276 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



animated and directed the whole procedure on 

 both the estates. From their coniiguiiy, their 

 similarity of character and of mfinagement, the 

 two estates, large as they are, may be properly 

 and conveniently treated oras one subject, as will 

 be done in this report. The elder brother had lost 

 no time, and of course led the way in the work 

 ofimprovement. His whole course of operai ions 

 was judicious and admirable, and highly success- 

 ful. Still he was cautions, and slow in some of 

 the measures, especially in the main one, liming, 

 compared to the later and better assured subse- 

 quent operations of his younger brother. 



When the reporter recently looked over the 

 Brandon estates, and with more care than on Ibr- 

 mer occasions, for the purpose of preparing this re- 

 port, there was one thing thai frequently occur- 

 red to hia observation. This was, that every 

 particular operation was directed with a strict 

 view to economy, so that it should yield the 

 greatest possible profit ; and as there are 

 necessarily many more things to be done than 

 can be effected, the most desirable and profitable 

 are chosen to be executed, and are well per- 

 formed, and the less profitable are entirely neg- 

 lected. There seemed to be nothing done (of 

 farming operations proper) merely lor better ap- 

 pearance. Where the land was rich and well 

 tilled, the crops heavy, and every thing essen iai 

 thereto well attended to, there was necessarily 

 to be seen, in perlection, the more prominent 

 features of the beautiful as well as the useful of 

 agriculture. But at the same lime, the less im- 

 portant matters neglected, because something 

 must be neglected, (but which a martmet (ijrmer 

 would have removed, though perhaps at greater 

 loss than profit,) often caused apparent delects, 

 which some persons might deem too great to he 

 thus justified, and even approved, as pans of the 

 whole management. Still, whatever of such 

 deficiencies may there exist — showing that, as 

 much as had been done towards perfection, much 

 Btill was wanting — there was no reason to believe 

 that the choice had not been judiciously made, 

 both of the objects to be most cared for, and those 

 to be attended to less, or not at all. Neater 

 tillage may be seen elsewhere, in rporard to the 

 smaller accompaniments and finishing; and 

 where there is less to do for the force employed, 

 there may be fewer defects of omission in general. 

 But, for so wide a field of operation, and for 

 the means and force for operating, it may vvell 

 be doubted whether there is any where a more 

 profitable direction of eflTort than on Brandon. 



Extent. — The estate beloncing to Wm. B. 

 Harrison is cultivated as two separate farms. Of 

 these, Upper Brandon farm, (the residence of the 

 proprietor,) has 780 acres of arable land, rultivated 

 in turn ; and no separate pasture, except Kennon's 

 marsh, forming a point in the river of 1000 acres in 

 extent, but of which only the margin joining with 

 the high-land, is orf" any use for grazing. The 

 great body, as of low marshes in general, is so 

 miry as to be unsafe lor cattle, and the rank cover, 

 of sedge and other coarse water grasses, of no 

 value (or their food. 



The other farm, Upper Quarter, has 650 acres 

 of arable land, and 130 more of pasture. The 

 pasture is of newly cleared land, and has been 

 Bown, and is partly set, in herds-grass. The only 

 other use made of it is occasionally to sow parts 



successively in oats. 400 acres of wood-land are , 

 attached to the upper estate. 



The estate of George E. Harrison, deceased, 

 consists of the mansion house farm, called Lower 

 Brandon, ot 865 acres of arable land; and the 

 Church Pastures farm, including Dandridgea 

 (purchased) 950 acres, and 30 acres of pasture 

 land. A very large body of wood-land belongs 

 to the lower estate — much more than is of any 

 use. JNlore distant, there is also a great deal of 

 very poor lorest land, which merely serves to sup- 

 ply building timber, and some part of the material 

 lor fencing. 



Soil. — More than five-sixths of all the arable 

 land of the two estates, taken together, is mulatto 

 loam — varyinij in different parts from light to stiff 

 loam. The sub-soil generally very similar to, but 

 more clayey than, the soil above. 



Rotation of crops. — On Lower Brandon and 

 Church Pastures larms, the rotation is the same, 

 of four fields ; and the course of crops, on each 

 field, is Ist year, corn, 2d, wheat, 3d, clover, and 

 4th, on more than half the field, wheat on clover 

 (allow, and the remainder in clover and grazed. 

 That part of the field of the fourth year which is 

 not grazed, and the clover ploughed under for 

 wheat, is selected so as to be the most convenient 

 and suitable (or the purpose. 



Upper Brandon farm — in the four-field rotation 

 of 1st, corn, 2d, wheat, 3d, clover, fallowed for 

 4th, wheat — except that a low and very light 

 field of 100 acres (too light for good wheat) has 

 heretofore been kept in a two-shift rotation, of 1st 

 corn, 2 I, at rest ; but is now put under a three- 

 shilt rotation, of Isl, corn, 2d, oats, and 3d, clover, 

 not graz-d. 



The Upper Quarter farm, is cultivated in the 

 three-field rotation, of 1st, corn, 2d, wheat, 3d, 

 clover. No grazing on either farm or field of 

 the upper estate, except on the recently reaped 

 wheat fields and their young clover as soon as the 

 wheat has been taken off to be thrashed ; and the 

 older clover fields late in the year after August, 

 if 10 be ploughed for wheat; or September, and 

 later, if for corn the next year. No grazing 

 close permitted at any time. 



Thus, on the four farms, there are four schemes 

 of rotation differing more or less from each other ; 

 there being one kind lor the two farms of the lower 

 estate, two other kinds for the two farms of the 

 upper estate, and one other kind (or the light field 

 of 100 acres attached to Upper Brandon farm. 

 These differences have been prescribed in part by 

 the difference of circumstances, and there being 

 no separate pasture land on one of the two farms 

 ol'the lower estate, and but 30 acres on the other; 

 and on the upper estate the different courses were 

 required by the difference of soil of the several 

 farms. The Upper Quarter is more generally of 

 light loam, hotter suited to corn than to wheat. 

 The Upper Brandon farm, generally, more clayey 

 and stiff than the other, and better soil for wheat 

 than lor corn ; though the soils of both (arms are 

 no where so light or so stiff as not to be enough 

 suitable lor both wheat and corn. But, the low 

 light "field of 100 acres, though part of the Upper 

 Brandon tract, is a very fine corn and oat soil, 

 and nothing like equally suitable for wheat. 



Preparationfor and cultivation of corn. — The 

 lands designed (or the corn fields are in several 

 different states, according to the different rotations. 



