36 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



flattering manner in vvliich he there epeaks of my 

 adopted live fw'ld rotation. 



In the communication I wrote, as^i-jning my 

 reasons for a contcmi.lated change ofsyeiem, from 

 the four lo the five, and published in your January 

 number, (1840,) (and which by the way you did 

 me (,'reat injustice, in ihe many lypograpiiical er- 

 rors therein committed, enough to discourage ano- 

 ther attempt almost in your columns,) I uf^ed the 

 the (bliowing very imperfect manner of expressing j 

 myself with repaid to the mode of preparing the] 

 Foil by manurinir, lor receiving tlie oat crop, &c.; 

 although I ihinU it might be inli^rred oiiierwise. 

 The passage 1 used was iliis : " As the oat crop is 

 so valuable a one with me lor feedinij my teams, 

 I propose seeding one tliird of Ihe field mtended 

 i'oT peas in that crop, and on which I propose to 

 put my manure. Should tlie manuring extend far- 

 ther than ttie third for oa's, I propose putting 

 the remainder of the marmred laud in pumikins, 

 and the balance of the field of course in peas, Sec." 

 In the paragraph here re(i?rred to, and al)0ut 

 which Ihe author of ' K.' asks information, ! did 

 not probably express myself as understandinijly as 

 I should have done ; I will therefore give the mode 

 1 contemplate improving the field intended (i^n- the 

 oat crop. My habii and prelerence have been to 

 manure as much land as I could for corn. The 

 portion of the field to be manured for corn i.^ allot- 

 ted off", and not manured until after I have planted 

 the rest of my corn crop, allowing the manure to 

 remain in its compact state in the pens, to tie tram- 

 pled and dunged by the stock, as lonix as possible 

 in ihe sprimr before it is broken, that it may be- 

 come the better lermen'ei'. So scon as we have 

 planted all of the field not intended to be manured 

 lor corn, which is not done before the lOih or 1.5ih 

 of April, and sometimes later, we turn in every 

 thing to getting out ad the manure we cnn in the por- 

 tion of the field allotted lo be manured, and for corn 

 also ; which is usually about one third of the field. 

 It is this portion of tlie fit Id manured lor corn that 

 I propose seeding in oats the fbllowinjj spring — 

 and not manured thi3 same sprimr for ihe oat crop, 

 as was inffirred by ' K.' The nianure made dur- 

 ing the summer, lull, and winter, from the s'ahles, 

 hog-pens, &c., can be used lor the oat crop alone, 

 if preferred ; as those manures might be in a slate 

 to be used. But the idea of using coaise, unfer- 

 mented farm-pen manure, as early as would be re- 

 quired for ihe oat crop, never entered my head. 

 And ' K.' is riglit enough in the opinion, that ihe 

 manure of this winter would be in too crude and 

 unltrmented a state to be used for ihe oat crop olihis 

 epring; lor my impres&ion is that oats should be 

 sown as early as the last of February wilfi us; 

 which would of course be loo early to break the 

 winter-larm pen? of manure. 



I prefer using the coarse mnnure in the forego- 

 ing manner l(.)r corn, to any other use to which we 

 can apply il ; because Ihe corn crop is more bene- 

 fited by il in its coarse state, probably, than any 

 oiher crop. The succeeding spring il will cor.s'i- 

 tiite a fine pabulum li^r the oat crop to feed Irom. 

 Benefiting ifie succeeding wheat crop essentiolly, 

 and, I think, ensuiing a clover crop, to resuscitate 

 the land. By s'lrh a process we derive all the be- 

 ncfi s that could possibly be expected from it, viz.: 

 ihree grain crops and a stand of clover. 



My mode of manuring, however, has been very 

 various of late, and probably not used as judicious- 



ly as it might, have been. I have been governed 

 by circumstances. Portions of my estate I lound 

 in good condi'inn, wliile other porti'ons were very 

 much exhausted. JMyoliject has been to equal- 

 ize its fertility as much as possible. To accom- 

 plish ihis otiject. I have been obliged lo use my 

 mnnure irregularly, and at times not the most de- 

 sirable, or possibly wiiJi considerable los;^. Aa 

 soon as I can equalise the fertility of my fields, 

 (which I hope soon lo do,) I shall fully carry out 

 the mode of manuring lor the corn crop above re- 

 commendcii as the most judicious and preferable. 

 I do not consider it so important as some do that 

 the manure should be handled and prepared into a 

 compost, with so much expense and trouble before 

 its application. 1 think the great object should be 

 lo make as much as possif)le, and to give it lo the 

 earth, almost in any state, whenever you can. 

 You will be sure to derive its benefits sooner or later. 

 All the manure i make iscertainly carried out ivvice 

 a year, spring and fall, and sometimes oliener. 



I have practised, I think, to great advantage, 

 top-dressing my clover, early in llie spring, with 

 vviieat straw. Ail ihe straw that cannot be car- 

 ried through ihe pens in time to be sufficiently fer- 

 mented is us<'d in ihis way. And if a dry season, 

 the benefit lo the clover is very sreat. I have ma- 

 nured, by top-dressing wheat, but never to any 

 advantage lo the wheal crop. I have almost in- 

 variably lost it by the Hessian fly or huir. 



Hoping that what I have written may prove 

 satisfactory to my kind friend ' R.,' I remain, your 

 friend and obedient servant, 



John A. Selden. 



CRtSFJED COUN MEAL— WINTERING HOGS, &C. 



For tlie Farmers' Register, 

 Indebted to the Farmers' Register for many va- 

 luable fact- and suggestions, in relation to agri- 

 cultural operations, I feel myself bound to endeavor 

 to discharcre the obligation I have ihus incurred, 

 bv commiinicaiin!!, from tjmo to time, for the be- 

 nefit of yonr correspondents and readers, brief 

 notes of such improvements in the prevailing 

 modes of management in rural economy, as I can 

 recommend to ihe adoption of my brother farm- 

 ers, upon the auliioriiy of my personal experience 

 and observation. A few words at present as to 

 the bpst mode of wintering hotrs. 



Mv slock consists of two la'-rre breedinrr sows, 

 far advanced in prcgnancv. I desiirn their pi^s 

 for perk next winter, and eleven slioa's, ei^ht 

 about five and ihree about seven months old ; 

 all pronounced by my neighbors very fine animals. 

 The piirs are confined in a pen of good size, bo 

 situated that ihey can bask at pleasure in the sun- 

 shine, and provided with a warm and dry sleeping 

 apartment, separat.'^d from the body of the pen by 

 a close wail of rails, about two and a half feet 

 high, with a hole at one end for ingress and egress, 

 an^l covered wiih a sloping roof of plank over- 

 lapping each other. The pen is not floored, but is 

 kept sTifliciently dry by an abundant supply of 

 shucks, corn stalks, and refuse s'raw, out of which 

 my piiTs are industriously maiuifacturincf several 

 loads of excellent mnnure. JMy breeding sows 

 run at lartre, because I have not lound if conve- 

 nient as yet lo build a pen for them ; but they find 

 a warm bed in my elable, and rarely wander far 



