PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 131 



lately visited what were known as the Barrens of Long Island, 

 and had found the crops, notwithstanding the drought, in a green 

 and flourishing state. He coincided with the view taken by Dr. 

 Peck, that before many years shall have elapsed, these lands will 

 be cleared off and cultivated. Within the last fifteen years, 

 hundreds of acres have been cleared off, and wherever they are 

 properly cultivated the crops look well. 



Dr. Peck. — Probably the only remedy we have, without resort- 

 ing to irrigation, is through deep tillage. The soils in this region, 

 south of the Highlands, and within fifteen or twenty miles of the 

 sea shore, never need to suffer, with proper tillage, if thoroughly 

 plowed and subsoiled or trenched to the depth of not less than 

 18 or 20 inches. Keep the surface of the earth stirred, so that 

 the atmosphere may thoroughly permeate it, and the drought 

 will have little effect. As to the Long Island soils, it had been 

 twenty years since he had brought up the subject before the 

 Farmer's Club as a matter of public interest ; saying, then, that 

 he could see no reason why they should not be cultivated. The 

 event has proved not only that they are well worthy of cultiva- 

 tion, but that they will stand a drought as well as any other 

 region in the State. For twenty years successively, he had 

 visited Hempstead Plain, with a view to observe the effects of 

 drought upon that soil. When in other places the corn leaves 

 were rolling up from the drought, going by railroad to Hempstead 

 Plain, he would invariably find the corn green and luxuriant. 

 There is not now a single, sign of drought in that whole region, 

 while there has been no more rain there than here. And there 

 has not been a drought there within the memory of man. 



The Chairman stated his experience in Maryland, in 1841, when 

 he had raised the only crop of corn in the neighborhood, in con- 

 sequence of deep plowing and constant cultivation. His neigh- 

 bors only plowed, as is customary there, about 3 or 3-| inches 

 deep. 



Mr. Robinson suggested that, that was probably twice as deep 

 as they really plowed. In measuring the deptli of plowing, if 

 we measure from the top to the bottom of the furrow, as turned 

 up, we shall make it nearly twice as deep as it really is. 



Dr. Peck recommended the old method of plastering corn, 

 throwing in a teaspoonful to the hill, two or three times in the 

 season. The sea air does not, as is sometimes supposed, destroy 

 the effect of plaster. 



