420 



F A R M 10 R S ' REGISTER 



[No. 7 



veying to the plant, tbod from the earth, the 

 air ur water; or by excitinn; the plant to a more 

 active use of its feeding powers, whatever they 

 be: or by iis accretion and assimulaiion to parti- 

 cuhir parts ol' plants on which these powers de* 

 pend ; thereby augmenting and strengthening 

 those particular parts, and enabhng the leeding 

 powers to give proportional augmenialion to every 

 Q her part ; whether by any one or more of 

 these processes, or by some other or others dis- 

 tinct lioni them all, the growth of plants be pro- 

 moted by this mineral, remains, it would seem, to 

 be yet explained. In the mean time, a more ex- 

 tensive use of it, promises much advantage to our 

 agriculture. I take it, however, that this advan- 

 tage cannot be permanent without making the in- 

 creased product of the soil, a source of manure to 

 the soil. That the eifect of the plaster will be 

 continued indefinitely, under a constant removal 

 of the whole crop fi-om the soil, surpasses belief. 

 It can scarcely fail to exhaust at length, the pro- 

 ductive powers of the earth. The period of time ne- 

 cessary for the purpose, may be uncertain; but that 

 as in the case of other mineral manures, lime and 

 marl, such must sooner or later, be the result, can- 

 not well be so. The effect of pulverizing the 

 earth by tillage, as practised by Tull, is stated to 

 have been uninterrupted crops of wheat, without 

 manure, for more than twenty years; which was 

 regarded as a demonstration, that tillage was a 

 complete substitute for manure. Supposing the 

 statement to be free from error, the inference is 

 certainly not warranted by the fact. We know 

 that some of our soils, not naturally richer than 

 the hilly manured soils on which Tull probably 

 commenced his tillage, will bear a succession of 

 crops for an equal period; and we know as well, 

 that their fertility will not hold out forever. How 

 long plaster, whatever be its mode of operation, 

 will hold out, may not yet have been fully tried. 

 But to make it permanently successful, it will be 

 wise to take for granted, that it must be made a 

 source of future manure, as well as of immediate 

 productiveness. If the crop, as acifrmented by 

 the plaster, be given back to the soil, the soil may 

 be benefitted more than it would be fiy the return 

 of a crop not augmented by the plaster. And in 

 this way, fertility may be accelerated. The res- 

 toration of a crop, increased by ordinary cultiva- 

 tion, to the soil on which it grew, would, I pre- 

 sume, fertilize it more than the restoration of a 

 smaller crop spontaneously produced; although 

 in both cases, the whole taken from the soil would 

 return to it. 



IV. Among the mearis of aiding the produc- 

 tiveness of the soil, which have not received merit- 

 ed attention, is irrigation. In scarcely any coun- 

 try does this resource abound more than in the 

 United States; nor is there any, where there is so 

 little sensibility to its value. The inconsiderable 

 use made of it, is chiefly by emigrants, particu- 

 larly Germans, or the immediatedescendaiits of 

 them. 1 have understood that the market of Bal- 

 timore, has been much benefitted in dry seasons, 

 by the irrigation introduced by exiles from St. 

 Domingo. For a distinguished proof of the im- 

 portance of the practice, I may refer to the fact 

 which has been stated in the neighborhood of Bar- 

 celona in Spain, where a part of the land is under 

 irregation, and a part is not susceptible of it, both 

 being otherwise of equal fertility, the part irrigated 



is of double the price in market. It is to be noted 



indeed that the climate is a dry one, and that the 

 article cultivated is lucerne. But this is a plant, 

 which though much aided in its growth by mois- 

 ture, is at the same time remarkable for the length 

 of a tap-root, and fitted by that, as well as by the 

 absorbent quality of its leaves, to flourish in a 

 thirsty soil, and warm climate. Our particular 

 district of country, abounding in springs, small 

 streams, and suitable declivities, admits greatly of 

 irrigation; and being generally of a thirsty nature, 

 the more strongly invites the use of it. 



V, I cannot but consider it as an error in our 

 husbandry, that oxen are too little used in place of 

 horses. 



Every fair comparison of the expense of the 

 two animals, favors a preference of the ox. But, 

 the circumstance particularly recommending him 

 is, that he can be supported when at work, by 

 grass and hay, whilst the horse requires grain 

 and much of it; and the grain generally given 

 him, is Indian corn, the crop which requires most 

 labor and greatly exhausts the land. 



From the best estimate I have been enabled to 

 form, more than one-half of the corn crop is con- 

 sumed by horses, including the ungrown ones; 

 and not less than one half, by other than pleasure 

 horses. By getting fiee from this consumption, 

 one half the labor and of the wear of the land 

 would be saved, or rather more than one half; for 

 on most fiirms, one half of the crop of corn grows 

 on not more than two-filths, and sometimes a 

 smaller proportion of the cultivated fields; and the 

 more fertile fields would of course be retained for 

 cultivation. Every one can figure to himself the 

 ease and conveniency of a revolution which would 

 so much reduce the extent of his corn fields; and 

 substitute for the labor bestowed on them, the 

 more easy task of providing pasturage and hay. 



But will not the ox himself when kept at labor, 

 require grain food as well as the horse? Cer- 

 tainly much less, if any. Judging from my own 

 observation, I should say, that a plenty of good 

 grass or good hay will suffice without grain where 

 the labor is neitJier constant nor severe. But I 

 feel entire confidence in saying that a double set 

 of oxen alternately at work, and therefore half the 

 time at rest, might be kept in good plight without 

 other food than a plenty of good grass or good 

 hay. And as this double set would double the 

 supply of beef, tallow and leather, a set off is 

 found in that consideration for a double consump- 

 tion of that kind of food. 



The objections generally made to the ox are — 

 1. That he is less tractable than the horse. 2. 

 That he does not bear heat as well. 3. That he 

 does not answer for the single plough used in our 

 corn fields. 4. That he is slower in his move- 

 ments. 5. That he is less fit for carrying the pro- 

 duce of the farm to market. 



The first objection is certainly founded in mis- 

 take. Of the two animals, the ox is the more do- 

 cile. In all countries where the ox is the ordinary 

 draught animal, his docility is proverbial. His in- 

 tractability where it exists, has arisen fi'om an oc- 

 casional use of him only, with long and irregular 

 intervals; during which, the habit of discipline be- 

 ing broken, a new one is to be formed. 



The second objection has as little foundation. 

 The constitution of the ox accommodates itself, as 

 readily as that of the horse, to diflerent climates. 



