76 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER 



tening the process, A judicious system of grass- 

 ing our lands which can be accomplished with 

 but little labor, will always be tound very useful, 

 and must enter largely into our Byeteai of agri- 

 culture. 



Red clover, there can be no doubt, is the best 

 adapted to this purpose. In consequence of its 

 thick growth, and its numerous and broad leaves, 

 it IS well suited to draw nourishment from the 

 atmosphere ; and doee) so, [crhaps, in a greater 

 degree than any other graas, except other s|)e- 

 cies of the trilblium. Red clover is one of the 

 tribe ot leguminous plants, which '' are remarka- 

 ble on account ol ihesinall quantity of alkalies or 

 salts in general, which they contain."* The 

 medicago sativa (lucerne) according to Liebig 

 contains less than one per cent. (0.83) and red 

 clover probably does not contain mote. Hence 

 one great advantage in the cultivation of this 

 crop will be that it requires to sustain its growth 

 but a very small portion of alkali, while it will 

 absorb Irom the atmosphere not only that ingredi- 

 ent, but also nitrogen in the Ibrni of ammonia, 

 and will thus add to the soil two very important 

 ingredients that enter into the constituents of the 

 food of plants. When we take into consideration, 

 that nitrogen and the alkalies are indispensably 

 necessary to the growth of plants, and that these 

 substances are very sparingly supplied from the 

 atmosphere, we will perceive the great impor- 

 tance of the slover crop in restoring and preserv- 

 ing the lertility of soils. Besides, this crop will 

 I'urnish fine pasturage in the early part of the 

 year, when other grasses are too shot for that 

 purpose. After being fed oft' by stock, whose 

 manure is left on the ground, it produces a luxu- 

 riant second crop, which may either be fed oli in 

 the fall, or left as a coat of manure upon the 

 ground. This may be repeated two or three 

 years in succession, as circumstances may require. 

 The last crop, when fully ripe, shoald be ploughed 

 under in the lall of the year, and will thus I'urnish 

 a coat of manure for ihe succeeding crop. II 

 ploughed under when green, the operation will 

 necessarily have to take place during warm 

 weather, and consequently a rapid decomposition 

 and escape of ammonia would ensue. This 

 should always be avoided. 



Blue grass is also valuable in restoring the fer- 

 tility of land, but the process is more slow, and 

 should only be resorted to in lands intended for 

 cultivation, where they can be conveniently left 

 in grass some eight or ten years. 



Rye is a crop that exhausts but moderately 

 when the grain is reaped ; and when fed off by 

 stock upon the ground on which it grew, is a ra- 

 pid restorer of soil which has not been much ex- 

 hausted. It is attended with the advantage of 

 producing two crops Irom a single sowing, the 

 second always springing from the seed left on the 

 ground by the grazing stock. 



The liberal cultivation of grasses and rye — to 

 be led off by stock — cou[iled with a judicious ro- 

 tation of crops, will undoubtedly have a powerful 

 effect in restoring the partially exhausted lands ol 

 Kentucky, but a judicious system of manuring, as 

 recommended in ihis essay, would greatly add 

 to the rapidity of the process, and should by no 

 means be neglected, especially when lands have 



*Liebig's Organic Chemistry, 204. 



been considerably deteriorated by bad husbandry. 



Little need be said to show the necessity of 

 good tillage in any tolerable system of agricul- 

 ture. If land be carelessly cultivated, weeds not 

 only draw liom the growing crops a portion of 

 the nourishment, which ought to have gone to 

 their sustenance, but they also tend to diminish 

 its fertility. Besides, air is essentially necessary 

 to the growth of plants, so nmch so that Liebig 

 informs us that " without oxygen, neither seeds 

 nor roots can he developed." If ihe soil be kept 

 light, and finely pulverized, it greatly increases 

 Its capacity for absorbing air and moisture. And 

 as " plants during their lile constantly possess 

 the power of absorbing by their roots, moisture, 

 and along with it, air and carbonic acid,"* it fol- 

 lows, that '' by loosening the soil which surrounds 

 young plants, we liivor ihe access of air, and the 

 formation of carbonic acid ; and on the other hand, 

 the quantity ol' their food is diminished by every 

 difficulty which opposes the renewal of air."t 



Thus, by a carelul and diligent cultivation of 

 land, the crop is liirnished more abundantly with 

 its appropriate Ibod, is kept free from the con- 

 taminating iijfluence ol' weeds, is lurnished with 

 a due quantity of air, and is not obstructed in its 

 growth by the baked earth with which careless 

 cultivation leaves it hampered. And in addition to 

 the advantages resulting to land, the diligent 

 husbandman is rewarded with a greatly increased 

 crop, and the prospect of being relieved from 

 much labor in future, by exterminating all nox- 

 ious weeds from his arable grounds. 



Liebig afRims that " the agriculture of China 

 is the most perfect in the world," and there no 

 weeds are suffered to grow. 



h\ by any, it should be thought 1 have been 

 too minute in describing the elementary pririciples 

 constituting the food ol plants, I rest my justifica- 

 tion in the opinion expressed by Liebig, that " any 

 great improvement in that most important of all 

 arts (agriculture) is inconceivable without a deep- 

 er and more perlect acquaintance with the sub- 

 stances which nourish plants, and with the sources, 

 whence they are derived. "| 



The judgment of Liebig will doubtless be a 

 sufficient apology, unless we are content to be 

 still subject to the reproach that " agriculture has 

 hitherto never sought aid from chemical principles, 

 based on the knowledge of those substances which 

 plants extract from the soil on which they grow, 

 and of tliose restored to the soil by means of 

 manure. "§ A. Beatty. 



BERKSHIRE HOGS. 



From tlie Fanners' Cabinet. 



An article in the last Cabinet, under the caption 

 of Berkshires, and containing bo very unfair a 

 judgment on the merits of that invaluable breed, 

 over the signature of R. S. B., Northampton 

 county, together with the severe strictures of G. 

 H. D., whore the Berkshire mania, so called, is 

 classed with the humbugs of the day, seem to 

 make it proper for their friends, if they have any 



* Liebig's Organic Chemistry, 83. \ lb. 106. 

 lib. 62. § lb. 207-8. 



