FARMERS' REGISTER. 



293 



out go'ms off his own homestead. This is no fic- 

 tion : and it is a fart, ihat the farmer is the most 

 indi'|)endent man in the community. 



But in order lo be happy, and males his life use- 

 ful as it ought to be, he mast be intelliirent — in 

 possession ol the means olknowledtie — especially 

 that kind of knowledge which relates lo his own 

 prolession. He must use the means which God 

 has given him, to be happy himself, and tocoiilri- 

 bdte to the ha[)piness and comliart of those around 

 him. In justice to himself he will employ his eve- 

 nings in the acquisition of knowledge. He will be 

 a reader of useful books, and a supporter of the 

 public press, which brings to his door the newspa- 

 per which gives him the history of the world. 

 Such a farmer as this will fulfil his duties to his 

 God, and his feilow-man, and is the happiest and 

 most independent among the best of men. 



MR. JACOB SHEIMER S SYSTEM OF FARMING. 



From tlie Genesee Farmer. 



Notes ofa conversation had with Jacob Sheimer, 

 Esq., a German farmer, of great skill, who resides 

 in Saucon township, Northampton county, Pa. 

 He ranks high as a practical I'armer in a place 

 which has been long celebrated lor its fine farms, 

 and good farmers. He says that his larm con- 

 tains just one hundred acres of liirm land, which 

 is" divided i ito eight equal fields, excepting lour 

 acres which is allowed lor house, barns, garden, 

 &c. One field is in with corn, three with wheat, 

 and one with rye, and three ior mowing, pas- 

 ture, &c. 



He breaks up his corn stalk ground for wheat 

 the last of May, and immediately harrows it well, 

 and then furrows it out into eight pace lands lor 

 lime, a half bushel at each corner, when the sta- 

 ble manure is put on. It is ploughed a second 

 time belbre harvest; immediately after harvest 

 cross and harrow well, and then sow about the 

 28ih of September with one bushel and a half of 

 clean wheat per acre, to be ploughed in with a one 

 horse plough very shallow, and then harrowed. 



The next spring sow with clover seed at the 

 rate of one bushel to eiu^ht acres. The Ibllowing 

 year to be mowed, and immediately after mowing, 

 strike one liirrow across the field and back agam 

 every (orty-five t'eet ; turn no cattle in, but when 

 the second crop is large enough, plough it neatly 

 down. If necessary run a harrow over belbre 

 ploughing; two weeks after let it be well harrow- 

 ed, and about the 28th of September sow with 

 wheat as belbre. 



Next spring sow with clover seed for pasture 

 until after harvest the Ibllowing year; then turn it 

 carefully down, harrow it well, and sow as belbre. 



The Ibllowing year sow no clover seed, but 

 plough the stubble down immediately alter har- 

 vest, harrow it well, and sow one bushel of clean 

 rye per acre, and plough in. 



After the rye is cut oti', leave it until the follow- 

 ing year when it is to be jilanled with Indian corn, 

 three and a half iijet apart and lour grains in a 

 hill, to be plastered in the usual way, and plough 

 well three times. 



Mr. Sheimer says that his three crops of wheat 

 are always the best, and he also says he has not 

 inissed a crop in thirty years, and that he raises 



from ten to twelve hundred bushels of wheat 

 every year. 



The thrashing must be finished by the first of 

 March, and the stable dung must be spread over 

 the yard at least once a week; this is all he does 

 to prepare it (or hauling out the latter part of June. 

 You will perceive that his is an eight year 

 course, and that he has one year summer fallow. 

 A practice now prevails in that section, of sowing 

 clover seed among the corn after the last plough- 

 ing, and some skiJful liirmers say they have had 

 good success with it. 



No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. 



Corn, Fallow, Wheat, Clover, 



Fallow, Wheat, Clover, Wheat, 



Wheat, Clover, Wheat, Clover, 



Clover, Wheat, Clover, Wheat, 



Wheat, Clover, Wheat, Rye, 



Clover, Wheat, Rye, Corn, 



Wheat, Rye, Corn, Fallow, 



Rye, Corn, Fallow, Wheat, 



No. 5. 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



Wheat, 



Rye, 



Corn, 



Fallow, 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



No. 6. 



Clover, 



Wheat, 



Rye, 



Corn, 



Fallow, 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



Wheat, 



No. 7. 



Wheat, 



Rye, 



Corn, 



Fallow, 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



No. 8. 



Rye, 



Corn, 



Fallow, 



Wheat, 



Clover, 



Wheal, 



Clover, 



Wheat. 



Old Northampton. 



SWAMP MUD FOR MANURE. 



From tlie New England Farmer. 



3fr. Fessenden — In my last note to you I pro- 

 mised to give some further account respecting the 

 decayed vegetable matter, generally called swamp 

 muck, which many sections of our country abound 

 with. The use of which, applied on an upland 

 loam, gravel, or sandy soil will pay the expense 

 of labor in removing it, two for one the first year, 

 as the statement of facts hereafter annexed, fully 

 proves. 



The last fall I carted several loads of muck on to 

 a knol! of loam, and put it in one heap, though I 

 think it would have been better to have dropped 

 one load only in a place. In the spring, prior to 

 planting corn, the muck was spread and ploughed 

 under. The crop of corn where the muck was 

 spread, was large. I thought larger than where 

 barn yard manure was put, A neighboring farmer 

 has made use of muck lor several years. The 

 first year he thought it equal to barn yard manure, 

 and its effects were perceivable a much longer 

 time. The soil on which the muck was put, was 

 a warm gravelly loam. The muck was used by 

 another neighboring farmer, (or manuring corn in 

 ihe hill, which was used in the following manner: 

 A row of each alternately, one of barn yard ma- 

 nure, and one of hog manure. He assured me 

 the corn was much the best manured with the 

 muck. The soil a sandy loam. 



Mr. Daniel Bloomer when residing in North 

 Salem, West Chester county, in the year 1796 

 had four acres of gravelly loam of equal quality 

 which he planted with corn. Prior to planting the 

 corn, he applied fifty loads of muck per acre, oi\ 



