1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



711 



past turned under heavy lays ofclover, and weeds, ' 



on land that 20 years ago would not yield clover 

 at all, so reduced was it by bad cultivation ; but 

 notwithstanding the fine clover lays, the crops, il' 

 the season siiould be a bad one, are not asifood 

 as they ouirht to be, in consequence ol' the depre- 

 dations of insects, and I must reluctantly abandon 

 my favorite system. I find that the marled and 

 limed lands are much less subject to injury from 

 insects; but grazing is nevertheless indispensable 

 to get rid ol' them, and I fear it will require very 

 rigid grazing. 



My wheat was sown this fall on a vety fine fal- 

 low of clover, part of it highly manured, and part 

 marled, and I had a ritrht to calculate on a very 

 heavy crop ; but the clover worm has committed 

 sad havock already, and nmst lessen the crop very 

 materially. I propose converting my standing 

 pasture into a fifth field, and grazing the field to 

 be fallowed, very closely, every fifth year. That 

 is to say. 1 shall let the land remain two years in 

 clover ; the first year not to be grazed at all, as an 

 improver, but the second year to be closely grazed, 

 and then fallowed for wheat, then ibllowed by corn, 

 then by wheat again, and tlien laid down in clo- 

 ver to remain two years. Sec, as before, viz., clo- 

 ver, clover-pasture, fallow-wheat, corn, wheat. 

 This system has the objection of three grain crops 

 in succession, but no system is entirely free from 

 objections, and it has been practised in many parts 

 of our country with great success ibr some time, 

 and I am told is not very liable to insects, which is 

 the great evil with me now. 



I have thought it necessary to write this to warn 

 those who may have adopted the Ibur-fie'd sy.stem 

 with standing pasture and non-grazing, or very 

 partial grazing, which 1 recommended in several 

 communications to the Farmers' Reirister. There 

 is no doubt that the above four-field system will 

 increase the vegetable matter in the land most ra- 

 pidlj' ; but the increase of insects caused by in- 

 crease of vegetable matter in our hot climate, will 

 do away the benefit of increased lertility in a very 

 great degree without close grazing, or some other 

 means of getting rid of them. 



Yours most respectfuHv, 



Hill, Carter. 



LETTERS FR03I A YOUNG FARMER TO I"IR. JA- 

 MIJPSON. 



Class III. 

 (Concluded from page, 678.) 



From the Edinburgli Farmer's Magazine. 



August 5. — I am favoured, my dear Sir, with 

 your obliging letter of 2d instant, which adds to 

 the numerous obligations already conferred upon 

 me. You hint the propriety of seekinor after a 

 regular housekeeper, now when I am fairly settled 

 in the farm ; and forcibly urge the manifest advan- 

 tages of the matrimonial state to every man pos- 

 sessed of a house, and capable of supporting a 

 wife and family in a suitable manner. Though I 

 have not the slightest cause of dissatisfaction with 

 my sister, who enters into all my views with spirit 

 and alacrity, yet it must be confessed, that I have 

 some thoughts of giving her an opportunity of re- 

 turning to my father and mother. As you justly 



observe, no woman whatsoever cftn manage a 



man's household affairs with the like frugality as 

 she with jvhom he is legally connected tor life. 

 When called fi-om home, he can vvith confidence 

 reflect that his house i^ unc*erihe management of 

 one who is equally interested with himself in its 

 prosperity ; and he may be satisfied, that though 

 all the rest of mankind forget him, there is still 

 one individual who thinks of him with pleasure, 

 and looks for his return with heartlelt anxiety. 

 You also remark, that many unmarried farmers 

 have been plundered by those to whom their 

 household afiairs were entrusted ; and quote sev- 

 eral instances, some of which are not unknown 

 to me, of persons so circumstanced being thereby 

 brought to the gates of ruin. Your advices have 

 therefore made a deep impression, and probably 

 may occasion a disclosure of my sentiments at an 

 earlier period than once intended. I refrain from 

 saying more at this time on such an important 

 subject, fondly hoping, when my sentiments are 

 disclosed, that they will not be disagreeable to you. 



I mentioned, in my last, that the fallow field of 

 thin clay soil was dunged and seed-furrowed for 

 wheat ; and can now acquaint you, that the whole 

 fallows have received dung, and that we are busily 

 engaged in ploughing it down, an operation un- 

 doubtedly of creat importance. The dung, as 

 nieasuied in June last, when the arbiters settled 

 matters betwixt my predecessor and me, was re- 

 ported to consist of 960 cubic yards, which, accor- 

 ding to the common understandinrr, ought to have 

 loaded 640 double carts. I found, however, that 

 it was taken out by 548 carts, which was nearly 

 at the rate of one cubic yard and three quarters 

 per cart. As fifty cart-loads of decent dung were 

 made by soiling through the summer, the quantity 

 applied to the turnip and fallow land appears to be 

 nearly twelve carts per acre on an average. The 

 greatest part of the duns, however, was so well 

 rotted, tliat my father assures me the land is sul- 

 ficientlv manured. He seem hostile to an over- 

 doze alleging, that such is as detrimental to the 

 soil as a surfeit of food is to the human body. I 

 took particular care to have it well spread, having 

 learned, when under your inspection, the great 

 benefit arising from separating the parts in the 

 most minute manner. 



As the dwelling-house needed some repairs, I 

 have lately gutted a part of it, and made a new- 

 room, twenty feet by sixteen, which will enable 

 me to receive my friends, with comfort to them, 

 and satisf'action to myself When }'ou come over, 

 we will heat the new room, at which time my 

 father promises to see me. You and he have been 

 so intimate for such a length of time, that a meet- 

 ing cannot fail on both sides to be highly agree- 

 able. 



uiugust 30. — The crops on this farm are not 

 amiss ; and a part of the wheat is already cut. 

 My predecessor has taken a house in the neigh- 

 borhood, so as he may be at hand to superintend 

 his harvest-work ; and, having an overseer to look 

 alter the reapers, is not by any means confined to 

 the field. The cutting is not so good as I could 

 wish ; there beinff, in my opinion, not less than 

 fifty stones of straw leA upon each acre of wheat, 

 which, of course, will lessen the quantity of the 

 dung on the fiirm next year considerably. I have 

 heard it remarked, that filiy stones of straw will 

 make two cubic yards of dung, if properly manu- 



