CROPS. 237 



I particularly refer to this practice, for the purpose of bringing 

 before my readers an account of the experiment of John Keely, 

 of Massachusetts, illustrating the beneficial effects of ploughing 

 in a green crop as a preparation for a grain crop. To some of 

 my readers, I am aware, it will be familiar, as I published it, 

 some years since, in my first report of the Agriculture of Massa 

 chusetts ; but I must claim their indulgence, on account of other 

 of my readers, on both sides of the water, to whom it may not 

 be known, as the experiment seems to me of great importance, 

 and directly bearing upon the subject which I am now treating. 

 I shall abridge it as much as possible. 



&quot; The land on which this experiment was made lies on the 

 Merrimack River. The soil is a sand, approaching to loam as it 

 recedes from the river. It is altogether too light for grass. 

 Oats might probably be raised upon it to advantage, were it not 

 that the land is completely filled with the weed commonly called 

 charlock, (wild mustard,) which renders it unfit for any spring 

 crop, excepting such as can be hoed. The crops of rye, on the 

 neighboring soil of the same nature, vary from seven or eight to 

 twelve or thirteen bushels per acre, according to the cultivation 

 and their nearness to the river. 



u In the summer of 1827, we sowed three bushels of winter 

 rye, near the river, on about two acres of land, which produced 

 twenty-eight bushels. In 1828, we sowed four bushels on four 

 acres, running the whole extent of the plain from the river. 

 This piece was sowed in the spring with oats, but they were 

 completely smothered with charlock ; and about the middle of 

 June, the whole crop was mowed, to prevent the charlock seeding. 

 By the middle of August, a second crop of charlock having covered 

 the land, it was ploughed very carefully, in order completely to 

 bury the charlock, and then suffered to remain until the 15th of 

 September, when we began sowing the rye in the following 

 manner : A strip of land about twelve yards wide was ploughed 

 very evenly, to prevent deep gutters between the furrows, and 

 the seed immediately sowed upon the furrow and harrowed in ; 

 then another strip of the same width ; and so on, until the whole 

 was finished. We found the oat-stubble and charlock entirely 

 rotted, and the land appeared as if it had been well manured, 

 though none had been applied to this part, since it had been in 

 our possession. The rye sprung up very quickly- and vigorously. 



