654 



FARMERS' REGISTER— HENRICO LANDS AND HUSBANDRY. 



brier de,lio;hts in the gray cr silicious soils more 

 tlian any other — and especially, il' tliey rest on a 

 a red clay foundation, into which the roots can Iree- 

 ly pencirate. 



In reclaiming poor, worn lands, I am satisfied 

 that tlie little manure we can raise and employ, 

 had better be used as a top-dressing on small grain, 

 in the manner recommended by that highly re- 

 spectable, sensible, and practical farmer, Richard 

 Sampson. [Far. Reg. vol. i. p. 58.] The manure goes 

 much farther, used in this wa}'; and what equally 

 recommends the jiractice is, that it may be hauled 

 daily and fresh from the stable or the farm-pen all 

 the winter, and until late in the spring, provided 

 it be broken to jiieces, and scattered pretty evenly. 

 It will not answer to spread it on hard ground; but 

 on small grain, or ploughed land, it seems to lose 

 nothing hy evaporation. The rains dissolve the 

 valuable qualities of the manure, when sufficient- 

 ly rotted, and the ground absorbs them — leaving 

 the fibrous parts a sort of protection on the soil — 

 and, if not sufficiendy rotted, that process will take 

 place as soon as the agents of heat and moisture, 

 and the shelter of the crop become sufficient. New 

 manure, if made fine enough, will thus give to the 

 land and the crop much of what it would lose in a 

 complete, or even partial fermentation in the ma- 

 nure heap. 



Of the ash colored, silicious soil of the field al- 

 luded to, I took, in 1831, one acre — manured it — 

 ploughed it nine inches deep, just touched the red 

 clay — it was finely divided by the harrowand other 

 ploughings, and then culUvated in vegetables. 

 The 'product Avas very great. I never saw finer 

 summer turnips, (Early Dutch,) Irish potatoes, 

 or ruta baga turnips. They were cultivated in 

 drills; and with less trouble than corn. After the 

 land was well ploughed &c., a two-horse plough 

 opened furrows three feet apart. These had coarse 

 farm-pen manm-e put into them, and the potato 

 was cut into four or five pieces, rolled in plaster to 

 absorb moisture, and prevent rotting, and dropped 

 along on the manure and were covered by a single 

 Btrokeof a one-horse plough on the furrow-side of 

 the two-horse plough — furrow just tumbling in the 

 ridge of the larger mould board. In the other fur- 

 rows I put the potatoes, and then the manure on 

 the top, and covered as before. Two furrows with 

 the plough and one with the cultivator was all the 

 tillage; the plough hilling up on both sides as it 

 went. I saw no difiie-rence in the growth; but, 

 while the potatoes planted on the manure were 

 larger, dryer, and more easily dua", those planted 

 under it were more numerous; and from not being 

 so lars;e might have been the most profitable crop: 

 any difference in quality on the table could hardly 

 be perceived. The ruta baga were as good and 

 quite as large as I ever wish to make. All the 

 other vegelables were equally fine, except some 

 sweet potatoes that seemed disposed to run too 

 deep into the ground to be of irood size, and gave 

 much trouble to the hand who dug them — thouEch 

 some were planted on hills and some in drills. The 

 next year lot No. 1. and the whole field went into 

 wheat. The part of the acre in ruta baga was 

 left out, being near a new farm-pen; for at wheat 

 seeding time these northerners have no idea of 

 being cooped up in a cellar or a barn, or a huge 

 pile in the field, and were growing finely; and I 

 could not think of "putting them in Coventry" at the 

 very moment when they appeared to be "thriving 



so well, notwithstanding the puny frosts of our fall 

 climate, and the variable heat of the sun. They 

 were gathered just before Christmas. Another 

 coat of coarse manure was put, broad cast, on this 

 slip, and it was ploughed, in some good weather in 

 January. I did not design this apparent waste of 

 manure; but as ii had been made by the overseer, 

 the ground was put to its highest capacity for pro- 

 duction. It was ploughed again with a double 

 plough, the other way — then harrowed, rolled, 

 ploughed with the single plough, and seeded in 

 oats at the rate of five and a half bushels to the 

 acre — and then it was harrowed close, once each 

 way. The product was enormous. The oats 

 rose about three feet high, and stood so thick, that 

 after harvest, the stubble looked thick and even, 

 and not unlike the stubble of a rich and well mowed 

 meadow. Some of the oats were fed away with- 

 out my knowledge — the rest were thrashed out by 

 a thrashing-machine, and measured. I will not 

 state the number of bushels of clean oats; for I 

 am sure it would awaken the incredulity of those 

 who are accustomed to ten and fifl:een and even 

 thirty bushels to an acre. The same lot has been 

 prepared and will be put in oals this spring. 



These experiments show the capacity for im- 

 provement, and the productiveness of this sort of 

 land. It is obvious, however, that under severe 

 tillage it requires repeated manurings; for it be- 

 comes so light, that the atmosphere penetrates 

 freely quite to the more co.mpact substratum, and 

 the roots of plants easily spread in every direction 

 in search of food. It is colder and more backward 

 than a sandy soil; yet quicker than any of the 

 varieties of clay. Heavy rains make it miry 

 without running together, and the top soon dries 

 without excessive baking. 



A great part of the Henrico lands are flat and 

 livery, and retain the rain-vrater on the surface — 

 top soil (where there is any) is ash colored, with 

 a portion of silex in the form of impalpable pow- 

 der, resting on a foundation of pipe clay. The 

 growth is mostly -whortleberry, black jack, gum, 

 tough fibred white-oak, &c. It is very difficult to 

 fi-ee this land of the superabundant water. The 

 frosts and rains of winter sometimes run it to- 

 gether, so as to give a field a glossy, pewtery ap- 

 pearance. It is not productive, of course, and is 

 difficult of improvement. Coarse sand, lime, and 

 coal aslies, have been found very advantageous. 

 One gentleman has drained a field of this "craw- 

 fish land," and by the free use of coal ashes in the 

 first instance, and then other manures, has made 

 it exceedingly fertile, producing heavy crops of 

 haj', as well as of grain. His vicinity to Rich- 

 mond enables him to do this at no great expense, 

 and he is now reaping the revrard of his skill and 

 industry. The land in the vicinity of these pew- 

 tery sections, is rather better in quality, but partake 

 verv much of the same characterislics. 



Tlie James River bottoms, in the upper and 

 lower end of the county, are rich and valuable, 

 and are cultivated with skill and profit. Though 

 the bottoms in the neighborhcod of the Great 

 Falls are less valuable, being more light and 

 sandy. 



The farmers n this county have greatly im- 

 proved in their modes of tillage and management, 

 within the last seven years. They make and 

 spread more manure, use better ploughs, and sow 

 more grass seeds, than formerly. When they 



