FARMERS' REGISTER— HORIZONTAL PLOUGHING. 



237 



It was still more surprising to find that the mode 

 of horizontal ploughinn; introduced here by the 

 late Gov. T. M. Randolph, was no longer prac- 

 ticed. Another mode of horizontal ploughing, 

 which though less scientific and accurate and iin- 

 less laboirous, is nuich better, is in general use in 

 Albemarle — and it is also practiced by many in 

 the lower country, who had tried and abandoneil 

 the more theoretically perfect plan. Bui though 

 the same name is used (or both practices, the same 

 general direction of the rows given, and the same 

 object aimed at, still the i)rincinle of the one is 

 essentiall}' dilTerent li'om that of the other. I do 

 not remember whether the distinguished agricul- 

 turist who introduced this plan, published a par- 

 ticular descri|)tion of the process — though I pre- 

 sume so, as he received the honorable and well 

 deserved reward of a piece of plate from the 

 Albemarle Agricultural Societ}^, for the benefits 

 which he had bj' this means conferred on his 

 country. But according to the idea formed of his 

 plan from the reference to it in Arator, and else- 

 where, the principle of Col. Randolph's plan 

 seemed to be, to plough the hill-sides in beds and 

 water-furrows, so levelled as to retain in the fur- 

 rows all the ram water that fell, and thus prevent 

 washing. The author of Arator says hilly lands 

 "Avill admit of narrow ridges as well as level, by 

 a degree of skill and attention so easily attainable 

 that I observed it to have existed in Scotland above 

 a century past, under a state of agriculture other- 

 wise execrable, and among the ignorant high- 

 landers. It is efiected by carrying the ridges 

 horizontally in such inflections as the hillyness of 

 the ground may require, curved or zig-zag, pre- 

 serving their breadth. The preservation of the 

 soil is hardly more valuable than that of the rain 

 wafer in the successive reservoirs thus produced 

 to refresh the thirsty hill sides, instead of its rush- 

 ing to, and poisoning the valleys. This classick 

 system of agriculture has been introduced into 

 Virginia by a gentleman of Albemarle, in a style 

 completel)^ adapted to the nature of the country, 

 and which will be copied by those who shall not 

 be discouraged by its perfection. His ridges how- 

 ever are Avidej whereas in the maize country, they 

 ought not to exceed five or six feet." Eighteen 

 years ago, according to these, and to more full and 

 minute directions furnished in the publications of 

 that time, I ploughed the slopes of my sandy field 

 into horizontal beds for corn, Avith great care, and 

 met with total failure, and the land washed more 

 than it would have done otherwise. The causes 

 of this failure were sufficiently apparent — and I 

 attributed it to the unfitness of the plan for the 

 sandy slopes descending from level table land, 

 however advantageous it might be (and which I 

 did not doubt,) on clay or stifl' hill-sides, having no 

 table land above to collect and discharge torrents 

 of rain water over them. But the practice of the 

 original and more perfect horizontal beds and fur- 

 rows has also ceased in Albemarle, and that 

 which is called by tne same name is precisely the 

 practice which the failure of the other compelled 

 me and many others to adopt, and which is so 

 simple, that (like the breaking of Columbus' egg,') 

 it would seem that it would have occurred to every 

 cultivator of hilly lands, without any particular 

 one discovering or introducing it. Still I doubt 

 not that we owe the benefit of this practice to the 

 introduction, and trial of, and objections found to 



the other: and in drawing the distinction between 

 the plans, it is far from my design to detract fi-om 

 the merit of the distinguished farmer who in this, 

 and other respects, so much aided the first im- 

 provements of agriculture in this region. Still 

 however, it is of" some importance to state the 

 change in the operation and principle of what con- 

 tinues to be called horizontal jjloughing, and which 

 change is not generally known abroad to have 

 taken place at all. 'Vhe present simple plan is to 

 break up the land level, or flush, and to mark of!" 

 the rows for corn across the descent of the hill — 

 not with much regard to accurate levelling, but 

 approaching a horizontal direction so near, that 

 the course of the running rain water shall not fol- 

 low, but cross the tracks of the ploughs in tilling 

 the crops. It is not intended to obstruct the pas- 

 sage of the flowing rain water — but to give it a 

 free course across the direction of the ploughing. 

 Mould-board ploughs are used for part of the til- 

 lage of corn: but as they are but little used, and 

 the crop is planted on a flat surfiice, there are no 

 ridges raised high enough to alter the downward 

 course of the water, or to make dikes to be broken 

 and swept away. This mode does not prevent 

 washing, but greatly lessens the danger, by giving 

 no fiicilit}^ for Uie formation of gullies. The origi- 

 nal mode so long as it operates cflectually, pre- 

 vents the descent and of course the washing of 

 rain water: but if it should ever fai!,from any cause, 

 to prevent its descent, the damage caused will be 

 greatly increased by the very means used to guard 

 against it. 



These objections however to the original mode 

 of horizontal ploughing are such as occurred to 

 my mind, and were not urged by any of the per- 

 sons with whom I conversed. Indeed, I have no 

 reason to deny that the practical operation would 

 not be perfect on these lands, if the execution of 

 the plan was in all respects conformable to the 

 theory. But the practical difficulties generally forbid 

 this perfect execution — and these difficulties have 

 caused its disuse. The main objection seemed to 

 be that the permanency of the levelling and rows 

 (an essential part of the original plan) would pre- 

 vent the breaking up the field by ploughing around 

 the hills, as described above: and in addition, it is 

 preferred to lay the surface level for the crop of 

 wheat. 



The plan of hill-side ditches, or graduated trench- 

 es, to prevent washing, which has been described 

 by Mr. Bruce and others in the Farmers' Regis- 

 ter, has not been adopted in this region. This 

 plan seems to me, from reason and some little ex- 

 perience of its operation, to be by far the best lor this 

 end — and it would suit well with the present mode 

 of horizontal tillage. It would however require 

 the adoption of the hill-side plough to break up the 

 intervals advantageously. 



There are other distinguished and successfiil 

 improving farmers in the same neighborhood, 

 whose names I have not mentioned because their 

 farms were either not seen at all, or too slightly 

 glanced at to obtain more than general ideas. 

 There may be as good farmers — possibly better — 

 among those, than' the one whose labors occupied 

 most of my attention. But even those persons 

 will readily admit the propriety of placing Mr. 

 Rogers at the head of the list of the distinguished 

 fai-mers of Albemarle, as one of the first who 

 commenced the course of improvement, and for 



