THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



887 



often left al the stable doors in heaps to heat and 

 fire-fang, or spread out over the pens and yardii 

 to be drenched by every rain or exposed to llie 

 rapid evaporaiion caused by a summei'e sun, lu 

 either case it will sustain a heavy loss, whereas, 

 if carried out as made, and applied to the clover, 

 it will add 50 lo 100 per cent, lo iis growth, which 

 when turned under together wiih the manure 

 remaining unappropriated, would produce a de- 

 gree of benefit lar exceeding that accruing from 

 the same bulk of manure aller mon'hs ol waste 

 and exhaustion in the barn yard. Such is the 

 practice on a lew (arms, and its good efiects are 

 very apparent. 



Preparation and tillage of crops. — For corn 

 the land is broken in the tall and winter or early 

 spring, with two and frequenHy three mules to 

 the plough, from 5 lo 8 inches deep according to 

 the depih of soil. Shortly belore planting, the 

 land is well dragged with heavy harrows, and the 

 rows laid oH 5 or 5^ leet apart. The corn is 

 dropped in the row from 10 to 36 Inches ap rt, 

 and at the proper time ttiinned to one stalk to the 

 hill. Some liirmers cover their corn with the 

 harrows and when the land is not very Ibul ihis 

 is a cheap and excellent plan. It covers the corn 

 effectually ami leaves the land in fine tilth. As 

 soon as the corn is^well up, a furrow is.bttcked otl 

 from the row on each side, tiy a onp-hor5:e mould- 

 board plough. The hoe-hands lollow afier, weed- 

 ing and thinning. The next operation is to re- 

 verse the lurrow, throwing the earth to the corn 

 with the same plough, and breaking up the entire 

 balk. The culiivniors lollow lo level the land. 

 Such is the usual mode of corn culture, and is 

 usually finished by harvest time, though in wet 

 and backward years it is liaund necessary to pass 

 the cultivators ajjain over the corn, and also the 

 hoes over the Ibulest parts, after harvest. Some 

 of our larmers from the hilliness of their lands 

 prelier the use of the trowel hoe and level cultiva- 

 tion. These, to keep their corn fields in order, 

 find it necessarv to [dough early and often. Capt. 

 H. Cocke, of Everijreen, has introduced tiie u?e 

 of the two-horse turning plough in the culture of 

 corn, and when the srass has once the siart. it is 

 the most ready way to check its progress. Fod- 

 der is usually pulled and tops cut for long forage, 

 and about October 1st, the cutting up ol corn is 

 commenced (or seeding wheat. In sowing wheat 

 on corn land two ditierent modes are pursued. 

 Most farmers plough the land first with two 

 horse ploughs 4 or 6 inches deep, and harrow in 

 the whe?n, while others sow on the haid curface ! 

 and plough under with one horse ploughs, usually | 

 harrowing alierwards to level. The same remark 

 applies to sowing oaie in the spring on the portions 

 oi" the corn land deemed too thin lor wheat. The 

 latter practice, it is believed, is rapidly giving 

 way to the former. Those farmers who (allow 

 for wheat, courmience that operation as boon after 

 the 1st of August as possible. The. ploughing 

 is done efiectually 7 or 8 inches deep, and the 

 vegetable matter well covered. They aim to 

 complete the ploughing by the 20th o( September. 

 The land is well dragged both belore and alter 

 the seeding. The first gives a cood seed bed, 

 the last covers the grain. Grips or water (iirrows 

 are opened where deemed necessary for propeily 

 draining the field. Bedding land for wheat is 

 not usual, except where the fields lie very level 



The mountain purple straw wheat is without 

 an exception prelerred. From the 5th to the 

 25ih of October is considered the salest time to 

 sow; though wheat sown us late aa the 10th 

 of November sometimes does well. 



The wheat cro[) with us is frequently much 

 damaged by the fly, and sometimes almost de- 

 stroyed t)y rust, though it is not more liable to 

 these evils than elsewhere. Corn is a much more 

 certain crop. The chinch hug is a formidable 

 pest to both wheat and corn, as was witnessed 

 in the years, '38 and '39, but is fortunately of but 

 rare occurrence. 



The price o( corn is very variable. The aver- 

 age of late years, is believed to be 55 cents per 

 bushel. That of wheat 110 cents per bushel. 

 Oats are only made for consumption on the liarm. 

 Grasses. — The only grass cultivated to any ex- 

 tent is clover, which is considered an invaluable 

 aid to marl in the improvement of land. The 

 seed is generally sown on land in wheat, in the 

 latter part of February, on all the improved lands, 

 at the rate of one gallon to the acre. Clover is 

 also (bund to succeed very well alter oats, in 

 which case the seed is not sown until March. 

 The following fill twelve months, the clover is 

 turned under lor wheat or corn. A bushel of 

 plaster of Paris to the acre, where sown the se- 

 cond spring, has been attended with marked 

 effects. Also a dressing of 40 bushels of green- 

 sand to the acre, hut success is not unilormly met 

 with in either case. The clover, when good, is 

 (i-equently cut the second spring for hay, ihouch 

 the chief long lorage relied on lor stock is the fod- 

 der, tops and shucks of the corn crop. Clover 

 hay is (requenily much damaged by too much ex- 

 posure to the suri. As lar as practicable it ought 

 to be cured in the shade. The plan adopted by 

 those who have been most successful is to cut the 

 clover when free Irom dew or rain \vater, and as 

 soon as it wilts to throw it into cocks about 4 feet 

 in diameter at the base, and 4 or 6 leet high, 

 where it is left until cured. About the third or 

 (burlh day it is ready to pack loosely in a hay 

 house or open loft. Cured in this way, the hay 

 is made with liitle trouble, not much risk, and re- 

 tains both its leaves and blossom, and the green 

 color of its stems, and is eagerly devoured by 

 stock of every description. 



Several efforts have been made to grow herds- 

 grass, btu have not been attended with full suc- 

 cess. The cause of failure is believed to be the 

 (act that the land in the firs* place is tiot sufficiently 

 cleansed. To lay down a meadow in herds-grass, 

 It should first be cultivated in corn or some hoe 

 crop two years or more, until thoroughly purged 

 of all weedG, briers, and other pe^ts. If then 

 well drained, and sown at the rale of one bushel 

 o( seed to the acre, there can be no doubt of suc- 

 cess. 



In many places excellent natural grasses occur, 

 which are converted into very good hay. 



Draining is too much neglected .by even the 

 best of our farmers. Small strips of low grounds 

 on almost every stream are seen, which micht be 

 the source of a handeome yearly revenue if pro- 

 perly drained and set in grass, but which now re- 

 main neglected, to breed disease and moi(iuitoes. 

 Even some of our hisrh lands are still suffering 

 from surplus water. This evil is now beginning 

 lo be attended to, and will in a lew years be re- 



