500 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 8 



put through the usual process makes the strongest 

 lime. 



In my yard stands a mass of blocks of that spe- 

 cies of c;ilcareo»s matter usually called here, and 

 in Georiria, where it abounds, '■'■rotten liviestone,'''' 

 the basis of ih« prnirins. On the top, and sides 

 of this mass, wiiich has been exposed to the at- 

 mosphere, say twelve months, and considerably 

 pulverized by the last winter's frosts and the rains 

 of the season, is lound at this time a irrowlh of tlie 

 common turnip from one to three inches diameter. 

 To talk of any earth being amongst the rotten 

 limestone would be absurd.* Amongst the tur- 

 nips is (bund cabbage, and the common ivhite mus- 

 tard, growing well. I give you the facts as they 

 are seen every day ; and I conlijss I have been in- 

 duced to give ihem on reading communications 

 containing doubts of lime containing any of the 

 qualities of an actual manure, and especially ol 

 those who contend it has no such qualiiie?. 



Agricola. 



PROMISCUOUS. 



For Uic FarniPis' Register. 



Theory. — Amongst my readings on larming sub- 

 jects, I frequently notice objections to theory"; at 

 which I atn much astonished, for without theory 

 there can be no practice. For my own pan 1 am 

 equally fond of theory and practice; if the theory 

 is good, I put into practice, and if the practice is 

 good, I continue it. 



Practice. — My practice is to carry paper and 

 pencil in my pocket, and as an idea whicli I may 

 consider of value occurs, I make notes; to which 

 notes the public are welcome, as they cost nic 

 nothing. 



Brake or fern. — In a late number of the 'Cul- 

 tivator,' I noticed the inquiry "how shall I destroy 

 fern?" which was answered "1 do not know, ex- 

 cept by eradication." There are several species 

 of fern, some of which grow in warm chmates 

 and situations ; hut there are two kinds in Virfji- 

 nia which are considered pests, which grow only 

 in and amongst the mountains ; one a pest in the 

 woods, and the other a pest in the fields. That 

 which grows in the woods arrives to the height of 

 five leet or more, and may easily be destroyed by 

 felling or belting the trees, provided the sunshine 

 is thereby insured ; but a thorough burning would 

 be a great auxiliary in this case. That kind which 

 grows in fields is lound about stumps, rocks, lorjs, 

 fences, and branches, and if not destroyed vvill 

 presently take possession of a greater space than 

 the landlord can conveniently spare. Sheep will 

 feed partially on this fern, although other and bet- 

 ter food may be abundant, and I suppose it is not 

 much disliked by any animal ; now suppose brine, 

 or fine salt be sprinkled on this lern, when cows or 

 sheep, or botli, arc pastured in the field, is it not 



* Not so. The specimens of the "rotten limestone" 

 of Alabama, forming the general substratum of the 

 prairie lands, which we have analyzed, contained 

 quantities of pure calcareous earth (carbonate of lime) 

 varying from 72 to 80 per cent., and other earths form- 

 ing the greater part of the remaining 20 to 28 percent. 

 See 'Essay on Calcareous JVIanures,' 2nd Ed. p, 22. — 

 pD. F. R. 



evident the fern would be destroyed 1 The salt 

 alone would destroy the (ern; but that the opera- 

 lion may cost nothing it is preferalile that the cat- 

 tle should have the salt, or greater portion, and by 

 their browsing and treading as.^ist to destroy the 

 pest? The last mentioned grows to the height of 

 fifteen or eighteen inches. 



BusJi hay. — About two weeks past I had many 

 large chestnut trees cut down lor the purpose of 

 making hay, but a succession of rains ruined my 

 project. I did not, however, lose my labor, lor 

 the trees were worthless, consequently their de- 

 struction was proper. In the course of a few days 

 I intend again to try the operation, not on a large 

 scale, neither on the chesnut, as the burs are now 

 sufficiently large to be troublesome ; but on a [hw 

 younc poplars and linn, growing on land which is 

 to be cleared. The trees will lie as felled without 

 fuither interruption, until the leaves appear sufli- 

 ciently cured for keeping, when the twijis will be 

 broken olf by hand, and cast into small piles, to 

 be further cured by an additional day's sun, when 

 they will be secured in the manner of other hay. 

 The leaves will no doubt be better hay than that of 

 common swamp grass, and the twigs will be food, 

 medicine, and manure. As to the quantity of such 

 hay which may be gathered, I can, without expe- 

 rience only, have my opinion, and that opinion is 

 this, that where the materials are abundant, hay 

 can in abundance be made, at a cheap rate. In 

 conversation with a neiglibor a kw days past, I 

 was inlbrmed that he had, when a boy, seen the 

 chestnut hay made and led to cows, which kept 

 them lilt throuL^h the winter. When a chestnut 

 tree is cut down, the stump never fails to hear a 

 great profusion of sprouts, which if taken off an- 

 nually and cured, would be excellent lia}^ 



Cheat. — That wheat may become cheat, I have 

 but very litjle doubt; that cheat does bear seeds 

 and produce its kintl I have no doubt ; and that 

 cheat will finally become a dwarf grass, I have 

 but little doubt. I once saw a field of new land 

 which had been sowed in wheat, and close •>;razed 

 by horses, yield nothing but cheat. I have often 

 cut cheat lor hay, and have seen millions of the 

 seeds vegetate and produce their kind. I have 

 sometimes picked the large cheat and other smaller 

 kinds, down to the common greensward, and after 

 arranging I hem as 1, 2, 3, &c. would challenge 

 any ordinary observer to dislinguiah between any 

 two contiguous numbers. This year I had a clo- 

 ver lot completely smothered by the cheat, the 

 seed of whicli was on the ground last year, which 

 wishing to destroy I cut the cheat when yet in 

 b'oom, but I was cheated, lor the seeds are now 

 vegetating. When cut early, cheat makes a good 

 hay, and next year 1 intend to cut so soon as the 

 firsi bloom appears. 



Ploughing. — The lower the horse or ox. the 

 nearer is the draft to the line of direction, conse- 

 quently the less power required; the taller the 

 horse or ox, the longer the lever, consequently the 

 less necessity lor the draft beini? in the line of di- 

 rection ; but is it not evident that if either a low 

 or high horse or ox be ploughed with, at a greater 

 distance from the plough than is customary, (there- 

 by bringing the draft nearer to the line of direc- 

 tion,) there would be advantage. I lake no time 

 to make calculations, but it seems to me, that ac- 

 cording^ to the elevation of the shoulder above the 

 plough so the power ; if the shoulder could be 



