700 



FARMERS' REGISTER— CORN FODDER— MANURE FOR CORN. 



untarily made, has gone far to convince me that 

 my former views were erroneous. Being com- 

 pelled to put up my com fodder in a danii) slate, ! 

 had but small hope of its proving of any utility in 

 wintering my stocii, but was happily disappointed 

 by the trial. 



When I commenced feeding it out, much of it 

 was entirely covered with white mould, and some 

 quite rotten, yet to my surjjrise it seemed to have 

 acquired additional attractions tliereby, as my cat- 

 tle devoured it with greater avidity than they did 

 that which acquired no mould. I have often re- 

 marked, that cattle would show a marked prefer- 

 ence for liay near the bottom of a mow, which 

 had undergone a greater degree of li^rmentation 

 than that nearer the top, and generally denomi- 

 nated "mow burnt.^'' Without philosophyzing on 

 this point, I would barely suggest the inquiry, 

 whether by thus carrying on the fermentation of 

 food previous to its being fed to cattle, an advan- 

 tage is not gained in the increased liicility it im- 

 parts to the process of digestion? 



I. n. 



ASHKS AND GYPSUM AS MANITRE FOR CORN. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Amelia, February 27, 1835. 



A gentleman living in Maryland, on the Pa- 

 tuxent River, made last year twenty-five barrels 

 and some pecks of Indian corn to the acre, on 

 many acres. This remarkable crop seems almost 

 wlioUy attributable to his manner of manuring, as 

 his planting, culture, &c., do not seem 'to be dif- 

 ferent from many others. He ]>repared his land 

 well; (it was a clover lay,) laid it off both ways, 

 five feet by two and a half; dropped three grains 

 of corn in each check, and with the corn, put a 

 handful of leeched ashes mixed with plaster of 

 Paris, (in the proportion of one of plaster to two 

 of ashes) in each hill or check; cultivated it both 

 ways well with the plough, and hoed well. The 

 amazing product seems to me to be principally 

 attributable to his peculiar application of manure, 

 and why cannot we farmers of Virginia pursue 

 the same plan? No plantation on which ten regu- 

 lar fires are kept, could fail (with care) to produce 

 300 bushels of ashes after the lie is taken from it: 

 this, with 90 bushels of plaster added to it, would 

 manure after the above manner, at least 30 acres. 

 Suppose these 30 acres should produce ten barrels 

 to the acre, (of which I see no reasonable doubt,) 

 can wc desire a better application of labor and 

 money? Eut if 25 barrels be made in Maryland, 

 why not in Virginia? I feel entirely convhiced, 

 that no effectual scheme of general improvement 

 can be suggested, which does not contain some fea- 

 sible plan for lessening the culture of Indian corn 

 — I do not mean to lessen its consumption, but to 

 reduce the surflice necessary to produce tlie quan- 

 tity required for consumption. He who owns a 

 farm of 300 arable acres, and ten effective hands, 

 with six work horses, will find 800 barrels of coi-n 

 necessary for his annual consumption. To make 

 Ibis quantity he Avill, on the average of farms, 

 (between tide-water and the mountains,) put in 

 corn, from 100 to 130 acres of land— and with this 

 large field, would as often fail to make the requi- 

 site quantity, as succeed. Suppose, by any plan, 

 30 acres would produce as mucli as the 130, the 



benefits need not be pointed ont. I am not sup- 

 posing the plan above named, is itself to make 

 the land rich. But what farmer does not see at 

 once, what a vast deal of labor he would thereby 

 be enabled to direct to other purposes than making 

 corn. Every observing man knows that Irom the 

 first of May to the fifteenth of July, the farmer is 

 perpetually on the stretch to keep in good order 

 ids field of com. He has no time to save hay — is 

 hurried in his harvest — collects no materials for 

 manures — and indeed neither does, nor can do any 

 thing but work his corn. 



There can be no reasonable doubt, if we are to 

 believe the experience of others elsewhere, that 

 any firmer now making 300 barrels of corn on 100 

 or 130 acres, has the means of making the like 

 quantity on 30 acres. Nay more, every observant 

 man knows, that he has acres every year (not 

 many to be sure) that actually do produce at that 

 rate, or nearly at that rate — and yet so universally 

 are old habits, that we find it impossible to resist 

 the absurd one of planting our usual crop, although 

 we know that one-third, if not one-half of the 

 field, will not repay the expense of our ploughing. 



I would now suggest, through your Register, 

 to my brother farmers in middle Virginia, (espe- 

 cially) to make this j'ear a small experiment — to 

 take one-tenth of their usual field, and manure 

 and cultivate it after the manner so successfully 

 pursued in Maryland, and observe the result. If 

 land which usually produces three barrels of corn, 

 shall by this method be made to produce ten, (of 

 which I have no doubt) I am sure a new impetus, 

 under favorable auspices, will be given to our 

 agricultural improvement. Even if so favorable 

 a result should not follow, the labor will not be 

 lost. I am now collecting ashes, for at least 30 

 acres — if we should live until the autumn, I will 

 give you the results. 



II. M. 



From the Louisiana Journal. 



DIFFERENCE OF PRODUCTIONS ON THE HIGH 

 AND ALLUVIAL, LANDS OF LOUISIANA. 



It must be apparent to every reflecting mind, 

 who is acquainted with the localities of the state, 

 and is the least conversant with agriculture, that 

 the culture which will suit the alluvial parishes, 

 will not answer in the eighth judicial district. We 

 speak on this subject knowingly, for we have ob- 

 served the staples grown in the alluvial parishes, 

 and in the highlands. It is even now questiona- 

 ble whether cotton can be grown on the Mississip- 

 pi lower than the parish of St. James. In that 

 parish we have seen cotton growing that looked 

 well. In Washington, St. Tammany and St. 

 Helena, the rye is raised to an advantage; yet in 

 West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge, we ap- 

 prehend it would make but a sorry crop, while in 

 the alluvial parishes it would be utterly profitless. 



If we are correctly informed, many efforts have 

 been made to introduce the impiovcd breed of cat- 

 tle on the coast, below Baton Rouge, all of which 

 have proved abortive, because the siock imported 

 had died the first summer af\er their introduction. 

 Yet we are warranted in saying that the same 

 breed of cattle have lived and prospered on the 

 highlands, not exceeding twelve miles from the 

 Mississippi. Swine, it is well known, will answer 

 no valuable purpose on the alluvial lands of the 



