■384 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 6 



But there is no marl near enough to me, and Hme 

 is also as inaccessible, except at the expense of 

 procuring the stone lime from Baltimore in barrels, 

 at a cost of two or two and a halt" dollars the bar- 

 re!. Although there is an abundance of oyster 

 shells in many parts of the county, yet shell lime 

 would cost as n)uch, or more. Either of which 

 modes would too much re?;emhle my other opera- 

 tions as to expense and corr°.sponding profits. 



The land which I am attempting to improve is 

 forest land of the poorest chai'acler, having noth- 

 ing to recommend it but good water and more than 

 an"'average portion ol health il)r this climate, situ- 

 ated on the ridge which divides the waters of the 

 Potomac and those of the Wicomico, one of its 

 tributaries. Portions of this land, the hill -sides 

 and slopes, are light and friable, mixed with sand 

 and (rravel. The table lands are stiff and argila- 

 ceous, such as we call cold white-oak land, the 

 poorest and most dilncult to miprove. I am en- 

 tirely satisfied that such lands caimot be brouu:ht 

 to a high state of fertility without the application 

 of hme or calcareous matter in some form. Pu- 

 trescent manures, if applied in large quantities, 

 and often repeated, may produce a tolerable crop 

 ofweeds, or grass, or even straw; but such lands, 

 although heavily dressed with vegetable manures, 

 and not grazed, will, in a short time, descend to 

 their original state. They contain no power of 

 absorbing the ammonia, carbon, nitrous oxyd, and 

 other fertilizing gases of putrescent manures — no 

 principle of concentrating and retaining them, and 

 .no capacity to diiiest them and apfily them to the 

 •process of stimulating and fructifying the crops 

 'they may be required to produce. Such manures 

 ■on such lands seem to run into acidity, or are dried 

 up, rather than to pass through a healthy process 

 •of assimilation. 



But to my manure bank, the only gold bank I 

 shall ever possess, and I am thereiiire the more 

 desirous of ascertaining the best crucible in which 

 it can be resolved. 



In the absence of lime and marl, I use clay, and 

 ^sometimes the lop soil of the white oak land, rotten 

 'wood, decayed leaves, .&,c. My horses are kept 



well bedded with straw, the stables regularly 

 swept m)rniiig and night, and the wet litter and 

 sweepings thrown into a pit at the back of the 

 stible ten It^et square by two deep. About twice 

 a week, clay and dirt is carted in, to cover the 

 manure, and occasionally, leaves and the top soil 

 and scrapings from the woods, and added to the 

 manure, litter and clay. By this mode, much 

 manure is raised, hut of its vaiue, I am not so well 

 satisfie<l. How often should the manure be moved 

 from tlie pit? And how should it be applied at this 

 season of the year I Whether as top dressing to 

 meadows, or on tiillow, or on land intended for 

 fallow the present season, or next spring? Upoil 

 these points, I would be obliged to be informed. 



From the experiments I have been able to make, 

 r am inclined lo think that more immediate benefit 

 is obtained from putrescent manure, by using it 

 in top dressing when applied in the spring, or by 

 applying it to the surfiice on ploughed lands.-^ 

 During the last summer, my overseer was prepar- 

 ing a piece of land lor tobacco ; about two-third.s 

 of it had been manured, and the manure ploughed 

 into the land. There came a good season lor 

 planting, and I directed him to spread the manure 

 on the remaininir part of the land, and run the 

 tooth-harrow over it, and plant the tobacco without 

 plouijhing in the manure. The manure remained 

 on the surface ; the tobacco on that part was much 

 heavier, and the wheat on the same land could 

 also be distinguished to the row. Tfiere was no 

 other difference in the land, the whole piece being 

 of the same character and quality, containing not 

 more than fifieen acres, the soil liirht and friable, 

 and sloping to the low lands on Zachia swamp. — 

 That part on which the manure was applied to 

 the surface, is a section formed by a line drawn from 

 the base ofa hill to the edge of the inclined plane. 



A life is too short to afibrd correct knowledge 

 from oue's experienee alone. We must, iherefbrcj 

 draw upon the experience of others to inerease our 

 limited stock. 1 will, hereafter, communicate the 

 result of a partial experiment with lime on my 

 poor white-oak land. J. G^ C, 



La Plata, Charles County, Md. 



Tuble of Contenls of Fanners'' Mcgister^ ,^%. 6, \*ol. I^. 



ORIGINAL COJIMUNICATIONS. 



Pasie. 

 •" Pondrette Company" of the city of New York, 358 

 Information wanted as to the use of oxen, - 360 



Notes of a three-day's excursion into Goochland, 

 Chesterfield and Powhatan, (continued) con- 

 taining — 

 No. 2. The new iron mine in Chesterfield, and 



the Sulpher spring in Powhatan, - - 361 



No. 3. General description of part of the Gooch- 

 land lands, - - - . . 362 

 No. 4. Some account of the farming of Richard 



Sampson, Esq., - - - . 364 



The alleged disappearance of lime, after its ap- 

 plication, - . - . . 373 

 ■Spring wheat in western New York, - - 373 

 Recent sale of imported cattle, - . 377 

 Grape culture in South Carolina, - . 378 

 Rotation for sandy soils, - - - 379 

 British opinions on the ' Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures,' and the original discovery of one 



PdEfe- 



of its positions, - - . . 330 



Omissions supplied and mistakes corrected, - 382 



Mr. Booth's short-horn bull, ... 383 



Remarks and inquiries on the preservation and 



application of putrescent manures, - - 383 



SELECTIONS. 



Correspondence of Gen. George Washington, 

 with Arthur Young, Esq., and Sir John Sin- 

 clair, on Agriculture, - - - 321 

 Blight in pear trees, .... 359 

 The sun-llower, .... 359 

 Eggs and turkeys, .... 36O 

 Machine for drawing up the stumps of trees, - 374 

 Fabrication of beet sugar in France, - - 374 

 Spring wheat, ----- 375 

 Origin of the manufacture of "poudrette" of the 



filth of Paris, - - - - 376 

 Questions respecting the economy of cutting up 



corn, - - - - - 380 



