122 



THE PARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



dom ; he sees from the small seeds put into the 

 ground, the rapid vegetation tliat takes place ; and 

 he watches with dclTghl, tlie diflVront gradations 

 from the first budding until its arrival at maturity. 

 How pleasing and deeply interesting must he the 

 anticipations of the farmer who looks forward to 

 the reaping of a full harvest, after the spring's toil 

 is over, ifut when these bright anticipations have 

 been fully realized, his Iiarvost reaped, and secur- 

 ed in his barn, how truly grateful sliould he he to 

 Him who made the eartb, and caused it to bring 

 forth its fruit; 'Paul and Apollos may water, hut God 

 alone can give the increase.' And, fellow citizens," 

 fear not, if you do your duty, that this increase 

 will be given. The farmer Who carefully pre- 

 pares his land for the reception of his seeds, 

 puts them into the ground at the proper season ; 

 cultivates them with industry, skill, and judgment, 

 will never fail to be abundantly compensated for 

 his labor, by a plentiful harvest. Of this we have 

 a divine assurance in the promise that seed time 

 and harvest shall not fail. 



The best product to be selected for seed. 

 The Farmer's labors abundautly repaid. 

 One of the greatest secrets of successful faini- 

 ing is the preparation of your grounds, for the re- 

 ception of seeds and plants. Plough deep and 

 pulverize your lands well, but be careful nut to 

 plough when the ground is wet. This causes ma- 

 ny soils to bake and renders them unproductive. 

 You will always find the successful farmer careful 

 in the selection of his seed ; never sow, or plant 

 inferior grain : I have found much advantage in 

 halving a small granary in my corn-crib, and rc- 

 tuiring the feeder of my stock to select the best 

 e-.irsof corn, and put them by for seed; in this way 

 the best grain is reserved for the next year's crop. 

 Tlie same rule will hold good in regard to roots, 

 and small grain crops. In tlie fall of the year when 

 the farmer is putting away his vegetables to be 

 kept over winter, it is not unfrequently the case, 

 tluit he selects his largest and best potatoes, beets, 

 parsnips, carrots, &c., to feed his stock, or for cul- 

 inary purposes, laying by at the same time the 

 small and inferior products for planting. This 

 practice, experience has proved to be unwise and 

 should be abandoned by all who are aiming at im- 

 piovements. But shall it be said that the prices 

 which agriculturists receive for their products will 

 not justify this extraordinary care in husbandry .' 

 Surely not, for if the farmer's returns be small, 

 more careful culture is necessary on his part. But 

 are not the labors of the linsbandman abundantly 

 repaid ? Is there any occupation in our country 

 which brings a more certain and ample compensa- 

 tion for the time and capital employed, than the 

 cultivation of tlie earth in the fertile valley of the 

 Miamies, and indeed throughout the whole west- 

 ern country ? For the sake of illustration let us 

 refer to a few facts connected with the agriculture 

 of this particular district. I will not go into par- 

 ticulars, but give the average products and the pri- 

 ces which they bear, and from these every one may 

 draw his own conclusions. Were I in Kentucky, 

 my native State, I would begin with the Indian 

 corn, but as I am in Ohio, my adopted home, where 

 we prefer the wheaten cake to the Indian pone, I 

 will commence with the grain that produces the 

 staff of life, and say that the well prepared field, if 

 the season is suitable, will produce 2o bushels of 

 wheat per acre, worth at this time one dollar per 

 bushel ; of rye 30 to 35 bushels may readily be pro- 

 duced, worth seventy to seventy jive cents; bar- 

 ley 40 to 45 bushels, worth fifty-five to sixty-five 

 cents per bushel ; oats 40 bushels, worth at this 

 time fifty cents per bushel; of Indian corn an av- 

 eracie crop in our best lands 60 bushels worth now 

 sixty-two and a half per bushel: and potatoes 300 

 bushels, worth commonly fifty cents, now worth 

 one dollar twenty-five cents per bushel ; of hay, 

 bottom lands will produce on an average two tons, 

 upland one and a half tons, worth this season fif- 

 teen dollars per ton, average price about twelve dol- 

 lars ; beets, parsnips, turnips, and carrots may be 

 raised in great abundance, and the finuer finds a 

 ready market for all the above articles, at the a- 

 bove ])riccs. But this is not all, he has Ills pasture 

 lands, and tliey, well stocked with beautiful cattle, 

 of the most improved breeds ; he has his i\nc hors- 

 es calculated for the drauglit and the saddle ; his 

 flocks of sheep and his droves of hogs, all reared 

 and matured on his own farm ; and for all them he 

 finds a cash market in our flourisiiing city at fine 

 prices. Added^to which, labor is abundant, and at 

 moderate prices. The superior productiveness of 

 the lands in this region will appear by contrasting 

 them with some of the richest and. best cultivated 

 farms in the Slate of Pennsylvania. By reference 

 to an essay in the American Farmer, published 

 June, 1636, written by a gentleman whose accura- 



cy and knowledge of, the subject cannot be ques- 

 tioned, it appears that the average produce per a- 

 cre of the lands in the enunties of Lancaster, York, 

 and Franklin, does not exceed l.j bushels of wheat, 

 20 of rye, 30 of Indian corn, 100 of potatoes, and 

 from one to one and a half tons of grass.- — 

 This has been the average ]iroduct since the year 

 1700, and the expectation of material increase is 

 far from being flattering. 



More consumers than producers. Thor- 

 ough tilling Avill increase production. 



Tills reminds me of another branch of this sub- 

 ject, which I will here introduce ; we have too ml- 

 ny consumers for the number of producers, in oth- 

 er wor''s our agricultural products are not suffieient 

 fertile consumption of our country, and to supply 

 the foreign demand which is made on us. See tlie 

 immense amount of bread stuffs, and grain we 

 were forced to import for our own consumption in 

 1836 and 1837, from /ore ign nations; and in the 

 present year, when there is likely to be a foreign 

 demand for grain, we have little or none to spare. 

 This proves, fello-w citizens, that our farming in- 

 terest is neglected to a certain extent. That por- 

 tion of our country now under cultivation is capa- 

 ble of producing, by a judicious and proper mode 

 of farming, from 25 to 33 per cent, more than the 

 present yield ; the great mistake of our farmers, is 

 an attempt to cultivate more land than they are ca- 

 pable of doing well. On^ acre of land thoroughl}' 

 tilled, will produce more than two acres badly cul- 

 tivated ; too much dependence is frequently plac- 

 ed on the strength and fertility of the soil. No 

 matter now rich the land, careful cultivation is ne- 

 cessary to bring out its power and reward to its ful- 

 lestextent the labors of the husbandman. 



The richest lands must be manured. 



It is too often considered useless by our West- 

 earn farmers to manure their rich lands. This is 

 a great mistake ; the products oftho fine, beauti- 

 ful, and fertile meadow lands, in this immediate 

 vicinity, I mean the Mill Creek bottoms, rich as 

 they are, to my own knowledge, they have been 

 doubled within three years by the addition of i 

 good covering of stable manure each season ; it al- 

 so greatly improves the land and increases their 

 yield of corn, small grain and vegetables of all 

 Kinds. 1 know of no labor bestowed on a farm that 

 returns abetter profit than that wlilcli is expended in 

 the saving and spreading of iiianiue upon the cul- 

 tivated grounds. Meadow lands near our city, or 

 in the immediate vicinity of the Ohio river, the ca- 

 nals or other navigable streams, are becoming of 

 much value, and must increase as our population 

 grows. Hence the importance, not only of keep- 

 ing up -these lands, but improving them ; and no 

 matter how rich or how deep the soil, if you con- 

 tinue from year to year, taking ofl' the crops a'nd 

 return nothing to it, in time you will render it ster- 

 ile. But if you pursue a prudent and judicious 

 eource, you may increase and render perpetual the 

 fertility of your fields. This will apply to your 

 arable as well as pasture and meadow lands. But 

 great care should be taken in your method of cul- 

 tivation, as I have before stated ; one essential mat- 

 ter is deep ploughing ; another no less important 

 is to plough your hilly or rolling lands, upon the 

 horizontal plan. If these two points are strictly 

 attended to, yoir will prevent them from wa*Iilng, 

 ;ind receive tlie full benefit of any manure you may 

 put on it. Rotation in crops, is also another im- 

 pr.rtant matter; corn should not be cultivated more 

 than two vears in succession on the same field, nor 

 indeed any otlier kind of grain. On small grain, 

 sow the red clover; mow or graze that two or even 

 three years^; turn the fall crop under in Sej)tem- 

 ber or October, and if you wish small grain again, 

 sow on this land, and the succeeding fall will i>re- 

 sent a better field of clover tliau it was when 

 ploughed in. But sliould vou wish to put the fii Id 

 in corn, by ploughing in the fall crop you greatly 

 enrich your land, and also destroy the egg that 

 ~l)roduces the cut-worm, which is found so dcstruc-* 

 tlve to corn planted in clover lands, plonglud up in 

 the spring. In this matter, gentlemen, 1 speak 

 from experience. By this method of farming, your 

 lands v/iU be constantly fresh and productive, in- 

 deed they will increase iii richness and fertility. 

 The red clover I consider, as one among the most 

 valuable grasses in our country. No grass v;itliin 

 my knowledge, makes so rich and nutricious a hay 

 for neat cattle, as the clover, if cut when in full 

 flower, cured quickly, with the least possible use of 

 tlie rake or fork, and mowed away with about half 

 a bushel of salt to the ton. This obviates the ne- 

 cessity of giving salt in another way, to your stock. 

 For horses, the timothy hay is generally jirefijrred. 

 I would also recommend the salting of timothy hay 

 in the stack or mow. As a grazing grass, I know 



of none equal to the spear grass (improperly cal- 

 led in the 'West; blue grass.) Though I have found 

 that a mixture of red clover, spear grass, and tim- 

 othy, made the best pastures ; and, when sowed 

 together, more effectually than any other, protect- 

 ed the roots from the intense heat of the sun, v/liich 

 is as injurious at some seasons, and ruinous to vey- 

 etation, as it is at others necessar.y and important 

 to its vitality. Much ground is often wasted and 

 unoccupied for the want of a sulliciency of seed 

 being sown upon it. Tlie thicker your grass grows, 

 the longer will the soil retain moisture, and conse- 

 quently the better guarded against such a season 

 as the present has been. 



This reasoning, I consider quite as applicable to 

 the crops of small grain as to the grasses. I think 

 the quantity of wheat, rye and oats sown general- 

 ly upon the acre, too small .Of wheat not less than 

 one and a half bushels is necessary ; of rye about 

 the same quantity; and of oats from two to three 

 bushels, agreeably to the quality of ground. The 

 last season I had three bushels sown to an acre, 

 and have never reaped a greater harvest. 



Attention to timber lands. 



I would also earnestly recommend my agrieiil-. 

 tural friends to be more saving and economical of 

 their fine timber trees, indeed of all their trees, 

 whether for fuel or lumber purposes. The time is 

 not distant when lumber will be of great value in 

 this neighborhood ; and instead of rutting down 

 and clearing the lands, intended for pasture 

 grounds, why not pursue the plan, that the intelli- 

 gent farmers of Kentucky have adopted :' They 

 clear up all the under-brush, fallen timber, and 

 such scrubby and useless trees as are not likely to 

 become valuable, leaving the fine thrifty trees 

 standing. In these open woods they sow grass 

 seed, and in a short time have beautiful woodland 

 pastures, which pay them a handsome interest on 

 the value of the land otherwise useless and un- 

 profitable. Many of them are also cultivating the 

 black locust tree, with much advantage. This 

 course may be strongly recommended to the farm- 

 ers of the Miami Valley. It is known perhaps to 

 many of you that no seed is more difficult to veg- 

 etate than the locust, in the common progress of 

 nature. But from an easy and simple process this 

 seed may be made to vegetate and grow as quick 

 and rapidly as the Indian corn. I will give my 

 own experience on this point. I put about one 

 quart of tlie clean seed into a stone jar and teemed 

 over them boiling \vater, which was suffered to re- 

 main some two or three minutes; it was then turn- 

 ed oft" and warm water put to the seed, and thus 

 left for thirty-six hours in a warm room ; then plan- 

 ted in freshly prepared land,, about the 15tli of 

 Ma}', and in f"our days time the young plants were 

 up and visible at a considerable distance from the 

 rov*'. I doubt not that this timber may be cultivat- 

 ed to great profit ; the locust thus will grow on 

 land not suitable for cultivation, and the spear- 

 grass will grow finely and afford good pasture a- 

 mong them, if ]ilanted at the distance of six or 

 eight feet apart. This is not tlieoretical ; it is in 

 full and successful practice in many parts of Ken- 

 tucky, and I hope soon to see it commenced in our 

 own "rich and beautiful country. 



Importance of improved breeds of Cattle, 

 Sheep and Swine. 



But, gentlemen, tliere are other branches of hus- 

 bandry besides tliat of the products of the soil, 

 which claim our attention. One of these will readi- 

 ly occur to your minds, when you cast your eyes 

 upon (he fine animals brought here for exhibition, 

 and as competitors for the, premiuins of the Socie- 

 ty, We can boast of as good specimens of file late 

 improved breed of Short Horn Durham Caltlo as 

 ran be fouWd in the United States ; and 1 have no 

 hesitation in saying that this is the finest breed of 

 cattle in existence. It may be asked in wiiat does 

 their peculiar excellence consist .^ to v.'hlch -I can 

 reply from practical experience, (having handled 

 many of them for the last five years,) their aptness 

 to fatten, their eaily maturity, large size, and su- 

 perior beef, and milking qualities, not omitting' 

 their docility, beauty and Syinuietry of f'orui. The 

 Durham Bullock at ft,iur years old, is better than 

 the common tireed can be made at any age, and 

 this too with the same amount of food, and same 

 kind of treatment. As yet, however, the price of 

 these animals is quite too great to justify their use 

 for the common purjioses of beef and milk; but 

 the crosses on the common stock of the country, 

 are found to be most advantageous ; and I would 

 recommend every able farmer to furnish himself 

 with this breed of cattle; and that a few neighbors 

 unite, when it is not convenient for each to have 

 an animal of his own, in the purchase of a full 

 blooded one. Great credit, I think, is due to one 



