No. 8. 



Good Example. — Rotation of Crops. 



255 



quently 35, and sometimes 40 bushels per 

 acre. Rye, corn, barley and oats are also 

 cultivated to a moderate extent, and with like 

 success. Their old shabby buildings have 

 chiefly given place to new ones, which, by 

 their neat and substantial appearance, indi- 

 cate the good taste and the good judgment of 

 their proprietors. Do you inquire by what 

 cause, by what miracle, so great a change, so 

 great a reformation, has been effected within 

 so short a time] I answer, all this has been 

 accomplished by the good example of one 

 good farmer. The farmer to whom I refer, 

 removed into that neighbourhood in the fall 

 of the year 1830, and undertook, in behalf of 

 a widowed relation, the management of her 

 farm, which contained about 125 acres of ara- 

 ble limestone land. The proceeds of this 

 farm, under its former occupant, had been an- 

 nually insufficient to pay the expense of its 

 own cultivation and support his family. But 

 its new overseer turned over a new leaf, and 

 that farm is now one of the most productive, 

 and one of the most valuable of any in the 

 township in which it is situated. The first 

 step towards improvement with this man was 

 to dispose of all the poor, old, worn-out cattle 

 and horses which he found on the farm, and 

 supply their places, not by good ones merely, 

 but by the very best he could procure, regard- 

 less of the price. The farming utensils from 

 the least to the greatest, underwent a close 

 inspection and a thorough repair. A shelter 

 was provided for his cattle and sheep, and a 

 comfortable pen for his hogs; a lime-kiln was 

 built, and all other necessary improvements 

 were immediately made. In his farming 

 operations there was nothing peculiar, or dif- 

 ferent from those of his neighbours, except in 

 their seasonable and perfect performance. In 

 the early part of spring his fences were tho- 

 roughly repaired ; the stones were collected 

 and hauled from the fields designed for mow- 

 ing, and from other places where they might 

 interfere with the proper cultivation of the 

 land, or prove detrimental to the growing 

 crops. One kiln of lime was burned in the 

 spring and placed on his corn ground, at the 

 rate of 60 bushels to the acre, and another at 

 midsummer, and applied in like quantity to 

 an inverted clover sod, as a preparation for 

 wheat. His corn was planted with care in 

 hills three feet apart each way, and three 

 grains in a hill ; it was twice harrowed, twice 

 plastered, twice ploughed, and all at the pro- 

 per season. A part of his wheat was sown 

 on open fallow, which had received a heavy 

 dressing of manure in the spring, and had 

 been twice ploughed and once harrowed be- 

 fore harvest, and once ploughed afterwards. 

 A part also was sown on clover lay, which 

 had been enriched by ploughing under a lux- 

 uriant growth of grass, and which, with the 



lime applied as before stated, and thoroughly 

 harrowed and incorporated with the soil, al- 

 ways proved an excellent preparation for 

 wheat, and insured a bountiful crop at the en- 

 suing harvest. I need scarcely add, that his 

 crops of every kind were uniformly good, and 

 far surpassed those of his indolent and impro- 

 vident neighbours, and afforded him a clear 

 profit of more than $1500 a year. But at 

 length his success and increasing prosperity 

 attracted the notice, and excited the emula- 

 tion of the surrounding farmers, and led thorn 

 gradually to imitate his example, until finally 

 most of them became good farmers, and many 

 of them superior; and generally they have 

 rendered themselves independent, and en- 

 hanced the value of their farms at least 100 

 per cent. And instead of the sloth, ignorance 

 and poverty which disgraced the agriculture 

 of that region of country a few years since, 

 it is now distinguished for its industry, 

 wealth and intelligence, with every concom- 

 itant blessing — all of which is the effect of 



the GOOD EXAMPLE OF ONE GOOD FARMER. 



P. W. 



Rural Rot.reat, Pa., Feb. 23, 1842. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Rotation of Crops — Top Dressing. 



Mr. Editor, — Your correspondent, Mr. 

 Mellar, in his article on the rotation of crops, 

 p. 172, .Tan. No., says "as soon as the wheat 

 is carried oft", plough up the land and sow 

 buckwheat, or turnips, or beets," Does he 

 mean to sow beet-seed broad-cast ] Does he 

 bestow any labour or cultivation after sowing? 

 He also recommends " heavily top-dressing 

 clover during winter and early spring with 

 compost of all kinds," fgr hay. Does he not 

 find that his cattle do not so readily eat hay 

 made of the grass cut immediately after ma- 

 nuring with barn-yard manure 1 From the 

 apparent disposition of Mr. M., I think he will 

 cheerfully answer these inquiries if you will 

 communicate them to him through your pa- 

 per, or in any other way you may think best, 

 and oblige One of your Subscribers. 



On the receipt of " Subscriber's" letter, we took the 

 opportunity of forwarding it to our correspondent, Mr. 

 Mellar, by the hands of a friend, with a request that 

 he would favour us with a reply— it is here subjoined. 

 —Ed. 



Dear Sir, — I herewith return " Subscri- 

 ber's" letter with a few remarks in answer 

 to his inquiries. 



On the removal of the wheat crop, I recom- 

 mend the sowing of buckwheat, or turnips, 

 or beets, as a second crop : the two first I 

 should not hesitate to broad-cast, but the lat- 

 ter I would drill — the general term sowing 

 was used indiscriminately. The cultivation, 

 or after labour, must depend entirely on the 



