16

AVIARY, OR FOWL-HOUSE.-CULTURE OF HEMP-SEED.

country of madder, sumach, indigo, &c. I hope the subject may not be given up, but that every possible effort will be made to increase our agricultural wealth by the encouragement and introduction of new products.

S. B. PARSONS.

Commercial Garden and Nurseru,
Flushing, L. I., 11mo. 23, 1843.

AVIARY, OR FOWL-HOUSE.

AGREEABLY to your request, I send you herewith a view of my fowl-house. The accompanying plan and reference render a particular description unnecessary. The north, east, and west sides of the house are of brick; the floors are of cement to keep out rats.

Fowls will not lay well in winter unless they AVIARY, OR FOWL-HOUSE.-(FIG. 2.)

Ground Plan.-(Fig. 3.)

Section through d.-(Fig. 4.) , b, Apertures for admitting fowls, with slides for closing; c, place for feeding; d, roosting-room; e, layingroom, with secluded nests; f, bin for feed; g, passage. Scale 16 feet to an inch.

have during the day a dry, light, and warm apartment in cold and stormy weather. The room marked c is designed for this purpose; it is lighted in front and above by sashes, one of which, in front, is hung with hinges for the entrance. If necessary, a ventilator may be added to the roof, or

a window in each end.

Astoria, December 6th, 1843.

H.

We have personally examined the Fowl-House of our correspondent, and think it the most complete one we ever saw.

CULTURE OF HEMP-SEED.

IN the April number, vol ii., of your paper, 1 gave a brief explanation of my mode of cultivating hemp-seed. In the number for August, I promised, if any improvement in cultivating hemp-seed should be made, I would communicate it for publication, in the American Agriculturist. From information derived from several intelligent hemp-growers, concurring with my own experience, I am convinced, that a greater

CULTURE OF HEMP-SEED.

quantity of hemp-seed may be produced from an equal quantity of ground, all other circumstances being equal, by suffering only one stalk to grow in a hill, than any number above one. Assuming that only one stalk should be left in a hill, I would recommend the following mode of cultivation. The ground, intended for hemp-seed, should be highly manured. This should be applied late in the fall, and plowed under by a good plow, turning up the soil to the depth of at least six inches, and it should be suffered to lie rough till spring, allowing no stock to run on it. The winter freezing will completely pulverise the soil, a point of much importance in the cultivation of hemp-seed. The ground should again be plowed in the spring, about the latter part of March, or early in April (in our latitude). But care should be taken not to do this, until the soil is sufficiently dry to pulverise completely. A light harrow should then be run over it to level the ground slightly, and it should be chequered off immediately, three feet each way, with a light one-horse plow, and planted by dropping fifteen or twenty seeds at the crossing of each furrow, somewhat scattering them, and covering with a hoe one or two inches in depth. It is proper to remark here, that hempseed ground should be kept as light as possible; and hence it should be trod as little by horses in plowing, harrowing, etc., as may be, and never when the soil is so saturated with water, as to cause the particles to adhere, in the form of

Early sowed hemp-seed generally succeeds best; and as hemp is a hardy plant, standing severe white frosts without injury, it may be planted as early in the spring as the season will admit of, the ground being prepared as above directed. In our climate hemp will appear above ground in about a week after planting, and when eight or ten days old, a light harrow should be run over the hemp, drawn by a single horse, walking in the space between the rows, so as not to tread on the young shoots. The harrow, by running over the hemp may destroy a few of the plants, but there will remain, uninjured, more than will be necessary to leave, and those left will be greatly benefited by the harrow loosening the soil among the plants. My practice is then to harrow immediately, in the same way, in the opposite direction. This, however, should only be done, when the first harrowing shall have left more than enough plants, and when there is just reason to believe the second harrowing will leave at least four or five plants in each hill. If the hempseed shall have come up well, it will readily admit of this second harrowing, without danger of too much reducing the number of plants in a hill. The two harrowings, if performed when the soil is not too wet, will leave the ground in fine condition, and perfectly free from weeds. Before this operation is performed, if any of the hills are found without hemp, in consequence of the cutworm, or other insects destroying it, they should be replanted. The plants left after the harrowing, will grow off with surprising rapidity, and will get far ahead of the weeds, which will thereafter make their appearance. The hemp

should now be thinned out by hand, so as to
leave not more than five stalks in a hill, and
these not crowded together. When the hemp
shall have attained the height of ten or twelve
inches, it should be worked over with a light one-
horse plow, or cultivator, narrow enough to pass
between the rows, without endangering the hemp.
If the ground is not very clear of weeds, and very
light, it will require to be worked over again
when the hemp is between two and three feet
high; and if the hills shall have become any
way foul with grass or weeds, they should be
worked over with the hoe. It is generally best
to perform this operation immediately after the
first plowing. But if the hill is then clear of
weeds, etc., it may be postponed till the second
plowing. After the second plowing as above,
the hemp should be again thinned, so as to leave
not more than three stalks in a hill. In general
nothing more will be necessary till the hemp gets
into blossom: but if the ground is very foul,
more work may be necessary. Great care should
be taken to keep seed-hemp perfectly clear of
weeds, until it shall have attained such a growth
as to shade the ground completely. Weeds that
shall thereafter grow will be so puny as to do no
harm. If some scattering ones shall have been
left when worked over by the hoe, and are likely
to attain such a size as to injure the hemp, they
should be carefully cut out. I use the common
hemp-hook for this purpose. In working hemp-
seed with the hoe, only a little earth should be
put about hemp plants.

It is necessary that the female hemp should be
impregnated by the pollen of the male stalks, to
enable it to produce good seed. But if there are
hemp-fields in the vicinity of the seed-hemp,
pollen, in abundance, will be furnished by them.
If there are none, then I would recommend, that
one week after the hemp planted for seed begins
to blossom, all the male stalks, which can be
distinguished as such, should be cut down, in or-
der to give more room and air for the residue.
The male hemp, which thereafter blooms, should
be suffered to remain until it shall have shed its
pollen, when it also should be cut; and at the
same time, the most unthrifty female plants,
where more than one shall be found in a hill,
should also be cut down. After this last and
complete thinning shall have been effected, there
will be left only one stalk in a hill; that is, one
plant for each square yard, or 4,840 per acre, if
none be missing. It sometimes happens, though
rarely, that all three of the plants left, at the
second thinning, will be of the male species.
Supposing there shall be forty such hills per acre,
there will be left 4,800 seed-bearing plants, if no
untoward circumstance shall have destroyed part
of the others. If the ground be very rich, the
cultivation complete, the thinning out accom-
plished in due time, and the season very favor-
able, each stalk will yield, upon an average, one
pint of seed, and consequently, under very favor-
able circumstances, there may be a yield of 600
gallons, or 75 bushels per acre. This great yield
can only be expected where everything turns out
to the very best advantage; but, as many con-

tingencies may concur in reducing the crop, it will rarely happen that more than fifty bushels will be realized, even in the most favorable seasons. But as the seasons for rearing hemp-seed are variable and uncertain, it would not be safe to calculate upon more than 30 bushels as an average for five or ten years in succession. When hemp is planted and thinned out, as herein directed, the single stalk left in a hill branches out, and grows to a great size. It is very important that the thinning process should take place at as early a period as possible, consistently with the directions given above, in order to afford the seed plants sufficient space for branching, while they are yet in a vigorous and growing state. If this is not done in due season, there will be a considerable diminution in the product.

them as on corn. Our poorest land will yield fifty to eighty bushels of the peas, and over a ton of hay per acre, and, altogether, I regard it as one of the finest crops the southern farmer can raise. If we could afford to give an entire crop to the land, I am persuaded it would be quite as good as a crop of your best red clover to fertilize it. There has been a mistaken policy pursued, almost universally, in cultivating the pindar, by covering over the top with earth when they begin to bloom; this is not only unnecessary, but positively injurious, although the top, or vine, grows straight up at first, yet when it is time to seed, the small fibres on the end of which the pea grows arise, the vine inclines to the ground until it finds a proper location, and then extends its branches two, three, or four feet in length in Hemp intended for seed should be cut soon af- every direction, touching the earth. The only ter the leaves begin to turn yellow. At this pe- cultivation requisite, is to keep the ground loose riod there will be much seed that has not yet and clear of weeds and grass, and as level as posbecome ripe, but more will be lost by the shatter-sible, so that the fibres on which the pea grows ing out of the seeds already ripe, by birds, wind, can penetrate the ground easily. I intend, next etc., than will be gained by the ripening of oth-year, to plant pindars in hills, or, rather, in checks, ers. In cutting, the stalks should be agitated as little as possible, as hemp-seed shatters out very easily. The mode of sowing and thrashing out the seed has been fully explained in my essay on the cultivation of hemp. A. BEATTY.

Prospect Hill, Ky., Nov. 1843.

CULTURE OF PINDARS.

FROM the experiments I have made in cultivating the pindar or ground-pea, I think you would do well to call the attention of your southern readers to that subject. I planted, the 18th February last, three acres in pindars, in rows five feet apart, the peas about twelve inches apart, in a common small furrow made with a bull-tongue plow, on perfectly level ground, having first broken up and harrowed it well. The weather afterward in March was very cold, wet, and unfavorable, and killed many of the peas which had sprouted, so that I had a very poor stand; they, however, grew finely, and interlocked across the rows, and covered the ground pretty well. On the 27th October, I began digging (for fear of frost) by loosening the ground a little round the bunch with an iron fork with three prongs, each above thirteen inches long, and then pitch the fork under the top root and pry it up; a hand follows and lifts up the bunch, most of the peas adhering to it, and shakes the sand (dirt we have none) all off, and lays it out straight to cure like hay; when sufficiently cured, tie up in bundles the proper size for a cutting-box, and stow away for winter food for horses, cows, &c., than which there can be nothing better or more nutritious. I cut a bundle of pindars, peas, tops, leaves, and roots, and then a bundle of rice with the grain all on, and thus mix them together, to feed my workhorses, and milk-cows, and find them all doing better than on any food I have ever tried here. The pindars that are torn from the vine are partly left on the top of the ground, and can easily be picked up after a rain; I then turn the hogs in and they gather the balance, and fatten as finely on

two feet apart each way, which will cause them to grow in upright bunches, yielding more hay, and will be easier dug, and, I think, will probably yield as many peas.

For the last three weeks I have kept sixty sheep on five acres of sweet potatoes. They have eaten all the leaves and most of the vines, and have evidently improved very much. This does not hurt the potatoes, and the land gets all the benefit of the manure.

We had our first white frost on the 28th Octo

ber, but so very light as to hurt nothing; since which we have had no more, and probably will not before next full moon, 6th December. Last year our first frost was the 18th November, and very severe; in 1841, the same as this year. Last spring we had frost as late as 29th March. We do not generally have frost after the 10th Febru ary. We have had an unusual quantity of rain the past summer and fall, which injured our little crops here very much, particularly sweet potatoes on very level land.

The grape is about receiving that attention it so justly merits here, from a neighbor of mine who possesses the proper degree of energy, industry, and practical knowledge, (having spent his youthful days in the Rhenish vineyards,) to succeed with anything he attempts. He came here and settled in the woods last February, and has already ate grapes of his own raising; besides, he is a farmer in every other respect, and his improvements already, are well calculated to put us all to the blush. I trust his example will have a good effect on the whole neighborhood; we have needed such stimulus here bad enough. I have no doubt he has collected more manure, and made more compost for the benefit of his land, in the last nine months, than every man within nine miles of him has done in the last nine years. There are others, however, here, who are not neglecting entirely their agricultural interests. JOHN J. M'CAUGHAN. Palmetto Farm, Mississippi City, 24th November, 1843.

a similar, though somewhat remoter origin;
having been introduced into that country from
Morocco, by the Moors; these being direct de-
scendants of the Arabian ass. Though not pos-
sessing the larger size, they have more symmetry,
spirit, endurance, and intelligence, than the slow-
er and more unwieldy ass of other regions; and it
is from these races, and large, well-bred, roomy
mares, that the best mules in this country have
been produced. General Washington had a Mal-
tese Jack sent him from Marseilles, by La Fayette,
in 1787, which produced for him a valuable race
of mules; and from him and a Spanish Jennet, a
present from the king of Spain, he bred Compound,
a famous stock-getter. From these two Jacks,
were bred some of the best mules the country at
that time afforded. General Washington used his
best coach-mares for this purpose, and his judg-
ment in this practice was shown by the result.
After his decease, eight of his mules sold for up-
ward of $1,600. G. W. P. Custis, Esq., who in-
herited some of this stock, says: "As to my opin-
ion of the value of mules, I shall always appear
extravagant. I have scarce a horse on my estate
for agricultural purposes, nor would I accept of
one as a gift. Mules live longer, and eat less;
and by their strength, patient endurance of slender
pasturage, privation, and hardship, are better suit-
ed to our slaves than any other animal could pos-.
sibly be." This opinion is strongly corroborated
by an official report of a highly intelligent agricul-
tural committee in South Carolina, in 1824; which
reported, that "the annual expense of keeping a
horse was equal to his value; that a horse at four
years old would not often bring more than his
cost; that two mules could be raised at less ex-
pense than one horse; is fit for service earlier, and
if of sufficient size, will perform as much labor;
and if attended to when first put to work, his gait
and habits may be formed to suit the owner."

Published in the American Farmer, Vol. VII.

† I noticed in the stables of Dr. John A. Poole of New Brunswick, N. J., while on a visit to him last year, several very superior Jacks. Some were of the Spanish, some Maltese, and some native bred, and all excellent of

20

MULES FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES.

Mr. Pomeroy, who" used them near Boston for 30 years, and to such an extent as to have had more labor performed by them probably than any person in New England," says:

"The longevity of a mule is so proverbial, that a purchaser seldom inquires his age. Pliny mentions one 80 years old; and Dr. Rees, two in England that reached the age of 70. I saw one performing his labor in a cane-mill in the West Indies, which the owner assured me was 40 years old.

had in constant work for 21 years. She has often
within a year taken a ton weight in a wagon to
Boston, 5 miles, and manifests no diminution of
her powers. A neighbor has one 28 years old,
which he would not exchange for any horse in the
country. One in Maryland, 35 years old, is now
as capable of labor as at any former period."
Mr. Hood of Maryland, in the American Farm-
er, Vol. XII., estimates the annual expense of a
horse for 12 months, at $44.00, and that of a mule
at $22.00, just half price, and his working age at
more than twice that of the horse, and that too
after 30 years' experience in keeping both.

"I am convinced the small breed of mules will consume less in proportion to the labor they are capable of performing than the larger race, but II have now a mare-mule 25 years old, that I have shall confine myself to the latter in my comparison, such as stand 14 to 16 hands, and are capable of performing any work a horse is usually put to. From repeated experiments, I found that three mules of this description, which were constantly at work, consumed about the same quantity of hay, and only one fourth the provender which was given to two middling size coach-horses, only moderately worked. I am satisfied a large sized mule will not consume more than three fifths to two thirds the food to keep him in good order, that will be necessary for a horse performing the same labor. The expenses of shoeing a mule the year round, does not exceed one third that of the horse, his hoofs being harder, more horny, and so slow in their growth, that shoes require no removal, and hold on till worn out; and the wear from the lightness of the animal is much less.

"Mules have been lost by feeding on cut straw, and corn meal; in no other instance have I known disease in them, except by inflammation of the intestines, caused by the grossest exposure to cold and wet, and excessive drinking cold water, after severe labor, and while in a high state of perspiration. It is not improbable a farmer may work the same team of mules for 20 years without having a farrier's bill presented to him.

A correspondent of the Baltimore Patriot, asserts that "Col. John E. Howard had a pair of mules that worked 30 years, after which they were sold to a carter in the city, and performed hard service for several years longer. Many mules 25 years old, and now in this country, perform well. Many have been at hard work for 12 or 15 years, and would now sell for $100 each. They are not subject to the colt's ailments, the glanders, heaves, yellow water, and colic, like horses; and seldom are afflicted with spavin, ring-bones, or bots, and they will not founder."

Mr. Skinner mentions riding with General Shelby, of Kentucky, after a pair of his mules in harness, eight miles within the hour, without the use of whip. General Shelby says "he has known mules to travel 10 miles within the hour in light harness, and has himself driven a pair 40 miles in six hours, stopping an hour by the way."

Mr. Nathaniel Hart, Jr., of Kentucky, informs me, that he purchased for John F. Preston, Esq., brother of Mr. Senator Preston of South Carolina, four match mules from Major Shelby of Lexington, for $1,000. They were of course very superior animals, and made elegant coach-horses. Mr. Preston has driven these mules 80 miles in a single day without injury; and they proved a firstrate team for many years.

In my experience of 30 years, I have never found but one mule inclined to be vicious, and he might have been easily subdued while young. I have always found them truer pullers and quicker travellers, with a load, than horses. Their vision and hearing are much more accurate. I have used them in my family carriage, in a gig, and under the saddle; and have never known one to start or run from any object or noise, a fault in the horse that continually causes the maiming and death of numerous human beings. The mule is more steady in his draught, and less likely to waste his strength than the horse, hence more suitable to work with oxen, and as he walks faster, will habituate them to a faster gait. In plowing among Mr. Ellicott of the Patuxent Furnaces, says: crops, his feet being small and following eachOut of about 100 mules at the works, we have other so much more in a line, he seldom treads down the ridges or crops. The facility of instructing him to obey implicitly the voice of the driver is astonishing. The best plowed tillage land I ever saw, I have had performed by two mules tandem, without lines or driver. The mule is capable of enduring labor in a temperature of heat that would be destructive to a horse. Although a large mule will consume something over one half the food of a horse, yet the saving in shoeing, farrying, and insurance against diseases and accidents, will amount to at least one half. In addition, the owner may rely with tolerable certainty on the continuance of his mule capital for 30 years; whereas the horse owner must, at the end of 15 years, look to his crops, his acres, or a bank for the renewal of his.

not lost on an average one in two years. Bleeding at the mouth will cure them of nearly every disease, and by being turned out on pasture, they will recover from almost every accident. I do not recollect we have ever had a wind-broken one. They are scarcely ever defective in the hoof, and though kept shod, it is not as important as with the horse. Their skin is tougher than that of a horse, consequently, they are not as much worried by flies, nor do they suffer so much with the heat of summer."

To the foregoing testimony I may add that of the late Judge Hinckley of Northampton, Massachusetts; a shrewd and close observer through a long life, reaching to 84 years. He bred mules at an early day, and always kept a team of them for his farm work, much preferring them to horses for