2S0 [Senate 



jurious, and even distinctive in this region, to fall sown wheat, on all 

 our hill land, and even on all loanay land, however dry or deep the 

 soil. So extensive is the evil, that the attempt to raise a crop of 

 winter wheat in this region, except on a porous and gravelly soil, has 

 for the most part been abandoned. 



The question is often asked, what is the reason that we could when 

 the county was new, raise good winter wheat on any of our lands 

 and not suffer by the action of the frost, when now, on our deepest 

 and richest soil of loamy lanrl, it is almost invariably thrown out by 

 the action of that agent? This question, to ray mind, is not one of 

 difficult solution. At the time when our country was new, the whole 

 face of the earth was covered with a mold or muck produced from 

 the decayed leaves of the forest, and from the decayed herbage with 

 which the forests abounded. On the hills it was not deep, as much 

 of it was carried into the valleys by freshets from the melting snow, 

 and heavy rains; but sufficient remained to give a vigorous growth 

 to the young wheat plant, and to enable it to expand its roots strono-- 

 ly in it, and to penetrate into the soil below. 



This muck or natural topch-essing was spongy or porous, and did 

 not hold as much water by absorption, as loam or any other soil, and 

 the frost did not act upon it as it does on loam or clay soils, all of 

 which are more compact. Hence the wheat was never thrown out 

 of root by the action of the frost. Likewise when we first summer 

 fallowed our pasture lands, the construction of our plows was such 

 that we could not plow deep, so as to turn the muck and sod deeply 

 under; and the consequence was, that not only the native mold or 

 muck, but also that produced by the sward, remained on the surface 

 of the soil, or slighly incorporated with it, and was of a loose and 

 porous consistence on which the frost had only a slight action. At 

 the same time, this mold was the very best food to the roots of the 

 wheat plant, not being too strong like stable manure. 



Since that time, by the frequent plowing of the land, this mold 

 has been incorporated with the soil, and its vegetating qualities ex- 

 hausted by frequent cropping, and it now forms a part of the soil, 

 which has become more compact, and a given quantity holding more 

 water by absorption, than the same quantity of mold or muck would, 

 when placed on the surface; and consequently the action of the frost 

 produces a much greater expansion and uplifting, than it can do on 

 mold. Nor are the roots of wheat as much expanded or as strong- 

 ly set in the soil, as they are where the soil is covered with a coat 

 of rich mold. The question then recurs, can fall sown wheat be 

 successfully raised on old land in the regions where it flourished 

 when the lands were new, if the surface should be covered with 

 muck or mold 1 I maintain it can, and will give the result of my 

 observations. And first, many years since I knew a farmer in the 

 county of Saratoga to succeed well in cultivating the crop of fall 

 sown wheat, when his neighbors wholly failed and abandoned the 

 crop, by reason of its freezing out. This successful farmer prep red 

 manure from his barn yard, the straw, scrapings of the yard, &c. 

 and put these ingredients into compost heaps. He summer fallowed or 



