684 



FARMERS' REGISTEH— MIXED CROPS. 



not amount to one part in twenty thousand of the 

 soil. 



"Why gypsum sometimes acts as a manure on 

 acid soils, when applied in large quantities tor the 

 epace, is efjually well explained by the same theo- 

 ry. If a handful, or even a spoonlUl oi' gypsum is 

 ])ut on a space of six inches square, it would so 

 much exceed in proportion all the oxalic acid that 

 could speedily come in contact with it, that all 

 would not be deconiposed^and the part that con- 

 tinued to be gypsum, would show its peculiar pow- 

 ers perhaps long enough to improve one crop. But 

 as tillage scattered these httle collections more 

 equally over the whole space — or even as repeat- 

 ed soaking rains allowed the extension of the at- 

 tractive powers — applications like these would also 

 be destroyed, after a very short-lived and limited 

 action. 



"Soils that are naturally calcareous, cannot con- 

 tain oxalic acid combined with any other base than 

 lime. Hence, gypsum applied there, continues 

 to be gypsum — and exerts its great fertilizing pow- 

 er as in the counties of Loudoun and Frederick. But 

 even on those most suitable soils, this manure is said 

 not to be certain and uniform in its efl'ects — and of 

 course more certain results are not to be looked lor 

 with us. I have not undertaken to explain its oc- 

 casional failures any more than its general success, 

 on the lands where it is profitably useJ — but only 

 why it cannot act at all, on lands of a different 

 kind. 



"The same chemical action being supposed, ex- 

 plains why the power of profiting by g}-psum 

 ehould be awakened on acid soils after making 

 them calcareous — and why that manure should 

 seldom fail, when applied mixed with very large 

 quantities of calcareous earth." 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 



A NEW MODE OF CULTIVATING CORN JIIXED 

 WITH OTHER CROPS. 



For several years I have practised a ])Ian of sa- 

 ving my corn crop, in the execution of which, I 

 consider myself much benefited, viz. in diminishing 

 the labor usually bestowed in preserving that im- 

 portant crop, securing a large mass of excellent 

 forage that would otherwise be lost, and providing 

 the means of making a mass of valuable manure, 

 ("Arator's" gold dust, and I find by experience, 

 mine also) — and as you invite communications on 

 agricultural operations, I will give you the detail. 

 In addition, by my mode of cultivating my land, 

 1 find that my grain is much superior to my neigh- 

 bors, who follow the old beaten tract, "the good 

 old way." 



Previous to commencing the pursuit of agricul- 

 ture, I took a course wbich common sense would 

 dictate in all human |)ursuits: I read all I could on 

 the subject — reflected much — and observed the 

 l)ractice of practical men, and especially endeavor- 

 ing to obtain from them the why and wherefore of 

 alltheir operations. I pursued the cultivation of 

 the earth because I delighted in it — and conse- 

 quently I rarely "called on my man Tom," but 

 became the "man Tom" myself, and directed and 

 superintended all the operations of my farm — and 

 among other notions I took up, there was this one, 

 that the man appeared to me ridiculously inconsist- 

 ent who would follow one pursuit, and try to excel 

 in another: and in addition, such is my natural 



and acquired disposition, that if I had determined to „ 

 follow picking up old jags, I would tiy to excel in it. ~ ■ 

 1 had but litl^le business at the store, less at the " 

 tavern or grog shop — and at elections I went mere- 

 ly to give my vote. My fiirm was and is the 

 place that "gives me plenty to do." and to it I 

 gave my time — my bodily and mental exertions 

 principally. 



At an early day I adopted as an axiom, that la- 

 bor wisely directed, would endeavor to secure the 

 best possible return from the earth, for that be- 

 stowed on it, and that any mode of cultivating the 

 soil which eventuat(;d in its depreciation, was, and 

 should be with me, inadmissible; and if I could 

 not succeed in a mode of cultivation that would 

 yield me money-7naking crojjs, and permit my land 

 to be advancing in fertility, I would abandon the 

 ])ursuit. Fortunately for me, a little arithmetical 

 adding and subtracting, made it perfectly evident, 

 that however extravagant the interest I might be 

 getting lor the use of cajjital, yet if that capital 

 was annually depreciating, it was a wTetched bu- 

 siness. 



After forming this opinion, I need hardly add 

 that it was determined by every means in my 

 power, to get into a most efficient manuring sys- 

 tem, combining every possible economy and con- 

 venience. I bought some good cattle, sheep, hogs, 

 and goats, and found that by a judicious manage- 

 ment of them they became a source of profit, and 

 above all, they secured to me the basis of an accu- 

 mulation of manure. Adopting also a rotation 

 system, I found it added prodigiously to my means 

 lor the im)5rovenient of my land, and stock, and 

 manure. To preserve in the best manner, every 

 thing that had the semblance of what is called 

 "ruffage," (or offal matters of the farm) conse- 

 quently became a desideratum, and here I put into 

 full operation what is usually termed econoviy. 



You could just as soon have found a large full 

 ear of corn lying on the ground around my barn 

 or stables, as a shuck, and equally would you be 

 puzzled to find a corn stalk in my field. "Save 

 all," was my motto. Following up this theory, 

 I soon had large heajis of manure, and had the 

 pleasure of realizing my productive system of hus- 

 bandrj'. To arrive at that part of my theor}', viz: 

 that the mode of cultivating any given quantity of 

 land that secured to the cultivator the greatest 

 return for the labor bestowed, that the same quan- 

 tity of land could be made to yield, was the one 

 that sound wisdom would pursue — and certainly 

 the one most profitable. I soon found that a cor- 

 rect system of mixed crops must be resorted to — 

 and to make this mixture judiciously, was an im- 

 portant item in my agricultural course; and to se- 

 cure the heavy crops or large returns for the labor 

 bestowed, that I had anticipated, I had previously 

 settled that manure must be giv^en to aid in the 

 production of this mixed cropping, as also to se- 

 cure another of the two great objects which I kept 

 steadily in vicAV, viz: the improvement of the soil. 

 On every view I took of the subject, I was always 

 brought back to this point, and a complete manur- 

 ing system presented itself uniformly as the key 

 toall successlial agricultural pursuit. In the lan- 

 guage of that book which contains so many admi- 

 rable maxims for the wise direction of human life, 

 I went into a system of making manure "with ail 

 my might." 



In my rotation cropping system, I manure only 



