FARiVlERS' REGISTER— MR. ROGERS' FARMING. 



231 



ttiiiied in the woods until the clover blooms, when 

 they jire put on it, and reniainuntil the wheat is re- 

 inoved from the fields, where they enjoy the ad- 

 vantage ol gleanino; until the rains in September, 

 when they are ag-ain placed in Uie field intended 

 for corn. They are Jijd partially with cofn all the 

 year, excejjt when in the grain fielils, and are pre- 

 vented li-oni rooting in the summer, by cutting oil 

 the ends ol tiieir noses. Of sheep the nundjer is 

 48. They are kept duringthe early part of winter 

 oa the tield intended tor com, and when they com- 

 mence having lambs, removed into the standing 

 pasture, or put on clover more than one year old, 

 where they remain until the tield intended for graz- 

 ing is in bloom, when they are put into it, and re- 

 moved with the other stock into the grain field. 

 Uut they are not sufi'ered on any account to remain 

 on the young clover in the fall, winter, or early 

 ])art of spring, as they would entirely destroy it by 

 eating out the bud. 



IGih. The horned cattle are penned during sum- 

 mer on some poor spot, (if convenient) in the field 

 to be cultivated the same, or ensuing year. The 

 bench fences used by Mr. Rogers are certainly a 

 great improvement: but not yet adopted. 



17th. The wheat straw from about 1000 bushels 

 of wheat, most of the corn stalUs from about 250 

 barrels of corn, and all the other forage including 

 about 30 tons of clover hay, are converted into 

 manure in the stable, and permanent farm pens. 

 The quantity has not been ascertained. Most of it is 

 applied on tobacco land, the balance on the poor 

 spots when ploughed for wheat, oats or corn. It 

 is considered. most judiciously u«ed where applied 

 to wheat or oats, for the improvement of land. 



18th. My experience has confirmed the general 

 opinion of the utility of plaster of Paris, particular- 

 ly when sown on clover, in March or April about 

 one bashel per acre, or used Vi'ith seed corn in 

 planting. 



19th. From 20 to 40 tons of clover hay are cut 

 on the farm, averaging from one to three tons, per 

 acre. The process of curing is to suffer it to remain 

 in swath about 24 hours, when waiiiro^vs are 

 formed by turning two swaths together; af^er six 

 or eight hours sun it is put up in very small cocks, 

 and in a day or more is. ready for the rick, which is 

 covered with wheat straw about a foot thick, this 

 is confined by small poles tied together at the ends, 

 and placed across the top about three feet apart. 

 As the clover hay will not stand wet Aveather in 

 co^^ks, it is all imnortaivt to have it eecuretl in rioks 

 as soon as possible. When to be used a part of the 

 rick is cut off with a hay-knile, an instrument in- 

 dispensable to every farmer. 



20th. The clover seed necessary for the farm, is 

 cut with grass scythes. 



21st. No other resources have been resoHed to 

 for the improvement of the farm than those it has 

 furnished, except two or three tons of p'aster used 

 annnaMy. 



22d. In the management of negroes, the princi- 

 ples have been to unite humanity with discipline, 

 - and combine rewards with punishments. The de- 

 tails have been entrusted to an overseer. From 

 70,000 to 80,000 .hills of tobacco are cultivated on 

 the farm, the greater portion on new ground 



\V. II. MERIWETHER. 



I hope in this commnuniication to embrace all 

 the questions propounded by the committee of" the 

 Agricultural Society of Albemarle, to the candi- 

 dates for the premium offered for the best cultivated 

 :iirm. 



I purchased the farm On which I reside in the 

 year 1810. It had been cultiv^ated previous to that 

 time according to the three-shift ruinous system, 

 and had been closely grazed, and large crops of 

 coiTi yearly tended on it. These causes, each ui 

 itself destructive, had rendered some parts of the 

 farm gullied, an<l a con.siderable portion of it be- 

 sides so impoverished, as to be thrown out as unfit 

 for cultivation. lis yield at that time was not 

 more than about an average of three barrels of 

 corn, and from eight to ten bushels of wheat per 

 acre. I had then much to learn, and at once 

 adopted the five shifl: system, which gives a rota- 

 tion of w^heat, corn, wheat, clover, clover, and 

 pursued it for some tinje without the success ui 

 improvement desired. Experience taught me ita 

 disadvantages, and proved it to be a verj' slow way 

 of" improving, although every effort was made to 

 raise all the manure possible, and to apply it in the 

 niost judicious way. The three successive crops 

 of wheat, corn, wheat, produced too great exhaus- 

 tion; the last wheat crop reducing the land almost 

 back to the state it was in, previous to the turning 

 in the clover and manure for the first wheat crop, 

 besides the constant liability to washing on high 

 land, arising from leaving the land after the first 

 wheat crop, light, naked, or only covered with a 

 thin stubble. For these reasons I abandoned it and 

 have since ado])ted and pursued the six shift sjstem , 

 which gives the rotation of corn, wheat, clover, 

 clover, [wheat, clover?] the improvement on this 

 plan has been rapid, far superior to what it was 

 with five shifts. The advantage of manures is 

 clearly discovered and encourages to greater dili- 

 gence in procuring and ap])lyihg them. I now, as 

 tbrmerljf, but more cheerfully, make all (xissible use 

 of them. All the corn stalks, part of the straw, 

 and all the other rough produce of the farm are 

 converted into manure in my farm yiens, which are 

 situated near the barn and furnished with perma- 

 nent shelters of plank, having a stream of water 

 running through them in troughs. The area of 

 each pen, is levelled and elevated a Uttle on the 

 borders, so as to retain as much of the liquid as 

 possible. Of the quantity raised I can form no esti- 

 mate. It is almost exclusively applied to the poorer 

 spots of the field which I fallow for whear, imme- 

 diately before the land is ploughed, and very regu- 

 larly distributed. I use plaster fireely, a proof of the 

 high estimation in v.'hich I hold it; sow it early in 

 the spring at the rate of from lour to fi\'e pecks 

 per acre on clover, and roll ail my seed corn \vith 

 as much as can be made to adhere. With the aid 

 of plaster, I males as much clover hay as I think 

 necessary for the use of the farm, say^rom 50 to 

 100 tons, the balance is suffered to remain on the 

 land to cover and improve if. The dose grazing 

 practised by many farmers is destructive of im- 

 provement and counteracts the benefit derived 

 from plaster. How can it be otherwise, when the 

 land after the application, yielded a generous re- 

 turn, has its whole crop of grass or clover either 

 cut or grazed off — a crop which would mt»iprially 

 benefit the land by laying on it. Indeed, 'consi- 



