190 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



without underbrush, except at the edges, where 

 the hazel bush seems to be the advanced guard, 

 and is constanily encroachini? upon the prairie. 

 There are lar^e tracla of timber land called 

 " barrens," which are about half way between 

 prairie and timber land— the tree standins; apart 

 like an orchard, and the ground covered wiih 

 grass, (he sod of which is much less tough than 

 that on the prairie. 



One very prominent feature of a prairie, I 

 should mention, and that is the constant and ever 

 varying succession of flowers from spring till fall. 

 A singular and false notion prevails about the 

 height (Tf the grass, and that it must be difficult 

 getHng about. It is not even difficult for a sheep, 

 as the'^grass nevfr grows high enough upon the 

 dry land to impede or hide them. Near the banks 

 of streams, or in marshes, it is like going through 

 a field of oats or vvhoat. And it is in such places 

 that grass is cut lor hay— some very good— some 

 good— and some that the lees said about the 

 smaller the sin committed. 



But as for pasturage, no country can excel (his. 

 The milk, butter, cheese and beef attest the rich 

 juiciness of the feed. But we lack the beautiful 

 blue grass pastures of Kentucky, for fall feed. 

 Even now, near (he middle of December, not- 

 withstanding we have had a hard fa'l for (his 

 country, this grass is green and good. Even ti- 

 mothy or red top would yet afford " a good bite." 

 The next wonder is about ploughing. And 

 if, my dear .reader, you who have ploughed eo 

 many acres of greensward with old " Duke & 

 Darby," could only see a " prairie team," you 

 would wonder still more. 



Fancy upon a level smooth piece of ground, 

 free from slicks, stumps and stones, a team of 

 four, five, or even six yoke of oxen, hitched to 

 a pair of cart wheels, and to them hitched a 

 plough with a beam fourteen feet long, and the 

 share, &c., of which weigh from sixty (o one 

 hundred and twemy-five pounds, of wrought 

 iron and steel, and which cuts a furrow from six- 

 teen to twenty-four inches wide, and you will 

 figure the appearance of a "breaking team" in 

 operation. If you ask me if this is necessary, 

 1 can only tell you that I suppose it is, for it is 

 fashionable. 



I do believe though, that a smaller plough and 

 less team would be belter lor the land, though 

 it is said it would be more expensive ploughing. 

 It is true that the sod is more tough than can be 

 believed by those who have never ploughed it. 

 It requires the plough to be kept very sharp, and 

 for this purpose the ploughman is always provid- 

 ed with a largA, file with which he keeps a keen 

 edge as possible upon the share and coulter. 



Such a team ploughs from one to two acres a 

 day, usually about four inches deep, which is not 

 near down to the bottom of the roots, so that the 

 eod turned up aflbrds but a scanty covering for 

 grain (hat is sowed upon it at first, yet, very fine 

 crops of wheal are raised in (his way. It is also 

 a common pracdce to break up in the spring and 

 drop corn in every second or third furrow, and 

 from which twenty or thirty bushels to the acre 

 are often gathered, nothing having ever been 

 done to it after planting. It (akes (wo or three 

 years for these sods (o become thoroughly decom- 

 posed, and then (he soil Is of a light, loose, black 



vegetable mould, very easily stirred by (he plough, 

 but of a nature that it adheres to (he plough in a 

 troublesome manner. In fac(, no plough has ever 

 been found to keep itself clear ; and the plough- 

 man is generally obliged (o carry with him a 

 small wooden paddle, with vvhich (o clear off (he 

 ridhermg mass of dirt upon (he mould board. 

 With this exception, (he prairie soil is generally 

 one of the easiest in the world to till, and of 

 course remarkably fertile. 



By lar the greatest portion is based upon a sub- 

 soil of clay, though in many places the subeoil 

 is sand or gravel, and there are large (rads of 

 which (he surlace is of Ihis material. The 

 streams are often broad and nearly covered with 

 vegetable growth, in some instances (o that de- 

 gree that sheets of water many rods wide ac- 

 tually burn over during (he autumnal fires. 



Nutwilhstanding (he many "interesting ac- 

 coun(s of burning prairies," (he fire upon a dry 

 prairie in a calm lime does not blaze as high as 

 it would in an old siubble field. But in the 

 marshes or wet prairies, i( sometimes rages with 

 most magnificent grandeur. 



MARLING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Extracts from an Address to the Pee Dee Agriciiltu- 

 tural Society, by Dr. M. McLean. 



There is another source of fertilization acces- 

 sible to (he plan(ers, on and near the Pee Dee, 

 which 1 can now only name. I mean (he lime- 

 stone and marl which are found in quan(i(ies in- 

 exhausdble on (he very banks of (he river. The 

 subject is almost new to many of us, and one in 

 which we are deeply interested. If time allowed 

 I would dwell at some length upon it. Those 

 who wish information in regard to it, are referred 

 to the Farmers' Register, and the valuable Essay 

 on Calcareous Manures, by the able editor of (hat 

 excelliMit periodical ; a work which ought to be 

 in the hands of every member of this society, and 

 every plan(er on the river. 



Before closing I shall B(ate an experiment 

 made last season with the Pee Dee marl, by a 

 Mr. Cunningham of Marion, on whose land a 

 bed ol it is found. It was spread at the rate of 

 200 bushels to the acre, on part of an old field of 

 sandy soil, vvhich had once been exhausted, and 

 then sufJered to lie out (ill it became covered with 

 a growth of young pines. The marl was ap- 

 plied the second year after the land had been re- 

 cleared, and the crop planted was Indian corn. 

 Upon measuring the crop after it was gathered, 

 the yield was found to be exactly double that of 

 adjoining land of the same quality, planted at the 

 same time and cultivated in the same way. Thia 

 informadon I received from a gentleman of in- 

 telligence and respec(abili(y, who saw the crop 

 growing, and saw the corn measured when it was 

 gathered. Not knowing that I should use the 

 infbrmatiou in this way, it did not occur to me to 

 inquire what was (he yield fo (he acre ; but my 

 informant e(ated that the grow(h was very luxu- 

 riant, that the number of stalks in the hill was 

 two; that (he corn succored freely, and that on 

 some hills he counted as many as seven good 

 ears, some of them on succors. 



