40 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



laid. In tliis way he would cover up all the vegeta- 

 ble matter h liic'h was on tin- siirlUcc, thai it may 

 be effectually excludi-d from the air ; and tlie pro- 

 gress of decomposition go on with as little waste 

 of Bubstance as possible. The proper depth of 

 ploughing is a matter of controversy. Earl Stinip- 

 son, of Galway, in New York, one of tile most suc- 

 cessful farmers in tiie country, ploughs not more 

 than three inches. He does not approve this shal- 

 low ploughing. He has tried it and was unsuc- 

 cessful. He now ploughs from six to eight inches 

 in depth, wliere the depth of soil admits of it. Me 

 goes as deep as the loam, but objects to bringing to 

 the surface tlie subsoil. He disapproves mucli of 

 what is called the 'cut and cover' system of plough- 

 ing. He would have tlie whole surface coTuplele- 

 ly inverted and well cultivatc'd. This thorougli and 

 careful ploughing gives a better result. F'armers 

 fail more often in ploughing than in any other ag- 

 ricultural operation. If it is not done well at first, 

 it is difficult afterwards to correct tlie faults or rem- 

 edy deficiencies. i{ patches of sward are left un- 

 touched by tlie plough; he causes them to be turn- 

 ed by the hoe. He straitens his furrows, and is 

 careful to leave every thing smooth. At the time 

 of ploughing, these corrections can be made at the 

 saving of a quarter of the labor which would be re- 

 quired to acconiplisli it afterwards. After tliis is 

 done, he is careful to pass over his fields with a rol- 

 ler and completely settles the furrow so as to cover 

 up all the vegeiable matter which was on tlie land. 

 The difference between this and the usual mode of 

 plougliing is very striking in its results. Tlie rol- 

 ler he considers indispensable. If the land is not 

 rolled, the grass will not grow uji through the fur- 

 rows, and the sward will not be rotted. His crops 

 sometimes reach thirty or forty bushels per acre. 

 He iias sometimes obtained tiiese crops without 

 manure. On these light lands, if he can have but 

 one, he prefers a roller to manure. He considers 

 grass on tiiese light lands as the most valuable crop, 

 and indispensable to their improvement ; and with- 

 out tlie use of a roller it would be difficult to bring 

 them into grass. 



He thought too much stress was laid upon the 

 benefit to be derived from hoeing corn. \Vhen' 

 there was uo weeds, he preferred passing a liarrow 

 among tlie corn to hoeing, esp(jcially on the ac- 

 count of saving time. He iiarrows iiis corn once 

 in four days, alternately eacli way if the weatlier 

 admits of it. The growth of the corn by this pro- 

 cess is very rapid. Wliere corn is hilled, it requir- 

 ed two or three days to recover itself from the in- 

 jury of tlie hoe or plougli. The admission of liglit 

 and air is most important. Some persons doubt 

 whether light has any agency in respect to the crop. 

 After three or four days of cloudy weather, any 

 one may observe the tops of the forest trees btcoiiie 

 yellov.'. After a bright sun, the appearance will be 

 changed. The effect of excluding light in bleach- 

 ing the celery plant, every one knows. The stir- 

 ring the eaith around cabbage plants, a fact with 

 which every farmer is familiar, quickens their 

 growth in a remarkable manner; and this from 

 breaking the crust which ibrnis on the surface af- 

 ter rains or dews, and without any reference to the 

 eradication of weeds. The ope'ning, there, of the 

 surface of the ground to the access of light and air, 

 when it is not stirred, checlis the grov.'th of" 

 tlie plant. This crust must be broken, and tliis may 

 be dope b}' the harrow iiioreefiectnally than by tiie 

 hoe, and at a tenth part of the expense. Weeds 

 must not, of course, be suffered among growing 

 crofts, but the loosening of the surface is a matter 

 upon which too miicli stress cannot be laid. Some 

 persons advise at the first hoeing to take away the 

 earth from tiie hill and supply fresh earth. He does 

 not know tlie ad/antage of this. I'he hilling <if 

 corn is not approved by Mr. Clark. In tlie account 

 given of hilling, in Dr. Hartwell's crop, lie does 

 not perceive any decisive evidence of its advantage. 

 Corn throws out many lateral shoots ; these are al- 

 ways near the surf'ace ; here tiie roots find their 

 principal nourishment. No advantage can come 

 from burying these roots by liilling. The roots of 

 the corn will cover tiie whole surface if'sulTered to 

 extend themselves freely. No advantage can come 

 to any annual plant from cutting off the voots, as 

 must be done by ploughing and lulling. When the 

 surface only is broken, corn advances without in- 

 terruption. Mucli labor is expended uselessly in 

 hilling corn. The only object of such labor slioiild 

 be to destroy weeds. The corn suffers niucli after 

 Buch an operation, in endeavoring to accommodate 

 itself to its new condition. He deems it a very bad 

 practice to turn weeds under. Corn is in tliis w.iy 

 sometimes much injured. A neiglibor of his, Mr. 

 Henry Shepherd of Northampton, with a view to 

 dert«rmine the utility or evil, if any, of hilling 

 eofB, has^made a series of experiments for several 



years, by hilling half an acre moderately in the mid- 

 dle of his field. Tlie rest of tlio field m:inured in 

 the same manner, has been cultivated without hil- 

 ling. The result shows conclusively that the crop 

 is diminished by hilling. Tlie hilling id' the corn 

 hastens its ripening, but it is at the expense of the 

 product. Cutting its roots, like topping tlie stalk.!;, 

 tends to ripen the crop, prematurely ; and in a pro- 

 portional manner to diminish the productiveness. 

 In a season of early frosts, the crop had been par- 

 tially saved by thus forcing its maturity; but in 

 favorable seasons, the ripe crop will be considera- 

 bly lessened by sucli a process. 



For tlierarniBr's Moiillily Visitor. 

 Hon. I. Hill, — Dear Sir .—Last spring my fa- 

 ther procured of Mr. Searle of Franklin, four Ro- 

 han potatoes, weigliing three pounds, which cost 

 G'i l-'2 cents. Three of the potatoes only proved 

 good, one of tliem being injured so that no part of 

 it germinated. We cut them into small pieces, 

 each piece containing no more than one eye — they 

 were not planted until the last of May, and then on 

 a piece of sward land naturally wet without tlie ap- 

 plication of any manure wiiatever. Being planted 

 late on moist land — the season very wet and noth- 

 ing to stimulate iliem, (the pieces planted not be- 

 ing larger than a walnut) they made .slow progress 

 in the early part of the season; but during the 

 warm weather later they grew luxuriously and 

 continued green until killed witli the frost while 

 those all around them on the same piece of land 

 were dead with rust. The crop when dug measur- 

 ed more than two bushels. The potatoes appear- 

 ed, and must necessarily have been very unripe, 

 havino- been planted so late and nearly drowned, 

 notwithstanding wliich they were large — eight of 

 them weighing more than 13 pounds. 



We are fully convinced that tliey are, and will 

 become a great benefit to the agriculturist when 

 more e.vtensively known and used among farmers 

 — for we consider potatoes of immense value to the 

 farming class of this section of the country. Too 

 little attention has hitherto been given to this crop, 

 as has indeed been to all others. 



We also procured two ears of the Brown corn. 

 Tiiis corn much exceeded our expectations. We 

 had fears that it would not ripen ; but they were 

 (groundless — for we found it as early as our small 

 corn which we have planted for a few years past. 

 We think it much excels any corn ever introduced 

 here. We had doubts, until we saw this growing 

 in tlie field, that Mr. Brown, or any titlier man in 

 New Hampshire ever raised so much from an acre 

 as we Iiave read of. It would convince any one of 

 its su])(-rior quality upon seeing it growing in the 

 field, and then beholding tlic large compact ears. 



We wish you success with the Visitor, and hope 

 you will continue your monthly greetings until ev- 

 ery farmer in New Hampshire shall duly ajipreci- 

 ate its merits, and give it hiseupport — for that man 

 must be but a poor scliolar, who cannot in the 

 space of a year gain information from it worth 75 

 cents. » 



lours with much respect, 



H. B. SIMPSON. 



West Rumney, March 4, 1640. 



tlie opposite side of Suncook river, brought us ten 

 bushels of potatoes raised by himself last season. 

 They were round whites, smootli, and almost uni- 

 form in shape and appearance. Mr. G. has raised 

 these potatoes on his elevated ground many years 

 in succession. They cook as well as the Chiches- 

 ter potatoes; and although not exactly of the same 

 kind, they have many points of resemblance. 



Potatoes are not considered the most profit.^ble 

 crop of the farmer. But the mountain fiirmers will 

 not complain of their lot in these hard times, if 

 they may raise three and four hundred bushels of 

 potatoes to the acre, and be able to sell that quan- 

 iity for cash from $112 50 to $150. 



Of potatoes and root crops generally farmers 

 cannot produce too great a quantity. If these crops 

 cannot readily be sold for cash, the most of them 

 are excellent food for cattle,horses, sb?ep and hogs. 

 Witli the aid of these the milk of the winter may 

 be made equal to that of the summer, the best sum- 

 mer calves will keep up their flesh and growth till 

 the time of turning thein out to pasture, oxen will 

 thrive while kept constantly at labor; — and the 

 whole stock will e.it up the inferior hay and even 

 the straw, which they would refuse without them. 



Potatoes. 



Our agricultural friends on the high grounds 

 have the advantage of us in raising potatoes. — 

 Scarcely was the crop of potatoes injured last year 

 by the blight or rust upon the inouiitaius, while all 

 except perhaps theRohans and long reds were more 

 or less affected by the blight in the rich alluvion 

 oTounds upon the rivers. The ditVereucc in the 

 quality of these mountain potatoes f'rom that of our 

 own raising is even greater than the difference in 

 the quantity produced. We last year obtained 

 twenty bushels of potatoes from our friend Gnrvin, 

 whose farm is the highest in the town of Cliiches- 

 ter on tlie east side, fifteen bushels of which we 

 preserved for seed. They were beautiful smooth 

 whites of good size, and cooked so mealy that the 

 most dainty palate could not refuse to eat them. 

 But tlie mountain potatoes were not on our ground 

 proof against the blast. Where we expected to 

 raise eight hundred bushels of potatoes last 3'ear, 

 we were hardly able to count as high as four hun- 

 dred. On passing over the free bridge to the pine 

 plain wliich we intend to reclaim, we met a full ox- 

 cart load of potatoes from Mr. Garvin's high farm, 

 which looked better tlian any jjotatoes we Iiadseen 

 for more than a year. His sou who had tiieiii in 

 charge said his price was 37 1-2 cents the bushel ; 

 and on returning we met his empty cart, and iound 

 he had made a speedy sale at that price. 



Next day Mr. Goss, whose I'ariu is ou the high- 

 est point of the south mountain of Epsom, some 

 three orfi'ur miles easterly of Mr. Garvin's and on 



For the Farmer's Montlily Visitor. 

 Mr. Editor :— The cause of agriculture, re- 

 cently, seems to be claiming in some measure that 

 attention which its importance is entitled to; and 

 it is confessedly the " .\rt of all Arts," it being 

 important that the best system of husbandry should 

 be pursued. I will not attempt to decide what is 

 the best course, but shall notice several methods 

 pursued by different farmers, and attempt to point 

 out what 1 think is objectionable in some of them, 

 and notice some courses pursued by farmers who 

 have been eminently successful ; and leave each 

 one to practice as he shall think best. 



It is the practice oi some farmers to turn over 

 their sward land in autumn ; in the spring to cross 

 plr>Hgh, and manure in the hill, or spread and har- 

 row Tn the manure. To me this appears bad poli- 

 cy. By this processniost of the soil that was turn- 

 ed up by the first ploughing is thrown back from 

 whence' it came, and the turf and vegetable matter 

 brought to the surface, and much of it blown away 

 and dissipated by the winds and sun, and many of 

 the square piece's of turf lie in a situation to dry 

 up and aft'ord but little food for the growing crop. 

 Other fanners, after ploughing sward land in the 

 fall or spring, sow with oats without manure, and 

 sometimes they get a good crop, but nearly the 

 whole support and growth of the oats are a direct 

 draft upon the land without much return; and_ by 

 many oats are considered an exhausting crop : if so, 

 the land is in a much poorer slate than before 

 ploughing. 



There is another practice that I think repugnant 

 to good husbandry pursued by some farmers, in let- 

 ting their winter made manure remain in their 

 yards and at the hovel windows till September or 

 October; then cart it out and spread it upon their 

 sward land, and plough it in for a crop of corn next 

 season. We usually have heavy rains in October 

 and November ; and I think there can be no ques- 

 tion but mucli loss is sustained in the value of the 

 manure by leaching. Many farmers say plough in 

 your manure deep — it never goes down ; it will al- 

 waj's ascend. Such persons do not appear to be 

 fully acquainted with the subject. Men of science, 

 who have analyzed stable manures, tell us there 

 are several ingredients in the dung of cattle, two 

 or more kinds°of salts that when dissolved afford 

 food for plants, and several kinds of gases. If ma- 

 nure is left exposed upon the surface of tlie ground 

 the gases would soon be disengaged, and from their 

 volatile nature be dissipated and lost in the sur- 

 rounding atmosphere. The salts or soluble parts 

 would be dissolved, and from their specific gravity 

 descend into the earth ; and the depth they would 

 descend, if it be a gravelly subsoil, depends upon 

 the amoiuit of rain ; some portion, no doubt, would 

 penetrate as far as the water soaks dov.'n. From 

 the above it would seem, if it is fresh or what is 

 called "long manure," it should always be plough- 

 ed in ; but as short a time as possible before plant- 

 ing, that it may undergo fermentation or decompo- 

 sition beneath the soil, for the obviouS reason that 

 all m.atter undergoing the process of fermentation 

 produces heat. The greater the heat the more ra- 

 pidly the gases are evolved or given off. These 

 gases are the stench arising from ]iutrefied animal 

 and vegetable substances ; and as tlieir tendency is 

 always upwards, they will work or endeavor to 

 work a passa.-e up through the soil that covers 

 them, and the soil will become imiiregmitcd by 

 tlieni, as woollen cloths imliibe and retain the smell 

 of musk or any other powerful odour. Thoy also 

 Harm and lighten the ground, and prove beneficial 



