1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



553 



prise to see this poor stiff clay level, (or such as 1 

 and every body else had taken tor clay) converted 

 into a light sandy loam of a dark rich color, with 

 scarce sufficient clay in it, to cause it to adhere, 

 when pressed between the hands. I sowed my 

 ruta baga seed the 20th July, and though nearly 

 half of them died from my neglecting to have 

 them worked soon enough, (and by the way they 

 were only ploughed once,) yet after feeding away 

 three-quarters of an acre, the remaining 3^ acres 

 made me 780 bushels. The ordinary weight was 

 from six to eight pounds a turnip, while some car- 

 rots transplanted in the missing places attained a 

 most enormous size, one of them measuring 14 

 inches in circumference. 



The part in oats, after yielding but an indiffer- 

 ent crop, was marled in 1834, and put in corn this 

 year — half was unmanured; the other half was 

 manured with the half-rotted stalks from my farm- 

 pen, mixed with coarse litter from the stable, 

 which was ploughed under in the spring directly 

 after being hauled out. From the latter I gather- 

 ed an estimated crop of h\ barrels per acre; the 

 former made me three, whilst one and a half acres, 

 marled at 400 bushels, and not manured, made me 

 nothing. It should be remembered that the same 

 description of land, only separated by a road, made, 

 the year before, very little over four bushels an 

 acre, while the part not too heavily marled, with 

 the help of a more favorable season, brought it up 

 to 15 bushels. 



My experience adds another proof to your doc- 

 trine, that marling and manuring ought to be car- 

 ried on together: yet very many pursue a differ- 

 ent practice. One of the most intelligent farmers 

 in Hanover marls in one field, and manures in ano- 

 ther, where there has been no marl carted. 



From a close observation of the facts that have 

 fallen under my notice, I am convinced that the 

 most profitable application of fine rotted manure, 

 is on the surface, to a wheat field that has been 

 marled, and is intended to be sown in clover; 

 whilst your unrotted manure (I use this term be- 

 cause best understood in Virginia,) should be ap- 

 plied to marled land, intended for corn, and turned 

 under so soon as hauled out. 



I have sown clover on similar soil, managed in 

 six different ways. 1st. On land unplastered, un- 

 manured, unmarled. This is throwing away seed. 

 2nd. On land manured, unmarled and unplastered 

 • — but little better. 3rd. Manured and plastered, 

 but unmarled — the clover stands in spots, and 

 grows tolerably well only. 4th. Marled, but un- 

 manured and unplastered — the clover stands bet- 

 ter, but the growth is not so great. 5th. Plastered 

 and marled, but unmanured — better still. Cth. 

 Plastered, marled and manured — a prodigiously 

 fine crop. 



These few things comprise most of the "facts"' 

 that have come under my attention during the two 

 summers that I have been a farmer. I do not know 

 that they are worth the trouble I hey will cause 

 you to have them put in print. I have others in 

 progress which it will take years to test, and should 

 I live, and your journal continue to flourish, (both 

 of which may God grant) you will hear from me 

 in due time. 



WILLIAM SPOTSWOOD FONTAINE. 



Monlvillc, lung William, 12th Dec. 1835. 

 Vol. Ill— 70 



[We are much gratified that our "call for (acts" has 

 served to elicit the foregoing statement of experiments 

 and observations. Although the experiments on fodder 

 were on loo small a scale, and otherwise too defective, 

 (as is frankly admitted by our correspondent,) to be 

 deemed conclusive in their results — still they leave lit- 

 tle doubt of the injury sustained by the usual and al- 

 most universal mode of conducting this branch of corn 

 culture. The increase of the corn supposed to be 

 caused by topping only, we should attribute to some 

 defect in the experiment, unsuspected by its maker. 

 But this, subsequent and more full trials can best set- 

 tle — and it is no small merit in a single experiment, if 

 it can assure us on one useful point — or even serve to 

 strengthen greatly, a doubtful opinion. It is by such 

 courses of experimenting accurately, and reporting 

 faithfully, that the best services can be rendered to ag- 

 riculture — and it is hoped that Mr. Fontaine's good ex- 

 ample will be followed by many others. 



With regard to the facts presented as difficulties in 

 the way of the theory of acid soils, we have to repeat, 

 that we are not so presumptuous as to attempt to ex- 

 plain every rare exception, real or apparent, that any 

 particular facts may present as contradictory of the 

 general laws of the fertilization of soils which have 

 been maintained in the Essay on Calcareous Manures. 

 Some of the strongest apparent contradictions, howe- 

 ver, have, on more full investigation, been found to be 

 in strict accordance — and so may the facts observed 

 and stated by our correspondent. The pines growing 

 over a marl bed probably extend their long horizontal 

 roots to some acid earth, or possibly find it even below 

 the marl — as do plants of sorrel which often stand on 

 unspread heaps of marl. The growth of sorrel on the 

 brick-kiln, may prove that the atmosphere furnishes 

 acid to that plant — but even then, it would not contra- 

 dict the doctrine of acid soils, unless, the bricks, or the 

 soils on which common sorrel (ruinex ace'osa) was thus 

 air-fed, were calcareous — which, it is presumed will ne- 

 ver be found to be the case. 



Nevertheless, we are glad to receive, and as willing 

 to publish, facts opposed to our views, as those which 

 support them: and our correspondent may be assured 

 that we have neither the inclination, nor ability, if so 

 disposed, to return to him "a rap over the knuckles," 

 as in the very different case to which he refers — which 

 was thnt of objections being made (and through another 

 journal,) which were founded on the most gross ig- 

 norance of the entire subject.] 



TO MAKE GOOD BACON. 



[Un !er the impression that we should thereby ren- 

 der an acceptable service to many readers, we sought 

 some months ago the information which has just been 

 furnished in the following communication. The bu- 

 siness of curing bacon for sale has long been carried 

 on very largely in Southampton, Isle of Wight, and 

 other adjacent counties, and the quality of the article 

 has become celebrated under the general name of 

 "Smithfield bacon." We are not sure that the writer 

 of the following directions designed that his name 

 should be given, and therefore it has been withheld. No 



