class="x-ebookmaker-pageno" title="[294]"/> 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.

A DISCOURSE, READ BEFORE THE
Essex Agricultural Society,
In Massachusetts, February 21, 1820,
Suggesting some Improvements in the Agriculture
of the County.
BY TIMOTHY PICKERING,
President of the Society.
(Concluded from page 272.)

II. On Root Crops.

Premiums having been proposed to encourage the raising of Carrots, Rutga Baga and Mangel Wurtzel; and as these articles, cultivated extensively, are of vast importance to farmers; I can perhaps in no way better promote the views of the Society, in their vote before mentioned, than by describing the methods of cultivating those roots, which elsewhere have been practised with great success, but to which, and indeed to the roots themselves (Carrots excepted) most of our husbandmen are strangers.

The introduction of Clover, and subsequently carrying the culture of the Common Turnip extensively into the field, marked distinguished eras in the improvements of English Husbandry. At a later period, Carrots were cultivated by some farmers: and within a few years past, the Mangel Wurtzel and