leaves and fstalks of the beans falling on it, the produce will be three barrels to the acre, on such land, as prior to this management, would not have produced more than one. This is aid to happen from the quick mouldering of the leaves and talks of the Jean plant, and its aptitude to minle and unite with the earth, without undergoing a fermentation. Thus he foil is yearly and gradually eniched, by this easy process of naure, without the labour and exence of accumulating animal and regetable matters, to undergo the telious operations of fermentation and putrefaction: by which, the diffolaion of those substances is effected, nd they fitted for manure, in the fual way.

Notwithstanding this extraordinay character of the eastern shore bean, am clearly of opinion, that our ommon corn field pea, is far prefeable to any thing that I have ever een tried for this purpose. Every armer who leaves his pea vines on he ground, and does not, in the ac uftomed manner, pull them up for adder, must often have observed, aat they quickly moulder and fall 3 pieces: furnishing a covering to me ground, which readily unites and lends with it, in the manner mentined of the bean.

If a piece of exausted land, fuffiiently level to prevent its washing way with the rain, be annually culivated in peafe-leaving the stalks nd leaves to moulder and crumble > pieces upon it-the ground will mprove beyond expectation, the rop of pease increasing every year, nd the foil becoming richer and icher, without any other manure. I as told by an eminent planter, that ground might by by this agement alone, be made rich nough to produce good tobacco. These hints, on the culture of the altern shore bean, and the improve ment of the land thereby, are related

oor

ma

from the best information I could get. If any gentleman, experimentally acquainted with it, would favour the public with a more ample account, it will, no doubt be well received, and be of utility. My principal defign, in this publication, is to affift the farmer as well as the naturalift, by pointing out the plant, and defcribing it so, that it may be diftinguished, with certainty, from all others. The eastern fhore bean, fo cailed from its being first cultivated there, is found in all parts of Virginia and Carolina; upon all forts of lands high and low, except where they are two wet. It has been mistaken, by fome, for the common tare or partridge-pea to which it bears fome resemblance, but is not the fame: It belongs to a different class of plants.

In defcribing this plant, I shali, first, consider the lovers of science, and give a botanical description, in such terms, as are most familiar to them; adding afterwards, for the farmer, a description and explanation, in English, as plain and easy as I possibly can. Being showed a row of these plants, in September (produced from feed procured by a neighbouring gentleman from the place of cul., tivation) fown in a drill, and then flowering and filling their pods, I immediately discovered it to be a plant that I had long been acquainted with; having collected, and fent it, with many others, before the war, to a profeffor of one of the European universities. Upon looking into my botanical catalogues, I find it defcribed and arranged in the decandria, or tenth class of Linnæus; in the monogynia, or first order of that class; in the genus, caffia; and it is that particular specie, to which he has given the specific name chamaæcrifla. Doctor Hill, in his Eden, paде 54. calls it golden caffia; and has exhibit ed a good engraving of it in his fifth plate, -fig, 5. L is mentioned

1

by Gronovius (in the collection made by the late mr, Clayton, of Virginia) in his flora Virginica, fol. 64. -caffia foliolis multijugatis, &c. It has been noticed by several other authors. In my catalogue it stands thus described:

Caflia chamæcrista Linnæi. Decan

dria, monogynia.

Radix annua fibrofa. Caulis sefquipedalis, erectus, teres, lævis, ramofus, coloratus. Folia alterna, pinnata, multijuga abrupta. Foliolis oppofitis, ovalibus, glaberrimis, aqualibus, cum forma et sensibilitati mimofæ foliis fimiliffimis. Stipulæ binæ laterales, erecte, lanceolata, acutæ. Glandula super medium tioli, în plantis majoribus, pedicellata. Pedumculus spatio fupra petiolum egrediur. Ab mense Augusti, ad finem æstatis floret: folis omnibus habitat, fed humidis maxime gaudet.

pe

the

The golden cassia or peacock flower, is an annual plant, the root and stalk dying every year. The root is small, confifting of fibres fof threads. The fiem is upright: in small plants, not more than eight inches hight but in richer ground, where level and moift, the ftem rifes to a foot and a half, or two feet a little crooked, round, fmooth, and coloured; branching out at the other part, and bearing many flowers, standing on bending foot-ftalks, fcattered all over main ftem and branches. The petals or flower-leaves, are five; of a fine golden colour, with ten male stamina, or threads in the middle, crowned with antheræ, or buttons, of red and purple colour. These filaments, fomewhat resembling the creft or plumage on the head of a peacock, have led some botanifts to name it' christa pavonis, or peacock-flower; but the plant we here treat of, being a smaller species, they have added chamæcrifta pavonis, or dwarf peacock-flower; by which latter name the reader may call it, if he pleases,

In the middle of the ten male fila ments above mentioned, will be readily observed, another fingle thread or style; which is the female part of the flower producing the feed-veffel, or bean; each pod containing a fingle row of black shining feeds, fixed to the upper future, or back feam of the bean. These seeds are nearly flat, four-cornered, and not in the leaft refembling a bean or pea. The partridge-pea may be easily dillinguished from this, by colour, and thape: The latter is brown and kidney-shaped. The leaves are pinnated or winged (like the locuff, fenna, patrridge-pea, &c.) and grow alternately from the stem, on a flender foot-stalk which has a smali gland, or wart, placed upon the middle of every one; and thefe glands, upon the larger plants, are elevated on 1 pedicle, or short-talk, confpicuous to the naked eye, At the base of every foot-stalk, upon the flem, are found two very small upright spearpointed leaves, called ftipula; which, by the help of of a glafs, appear to be hairy. The small leaves are placed oppofitely, on the midrib, to the number of twenty pair, or more: oval shaped, smooth, ending in an even number; in shape and sensibility, resembling the leaves of the mimol, or fenfitive-plant. They shut up al night, and expand in the morning, until through age, they lose this fensibility. Frequent shaking, or funk ing with the hand, will caufe then to shut up; and in like manner, when gathered, they cannot be carried far, before they collapse. So that of the botanist wants to preferve the leaves expanded in horto ficco, he must enclose the plant, when gather ed on the spot, with as gentle a mo tion as

poffible.

1

The month of O&ober being the feafon for gathering the feed, leaves then falling off) the farmer will readily find the plant, upon forts of ground, among the weten and even broom-ftraw old fields; and will eafily diftinguish it, by the brown colour of the pods, and the redness of the stalk. Let it be pulled up by the roots, dried on a cloth in the fun, and then threshed out with a flick, and preserved in a bag, hung up in a dry place, until the season for fowing it with oats.

PHILO BOTANICES. Dinwidde, (Virginia) Oct. 1787.

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Avaluable, cheap, and cafily procured winter food for cattle.

AS

Seconomy is among the first objets of a farmer, he ought to be informed of every mean and method that is in his power to gain advantage by it.

Among many others, one is here fuggested, which is conftantly practifed in Germany with success. In that country, the pummice, from the cyder press, is dried and housed. In the winter, a proportion of it is boiled in a kettle in three times the quantity of water; and, when cool, is given to horfes, oxen, cows, and young cattle; who greedily drink the liquor, and eat the feeds, ftraw, and bruised apple, (or pear, where perry is made) which is increased by boiling. This food is foon very grateful, and in an eafy method supplies stomachs with an healthy and useful acid.

their

hedge rows, by running a plough in lines, and strewing and burrying it, in order to form living fences, and thereby dividing large inclosures, in a short time, into smaller.

J

Settlers, in new countries, are too apt to forget the great profit which might accrue to themselves by these hedges; nothing would more tend to remind them on this subject, than for perfons in poffeflion of cydermills, to preferve apple and pear feeds for them, by the common method of throwing the pummice into a tub of water, and by stirring, separate the feeds which will fink to the bottom, while the bruised apple and the straw are taken from the furface, and spread either for drying, or converted to the common uses.

Thus, certain persons being poffeffed of quantities of feed, the adventur ers would be easily supplied, and the country greatly benefited.

On raising potatoes.

Senderlyin

O many experiments have been

to

as an

various parts of this continent, in the past summer, by planting, potatoes under straw, old hay, fea-weed, eelgrass, &c. on grafs grounds, that it is recommended the public object juflly deserving attention, particularly from all who live in the neighbourhood of the sea shore, where, during the winter, large quantities of this useful covering are constantly thrown up, and as conftantly lost or left useless.

As potatoes are frequently given to fatten hogs, in this method of planting, they may easily get them, by being fuffered to root them up themselves for an hour each day. A longer time is liable to fatiate, and leave them at liberty to destroy more than they eat; this has been paraised to profit in the common method of planting in the earth,

IT T is necessary, in the first place, for those who wish to plant cotton with advantage, to take the early part of the year for preparing the foil; which is best done by hoeploughing, or laying the ground in Imall ridges or potatoe hills, which prevents the foil throwing out a crop of weeds, and gives double vigour to the powers of vegetation. The months of May, June, or July, are the best seasons in Jamaica for planting; and when the rain has penetrated the ground, to the depth of twelve inches, there is every chance of fucceeding in getting the plants so strong as to resist the dry season, until the October rains.

I recommend immersing the feeds in water for twelve hours before plant ing them, as they may fooner come up and get strength, than by putting them in the ground in their dry state. The feeds so immersed, separate, part sink and part swim; the heaviest are to be beft depended on. The diftance of the plant should be three feet in the line, and eight feet separate between such lines, I find, when so close, the trees are better protected from the the dry weather, the ground being sheltered by their foliage; something resembling the old stile of

cut fences.

When the plants arrive at the height of fixteen inches, they are then to be topped; a dry day must be chofen for that purpose; and about an inch of the uppermost part of the plant is lopped off, as well as of the principle branches. This operaration produces a number of branches

to protrude from the principal flem, and spreads the tree, without permit ting it to run into high wood. At this time the cotton ought to be hilled up, and as strong a moulding given as will secure it in an erect fituation, When the autumnal rains commence, it will be necessary to top all the trees that have grown above four feet in height, and reduce them all to one elevation, permitting the branches that spread horizontally to enjoy that fituation uninjured. Cotton fhould never be permitted to rife highet than fix feet, as the pods, in their green state, form a great weight, and are broken down, if too tall, by every breeze. Whenever the crop ends, cut all down within two feet of the ground, and treat the ratoon, in the autumn, in the same manner is before directed.

it faves ves the great

When the season for picking ar rives, the whole attention ought to be directed to gathering it. Take none but what is fully open and dry: never intrude on the half opened pod. The wool should be pen dant, and in a flate of complete fe paration; so taken, labour of whipping, which is a tedi ous process, and injures the feed. The wool should be laid under cover, in order to dry the feed. When brought to the gin, it should be es posed to the sun; for the drier it is the more easily will it pass the m chine.

The gin, the great article of bour, ought to be so conftructed as 10 give great effect to its mechanism, Three pair of rollers may be worked longitudinally with the fame wheel; two negroes driving and three feeding such a gin, should clear one hun dred and eighty pounds weight a day with ease.

When the caterpillars attack the cotton, in the early part of the year, they may be permitted to fly off unmolested; but if they come when the tree begins to blossom, they must b deftroyed, or they destroy the crop. If the land is clear, fimply shaking them off the tree will be sufficient; as the ants will kindly take the part of the planter, and prevent their return. But if the ground is full of weeds, they must be killed as you take them. The red fly is a conflant companion of the cotton in opening, but feldom does much mischief, except by foiling the wool.

When once cotton is established, a crop of corn may be always taken along with it, without injury. It should be great corn, if poffible, as that is taken in before the tree begins to bloffom.

A

Advantages of preserving parsnips by drying. By the rev. J. Belknap. MONG the number of efculent roots, the parsnip has two fingular good qualities. One is, that it will endure the severest froft, and may be taken out of the ground in the spring, as fresh and sweet in autumn; the other is, that it may be preserved, by drying, to any defired length of time.

as

The firft of these advantages has been known for many years palt; the people in the most northerly parts of New England, where winter reigns with great severity, and the gound is often frozen to the depth of two or three feet for four months, leave their parsnips, in the ground till it thaws in the spring, and think them much better preserved than in cellars.

The other advantage never occurred to me, till this winter, when one of my neighbours put into my hands a substance which had the appearance of a piece of buck's horn. This was part of a parsnip, which had been drawn out of the ground last. April, and had lain neglected in a dry clofet for ten months. It was fo hard, as to require confiderable strength to force a knife through it cross-wife;

but being foaked in warm water, for about an hour, became tender; and was as sweet to the taste, as if it had been fresh drawn from the ground.

As many useful discoveries owe their origin to accident, this may suggest a method of preferving fo pleasant and wholesome a vegetable for the use of seamen in long voyages, to prevent the scurvy and other diforders incident to a fea-faring life, which is often rendered tedious and destressing for want of vegetable food: fince I am perfuaded that parsnips, dried to fuch a degree, as above related, and packed in tight cafks, may be transported round the globe without any loss of their flavour or diminution of their nutritive quality.