1«37] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



659 



nothing. In this, I am on a perfect equality with 

 those who seek the i'avor of the sovereign people, 

 and the candiilates tor the smiles of the lair. 

 Love's labor may be lost ; but I will be chival- 

 rous enough to irive notice to the other leaders of 

 the Reijister, that I have commenced my cam- 

 paign, and hereby challenire competition. But, 

 besides the inadequac}^ of what I may contribute, 

 my chance tor success is nuicli marreil, by the ag- 

 ricultural condition of the region in which I reside. 

 The editor could glean but little hereabouts, wor- 

 thy the imitation of others. Hn might, how- 

 ever, instruct us in better ways, excite us to great- 

 er and better directed exertions, and even were he 

 ,to hold up our mismanagement as a beacon to 

 others, I am sure it would be taken in good 

 part. 1 believe that our section was once a 

 fine one, and though perhaps as much damaged 

 by the old lashions of agriculture, as any part ot 

 the state, with an industrious, moral, generous 

 and frugal population, I trust it needs but a little 

 stimulus and encouragement, and much instruc- 

 tion in agriculture — which would be joyfully re- 

 ceived — to make it, in some measure, what it 

 should be. 



One of the most striking points in Mr. Samp- 

 son's management, appears to consist in the pro- 

 vision made lor feeding stock, on his own farm. 

 When Virginia was first settled, it is said, that 

 from the luxuriance of pea-vines and other vege- 

 tation, a man on horse-back could not be seen, at 

 the distance of ten steps, in the woods. Horses 

 were ploughed all day, and received no other feed- 

 ing than such as nature had placed in reach of 

 their necks, through the night. They needed no 

 shoeing, for a soft carpet was every where fur- 

 nished tor their feet, by the mould on the surface. 

 This carpet is worn out, and much of the floor 

 needs mending. There is necessity for proportion 

 in every thing. By annually increasing our stock, 

 and diminishing our woodlands, need was soon 

 created for grazing our fields. These, by a 

 scourging cultivation and muchgrazingandtramp- 

 ling, were soon killed dead, dead, dead — at least, 

 most of them. And thus, was not only the year- 

 ly supply of cattle-food, which nature was afl'ord- 

 ing, soon destroyed, but the stores of tertility 

 which she had, for ages, been hoarding. Like 

 the merchant who trusts out his whole capital, to 

 bad debtors, we soon found ourselves frightfully 

 embarrassed. The business was now to be carried 

 on upon credit. It is one of make-shifts and 

 expedients. The law of inclosures, permitting 

 grazing on the commons, and in many neighbor- 

 hoods, in common, enabled us, (while there was 

 any grass in the conmions,) to get along tolerably 

 during the summer season. But, for the bitter 

 suffering of stock in winter, I fear this state has 

 much sin to answer for. Our cattle being com- 

 pelled to subsist through the winter on the mere 

 ofl'al of the grain crops — corn tops, shucks and 

 wheat straw — a meagre food at best — and often 

 damaged by bad weather — could reach the spring 

 season, with little besides skin and bones. The 

 rule, in those days, and they have not past 

 yet, with all of us, was, to attempt raising as 

 many cattle as we could possibly drag through 

 the winter. Within the last thirty or forty years, 

 the proportion has been gradually changing. The 

 majority of us, perhaps, now keep as many as we 

 can sustain, on pasture, through the summer ; 



finding that the offal of our grain crops will gen- 

 erally suliice in winter tor this number. To this 

 change of rule, we have not been led by judicious 

 efforts at improvement, but by necessity. INlost 

 of the lands which were formerly turned out in 

 connnons, have been inclosed and converted to 

 pasture, or again subjected to tillage; and the 

 woodlands, instead of pea-vines, yield under- 

 growth and worthless weeds, and indeed, much of 

 tliem have deteriorated almost as rapidly as the 

 arable lands, li-om the trampling of animals, the 

 blowing away of their leaves by the winds, and 

 the evaporation, and, especially, by the washing ofi' 

 of their accumulated surtiace mould, by the rains.- 

 Moreover, Heaven — in mercy, as I believe — has 

 sent the distemper among our caitle, which has 

 swept ofi' thousands, that might, otherwise, have 

 died in a more lingering manner, and we thus 

 have been compelled to keep 1(3 wer, than an im- 

 provident avarice might have dictated. 



The individual who had the intelligence to de- 

 vise, and the courage and energy to practise a 

 good rule on this subject, deserves honor from hia 

 countrymen. The rule, as I would infer Irom the 

 account, seems to be, to make ample provision for 

 keeping as much slock, in good order, as the ne- 

 cessities of the fi;irm require. This requisition, in 

 this county, would amount to a sufficient supply 

 of manure, of teams, of meat, wool, milk and 

 butter. Of course, the demands of a very poor 

 farm, for a sufficient supply of manure, could not, 

 in the beginning, be expected to be satisfied. 

 But the proprietor should be making as ample pro- 

 vision for it, as the nature of the case will admit. 

 He should make every exertion to gel as much of 

 his land, as he can possibly spare fi-om other 

 crops, in grass, and other kinds of cattle food, with 

 the assured expectation, of increasing the fertility 

 of his land, and of course, its profits, in proportion 

 to the increase of his manure. I allude only to 

 such lands as have once been good. Those which 

 were originally poor, will, of course, be more dif- 

 ficult to keep in good heart — without facilities for 

 the application of lime. But we find that Mr. 

 Sampson has improved poor land, by means of 

 gypsum and putrescent manures. And, there 

 is much land, which is not perceivably ben- 

 efited by the application of gypsum, yet, 1 am 

 led, by some experience, to believe, that after a 

 slight application of ashes, all, at least in the cen- 

 tral portions of the state, may be. I have not 

 known plaster, when mixed with a little drawn 

 ashes, to guard it against decomposition, to fail 

 actino; beneficially on corn, on any land. 



Many persons, wilfully or ignorantly, misun- 

 derstanding the remarks made by the great 'Ara- 

 tor' on the system of inclosing, have entirely under- 

 rated the eti'ects of animal manure. The Eng- 

 lish maxim, that " the more stocks, the more 

 crops," cannot be expected to hold good, in this or 

 any other country, where the stocks are permitted 

 to remain constantly in a starving condition. But 

 certainly, the larger the number of slocks, kept in 

 fjood condition, the greater will be the facility af- 

 forded the managing farmer of making large 

 crops. 



The methods of management, suited to the 

 agriculture of England, and those for Virginia, 

 should vary much, in accommodation to the difier- 

 ence in the soil, climate, and circumstances of the 

 two countries. But general principles remain the 



