IMP 



IMP 



211 



^111 return the expense of labour 

 and capital can be advantageous. 

 It would seem, therefore to be the 

 evident policy of our farmers to 

 cultivate no more land than what 

 they can attend to thoroughly, and 

 instead of spreading their labours 

 over lart^e tracts, no one acre of 

 which on computation yields a fair 

 remuneration for their toil and ca- 

 pital, that they should confine 

 themselves to smaller portions, and 

 cultivate these with spiritand intel- 

 ligence. 



To apply these general remarks, 

 suppose a farmer, possessed of one 

 hundred acres of sandy or gravelly 

 land, and to own 10 or 20 head of 

 cattle. It is scarcely to be believ- 

 ed that on a farm of such a size, 

 there should not be 10 or 15 acres 

 of meadow ground, orof richersoil. 

 If he would devote all his manure 

 from his cattle to his best lands — if 

 instead of reaping 10 or 15 bush- 

 els of rye, or 25 or 30 bushels of 

 Indian corn to the acre, he would 

 apply all his manure carefully pre- 

 served, and intelligently increased 

 by all the substances, calculated to 

 make a compost heap to 10 acres 

 of the best part of his land, he 

 would be able to gather 1000 bush- 

 els of potatoes, 1000 bushels of 

 carrots, as many of Swedish tur- 

 nips, and 150 bushels of Indian 

 corn on his 10 acres of cultivated 

 land. Can it be doubted that his 

 stock would be better fed, his fami- 

 ly better supplied, his net income 

 from articles sold from his farm 

 much more increased, than if he 

 should persevere in the old system 

 of raising rye at the rate of 1 5 or 

 20, or corn at the rate of 35 bush- 



els to the acre ? We only ask that 

 the experiment should be tried — 

 but above all that the culture of 

 roots, and the increase of manure 

 should be attempted for only a (ew 

 successive years. We have no 

 fears that this system would be 

 ever afterwards abandoned. 



In ascertaining the composition 

 of sterile soils with a view to their 

 improvement, any particular ingre- 

 dient which is the cause of their 

 unproductiveness, should be par- 

 ticularly attended to; if possible 

 they should be compared with fer- 

 tile soils in the same neighbour- 

 hood, and in similar situations. If 

 a barren soil contains salts of iron, 

 or any acid matter it may be im- 

 proved by quick lime. If there be 

 an excess of lime or chalky matter, 

 sand or clay should be applied. — 

 Where there is too much sand, 

 clay, marie, or vegetable matter is 

 required. Peat makes a good ma- 

 nure for a sandy soil. The im- 

 provement of peats, bogs, or marsh 

 lands must be commenced by drain- 

 ing. 



The materials necessary for the 

 purpose of improving soils are sel- 

 dom far distant: Sand is generally 

 found beneath clay, and clay often 

 beneath sand. Peat and bog earth 

 are commonly to be obtained in the 

 neighbourhood of gravel and sand. 

 Swamp-land after being drain- 

 ed, may often be improved by 

 quick lime, which is sometimes bet- 

 ter than paring and burning, as by 

 the latter process much vegetable 

 matter, capable of being convert- 

 ed into manure is dissipated and 

 lost. See Soil, Farm and Soil. 



I would entreat farmers to con- 



