SOLON ROBINSON, 1849 229 



seers, and even negroes, that he would ruin his land, 

 break up himself, and be ready to sell out, after trying 

 his "new-fangled notions" a year or two. Besides his deep 

 plowing, which, it was thought by some persons, would 

 destroy the fertility of the soil, he has made a good deal 

 of use of the subsoil plow; and the amount of ditching 

 which he has done is very great; but his increased crops 

 will soon pay the expense. His crop of corn, last year, 

 upon 600 acres, averaged thirty-one bushels ; but he aims 

 at an average of forty-five. The usual average, upon 

 upland, will not exceed fifteen, and forty bushels is con- 

 sidered a great crop, even on the swamp lands upon Trent 

 River; so says the elder Mr. Burgwin. To show the enor- 

 mous increase of manure, I will state that he hauled out, 

 last year, upwards of 3,000 four-horse, or ox loads; this 

 is spread broadcast and plowed in. His crop sold, the 

 same year, from the labor of fifty hands, (besides ditch- 

 ing, manuring, and other improvements, and making all 

 supplies of bread and meat, and part of the clothing for 

 the people,) was 10,000 bushels of corn, at 45 cents, and 

 3,000 bushels of wheat, at 90 cents. The wheat, last year, 

 averaged, upon 270 acres, twelve bushels ; and upon fifty 

 acres of that which alone was limed, the average was 

 twenty-two bushels — more than paying for liming in the 

 first crop. 



His growing crop, when I was on the place, was 450 

 acres of wheat, 350 corn, 520 clover, upon which he keeps 

 an hundred head of cattle, and hogs unnumbered. He 

 had, last year, however, 24,000 pounds of pork, which 

 was mostly fatted upon "wild potatoes," peas, pumpkins, 

 clover, and soft corn. The crops upon each of the other 

 plantations, are upon nearly the same scale. 



The Messrs. Burgwin give it as their opinion, that a 

 planter cannot expend money in any way, with such a 

 certainty of making an hundred per cent, upon the ex- 

 penditure, as in the purchase of lime, plaster, and clover 

 seed. If it is objected that they have no facilities to ob- 

 tain it, let them remember that these gentlemen had none 



