220 [Senate 



crops are the object, the manure should be plowed under and mixed 

 well with the soil. Some farmers are experimenting with lime. I 

 have, by way of experiment, made use of 2,000 bushels within four 

 years past, and I have concluded it does not benefit my farm, and I 

 shall give up the use of it until I can see some benefit resulting from 

 what I have applied. 



The soil of this county is so full of stones, and the surface so un- 

 even, that the cultivator, drill-barrow, press-harrow, &c. are seldom 

 used. The plow, common harrow, hoe, potatoe hook and hand rake 

 are the most important implements in raising and gathering the crops 

 here. The revolving horse-rake is used by some. Miner and Mor- 

 ton's plows, with but few exceptions, are the only plows used in this 

 county. In the year 1840, one of them was sent to Constantinople, 

 and the Sultan's Secretary of State ordered others to be made after the 

 same model, and expressed great satisfaction in his letter, which ran 

 thus: — " I am happy to have it in my power to express to you how 

 sensible we are of the philanthrophic spirit which dictated," &c. 

 (N. Y. Araerican, Nov. 28, 1840.) Their plows have taken pre- 

 miums in the states of Pennsylvania and Delaware. They have ta- 

 ken premiums at different times at the American Institute. In Oc- 

 tober last the first premium was awarded to Miner and Horton. 

 Their plows are sent to different parts of the United States, and se- 

 veral hundreds were sent to Mexico last spring, and one of them was 

 purchased by an Italian as a sample for his native country. 



The farmers have no particular rotation of crops, every farmer 

 following his own plan; but the most common rotation is corn, po- 

 tatoes and oats. Sometimes wheat or rye are sown after corn or 

 potatoes. Clover and timothy seeds are sown in the spring on the 

 wheat, oats, or rye, in every rotation. Manure, if applied at all, is 

 spread on the sod, and plowed under, except where wheat is sowed; 

 then the manure is applied to that crop; it is taken from the yard af- 

 ter it has lost half its substance by rain and evaporation, and spread 

 on the surface before sowing the wheat. The manure and wheat are 

 harrowed in together. 



We have all the varieties of timber suited to this climate, but the 

 most prevailing are walnut, chestnut and oak; we have a few of al- 

 most every species of evergreens, and many of the inhabitants are 

 planting groves about their houses. 



