231 



N E W ENGLAND F A R M E R, 



JAN 31, IS 8. 



Band, liy a slow brit sure (irocivss, lias at last lieeii 

 converted into a tTiost fertile loam. The surface, 

 to the depth of three or four in(;hes, was at first 

 .I'one cultivated, but the soil was gradually deep- 

 ened, as it becMirie progressively enriehed ; and 

 now iho ground at the con'inieneetnent of every 

 rotation, is trenched by h shovel, {thu soil being 

 very loose,) to the depth of from .'ifteen to eight- 

 een inches, the exhausted surface is burjed, and 

 the 'fresh soil bronglit up, enriched by the riinnnii.' 

 waslic!<l down to it, during the seven preceding 

 years. ft is then subjected to the follouing coin-se 

 of crops: 1. Potatoes; 2. Wheat niai.ured sown 

 in Noveudier, and carrots in February, for a set;- 

 ond crop in the same yctu-; 3. Flax, inuiured, 

 and sown with clover seed, for the t;ext i-rop ; 4. 

 Clover; 5. Rye or wheat, with carrots for a sec- 

 ond crop; 6. Oats after the carrots ; and, 7. Buck- 

 wheat; at the end of which period the ground is 

 again trenched. 



The double crops raised in the sandy soils of 

 Flander.*, in the course of the same year, are at- 

 tended with much advantage. The Flemish far- 

 mers thus obtain a greater quantity of manure, than 

 they could produce under any other system, by 

 which they are enabled to extract so miucb pro- 

 duce from soils, originally sterile, anil wliicli would 

 soon revert to their formfr stale of barreimess, 

 without the greatest industry, and t'le most iin- 

 wearie<| .Mtlenlion. 



It is a rule, in regard to sandy soils, never to 

 pick off any small stones that may be found in 

 them, as they contribute to prevent evaporation, 

 and to preserve moisture. It is another rule fre- 

 quently to renovate the strength of such soils, by 

 laying dieui down witli grass-si^eds^ and pasturing 

 them for a hw years, as they are so apt to be ex- 

 liausted by aralion, if corn ciops are too frequently 

 repeated. 



It in.->y be added as a general rule, that the fer- 

 tility of sandy, or siliceous soils, is in pro|)ortion 

 to the quantity of rain that falls, combined with 

 the frequency of its recurrence. As a proof of 

 this, in the rainy climate of Turin, the most pro- 

 lific soil has from 77 to 80 per cent of silieious 

 earth, and from nine to fourteen of calcareous; 

 whereas in the neighborhood of I'aris, where there 

 is uuicli less raifi, the si'ex is only in the propor- 

 tion of from 26 to 50 per cent in the most fertik- 

 parts. 



2. Gravel. — Gravelly soils differ materially 

 from sandy, both in their texture and modes of 

 management. They are frequently composed of 

 small soft stones, sometimes of flinty ones; but 

 th,"y often contain granite, limestone, and other 

 rocky substances, partially, hut not very minutely 

 deco.mpbsed. Gravel, being more porous than 

 even .sand, is generally a poor, and what is called, 

 a hunsii) soil, more especially when the parts of 

 which ic consists, are bard in substance and round- 

 ed nl forn I. Gravelly soils are easily exhausted, 

 for tlic a.ni^nal and vegetable matters they contain, 

 ' being ai'.'''''^'"^'' by the earthy consiitueiit parts 

 ^f"tl on' wh .'•-■'' are seldom sufficiently al)uu<l lut 

 for that purpos.% '•'■'-' "'"'■'= ''«'''« •" ''« <lceomposed 

 l,y the action of ""* atmosphere, and carried off 

 from them by wute-"- , , j . . 



Gravelly soils are v/nproved by drainmg, where 

 Uiey aie troubled with ^'orrngs ;— by .lecp plough- 



jn„ by mixing them witi'; c.oais of clay, chalk, 



inml, peat, or otlier earlli ; by heqm;nt retm-ns of 

 i-rass crops ;— by repeated a|iplicalions of matmre ; 

 t-aiKl by irrigation, if the water be full of sedi. 



ment, and judiciiuisly applied on a proper fmin of 

 surface. * 



Sometimes the ground is so covered with flints 

 and stones, that liardly any mould is to be seen. 

 Laml of this description is very troidilesotne to 

 work, and is injurious to the implements of hus- 

 bandry employed in the cultivation ; but with 

 proper management, it can he rendered highlv 

 productive. 



The slone-hrash, or com-hrash soils, (as they are 

 provincially called) of Gloucestershire, and the 

 midland cniitJ!ies of England, may be inclu<led 

 under the general head of nfdvellii soils, being so 

 much mixed with small stones. They have fre- 

 quently, however, more sand, or clay, or calcare- 

 ous loam, in their composition, than gravelly soils 

 usually possess, and on that account, are treated 

 of by some authors as a distinct species of soil. 



Gravelly soils, from their parting so readily 

 with moisture, are apt to burn, as it is called, in 

 dry seasons: but in wet ones, they usually pro- 

 duce ahuiniant crops of barley, rye, tares, pease, 

 oats, and even wheat ; and even a ihiii stintuin of 

 gravel, if mixed with shells, and other marine pro- 

 ductions, possesses many advantages for culiiva 

 lion, in a wet climate. 



A gravelly soil, fiee from stagnant water, gives 

 such an aduiticmal warmth to the climate, that 

 vegetation is nearly a fortnight earlier, than where 

 other soils predoininale. About Dirtford an<l 

 IJIackliearh in Kent, sm-h soils produce early 

 green pease, wiuti r tares, rye, autumnal pease, 

 and occasionally wheat, in great perfeclion. — 

 When barley and oats are cultivated, they should 

 be sown very early, that they may have full posses- 

 sion of the ground belbre the dry season sets in. 

 Gravelly soils, in a wet climate, answer well for 

 potatoes ; nnd indeed, in Cornwall, in n sheltered 

 situation, with a commaiul of sea-sand, and of sea- 

 weed, they raise two crops of potatoes in the same 

 year. 



Poor gravelly soils, full of springs, and those 

 sulphurous, are very unfriendly, to vegetation ; 

 and are better calculated for wood than for arable 

 culture. 



3. Clay. — A clay soil is distinguished above 

 every other for tenacity. It feeds smooth, and 

 somewhat unctuous. If cultivated in a wet state, 

 it slicks to the plough like mortar, and does not 

 soon become dry. It is often, indeed, of so adhe- 

 sive a n.iture, that it will hold water like a dish. 

 In a dry summer, the plough turns it up in great 

 clods, scarcely to be broken or separated by the 

 heaviest roller. tt requires, therefore, much la- 

 bor to j)ut it in a state (it for producing either 

 corn or grass : and though it will yield great crops, 

 yet being cultivated at a heavy expense, unless 

 when occupied by a judicious attentive farmer, it 

 is seldom that much profit is obtained. 'J he very 

 superior management of clay soils, as practised in 

 the I^othians, is fortunately an exception to this 

 general rule. 



The value of a clayey soil, depends materially 

 on its having an open subsoil, which renders it 

 more tractable and |)roduclive. Its texture is im- 

 proved by a suitable mixture of common sand, 

 sea-sand and above all, of limestone gravel, where 

 it cm lie obtained. Peat inoss also, that has for 

 some time been dug up, and exposed lotlie ar tion 

 of the atmosphere, may iie used wiih advantafi-e 

 It is likewise necessary to enrich it with putrid 

 and calcareous niauiires in the course of its culti- 

 vation. 



Under [iroper culture, clay soils are well calc 

 lated for growing crops of beans, wheat, oa. 

 <'lover, and winter tares; but not for barley, u 

 lesb immediately after a fallow ; nor for turnips, 

 potatoes, unless under very peculiar nianagemei 

 Clays become good meadow, though lioni thi 

 aptitude to be poached, they are, in general, un 

 to be i\:i\ by heavy cattle in wet weather ; but th 

 do well for li,iy, or soiling. The alter grass m 

 be used 'to feed neat callle till October, and she 

 lill March. A stiff clay, however, with a stroi 

 marl under it, is preferred in Cheshire and Derb 

 shire for the dairy. 



Ploughing previous to winter's setting in, is 

 great use to clays, by exposing the surface to t 

 frost, which mellows and reduces it in a niann 

 infinitely superior to wliat could be accoinplish. 

 by al! the operations of man. In this state tl 

 soil remains till spring seed-time, when it is eith 

 ploughed with a shallow furrow or scarified ai 

 sown. 



In respect to fallowing strong clay, a (suhjc 

 to be afterwards more fully di.-cussed) tbouj 

 some eminent farmers think it unnecest-arv, pr 

 vided particular attention be paid to the bei 

 crop, sowing, early, horse hoeing regularly, ai 

 weeding coni[iletely ; yet there certainly are mar 

 clay soils, more especially ia Scotland, so ten 

 cioiis and obdurate, so adhesive to every thir 

 that conies in contact with them when wet, ai 

 assuming, when dry, such a stony hardness, th 

 they are but ill calculated, in that stubborn sial 

 for the piiriioses of vegetaticm. In that case, 

 summer fallow is indispensably necessarv eve 

 six or eight years ; both to prevent such .soils co 

 trading n most injurious sourness and ndhesic 

 from wet ploughing, and in order that, by exu 

 sure to the sun and winds, during the sumiu 

 months, they may be so thoroughly pulverized , 

 to be placed in a state fit for bearing abuiida 

 crops of grain and grass. There are certain soi; 

 and siluations, indeed, where sumtner fullowir 

 cannot he advantageously relinquished for aiy oth, 

 process of tillage whatsoever. 



4. Peat — This substance is unquestionably \ 

 vegetable ori<;in. The dilTerence between it ai 

 vegetable mould is this, that mould l.s" derived fro: 



finer substances, as the leaves of the tiees, if 



retnains of arable cultivation, — and the roots i 

 well as the leaves and stalks of the finer grasse 

 which conlain a large proportion of earthy mu 

 ti'rs ; whereas peat is chiefly comppsed of varioi 

 sorts of aquatics; which, instead of rotting on, ( 

 near the surface, are generally immersed in sla< 

 mmt water, and only partially decomposed. ] 

 valleys, peal moss has often a considerable prt 

 portion of vigetable earth washed from the bight 

 grounds. 



(To be continued.) 



From the Norllianipion Courier. i 



Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman in IndianI 



under date of Dec. 7, 1837. 



Sir — Having purchased last spring wiili n frieiu 

 two papers of Mulberry seed of Mr D. S. I'ortc 

 of Cincinnati, from which we had about 300 fin 

 trees, many of which attained hist season tli 

 height of 5 to 6 1-2 feet, and had le.-ives ahof 

 7 1-2 by 5 1-2 inches and under, and also ha 

 nearly as iiuiny trees from seed obtained of IW 

 Whitnmrsh, sown at the same time, and no nia» 

 rial difTerence; perhajis the lenve.s of the lattc 



