506 



FA RMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 8 



In presenting this subject, many things are to be 

 considered. The first in importance is a good 

 foundation. A red clay foundation is considered 

 the best. This being obtained, good teams, ploughs 

 and other implements of husbandry must be had. 

 Land may be much improved by good ploughing. 

 Deep ploughing is all important, mixing a portion 

 of the clay with the mould, thereby increasing the 

 depth of soil and its fertility. This may be car- 

 ried too far upon thin soil. The depth of plough- 

 ing should be regularly increased, and not. much 

 clay turned up at one time. Very much depends 

 on the proper draining of land. Nothing is more 

 ruinous to the productiveness of land, than suffer- 

 ing the water to lie on it and causing it to become 

 eobbed. The abominable three-shift system, so 

 well calculated to impoverish and destroy the 

 soil, is now growing into disuse with intelli- 

 gent and practical farmers, experience having 

 proven that it was ruinous both to the owner and 

 to the soil. This practice may answer on James 

 River bottom, but I doubt if there will not be a 

 regular falling off in such land and its products. I 

 am not able to speak from experience, and much 

 the larger portion of agriculturists, being owners 

 of high-land farms, my remarks are intended more 

 immediately to apply to such. A number of per- 

 sons are now practising upon the four-shift system. 

 This is rather better, and in the hands of skilful 

 managers, the soil will receive some improvement. 

 But to this system I have many objections; — I am 

 inTavor of the five-field system, and consider it the 

 very best that could be adopted for this section of 

 the country. 



In order to improve to advantage, you must 

 have good teams. There is great want of man- 

 agement in this one particular. Let your teams be 

 increased, and the number of laborers may be di- 

 minished. There are very few farms that have 

 sufficient teams. From my own observation, com- 

 bined with practice, I would say, there should be a 

 good horse or mule or a yoke of oxen, to each 

 hand. The five-field system that I am about to 

 recommend, will require this proportion of animal 

 labor in order to operate to advantage. If every 

 farmer now cultivating upon the four-field plan, 

 would divide his farm into five- fields, and adopt 

 the following course of cultivation, I have no 

 doubt his profits would be greatly increased, and 

 that his land would improve much faster. 



Take a farm, say 400 acres; lay it off in five 

 fields, of eighty acres each, No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 

 The number of laborers and teams required on 

 such a farm, will be about twelve hands, seven or 

 eight men, the balance women or boys; eight 

 good horses or mules, and four yoke of oxen. 

 Your farm being divided into five fields, of eighty 

 acres each, commence, say in 1835 in No. 1; ma- 

 nure in this field from 16 to 18 acres for tobacco; 

 the remaining 62 or 64 acres put in corn. Imme- 

 diately after harvest, and whenever the land is in 

 suitable condition for fallowing, put all your teams 

 to that business, and fallow No. 2 for wheat. In 

 the fall, 1835, sow No. 1 and 2 in wheat. In the 

 spring, 1336, say last of February, or first of 

 March, sow No. 1 and 2 in clover. From the 1st 

 to the 15th April, sow half a bushel of plaster per 

 acre on the young clover just up in No. 1 and 2. 

 This will enable the young clover to stand the 

 drought of summer. One gallon of clover seed per 

 acre is usually sown. In 1836 manure the same quan- 



tity in No. 3 for tobacco, and put the balance in 

 corn, fallowing No. 4 for wheat. Fall, 1836, sow 

 No. 3 and 4 in wheat. Spring, 1837, sow clover 

 in No. 3 and 4, and plaster, as in No. 1 and 2. 

 The clover in No. 1 and 2 being now 12 months 

 old, sow the same quantity of plaster as last spring. 

 This year the clover in No. 1 and 2 rises to per- 

 fection, till which time, you should graze as little 

 as possible. 



Permit me to digress a little, and recommend to 

 every farmer and planter to reduce his stock. 

 Have as little as he can possibly do with. You 

 cannot improve land with an overgrown stock. It 

 is useless to sow clover and plaster; it is throwing 

 money away, if you permit the clover to be 

 grazed off. Make your land rich first, and your 

 stock may be increased, and a profit received from 

 them. 



I had proceeded as far as No. 4 in the system I 

 was recommending. In 1837, manure in No. 5 

 for tobacco, as in No. 1 and 3, and put the re- 

 mainder in corn. Fallow No. 1 for wheat, being 

 a good clover lay. Seed No. 5 and 1 in wheat in 

 the fall, 1837. Spring, 1838, sow clover and plas- 

 ter on No. 5 also, half' bushel of plaster per acre 

 on No. 3 and 4. It will be unnecessary to sow 

 clover seed this spring on No. 1; it being a clover 

 lallow, enough will have been turned in to in- 

 sure a crop; and having come under to No. 1, clo- 

 ver lallow, you will now begin to see the benefits of 

 this system. You will find that the additional crop 

 from No. 1, will pay a good per cent, upon the ex- 

 penditure — indeed you will discover that it was 

 money lent at usury; and discard at once and for- 

 ever the idea and excuse used by so many persons, 

 that you are not able to sow clover and plaster. 

 You will then find, as I have done, that your in- 

 terest will not permit you to dispense with its use. 

 You will perceive, that by practising upon this 

 system, you will have three-fifths of your land in 

 cultivation every year; one-fifth in corn and tobac- 

 co, two-fifths in wheat, and the remaining two- 

 fifths in clover, rising to maturity. You will 

 therefore have three crops from each field in five 

 years — one of corn and two of wheat. You will 

 have each year one hundred and sixty acres in 

 wheat, and eighty acres in corn and tobacco, say 

 16 acres in tobacco, and 64 acres in corn, the bal- 

 ance, 160 acres, in clover — never raising tobacco 

 two years in succession upon the same land. 



If you should farm it entirely, a farm of the size 

 before stated would not require as many laborers 

 by one-third; in every other respect, the course 

 would be the same, simply dispensing with the 

 tobacco crop. Compare this system with the four- 

 field system: farm 400 acres, four fields, 100 acres 

 each, No. 1, 2, 3 and 4. On this plan you would 

 be unable to fallow for wheat; demonstrated thus: 

 1835; No. 1 in wheat, fallow No. 2; fall, 1835, sow 

 No. 1 and 2 in wheat; spring, 1836, sow 1 and 2 

 in clover, corn in No. 3; fallow No. 4; seed No. 3 

 and 4 in wheat. In 1837 you would have to 

 plough under young clover in No. 1 for corn; con- 

 sequently the land would receive no benefit, the 

 clover not having risen or come to maturity; and 

 so it would be every year afterwards. Under this 

 plan your profits would be less, and the land re- 

 ceive but little, if any improvement. If you 

 grazed at all, you would destroy all your clover. 

 Your crops of wheat would be greally diminished, 

 having under this plan only 100 acres in wheat, 



