1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



541 



grouni,] a second deep ploujjliing in a contrary di- 

 rection to llie first Olio, alierwards to harrow it, 

 and then to lorm drills ol'the same wideness, eiiher 

 by a single furrow or a bou! ol' the plough. In 

 the intervals of these furrows he will run tjje bar- 

 row, after which the drills will be slit out as in the 

 turnip husbandry, and the seed covered. At a 

 suitable lime alierwards, the harrows will bedrau'n 

 across, and the ground levelled, preparatory to the 

 cleaning process, 



It occurred to me, that the time consumed in 

 slitting out the drills may be save<l, were liie har- 

 row drove across vvhen the l)eans are sown ; but 

 Mr. Jamieson obviated this remark, by saying, 

 that a flush of annuals was to be dreaded in such 

 a case ; whereas, by delaying the harrowinu two 

 or three weeks, the first crop of weeds would in a 

 great measure be tiiereby destroyed. The only 

 objection which remains to the plan is, that in 

 some seasons seed- work may be so long delayed 

 as to prove injurious to the crop. In every other 

 respect, the proposed ciiange must be attended 

 with important advantages. 



We have had a few changes of servants at (his 

 term, chiefly with those not reckoned the best 

 hands, or with whom iMr. Jamieson was dissatis- 

 fied. Indeed, it woidd appear that he possesses 

 such hcppy knack ol' mannginir his people with 

 judgment and dexterity, and at the same time 

 pays them so handsomely, that servants worth 

 the keeping rarely leave him. [t is a mark of a 

 good farmer, to regulate his different operations 

 accordinir to the nature of the soil in his posses- 

 sion ; and in like manner, a man of prudence and 

 sagacity will at all times govern aiicl direct those 

 below him, according to their different tempers 

 and capacities. 



June 3. The portion of land intended for yel- 

 low turnips is now seeded ; and the several pro- 

 cesses were precisely similar to those already de- 

 scribed when the ruta baga was sown, only that 

 a smaller quantity of dung was given. Elliot 

 inforais me, that this variety has been cultivated 

 here for two years past, and that it stands the 

 frost nearly as well as ruta baga. He added, that 

 it is not so sh}^ of growing, and may bo obtained 

 on soils where the other would not live. About 

 five acres of horse potatoes, or yams, were also 

 planted, chiefly for swine food, or as a sipf>ly to 

 the cattle when turnips are wanting. This may 

 sometimes happen in a stormy day ; and Mr. 

 Jamieson takes care to be provided "at all hands, 

 so as his bestial may not suffer. 



At Mr. Jamieson's desire, I accom.panied Elliot 

 a ihw days ago through the bean fields. They 

 have ail been once run over wiih tlie. Dutch hoe, 

 and now the small turnip ploughs are employed 

 to lay away tlie earth from tlie sides of the plants, 

 and to form a fresh ridge in the centre of the inter- 

 val, which will atlerwards be separated and divi- 

 ded by a second application of the Dutch hoe. 

 The whole formed a pleasant sight, b'jing in supe- 

 rior order to the most of garden culnie. The out- 

 fields are looking well ; indeed everv thinir on the 

 farm has a most thriving appearance. 



Last week the horses were put upon green fiod, 

 and two feeds of oats per day, which I learn is the ! 

 practice here, till the turnip sowing is over, when 

 they are limited to one feed. One of my men is 

 employed to cut the grass, and another "ties it np 

 in bunches of 2S lbs. avoidupois u-eigh', fjur ol 



which are given to each horse per day. Twenty 

 cattle that <rot riita b;iga in April and May, are 

 also carried on wiih clover given them at the 

 stake, and they seem to be thriving well. It takes 

 a man and two horses to brinii home the grass, 

 as the fie d is about halfa mile from the homestead. 

 The feeding of the cattle is in Howard's depart- 

 ment; but the charfjc of superintending the cut- 

 ting and tying the grass is with me. I often take 

 the scythe by waj' of amusement, though it is 

 rat her "heavy work lor one of my age. Mr Jamie- 

 son is very pointed in iiaving the grass cut equal- 

 ly and close by the ground, and says, the lower it 

 is cut at this time, so much the faster and stronger 

 will the second crop fjrow afterwards. 



June 10. All hands are employed about the 

 turnip-seed work, and what with ploughs, har- 

 rows, rollers, drills and carts, and the fillers and 

 spreaders of dung, a jovial number is upon the 

 field; but 1 must describe things in order, other- 

 wise you will not comprehend the nature of our 

 operations sufficiently. 



The extent of the field remaining for common 

 turnip is seventy-five acres or thereby. It had 

 been ploughed lour times over, and after each fur- 

 row immediately harrowed and rolled, so as mois- 

 ture might be relaiiieil. Some parts, which were 

 rather rough and cloddy, lequircd a repetition of 

 these operations; and ihis was performed by four 

 harrows and one roller, drawn liy two horses. 

 This left thirty-eight iiorses lor iiloughinir, carting 

 and sowing; and these were arranged in the fol- 

 lowing order. 



First, Eight plonirhs and sixteen horses ?o\- 

 forming and reversing the drills, so as the dung 

 might be covere<l. \>nd, Six carts and twelve 

 horses to drive out ihcduno-, which was middeiied 

 as carried out in winier, adjoining to the field. 

 3(/, Two drills, each drawn by one hor=e, and 

 sowing I wo rows at a time. This was the near- 

 est division of the strength tlrat could be made, 

 and hiiherto matters have proceded with regular- 

 ity. i<^lliot looks afier the plouirhs and drills; 

 Fairbairn the spreaders; and the^loading of the 

 carts is under my superintendence. 



It is a principal object wiih Mr. Jamieson to 

 have the drill formed, dunged, slit out and sown, 

 as rapidly as possible, so as moisture, the soul of 

 vegetation, may be preserved, upon which he 

 says every thing de[)ends; of course, these opera- 

 tions follow each other in the quickest manner. 

 How soon that five drills were formed, which 

 was fione by a bout of a plough to each, the carts 

 entered; and the dung being laid in small heaps, 

 was instantly separated by ten spreaders, who 

 were divided into two ganfrs under the immediate 

 direction of Fairbairn. Four of the ploughs were 

 then set to work in splitting nut the drills, and 

 were fljllowed by the seed-harrows, while the 

 o;her four pIou<rhs proceeded in f(:)rming or mak- 

 ing up fresh drills. The carts rather pressed upon 

 the ploiishs, — tiiough, by going at a long step, no 

 obstruction occurred. Indeed, Mr. Jamieson had, 

 wiih liis usual attention, selecicd the strongest 

 horses and most active ploughmen for this depart- 

 ment of the work. The carts were also divided 

 into two heads, each having two of my squad to 

 fi'l ; the remainder were lent to Fairbairn, who 

 hail his corps of spreaders made up with some of 

 Howard's people; a steady man was appointed 

 ibr drawing out the dung to each head of carls, 



