754 



F A R M K R S ' REGISTER. 



[No. 12 



Last spring I planted about hall' an acre ol'rula 

 baga, on land that was manured with lontr manure 

 from the barn-yard, and belbre the plants got liiirly 

 started, the weeds got ahead of them, and being 

 busy about other matters, 1 neglected lo hoe ihem 

 until they were completely overrun with weeds; and 

 seeing my neighbors' plants entirely devoured with 

 the garden flea, 1 felt but little disposition to neg- 

 lect otlier work to weed mine, lioni the impression 

 they would meet the same late. One. day 1 dis- 

 covered a few straggling plants making their way 

 through a thin spot of weeds, which induced me to 

 examine the piece. I jbund the plants to be per- 

 fect and entire, not one having been molested by 

 an insect ol any description. I hoed and thinned 

 them out, and m ten days I had the Ikmdsomest 

 and forwardest yard of turnips in the town, and I 

 have no doubt that by my negligence in not hoeing 

 them, 1 have gained over one hundred bushels ol' 

 fine roots. Many of my neighbors will not have 

 forty bushels from a piece as large as mine, while I 

 shall probably get two hundred. I would therefore 

 suggest whether neglecting to weed turfiip f)lants 

 until the 20th or 25th of July, will not prove an ef- 

 fectual safeguard against the depredations of those 

 insect intruders. Cyrus Slack. 



PROMISCUOUS REMARKS. 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 

 The. maturing of corn hastened by early ceasing 

 to cultivate the crop. — In the October No. of the 

 Farmer.^' Register, page 5S8, a FairRix cultivator 

 treats on the above-mentioned subject, in a recom- 

 mendatory manner ; from which ! beg leave to dis- 

 sent. Taking into the count both latitude and 

 departure, my locality is about equal to that of 

 Fairfax, and I am certain I have ever profited by 

 cultivating my corn to the lOih or 15th of July. 

 Aliout 25 years past, I cultivated a crop of corn 

 till about the lOlh of August, which proved to be 

 loo late, although planted at the usual time ; lor it 

 was caught by frost. Would the author of the 

 above communication please spare a ihw more 

 moments, by responding to the lollowing. What 

 kind of soil was your crop on? > What kind of 

 corn was planted ? Do you suppose the produce 

 was equal to what it would have been, had you 

 given late tillage ? If the produce was less, do 

 you sufipo-^e the " saving of time" was equal to 

 the loss of grain 1 By early ceasins to cultivate, 

 would not a host of \yeeds and grasses appear to 

 the mjury of the crop, and to the impediment of 

 putting in small (zrain? Never n)ind JMr. Fair- 

 I'ax, this stricture may be of service, both to you. 

 myself, and the community; particularly if'said 

 stricture n)ay be refuted. "Your laying out, and 

 cultivation ol' the corn crop, is my practice on po- 

 rous levels. 



My own preparations and intentions for 1840. — 

 Nearly all the ground intended for corii next year, 

 was fallowed in July, August, and September 

 last, and is now in oats, rye, and wheat, either 

 Bowed or volunteer ; which has been grazed, and 

 the grazing will be contiiuied till sprmir. The 

 oats are yet irreen, are the best grazinir, and will 

 not be killed by the frost till about Christmas. I 

 shall not cultivate more than one-third of my usu- 

 al quantity of ground in corn, but by neat tillage, 

 I intend to make my usual quantity of bread. My 



attention is much turned to grazing, therefore, 

 grass, oats and rye, both green and cured, are 

 equally as important as corn. (The word maize, 

 is with us nearly obsolete ; we say corn, wheat, 

 &c.) A lew days past I finished spreading on 

 my intended corn-land, the remains of my last 

 winter's stock of njanure, amounting lo 242 hea- 

 vy ox-loads ; and next spring the remainder of 

 the plat will be manured with the accumulation 

 throutxh the winter, of the cow and horse yards. 

 My mode of depositing the loads, is according lo 

 the rule of Col. Taylor, as laid down in his Ara- 

 tor ; and the piles are not spread till there is much 

 likelihood of rain. After a soaking rain, I believe 

 there is but little, if any evaporation at this sea- 

 son of the year. Indeed I have spread manure 

 in ihe months of August and September, on a 

 stubble or other unappropriated field, and sup- 

 posed that I had sustained no loss. 



My bottom lands are lallowed and put in some 

 crop nearly every year, (meadows excepted.) 

 Those crops are, promiscuousl)', Indian corn, 

 wheat, rye and oars ; and whenever and where- 

 ver any of the small grains fail to produce a profi- 

 table crop, they are turned under for improvement. 

 So soon as those grains begin to ripen, this opera- 

 tion is performed, and if seasonable, heavy second 

 crops may be expected. I sometimes sow rye 

 afier rye, wheat, corn or oats ; oats after oats, rye, 

 wheat, or corn ; wheat, after corn or oats. I also 

 sow some millet, which shall go hereafter in pari 

 to improvement.* 



I am now collecting, and intend to collect a 

 goodly supply of tobacco stalks, and other tobac- 

 co offal, which are to be irround in a bark mill 

 if practicable, if not, pounded in a trough, to be 

 used as manure, a handful nfixed with gypsum, 

 in each corn hill. 



The whole of my corn crop is intended to be 

 watered from a creek ; the greater portion of the 

 ditches have been made and used for this and 

 other purposes for fifteen years. So soon as the 

 culture of the crop is over, the water is let on the 

 fields, and the corn at this stage of its growth is 

 much benefited thereby. Natural grasses grow 

 so luxuriantly amongst the watered corn, that 

 there is no chance of seeding either liill or spring, 

 till the fi:illow plough has been used. 1 have never 

 yet sowed any kind of small grain at the last 

 dressing of corn, to be watered lor the purpose of 

 trrazing ; but am inclined to think that rye and 

 oats would answer the purpose ; either of which 

 would head belbre winter. 



Although lam not runningfnr a premium, other 

 than that offered by my corn crib, yet I am very 

 solicitous to do my duty — to do myuituost. Many 

 oC my neighbors already laugh at me for being a 

 book farmer, althouirh they cannot laugh at my 

 crops ; now if I fail of a great crop or a small space, 

 they may liave just cause (or laughiiiir. I am at 

 a loss to determine on the proper tillage before 

 culture, and beg leave to call on Mr. Kuffin to as- 

 sist me in this dilemma. My corn plat is general- 

 ly a strong loam ;now shall I plough it immedi- 



* Our correspondent will render good service to the 

 cause of a2:ricultural improvement by furnishing par- 

 ticular aud detailed statements of the operations which 

 he here mentions generally. There are but few sub- 

 jects of more importance than green manuring, and 

 none on which there is less information. — Ed. F. R. . 



