1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



439 



trees — the merry birds too join their pleasing 

 notes, to this rural consort, especially the mock- 

 birds who love society so well, that whenever they 

 see mankind, they will perch upon a twig very 

 near them, and sing the sweetest wild airs in the 

 world; but what is most remarkable in these me- 

 lodious animals, they will frequently fly at small 

 distances, before a traveller, warbling out their 

 notes several miles on end, and by their musick 

 make a man forget the fatigues of his journey. 

 Their taste is regaled with the most delicious 

 fruits, which without art, they have in great va- 

 riety and perfection. And their smell is refreshed 

 with an eternal fragrancy of flowers and sweets — 

 with which nature perfumes and adorns the woods 

 almost the whole year round. Spring and fall 

 in Virginia afford as pleasant weather as Mahom- 

 et promised in his paradise." 



C. CAMPBELL. 



Somerville, Ala. Sept. 10, 1835. 



[The foregoing notes gathered by our friend and 

 correspondent from old authors, will probably be 

 new as well as amusing to much the greater number 

 of our readers. We had long ago marked, for future pub- 

 lication in this journal, the whole of the descriptive 

 part of the account of Virginia, by its true founder, 

 John Smith — and it has been prevented by the want 

 of vacant space for so long an extract — the great care 

 necessary to copy faithfully its ill spelled old English 

 — and also by an unwillingness to dismember a work 

 which deserves so well to be given entire. It is a 

 work not only curious and valuable for its manner and 

 subjects, but as being written by one of the most re- 

 markable men who have ever lived. A modern edi- 

 tion (of few copies, and therefore of high price,) of 

 Smith's "Trve Travels, Adventures, &c." was pub- 

 lished (in Richmond) and at a loss, as we are sorry to 

 learn. If the demand of individual purchasers cannot 

 induce, or pay for, re-publications of these old histo- 

 rians of our country, the object well deserves the pat- 

 ronage of the government of Virginia. A few thou- 

 sand dollars would serve to publish cheap, but perfect 

 editions of Smith, Beverly and Stith — which are now 

 known to very few; and indeed the two latter would 

 be lost, except for being preserved in a few public or 

 private libraries.] 



LARGE PRODUCTS OF SMALL FARMING. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



While you are crowded with communications 

 from men, upon the all important subject of agri- 

 culture, I hope you will pardon the intrusion I 

 hereby make in detailing the following crop, made 

 by a Chesterfield plough boy. 



I was left, at the tender age of 15 years, by the 

 death of my father, the sole care and support of 

 my mother and six children, all younger than my- 

 self. At my father's sale all his servants were hired 

 out, and I hired one — for keeping which, I was al- 

 lowed by the estate $23. The only service he 

 was able to render, was to keep us in fire wood 

 and weed the garden. The sale took place at 

 Cobb's on the 14th of April 1825, at which time, 

 I had about three days ploughing done. The 

 reason of my lateness was, that I expected to 

 move away, and only decided to stay about the 



1st of April. My stock consisted of a colt, three 

 years old, two young cows, one sow with six 

 young pigs, a yoke of oxen, ♦ + wo carts, two 

 ploughs, one wooden harrow, three hoes and one 

 spade. My provender being scant, I resolved to 

 help it out, by a grazing lot, and accordingly 

 fenced in one of one acre of clover, and thus 

 equipped, I commenced my crop. I listed up se- 

 venty-five to eighty thousand corn-hills of land, 

 crossed it with a trowel hoe, and my little brother, 

 five years and six months old, and two sisters, older 

 than myself, planted the corn while I ploughed. 

 I had besides, a horse and plough one day, and 

 two hands to plant after it, which was all the help 

 I had during the crop. 



I laid off one and a half acres and planted it 

 in sweet potatoes, cotton, Irish potatoes, melons, 

 and other necessary vegetables. 1 broke up the 

 balks between the corn while it came up. My 

 kind and friendly neighbors proved Job's comfort- 

 ers to me: for all predicted my failure. * * My 

 plan for working and feeding was formed by ne- 

 cessity. Knowing that if I did no more work than 

 my neighbors 1 should be "run away with grass" 

 I led the horse on corn after, or at night, and 

 as soon as it was eaten I put him in the clover 

 lot. As soon as it was light enough to see, I hitch- 

 ed up and drove briskly until breakfast time — took 

 out and fed while 1 ate, and for which I only al- 

 lowed forty-five minutes — worked till one o'clock 

 — rested an hour and a half when cool, two hours 

 when warm — when very warm, two hours and a 

 half j sometimes three hours. I would then hitch 

 up again and drive as long as I could see to keep 

 off of the corn. I cultivated my crop entirely with 

 the plough, rejecting the hoe, except to replant, 

 from necessity. I soon saw that my corn outstripped 

 that of my neighbors. I looked on with astonish- 

 ment. I laid by my crop with the dagon plough, and 

 had finished to about eighteen thousand hills, when 

 the weather grew dry, and at the earnest entreaty 

 of my neighbors, who saw the corn twist up after 

 every furrow, I stopped; and thus I found by listen- 

 ing to them, much against my own judgement, I 

 only made about two-thirds as much on that part, 

 as I did on the other, besides the loss of much 

 fodder, as that fired, while the rest kept green 

 even to the last furrow. 



I began to use my new corn about the 10th of 

 September. The hogs got into the field and de- 

 stroyed about four barrels. After using from it all 

 fall and winter plentifully, and fattening six shoats, 

 it turned out as follows : 



Sold at the door 20 barrels at §3\ $65 00 



" « 20 " " 4 80 00 



Petersburg 15 " < ; 4± 67 50 



« « 13 " " 5 85 00 



« « 5 " " 6 30 00 



I raised 200 lbs. of cotton, for 



which I got 25 cents per lb. - 50 00 



Got for fodder, tops and shucks 53 00 



150 bush, sweet potatoes at 40 cts. 60 00 



Six shoat were worth - 21 60 



Sold melons, turnips, &c, which 



brought me 20 00 



Bought 10 bushels wheat at 75 cts., 



and seeded it — and sold it at !$1, 



and the same for seeding, and 



made by the job, net - - 12 50 



544 60 



