300 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



leaves. If we are not mistaken the grain was 

 put on the purliice without ploutrhinji, harrowing, 

 or any other manual operation. The leaves cover- 

 ed it and protected tlie roots diirinir the freezes of 

 winter, but on the approach of sprinii; it put Ibrth 

 with great luxuriance, and is in every respect one 

 of the best pastures of the country. An advan- 

 tage not generally thought of in woodland rye is, 

 that if a small portion of" it is suti'ered to mature, 

 nature's laws will effect the second sowing, and by 

 pursuing the plan attentively, a perpptuul and per- 

 manent pasture may be obtained. To sow rve in 

 Jand not otherwise en>ployed is, to our minds, the 

 cheapest and best pasture that we have heard of 

 anv where. 



We. think this one idea is worth more than ten 

 years' subscription for the Agriculturist, to anyone 

 who will try it. 



OF I, IMF. AND OTHER MATTERS. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



1 [)romised you that. I would say something of 

 lime and its influence upon niy land and crops. 

 As the season advances, and results begin to un- 

 fold, I find it diflit^uit, very difficult, to make my 

 communication. For to say any thinir inconsistent 

 with the whole truth I hokl to be dishonorable ; 

 yet I am not without embarrassment, thouirh thus 

 sustained in saying what I see, feel and believe in 

 relation to lime. If therefore I approach this sub- 

 ject with evident timidity, yon and vour readers 

 will be so good as to impute my faltering to a de- 

 cent and becoming re-pect (or public opinion. It 

 is said that " truth is powerful, and must prevail." 

 Be it so ; but, alter threescore years of experience, 

 I leel much doubt. Yes, sir, I do assuredly doubt 

 That "truth must and wd! prevail." Like the jest- 

 ing judge who presided upon the trial of Christ, 

 I ask, "What is truth'?" For example, suppose 1 

 waited upon every man in Virginia and asked him 

 what was lime and its influence upon the earth in 

 the production of vegetable iTiatter — how many 

 quires of paper would it take to print the answers? 

 Setting aside practical men and men of science, 

 no two would give the same answer. Let me 

 therelbre be underst( od to speak strictly of my 

 practice and its results. Mv first object was to 

 drain my land ; for observation had taught me 

 that a single summer upon wet land would destroy 

 its fertility. Plaster was then a valuable applica- 

 tion for 15 years; after that, it only colored the 

 vegetation. Yet, Ibr the gool it had done, 1 con- 

 tinued its use. The hope that, as of old, the spirit 

 might again I'all upon the waier.s and move them, 

 excited me to increased applications of plaster; 

 but it was of no avail. Mother earth seemed to 

 turn the '• dull cold ear of death" to me. My spi- 

 rits flagged, and that ennui Ibllowed which fixes 

 upon man after parting with an old and faithllil 

 friend never to meet again. A deep disgust was 

 ffist fixing upon mv nerves towards every thing 

 like agriculture. While under this (eeling, I wan- 

 dered into a bonk store, and there met with your 

 treatise upon 'Calcareous Manures." 1 had made 

 two experiments years before with lime, and they 

 had both failed. Upon reading your book, I re- 



I could find, and took good care to avoid that wet 

 kind of land upon which my former experiments 

 had been made. It resulted well, and my march 

 is now in seven league boot>-. 1 did not Ibrget 

 my old and valued friend, plaster. I called upon 

 it as endorser lor my new acquaintance, lime ; and 

 the way they do business is what is called in the 

 west "a caution." Imagination, with very little as- 

 sistance from poetry, may well believe that it can 

 hear the song of praise and thanksgiving to the 

 great Father of all, from corn, wheat, oats and 

 grass. No "crying rats" are met in the path- 

 way ; and recuperated nature, like the hair-grown 

 Samson, returns to her original powers, wantonly 

 desirous of showing her strength. I especially 

 recommend to root growers the free use of lime. 

 For turnips, if they lime and pulverize well, and 

 then cover the seed with a light cultivator, the 

 crop is sure. Lime, sir, is the moving power of 

 all my crops ; and that you may form some idea of" 

 my doiniis, I have no doubt of laying by my corn 

 by the 15ih of June, and having one hundred tons 

 of clover hay cut, cured and stacked. For, after 

 harvest, we look to nothing but thrashing and se- 

 ciiring our wheat and oats. The wheat we never 

 l^iil to deliver to the neighboring mills by the lOih 

 August ; and the oats we are sure to consume in 

 the coming year. I saj' this not to boast, but to 

 show your young farmers what a man of 62 can 

 do. I keep no overseer, for I have (bund them 

 more unmanageable than wet, rushy land. I have 

 raised and trained my own servants. They know 

 their duty, and do it faiihfijily. Having had the 

 good fortune of a Christian mother, I was trained 

 in the ways of Christianity, and I treat my ser- 

 vants kindly, and feed them well. No day in the 

 vear finds them without meat and fish and milk. 

 Finally, my dear sir, I offer you my warm saluta- 

 tions for your well directed efforts in restoring our 

 beloved stale to her pristine power for production. 

 You will long be remembered as a benefactor. 



Fairfax. 

 May mh, 1840. 



REARING CHICKENS. 



From the Cultivator. 

 3fessrs. Editors — Having made some experi- 

 ments in the raising ot" chickens, a business that 

 forms a part i.f every (armer's occupation, I send 

 you a ilescription, of" my present plan of operation, 

 which appears to answer admirably. Under an 

 out-house 16 by 18 ieet square, raised 3 feet above 

 the ground, I have dug a cellar, 3 (f;et below the 

 ground, making the height 6 feet altogether. 

 Fight (eet in width of this cellar is partitioned ofT 

 for turnips, the remaining 10 by 16 feet, being 

 sufficiently large to accommodate 100 chickens, or 

 even more. This cellar is enclosed with boards 

 at present, but it is intended to substitute brick 

 walls in the course of a year or two. The roost 

 is made sloping from thft roof to within IS inches 

 of the ground or floor ; 12 feet long by 6 feet wide. 

 The roost is formed in this way : 2 pieces of 2 inch 

 plank, 6 inches wide and 12 (eet long, are fastened 

 parallel 5 feet apart by a spike or pin to the joist 

 above, the lower end resting on a post 18 inches 



above the ground. Notches are made along the 

 solved to pipe all hands to quarters, and never give upper edge of these plank, 1 (bot apart, to receive 

 lip the ship. I Ibrthwilh purchased all the shells I sticks or poles from the woods, the hark on. Wher? 



