18S8] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



696 



the roots and seeds of the weeds so eirectually as 

 to require but hltle cidlivation for iheconi-, a 

 coninion liiiht harrow run over the corn when it 

 is ahout six inches tuf^h, and one plouirhinir witli 

 a hoe, harrow, or cuiuvator, will he sufficient. 

 From such a system of cuhivaiion, I liave, tliis 

 year, made (i-om a !ar<fe field, more barrels to 

 the acre, ihan ii would have produced bushels ol 

 corn, eiii;ht years ajio, when 1 purchased it, and 

 there has not been five cart loads of nianure on 

 the field since it came into mv possession. 



Q, 13. —What com-se ol'" crops are generally 

 pursued in Loudoun ? 



jj.—l believe (he five year's rotation is the most 

 common ; that is, corn,' wheat, clover, clover, 

 wheat. The mist productive and impruvin<2; ro- 

 taiion in my opinion, is the six year's rotation ; 

 that is, corn, wheat, clover, clover, wheat, clover. 

 By this rotation, one sixth of the plough land 

 will be in corn, one-third in wheat, and one-half 

 in cloverevery year. Each field is to be cultiva- 

 ted in corn, once in every six years. The follow- 

 ing is an illustration of the whole round oi" crops 

 during six years : 



The corn, when in the proper state for topping, 

 is to be cut down with a knile orlioe, and to be set 

 up in rows, as you would tops; the field is then 

 broke up in lands from eiiihi to tert feet wide, the 

 wheat sowed on it and harrowed in. A part may 

 be sown in rye, or reserved for oats and flax in 

 the spring. 



Q. 14.— Is wheat put in on clover-Iays or fal- 

 low, and which is considered the best method ? 



j^. — The clover-lay answers very well where 

 the land is clear, and well taken with clover, as ii 

 saves the expense of cross-ploughinir. The 

 seedsman follows the plouirh, and the harrow the 

 seedsman. The clover lay is very common, both 

 with the red and the white clover; but requires 

 the land to be very well taken with clover and no 

 blue (jrass, or the crop will be greatly injured or 

 entirely destroyed. I consider the crop more cer- 

 tain when the land is broke up from the 20th of 

 June to the 20th of July, and cross-ploughed belbre 

 Beedins;. 



Q. 15. — What was the state of the soil before 

 the plaster and clover husbandry were applied 1 



A — The. land, which was not originally of the 

 first quality, was worn out by long cultivation, 

 and bad systems. Some of our most productive 

 farms, at this day, were sold very low by their 

 owners, who could not support their (amilies on 

 them. Land that produced not more than five 

 bushels of wheat and two barrels of corn to the 



acre, bellire the introduction of the plaster and 

 clover system, will now y.eld li-om forty to fifty 

 bushels ol wheat, and Irom ten to fifteen barrels 

 of corn to the acre. 



Q. 16. — Whai is the growth of the forest and 

 wood land ? 



A. — The usual growth, is white oak, black 

 oak, red oak and hickory, with a mixture of pop- 

 lar, locust and some little walnut, vvlien the land 

 is of the first (juality. 



Q. 17. — What are the effects of plaster on to- 

 bacco ? 



A. — The effects of plaster on tobacco are great- 

 er, in my opinion, than on clover ; and I am well 

 satisfied there is but little clover land in this coun- 

 ty that would not produce good tobacco, with the 

 assistance of plaster, My^first experiment with 

 jilasier, was on tobacco, about twenty years ago. 

 My lather gave me an estate, on which wheat, 

 corn and tobacco had been cultivated fur many 

 years. The overseer had a few acres in tobacco, 

 at the time I took possession, one-half was wed 

 out before harvest : the crab grass had taken en- 

 tire possession oftheotlier halt', belbre we could 

 spare labor from the harvest field, to weed it out. 

 The tobacco last wed hud a yellow, sickly appear- 

 once, while the other part was in a flourishing con- 

 dition, i caused a small quantity of plaster, (say 

 the half of a table spoonful,; to he dashed on each 

 plant of tobacco last wed. The plaster acted like 

 mairic— the tobacco revived in a fi^.w days, and in 

 a few weeks was equal to the other, and finally 

 surpassed it. I invited several of my friends to 

 view it, who could perceive the diflerence at more 

 than one hundred yards distance. The nextyear, 

 t caused a piece of" ground that had been in culti- 

 vation for many years, to. be prepared for tobacco. 

 Tiiis land had been of the very first quality, but 

 reduced by our old system of cultivation. The 

 tobacco was planted in good season, without one 

 shovel-full of manure, and after the first hoeing or 

 weeding, it was planted afier the manner before 

 described. The growth was uncommonly great, 

 beyond my most sanguine expectations. It was 

 believed by judges that every two plants would 

 ha\e made a pound. This was my last experi- 

 ment with tobacco, as I have not cidtivaied the 

 plant since. A very intelligent neighbor of mine, 

 made some experiments at the same time, and on 

 the year fbllowinp;: the result of his experiments 

 were the same with mine. From these experi- 

 ments, I would recommend to you the fiiilowing 

 system, and will vouch for its success. Take four 

 lots of land, each equal to the numberof acres you 

 wish to cultivate in tobacco, and observe the foU 

 lowino rotation : tobacco, w'neaf, clover, clover. 

 By this rotation, one-lburth will be in tobacco, 

 one-fourth in wheat, and one- half in clover. 



The f)Ilowing is an illustration of the whole 

 round of tobacco crop, for lour years : 



