740 



FARMERS' REGISTER— AGRICULTURE OF RHODE ISLAND. 



to fifteen acres, all rectilinial, and for the most part 

 enclosed by stone walls; sometimes planks and 

 post and rails. 



I'he crops cultivated are grass, corn, potatoes, 

 onions, rye and oats — the largest portion being in 

 grass, the next largest in corn, potatoes, &c. I 

 can give you no better idea of the high cultiva- 

 tion and consequent value of the soil, than by 

 stating the prices of land in rent and in lee. 



A gentleman has within a short time, purchased 

 about forty acres of land near the town of New- 

 port, lor which he gave five hundred dollars per 

 acre — the buildings ujion this land vv'ere very or- 

 dinary, and could not have been estimated at more 

 than 1500 dollars. The conmion annual rent 

 of land, from all 1 could learn, varied from three to 

 ten dollars per acre. Lands adapted to the growth 

 of the onion rented higliest, that crop yielding a 

 greater profit to the acre than any other. It will 

 at once be supposed that lands that sell and rent 

 at these prices arc not permitted to lie idle: they 

 are all under the plough, or mowed for hay. No 

 fields are seen covered with rank luxuriant and 

 pestilential weeds: the seeds of these plants which 

 BO much abound with us, and are even valued as 

 returning vegetable matter to the soil, seem here 

 to be extirpated by cultivation carefully conducted 

 through a series of years. 



It surprised me, that under this aspect of the 

 country, I seldom found persons actually laboring 

 in the fields. It seemed as if some friendly fairy 

 did the work by star light. This is to be account- 

 ed for, however, by the energy with which they 

 work when actually engaged. They do not stop 

 to gaze at you as you pass by, and if you enter 

 their fields and talk to them, they converse with 

 politeness, but do not cease to labor. I should 

 think that one Rhode Island laborer would per- 

 form as much work as two and a half of the 

 southern slaves. 



Corn is here planted about the 10th of May. 

 From three to five stalks are permitted to grow in 

 a hill, distant from each other two feet one way, 

 and three and a half the other. It produces about 

 fifty bushels to the acre. They plough their corn 

 three times, and work it afier each ploughing with 

 the hoes, the earth being drawn up to the stalks 

 very high. They give this hill to prevent the 

 corn from being prostrated by the wind, and con- 

 eider it more necessary to cultivate this small spe- 

 cies of corn with a hill, than the larger southern 

 corn, in consequence of the size of the stalk. 



Grass is produced at the rate of from two to 

 three tons to the acre, lor which they receive at 

 market from seventy-five cents to one dollar per 

 hundred weight. I was particular in the inquiries 

 I inadc in relation to the effect produced by the 

 application of marine weeds as manure, which I 

 have observed to be applied on this island, as a 

 top dressing to grass lands. These grasses are 

 probably loosened from the rocks, and the bottom 

 of the sea, by the percussion of the waves; and in 

 particular seasons, when the wind blows in shore, 

 they are collected in large quantities upon the 

 beach, from which they are carefully hauled as 

 manure, and applied to most of their crops with 

 great benefit, particularly to potatoes, corn and 

 grass. Upon the latter they usually put four ox- 

 cart loads to the acre, which are equal to six loads, 

 drawn by our oxen in eastern Virginia. This 

 quantity, when thinly epreo-d, covered the ground, 



and produced the most beneficial effects. Lands 

 that yielded eight hundred weight of grass to the 

 acre, in an undressed state, would produce as much 

 as two tons if dressed in tfiis way. The grasses 

 used in the greatest quantities, are vulgarly known 

 by the name of rock weed and ribbon grass. The 

 tbrmer is a narrow leafed plant with many joints, 

 at which a number of small roots shoot, resembling 

 very much in appearance our wire grass, which if 

 I mistake not is the fiorin grass of Ireland. The 

 latter is a large and long leaf, not unlike in shape, 

 a corn blade severed in "the middle, but very thick, 

 and covered with a fine polish as if it was var- 

 nished. It derives its name doubtless, from its re- 

 semblance to ribbon. This grass may be found in 

 considerable quantities in tlie rocks on the sea 

 shore, floating in situations where I have fished 

 for the black fish. 



The farmers preferred these marine manures to 

 the best stable manure, or the dung of animals — 

 their effects of course being greater. In addition 

 to these marine manures ol" vegetable basis, they 

 use great quantities offish called menhaden, which 

 arc taken in large numbers by fishermen, whose 

 business it is to look out for them on the sea shore. 

 When a shoal of them appears, a boat loaded 

 with the rope of one end of the net, and the seine, 

 goes out beyond the fish, and the fishermen throw 

 out the net, so as to encompass them: another boat 

 attends with the rope, to attach it to the other end 

 of the seine, and thus it is drawn to the shore. 

 These fish are ver>' fat, and seemed to be the 

 same fish known to us, by the name of ale wife or 

 old wife. They are purchased on the shore at 17 

 cents a barrel, and applied to the land as a top 

 dressing for grass, and I believe .sometimes plough- 

 ed under. The land thus dressed produces grass 

 of a superior qualify, and to use an expression of 

 a farmer 'it maltes it graze siveeif stock of all 

 kinds preferring the spots thus dressed to any other 

 part of the field. 



The only unj)leasant consequence of this sort of 

 manuring is, that the nostrils of the visiter are as- 

 sailed frequently in his walks by an odor, to which 

 real eau de cologne is, somewhat more agreea- 

 ble. 



The facts here stated, the writer received from 

 the laborers themselves, with many of whom he 

 was in the habit of daily conversation, and who 

 were practically acquainted with every thing ap- 

 pertincnt to their vocation. I will here take oc- 

 casion to remark, that these eastern men, are re- 

 markable for the extent and accuracy of their in- 

 formation in relation to the business, in which 

 they are engaged; all the powers of their minds, 

 sharpened as the intellects are by interest, are 

 brought to concentrate their force upon a single 

 point. 



The space I have already occupied, adraonishes 

 me to conclude. 



-In publica commoda pcccem, 



Si lona;o sennone merer.- 



Richmond Co., Feb. 7th, 1835. 



From Martin's History of tlio British Colonies. 

 STR.\A'Gl,ING HORSKS!. 



Travelling over frozen rivers or lakes is however, 

 not imattended with real danger; the sleigh, lis 



