No. 11. 



Another " Farmer in Distress." 



355 



say, and I think with much plausibility, that 

 the very best manure for any particular spe- 

 cies of vegetation is that which is derived 

 from itself — leaves, for instance, for wood or 

 forest trees, and wheat-straw for growing 

 wheat ; and if this be the case, then the second 

 grass-crop, containing as it does the materials 

 of the first, must be a valuable manure for it- 

 self; and this, I think, is a strong argument 

 for banishing cattle and all other depreda- 

 tors from our fields." 



Is it to be understood, that Mr. Turner re- 

 commends the second crop of grass to fall and 

 rot on the land as manure for another first 

 crop? or does he merely argue, that such a 

 course would answer the best purpose, on the 

 French theory, that "Nature has within her- 

 self the power of renovation V To the latter 

 I have no objection, but should suspect that 

 the former mode would be materially to in- 

 jure the quality of the hay of the first crop, 

 as it would not be possible to mow it close, 

 without cutting up with it much of the second 

 crop in the shape of old fog, in a state of de- 

 composition, the mouldy smell and taste of 

 which would be highly detrimental to the 

 hay. I would much rather pass the second 

 crop through the bowels of the stock, take the 

 dung or "evacuations" periodically into the 

 fields, and mix them at the rate of four or five 

 loads of muck or fresh earth to one of dung, 

 and after fermentation, turn ail up and add a 

 portion of lime, carrying the compost abroad 

 in the spring as a top-dressing. But this is 

 labour — true, to which I should have no ob- 

 jection ; for what was a man sent into the 

 world for, but to labour and enjoy the fruits 

 of iti the richest portion of that fruit being 

 the "looking on the labourof hisown hands." 

 But I forget the relative positions of the coun- 

 tries from which we date — here, it is neither 

 disreputable or disagreeable to labour ! 



Z. 



Lancaster County, Pa., May 21, 1842. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Another « Farmer in Distress." 



How many are the ilJs that " flesh is heir to !" 



The account of the farmer in the last num- 

 ber of the Cabinet, who had at last waked up, 

 and so improved his land with lime, attention 

 to his manure heaps, good tillage, &c., as to 

 find his milkers in the spring without ;?as- 

 ture, as all his fields were now mowable, re- 

 minds me of a couple of my neighbours, who 

 had also their troubles. They were similar 

 in character to his, to whom I have just re- 

 ferred, all having their origin in the honesty 

 of old mother earth, and in her strong dispo- 

 sition to repay, with interest, the labour used 

 in coaxing her to pour forth the exhaustless 

 riches of her bosom. 



"Heighho — neighbour G.," said E., one 

 frosty morning, as he passed through his 

 neighbour's corn-field, and found him teating 

 his hands again.st his ribs to keep up the cir- 

 culation — " how is the corn-crop on your side 

 the fence this fall 1 Mine is very fine; I cal- 

 culate upon 70 bushels to the acre." " Oh," 

 said his friend, " I shall have quite that much: 

 indeed, if you look at the heaps, with three 

 or four baskets in them, you '11 say I '11 have 

 80 or 85 bushels. But, dear me ! I don't know 

 what upon earth I shall do with my hogs; I 

 can't fat then^: it seems as if there was al- 

 ways some trouble or other in store for me ; 

 some crook falling to my Jot; my pumpkins 

 are all gone, and I shall have no offal corn to 

 fat my porkers with ! I manured my ground 

 well in the spring, and gave my corn a good 

 sprinkling of ashes and plaster when I first 

 harrowed it, and then it looked so well, that 

 I couldn't help tending it nicely all summer, 

 and now, it's all sound and hard, and I'm 

 harassed not a little to know how to get my 

 hogs fat!" "Oh well, neighbour G.," said 

 E., " you 're not solitary in your troubles, for 

 I 've been brooding over mine, ever since 

 harvest. I've limed, and marled my land, 

 and picked up so many hints from the ' Cabi- 

 net,' that Cousin Humphrey persuaded U8 

 both, you know, to subscribe for, that last 

 summer I cut so much more first-rate hay 

 than I 've been used to, that my barns would 

 not hold more than half of it ; if I go on this 

 way, I shall be obliged to put up more hay- 

 houses, and buy more stock ! I 'most wish 

 we had left that Farmers' Cabinet alone; it's 

 got us both into trouble, you see." I came 

 along just in time to hear this conversation, 

 and we all made ourselves merry over the 

 "distresses" of my neighbours, and they con- 

 cluded I should be spokesman and have it put 

 in print — with this sage advice to all brother 

 farmers who can't afford to put up additional 

 buildings for their increased crops, nor to 

 fatten their porkers on sound corn — namely, 

 to be careful how they enrich their farms, for 

 land is honest, and will pay; and by all means 

 not to subscribe for the Farmers' Cabinet ! 

 Humphrey. 



PoTATOE Oats. — Mr. G. B. Smith, of Bal- 

 timore, is convinced that the potatoe oat is 

 an inferior food for horses ; it is said that 

 more of this variety than of any other passes 

 through the animal undigested, which is sup- 

 posed to arise from its being more difficult 

 to masticate. Whatever be the cause of the 

 evil, the evil itself is not questioned; conse- 

 quently, horse-keepers decline to purchase 

 them — the purchasers of forage for the army 

 horses in particular — at any price; it is there- 

 fore thought advisable to caution farmers 

 against growing them. 



