NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JULY 1J. 1S33. 



ON THE CULTIVATION OF RYE. 



BY JOHN KEELY. 



To the Trustees of the Essex. Agricultural Society — 

 Gentlemen, Having for many years past been 

 more than commonly successful in raisins large 

 crops of winter rye by a process of cultivation 

 which, I believe, is entirely new, I have been in- 

 duced, by the suggestion of some gentlemen whose 

 judgment I very much respect, to submit for your 

 consideration a statement of the mode of culture, 

 with the produce. And, that the success of the 

 experiment this season may not appear to be alto- 

 gether accidental, it will, perhaps, be as well to 

 communicate the result of the process for the 

 three or four previous years. 



The land on which the experiment has been 

 conducted is situated on the Merrimack, about a 

 mile and a half east of Haverhill bridge ; and 

 came into possession of my father in 1827. The 

 soil is a sand, approaching to loam as it recedes 

 from the river. Perhaps the term plain land (by 

 which it usually passes) will better convey an idea 

 of the quality of the soil. It is altogether too light 

 for grass. The crops we find most profitable to 

 cultivate on it are winter rye, Indian corn, pota- 

 toes, and to some extent turnips. Oats might 

 probably be raised to advantage, were it not that 

 the land is completely filled with the weed com- 

 monly called charlick, which renders it entirely 

 unfit for any spring crop, excepting such as can 

 be hoed. The crops of rye, on the neighboring 

 soil of the same nature, vary, I believe, from seven 

 or eight to twelve or thirteen bushels per acre, ac- 

 cording to the cultivation, and their approxima- 

 tion to the river. We usually raise on land from 

 thirteen to thirty bushels of Indian corn per acre. 

 Potatoes are very good in quality, but the quantity 

 is quite small ; not sufficient to be profitable, were 

 it not that the land is very easily cultivated. 



In the summer of 1827, we sowed three bushels 

 of winter rye near the river, on about two acres 

 of land, which produced twenty-eight bushels. 



In 1828, we sowed four bushels on four acres 

 of land running the whole extent of the plain from 

 the river. This piece was sowed in the spring 

 with oats ; but they were completely smothered 

 with charlick, and about the middle of June, the 

 whole crop was mowed to prevent the charlick 

 seeding. By about the middle of August, a second 

 crop of charlick having covered the laud, it was 

 ploughed very carefully, in order completely to 

 bury the charlick ; and then suffered to remain 

 until the 15th of September, when we began sow- 

 ing the rye in the following manner. A strip of 

 laud about twelve yards wide was ploughed very 

 evenly, to prevent deep gutters between the fur- 

 rows, and the seed immediately sown upon the 

 furrow and harrowed in. Then another strip of 

 the same width, and so on until the whole was 

 finished. We found the oat stubble anil charlick 

 entirely rotted, and the land appeared as if it had 

 heen well manured, though none had been applied 

 to this part since it had been in our possession. 

 The rye sprung very quick and vigorously, hav- 

 ing evidently derived great benefit from being 

 sown and sprouted before the moisture supplied 

 by the decaying vegetable matter in the soil had 

 evaporated to any considerable extent. This crop 

 produced 133 bushels. 



In 1829, the charlick was suffered to grow on 

 the land appropriated to rye, until it had attained 

 its growth and was in full blossom. The land 

 was then ploughed very carefully, and the charlick 



completely covered in. In a short time a second 

 Crop appeared more vigorous than the first. This 

 also was allowed to attaiu its growth, and then 

 ploughed in as before. A third crop soon appear- 

 ed, which of course was destroyed, when the land 

 was again ploughed for sowing about the middle 

 of September. This piece of land was a parallel 

 strip running from the river, and containing two 

 acres. Two bushels of rye were sowed. The 

 crop presented a remarkably promising appear- 

 ance, and yielded seventy-four and a half bushels. 



In 1830, the land appropriated to rye included 

 nearly all the lighter part of the soil, and owing to 

 a pressure of business was not attended to as we 

 could have wished. It was ploughed in the early 

 part of the summer. But harrowing to destroy 

 the weeds was substituted for the second plough- 

 ing. This, and the unusual blight which affected 

 all the grain in this part of the country, led us to 

 anticipate a small crop. It yielded, however, fif- 

 teen bushels to the acre. 



The land on which the crop of rye was- raised 

 the present season had for three or four previous 

 years been planted with Indian corn : and owing 

 to the extent of our tillage land, we have not been 

 able to apply more than four or five loads of ma- 

 nure to the acre this season. The charlick was 

 suffered to attain its growth as usual ; and on the 

 18th and 19th of June it was carefully ploughed 

 in. The second crop was ploughed in on the 6th 

 and 7th of August. On the 14th and 15th of Sep- 

 tember it was sowed in the usual manner, namely, 

 a small strip of land was ploughed, and the seed 

 sown immediately upon the furrow, and then har- 

 rowed in. Then another strip of land was plough- 

 ed, and so on until the whole was completed. 

 One bushel per acre was sowed as usual. The 

 seed was originally obtained from a farmer in this 

 vicinity, and I suppose is similar to that which is 

 generally used. We have never prepared our seed 

 in any manner, but have directed our attention 

 solely to the preparation of the land ; and to this 

 we attribute our success. Owing to the unusual 

 severity of the winter, the crop was considerably 

 winter killed, but recovered very soon in the 

 spring, excepting in the midfurrows. There, as 

 the land lies very level, the water settled, and so 

 completely destroyed the rye that they continued 

 bare the whole season. This would of course 

 cause some diminution in the crop ; perhaps a 

 bushel or two. The rye was reaped at the usual 

 season, and, as the weather was favorable, imme- 

 diately put into the barn. The land contained one 

 acre and thirteen rods, and yielded forty-six bushels 

 and three peeks. A remarkably fine sample. 



In entering a claim for your premium, I would 

 ask your attention particularly to the process of 

 cultivation. It is I believe entirely new, and capa- 

 ble of general application. 



Sowing the seed immediately after the plough 

 we consider very advantageous to the crop. The 

 soil being then moist, causes the seed to spring 

 immediately, and gives a forwardness and vigor to 

 the plants which they ever after retain. 



The process of ploughing in three crops of weeds 

 before the seed is sown, very much enriches the 

 soil. It would be altogether unnecessary to at- 

 tempt to refute the notion, that by such a process 

 nothing more is applied to the soil than was be- 

 fore derived from it. If one could not discover 

 by the light which Chemistry has shed upon the 

 subject of Agriculture, sufficient reasons for the 

 contrary conclusion, observation, one would think, 



would be sufficient to convince any intelligent 

 man of the fact. 



And here I would suggest, that I do not con- 

 sider the experiment, as we have conducted it, 

 quite complete. To render it more m>, in the firs! 

 place, in ploughing in the weeds, J would not 

 turn a furrow after the dew had evaporated. 1 

 have no doubt but that a large portion of that fer- 

 tilizing quality in the soil, which (during the sum- 

 mer mouths) is continually exhaled from the earth, 

 is by the dew brought again uiiliin our reach, and 

 it would be wise to avail ourselves of the oppor- 

 tunity of again burying it in the soil. And in [he 

 second place, I would by all means use a heavj 

 roller after each ploughing. It would fill all tin- 

 cavities left by the plough, and by pressing the 

 soil more closely to the weeds, at once hasten 

 their decomposition and very much retard the 

 evaporation from the soil. 



But the land is not only very much enriched by 

 this process. There is, I conceive, no method by 

 which it can be so effectually cleaned. Three 

 times during the season a fresh surface is present- 

 ed to the atmosphere ; and each time, as the de- 

 caying vegetable matter increases in the soil, so is 

 the exciting cause augmented to make a more 

 vigorous effort. We have in this manner gone 

 over nearly all our land which is infested with 

 charlick, and the diminution of the weeds is quite 

 sufficient to warrant the expectation, that in a few 

 years it may be comparatively eradicated. 



Very respectfully, John Keely. 



Haverhill, Sept. 22, 1832. 



The undersigned having assisted in measuring 

 the rye, an account of which is given above, here- 

 by certify that the quantity is as there stated, 

 namely, forty-six bushels and three pecks. 

 John Keely, 

 Thomas E. Keely, 

 Samuel Thomson. 

 I have this day measured a lot of land belong- 

 ing to Mr. Keely, on which is a crop of rye, and 

 find it to contain one acre and thirteen rods. 



C. White, Surveyor. 

 Haverhill, Aug. 1, 1832. 



At a Meeting of the Trustees of the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society, January 1, 1833, the foregoing 

 statement having been read and examined : 



Voted, That the first premium offered for the 

 cultivation of rye be awarded to Mr. Keely. 



Attest, J. W. Proctor, Secretary. 



LABOR. 



When we read the lives of distinguished men 

 in any department, we find them almost always 

 celebrated for the amount of labor they could 

 perform. Demosthenes, Julius Cfesar, Henry the 

 Fourth of France, Lord Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton, 

 Franklin, Washington, Napoleon, — different as 

 they were in their intellectual and moral qualities, 

 were all renowned as hard workers. We read 

 how many days they could support the fatigues of a 

 march ; how early they rose ; how late they watch- 

 ed ; how many hours they spent in the field, in 

 the cabinet, in the court : how many secretaries 

 they kept employed ; in short, how hard they 

 worked. — Everett's discourse. 



COAL. 



Several gentlemen in Thomaston have com- 

 menced exploring for coal, and have already reach- 

 ed the depth of sixty feet. The Republican gives 

 some reasous why they will probably be successful. 



