98 [Senate 



the man who manages his farm well, can scarcely fail to do well in 

 the world. It is true the reward of labor must in a great measure 

 be dependant on circumstances, such as the quality of the soil or ease of 

 culture, suitableness for particular crops, position in regard to markets, 

 &c., but wherever the good farmmanager is placed, improvement and 

 eventual profit follow in his footsteps. The well managed farm may 

 not be productive of as great profit in Missouri or Iowa, as in the vi- 

 cinity of New-York or Philadelphia; but compared with those around 

 it, no matter where it may be, a striking advantage will always be 

 found in its favor. To manage a farm well, requires intelligencej 

 forethought, an acquaintance with the various methods of agri- 

 culture; well directed economy, not stinted or parsimonious; and 

 above all, persevering industry. It is evident, therefore, that good 

 husbandry does not come by instinct, but must result from experi- 

 ence, observation, reflection, and a knowledge of what has been done 

 by others. The necessity of this knowledge, will be seen at once, 

 when we remember that the inquirer after agricultural truth may 

 spend a life in experiments, and at the same time not advance a sin- 

 gle step beyond the point reached by hundreds before him; whereas, 

 had he been acquainted with their labors, that point would have been 

 his starting place; and his advance in that case, a decided gain. To 

 point out some of the things likely to interest and aid the farmer 

 who aspires to manage his farm well, will be the object of this Essay, 



The soils most suitable for farming purposes, are those in which 

 sand preponderates, and which; when combined with decayed vege- 



. table and animal matters, form a friable loam. Such are proper 

 for most crops; are cultivated with ease, and kept fertile with little 

 difficulty. Heavy soils, or those in which clay preponderates, are fre- 

 quently rich and productive, particularly for wheat and clover, if the 

 subsoil is of the right character, or sufficiently porous to prevent all 

 stagnant water about the roots of plants. But whatever may be the 

 character of the surface soil, whether light or heavy, it cannot be fit 

 for the culture of crops, so long as a retentive and impenetrable sub- 

 soil prevents the escape of surface or spring water, and exposes the 

 roots of the plants to the poisonous influence of water having little or 

 no motion. The first step, therefore, in the management of a farm, is 

 to fit it for the production of crops. This is done, if too light, by the 

 addition of clay marls, or even common clay; if too heavy or wet, by 



