Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1848-02-12
MnrftnffurHI.

Orchards may be Titled or
PIOugfaed.-En answer to the question
often asked, "whether orchards ought 10 he
ploughedr' we would reply ,l1at II is an old
and prevalent opinion that fruit trees Of ev.
cry kind arc improved and rendered better
by having the ground stirred round them.
in order 10 let IN the dew and air 70 their
roots. And, with this view, orchards have
often been titled for potatoes, gain, and
other crops, to which there are t~0 aarik'
ing objections; first, they require the light
oftbe sun, and win not we'll flourish under
the shade offrers; and second, that, being
eGhausting crops, they impoverish The soil
which IL so far injurious TO the apples, both
in quantity and quality. But che Jerusa.
lem Artichokes, (HetiaNtk0s yabSyosasO
which IL extensively cultivated on tbe baeks
Of The Rhine, rather prefers The shade, end
would therefore thrive we'll Under the trees,
and, so far from exhausting the land, will,
IL IL said, bear abundnnay for ten or more
yehrs In succession, without manure, even
upon poor soil. It has lsgen further sisted,
that il does not require much tiIling after
II has once been planted; for il IL only ne.
cessary 10 draw the tops out Of thc ground
when ripe, the rcrns iniDg roots being s0fi.
cient to produce the next yeAf's crop with.
out fresh setting, md thus they continue
from year to year Until they die Of old age.
All these properties seem 10 render this
plant suitable for orchards; the pulling IL
up will open the ground, Willie the avoid
ance Of digRine, after once set, will spare
tho roots Of the trees many d wound. Ii
also possesses the rare property Of absorb
ing nitrogen largely from the atmosphere,
which ia probably the reason Of Ifs thriving
SO well without manure, and consequently
improves the condition Of the soil. II is
planted in drills similar 10 potatoes, and,
like them, Its roots are employed for food
for man aud animals. It has befD Observ.
cd that orchards, when ploughed, often rap
idly advance 10 a certain point and then
ceaseto flourish; but this Is believed to be
caussd lily planting The trees too near each
other, and, lily ploBghidg between them,
hnrfies their roots towards each other, TN.
ill their Interference checks their future
gfowih The chief objection 10 ploughing
an orcbard n, that m ii billy country, hav,
ing a soil easily carried Of by water, such
q soil, If kept bare and hose, will, IN time
become sensibly diminished, where hori-
zonta1 throws are sufficient to remedy the
ev,L--American Agrtcuhnrist. .t
The British Sugar Colonies.
Never have predicl ions been more rapid.
" or more completely realized, than 10 the
case Of the British West India Colonies,
as regards the result ofthe system deman-
cipaiion that was 50 hastily and 50 unad.
wisely adopted by the mother country.
These. predictions were made, not only as
regards The future production and value Of
the Colonies, but also as regards the con.
dnion and relative comfort and happiness
ofthe negroes themselves.
Every one who has visited the Islands,
and, so far as we have read, all hose who
have written on the subject, unite in opin.
ion as 70 the.miserable condition ofthe ne.
groes, in veryrespect-that they are daily
becoming more idle, vicious and worthless,
and that their general moral deterioration,
Is both rapid and palpably visible.
As regards the ~pecuniary prospects of
these colonies, nothing can be more dis.
couraging.-The wailings Of the Jamaica
Planters for we more particularly allude
TO that large and important Island,) are
waited by every breeze to the mother coun
tfy, and have recently become 50 loud and
boisterous, that some persons have cnter-
tanned the opinion. that The idea Of reyoIu-
lion was contemplated by fhem. This,
however, is too absurd to be entertained
for a moment. The mere fact, that the
black population ouinumber The white il
The radio Of SIX to one land in some Of the
smaller colonies, IN a stil greater prspor.
tion,1 il at once an insfperable obstacle to
any movement Of the kind, 70 say nothing
oftheir helPlessDess. in other respects.
The recent memorial Of the Pfanfersto
the Home Government, though. couched
in strong and energetic language, has only
the object in view, Of obtaining relief from
the competition ofslaye-grown sugar. They
plainly state, that hey are unable to com
pete with slave labor, ii the c~nltivation.o 81
.ha cane-fhaf they ara r,sred IA