid of 1000 persons.]
_Valuable Breed of Cattle._
The attention of farmers being again called to the bull imported by
Stephen Williams, Esq. of Northborough, we have thought it might
gratify them to learn the high estimation in which cattle of the
same breed are held in England.--About two years since, the stock
of a celebrated agriculturist of that country, consisting of cattle
of this breed, was sold at public auction: One two year old cow,
sold for $1,544; one four year old cow, for $1,400; one five year
old cow, for $1,726; a one year old bull calf, for $1,426; one four
year old bull, for $2,898. And it appears by the catalogue, with
the prices affixed, that 34 cows sold for $19,324; 17 heifers for
$6,006; 6 bulls for $6,267; and 4 bull calves for $3,327--making
for 61 head of cattle, the enormous sum of $34,924.
[_Mass. Spy._
* * * * *
_The Vineyards._--The present crop of grapes promises a more
abundant yield than that of the last season. There are about 24
acres under culture, which, at the last vintage yielded upwards of
5000 gallons of wine, besides a vast quantity of grapes used for
other purposes. The situation is delightful, running parallel with
the river; it is the admiration of strangers, and a grateful retreat
to those who live in its vicinity. The intelligent traveller, while
he rests from the fatigues of his journey, finds a source of true
gratification mingled with delight, in contemplating the beauties
of nature and art, which are here so happily blended--the abode of
rural felicity. _Vevay, (Indiana) June 22._