^60 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



same every where. Now, there is no principle, 

 which appears to be more completely settled 

 among the liest linglish tiarmers, than that the 

 more cattle there may be well led on any farm, 

 tlie more productive vhe arable parts of it may be 

 made in crops. There must, however, in this 

 matter, as in every well-managed concern, be 

 held a just regard to proportion. It is, by no 

 means intended, that nearly all the farm should 

 be devoted to catile-raising. The proper propor- 

 tion must be settled by the discretion of eaidi pro- 

 prietor lor himself. Were we to fix a general rule 

 on the subject, we would say, aim to raise manure 

 enough to supply each tield once in every rota- 

 tion. Of course, the quantity of land applied to 

 raisino; cattle-tbod, would vary with the increase 

 of fertility of the farm, and changes made in rhe 

 size of the fields and the length of the rotations. 

 By the way, miAch has been said about the proper 

 rotation of crops, for this region; and here, also, 

 it appears to nie, that Mr. Sampson has disco\'er- 

 ed the true secret, that until the liirm has reached 

 its mEiximum ttertility, the rotations should vary 

 with circumstances. No rotation, however, will 

 cause the majority of our fields to exert their high- 

 est capabilities, without the employment of ani- 

 mal manures. While there was a spontaneous 

 production of cattle-food for nearly the whole 

 year, many parts of the country were over-run 

 with stock. And, though there was scarcely any 

 trouble devoted to the spreading of manure, yet 

 there was enough of it, accidentally distributed, 

 to render our lands much more productive in 

 wheat, than they have been recently. It is true, 

 that of late years, the weather has been unpropi- 

 ■tious to the wheat crop ; and while much of the 

 ■deficit in product may be ascribed to this cause, 

 yet, ffom the fine crops occasionally afforded by 

 well-manured lots, we may fairly infer, that the 

 failure has, in a great measure, arisen from the 

 great scarcity of animal manure. It has, lor some 

 years, been a matter of common observation, that 

 a very slight top-dressing of this material will 

 greatly increase the crop. And all of us have 

 seen lands, rich in vegetable matter, yielding very 

 poor returns in this crop. 



Lime being unattainable in the central portions 

 of the state, at a remunerative cost, there is pro- 

 bably no other means by which our lands can be 

 restored to, and kept at, their primitive fertility, 

 but by applications, of anim.al, and indeed, of 

 every species of procurable manure. To obtain 

 a suflicient supply of animal manure, we must 

 make it a special object to provide food in abun- 

 dance for a suitable number of animals. This 

 may be ditBcult, but it must be done, or the alter- 

 native is — farewell to old Virginia! 



At the prices of meat, for some years past, it is 

 somewhat questionable, whether, or. the score ol 

 immediate profit, it might not be advisable to con- 

 sume the provender at home, with a view of sell- 

 ing meat. It is admitted, that if all were to do 

 this, meat would soon be much reduced in price. 

 But who can calculate the comfort, and the profit 

 too, accompanying the ability to supply all the 

 mouths on a farm with an abundance of food ? 

 This might induce the necessity of greatly cur- 

 tailing or abandoning the tobacco crop. But, if 

 Mr. Sampson cannot afford to make tobacco, who 

 can ? It is also admitted, that this is, by no means. 



strumentality of grass, chiefly, we are lo look for 

 the means of creating and preserving the fertility 

 of our lands, this should be the reason why our" 

 exertions to raise it should be greater. It is fur- 

 ther admitted, that fi'om the frequency of drought 

 in summer, this is far from being a good lurnip 

 country. But the ruta baga will generally grow 

 to a fine size, if sown on rich and well-prepared 

 ground, by the middle of June. When sown 

 much later than this, it commonly fails. The beet 

 crop, also, requires early sowing. The young 

 plants cannot thrive after the weather gets hot. 

 The writer has some, sown the first of March, 

 weighing twenty pounds, dry as the season has 

 been ; while his main crop, sown not until late in 

 April, li'om inability to procure seed earlier, has 

 been almost a total failure. These, and other 

 root crops, with proper management, might be 

 made iujportant adjuncts to grass, in sustaining 

 cattle. 



Many persons have insuperable objections to 

 srazing. Although it is believed by many others, 

 that grazing may be^so managed as to increase 

 the producing qualities of the land in certain 

 crops, yet the objectors may more rapidly improve, 

 by a resort to soiling. 



Most of the fbregoino; thoughts may be found 

 in preceding numbers of the 'Register ;' but the 

 writer, considering the great importance of the 

 subject, hopes to be pardoned, for so tediously 

 urging it. While he would, by no means, depre- 

 ciate all the other available means of improving, 

 he trusts that the farmers of middle Virginia will 

 seriously investigate the importance of carefully 

 apportioning the number of their domestic ani- 

 mals, and the means of sustaining them, to the 

 wants of their farms, in the way of manure. He 

 hopes that the progress of internal improvement 

 may develope new sources of derivinij manure ; 

 yet he, perhaps, differs a little from the best au- 

 thority, in believing that most of our lands are ca- 

 pable of attaining great l!?rtility, from those al- 

 ready within our reach. The proper proportion 

 between stocks and crops, and the beauty of sys- 

 tem in the ol>jects of agriculture, have been 

 much deranged, by our local condition. The ac- 

 tion of government — whether designedly, or not, 

 is left to politicians — has also greatly tended to de- 

 press our agricultural prosperity. Evils often 

 work their own cure. Pie must have been an in- 

 attentive observer, who has not noticed great 

 changes in the state, within the last ten years. 

 And he must have slight claims to a spirit of pro- 

 phecy, vvho does not look forward to still greater 

 changes. Agriculture may suffer for a while, 

 but she has a versatility in resources, which, 

 while she feeds the world, will enable her to serve 

 up her table to her own convenience. 



A leading motive to this communication, was to 

 press the importance of more original matter in 

 the ' Register.' It is hoped, there can be nothing 

 amiss in stating, that to readers in this region, 

 whatever comes from the pens of the writer in 

 Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, and of our 

 own J. M. G., is particularly pleasing. 



In conclusion, we would notice one obstacle to 

 furnishing contributions to the pa^PS of the ' Reg- 

 ister,' better known, perhaps, to those who oc- 

 casionally write, than to the editor. It is an un- 

 willingness to tax him with postage. Perhaps 



a good grass country. But if, through the in- j this difficulty might be nearly removed, if some 



