1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



383 



The breed of ho£fs best calculalod for our pone- 

 ral purpose is yet to be ascertained. VVithiii a 

 few years, great exertions liave been made, at con- 

 siderable expense, lo procure the best breeds, but 

 whether any ol' tlieni answer our expectations, I 

 think very iloubtl'u!. The breeds imported liere, 

 were improvemonis made to suit tiie |iuri)oses o! 

 otiiers under dilVerent circumstances, diderent soil 

 and climate, dillerent food and management, and 

 under a dillerent method of disposing of the pork, 

 and accordi[ig to our present mode of fiirming; 

 thus dirtering from the methods abroad, whence 

 these hogs have been brought, and our surplus 

 pork being chiefly driven to the south, 1 think ulti- 

 mately they will not do except in the event of the 

 successful completion of the railroad from Lexing- 

 ton to Charleston. Then the smaller and earlier 

 matured hogs, the JJyfields, the Berkshires, the 

 Bedfords, &c. will be more profitable than the 

 larger breeds. But should this all-important im- 

 provement to the west prove abortive, the hog 

 that will be best calculated for our interests, is yet 

 to be improved by some judicious cross from our 

 present creat variety of breeds. The lat varieties, 

 as the Bedford, Berkshire, &c., from their early 

 propensity to tiitten, are best for family use and 

 home consumption; but owing to their incapability 

 to travel, they must measurably give way to the 

 longer-legged hog, until the railroad from Lexing- 

 ton 10 Charleston is complete. 



Bird Smith, 

 Mcviber Ky. State j^g. Soc. 



From tlie New England Farmer. 



VALUE OP MANURE. — INTERESTING EXPERI- 

 MENTS IN FARMING. 



James W. Thomson, M. D., Cor. Sec. Ag. Society: 



Although I am not what might be called a 

 practical farmer, not having had the time to de- 

 vote to it that I could have wished, yet having 

 done something in that line for a considerable 

 number of years, I feel a freedom in submiltinij a 

 few experiments in the raising of produce, which 

 may be miproved upon by those better calculated, 

 have more time, and are more devoted to the busi- 

 ness of farming than I am. But to proceed to the 

 experiments. Having purchased a small tract of 

 poor land, near Wilmington, Delaware, Avhich 

 was overrun with the daisy, (or Richardson's 

 pink,) and wishing to eradicate that pernicious 

 weed as early as possible, I determined to work the 

 ground hard, by a quick rotation of crops, taking 

 care to lime and manure in proportion. AfteT- 

 progressing in this way for a few years, it occurred 

 tome that it might be worth while to ascertain 

 the amount raised, and the value per acre, by the 

 process I had adopted. The first lot of ten acres 

 was treated as follows. In the fall I put on twen- 

 ty-six loads of barn-yard manure to the acre, 

 spread it evenly, and ploughed it in; after which 

 it was well harrowed, and so left until spring, when 

 it was again twice harrowed ; the last tinie cross- 

 wise. It was then run out as near north and 

 south as the field would admit of, and planted in 

 drills, as follows, the first two rows three feet 

 apart, the third row seven feet: the next three 

 feet, and so on, alternately through the field. The 



object in i)lanting every other row seven fi-et apart, 

 was that it might have all the advantage ol sun 

 and air — but not wishing lo loose loo much 

 ground, by planting so wide apart, I iilantcd a 

 low of potatoes in each seven liiot space — the 

 produce as l()llows: 500 bushels corn, at (iO cents, 

 !Tr30(); and 500 bushels potatoes, sold at 50 cents, 

 (exclusive of small ones,) )2;250. The corn was 

 cut off in the fall, and shocked in the field, and the 

 ground sown with wheat, (except where the 

 shocks stood,) which was sown in the spring with 

 millet. The produce was 300 bushels wheat, at 

 ,91 10 cents, ^330. JVlillet 4 tons, with the seed, 

 worth S{^16per ton, iij64. Directly after harvest 

 the wheat stubble was ploughed in, and part of 

 the field sown with turnips; the other part with 

 buckwheat, produce 200 bushels buckwheat, which 

 was sold at 50 cents, i^lOO; and 600 bushels tur- 

 nips, fed to the cattle, say at 25 cents per bushel, 

 8150; in all, 81)194, independent of straw, fodder, 

 &c. The field was then manured, and laid down 

 in wheat, and sown with grass seed. The next 

 experiment was on an adjoining lot of ten and a 

 half acres, manured and tilled as the first, and 

 planted in rows five feet apart one way, and two 

 ;eet the other, and not exceeding three stalks in tlie 

 hill, more frequently one and two; produce eighty 

 bushels to the acre, at 75 cents per bushel, $130. 

 The next spring it was ploughed, and planted in 

 potatoes, in rows six feet apart, and manured in 

 the row. I then struck out between the rows of 

 potatoes, and planted corn two feet apart as above 

 — the corn had no manure — produce as Ibllows: 

 500 bushels sound corn, sold at 80 cents, §(400 ; 

 1,500 bushels potatoes, sold from 30 to 37^ cents, 

 say 35 cents per bushel, ^525. The seasons of 

 1836 and 1837 were unfavorable for corn with us, 

 and it ripened late. Part of the above field is in 

 with wheat, sown in the fall, with a light dress- 

 ing of compost — the residue in spring wheat, with- 

 out manure; both look well. In endeavoring to 

 be as brief as possible, lam apprehensive I have 

 not been sulTiciently explicit to be clearly under- 

 -*-- ' Thy friend, 



EnvvARD Tatnall. 



stood. 



From the Farmers' Caljinet. 

 BURDOn's excellent OINTaiENT. 



Yellow rosin, the size of a hen's eim, to be 

 melted in an earthen pot over a slow fire, to whicli 

 add the same quantiiy of beeswax. When melt- 

 ed, add half a pound of hog's lard, and when that 

 is dissolved add two ounces of honey and half a 

 pound of common turpentine, and keep gently 

 boiling a few minutes, stirring all the time. Take 

 it of!' the fire, and when it has cooled a little, stir 

 into it two ounces of verdigris finely powdered, 

 then give the whole a few minutes' o-entle boiling, 

 and pour through a sieve for use. Nothing takes 

 fire out of a burn or scald in human flesh so soon 

 as this ointment. 



I would suggest, that no store in a newly set- 

 tled district ought to be without a plentiful supply 

 of the above ointment for sale; it is equally good 

 for cuts and bruises and putrefying sores, and 

 might be denominated with propriety, the univer- 

 sal remedy. 



James Pedder. 



