THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



273 



this designation to land. Yet where shall we 

 looit for more wonderful results, wrought by 

 the judicious use of plaster? On all lands, then, 

 we would say that it acts beneficially, with the 

 proper accompaniments; and that the Cumber- 

 land agriculturist, esppciaiiy, has great encou- 

 ragement to try it. And so of crops, the dif- 

 ficulty, in the opinion of your committee, would 

 be to say what it will not benefit, from our most 

 valuable staples, down to the smallest garden 

 veo^etable or flower. But its adaptation to clover 

 has been probably the best tested, and its con- 

 tinued application to that crop is yet, we tiust, 

 to produce the most marl<ed results, in reclaiming 

 our exhausted, and preserving our rich lands. 

 To other grasses, to corn, wheat, tobacco, oats 

 and peas, ii may doubtless be applied, if not with 

 equal, with very encouraging success. All 

 which is respectfully submitted by your com- 

 mittee. 



AGRICULTUKAL. 



CONDITION 

 VANIA. 



OF PKNNSYL- 



Extract from the Transactions of the New Yorlt State Agricul- 

 tural Society. 



Pennsylvania, in a geological sense, is charac- 

 terized by a division of secondary and transition 

 formation, excepting a small portion of primitive, 

 in the southeast end of the slate. Some geolo- 

 gists contend that we have no well defined primary 

 rock, in the whole state. 



While the population continued more sparse, it 

 was not uncommon to see large portions of ihin 

 soil run over by the French pioneer system : 

 which, failing to produce on their depleting plan, 

 after a series of crops, was thrown out as com- 

 mons, or old field. It is matter of interest now, 

 with a more dense population, to see those com- 

 mons enclosed, and made productive, chiefly by 

 the free use of lime. This manure, being spread 

 on the surface, has sufficient specific gravity to 

 work in ; after one or two years, the ground is 

 cultivated, and a rotation of crops commenced. 

 Lime, on these soils, is so effective, that the farm- 

 ers count on an extra bushel of corn lor every 

 bushel of lime. Here 1 allude, of course, to the 

 poor lands, destitute of carbonate of lime and the 

 constituents of the cereal grains. 



The farmers of New- York may form some idea 

 of the use made of lime here, as a manure, when 

 I state that I burn at my own kilns, only three in 

 number, containing from ten to lourieen hundred 

 bushels each, about 40,000 bushels in a year, and 

 there are in the neighborhood some half dozen 

 persons who burn a like quantity ; some of which 

 is hauled more than thirty miles, into the south- 

 west of Chester county, and lo Cecil county, 

 Maryland. Lime is usually applied, at a rate 

 from thirty to filiy bushels on poor lands, and 

 from sixty to one hundred bushels, on good lime- 

 stone land. The former practice, of spreading it 

 fresh, in its caustic state, on plouj^hed ground, 

 preparatory to planting or sowing, is last jziving 

 way to the. plan of throwing it in conTcal piles, lo 

 slake and carbonate, after which it is spread on 

 the sod, as a top dressing for permanent pastures, 

 or to lie a year or two, before the ground is 

 ploughed. Lime at the kilns here, is sold at ten 

 Vol. X.— 35 



to eleven cents per bushel, and as high as twenty- 

 six and eight cents^ delivered thirty miles. The 

 value of our first rate land in this county, may be 

 stated from §100 to §120 per acre, according 

 to the value of improvements, convenience, 

 water. &c. 



In Pennsylvania, it may be said there are three 

 diflTerent systems of husbandry practised. 



1st. The cropping system ; the usual custom is, 

 to plough a sod field, in the fall or spring, for corn, 

 which is cut up at the ground, following crop oats 

 or barley, then manured and put in wheat ; after 

 which it is put down to grass, generally clover, 

 without and with timothy. Clover fields are 

 usually ploughed and sowed in wheat, and make 

 the most certain crop ; the following crop, if 

 manured, wheat, and if not, sowed in rye and 

 seeded down to grass. This system is the most 

 laborious, hence it is unilbrmly adopted by the 

 German farmers, on our best lands. 



2d. A mixed system. This system is being 

 adopted in some sections, suitable for it. A por- 

 tion of the farm is set apart, well watered for per- 

 manent pasture, which receives a triennial top 

 dressing of lime, compost, or short manure. 

 Green grass (Poa viridis) naturally obtains, on 

 our strong, calcareous soils, when not broken up 

 by culture, and is decidedly the best grass for 

 fattening. The balance of the farm is conducted, 

 in all respects, as stated in the first named system. 

 This plan I consider best, and of course adopt it 

 on my own farm. 



3d. This is called the grazing system, and is 

 uniformly adopted, in the eastern counties, near 

 Philadelphia, for dairy purposes and feeding off 

 cattle lor the shambles. There is very little farm- 

 ing or ploughing done in this system ; merely 

 enough grain raised for the consumption of the 

 family and stock ; balance of the whole farm is 

 appropriated to pasture, and hay. Few horses 

 are kept, where this system prevails, oxen being 

 substituted, on the score of economy and 

 profit. 



In some of the extreme western counties, stock 

 raising is made the principal business, particularly 

 in Green and Mercer counties, the soil there being 

 adapted to grass. The stock, cattle and sheep 

 are driven east, and sold in Lancaster and Chester 

 counties, to be fed off. 



Western Pennsylvania is rapidly improving in 

 agricultural products ; raising, according to the 

 late census, about 2,000,000 bushels more wheat 

 in a year than eastern Pennsylvania ; the extent 

 of wheat land being far greater west, than east 

 of the mountains. Western Pennsylvania was 

 formerly poorly cultivated, but is now rapidly im- 

 proving and will far excel us, here, in the eastern 

 part. While we, here, are confined to the Phila- 

 delphia market, they of the west have the choice 

 of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburtj, by 

 canal and railway, while the Ohio and Mississippi 

 hear away much of their surplus produce to New- 

 Orleans. 



Beet and turnip culture was commenced in this 

 state with considerable spirit, but lew continue now 

 to advocate root culture, further than potatoes ; 

 Ike, and indeed not unlike, the multicaulis mania, 

 our shrewd and more discriminating farmers allege 

 that both have proved to them, like " faith with- 

 out works." Draining and reclaiming bogs and 

 swamps, afford another resource, to us, which our 



