NO. 14. 



THE FAIIMERS CABINET. 



219 



a century, and lands which before its introduc- 

 tion were worth !%15 an acre, ore now scUin'r 

 for sixty to one hundred ddUarf. It is of great 

 value as a manure, and can be advantayeoiisly 

 appUed to meadow?, (if not wet,) pasture land, 

 to corn and potatoes, and even to wheat, es- 

 pecially in dry seasons. 



Late sown wheat should always be plastered 

 in the spring and some farmers thinlc in the 

 fall. 



Wood ashes are also an excellent manure 

 for most kinds of land, especially when mixed 

 with plaster — principally after a top dressing, 

 for corn and potatoes, and even ibr peas. 



Uiit tlie easiest and cheapest way to manure 

 good arable lands, is by clover and plaster. — 

 In fiict, the farmer should raise no other grass, 

 for pasture, and upland stocked down for mea- 

 dow should consistof this grass, mixed with 

 wheat, which is termed timothy grass — and 

 every farmer should raise his own grass seed. 



It should be thickly sown in the herl, and 

 the whole ofthe land sown with wheat should 

 be seeded with clover. This system of| 

 husbandry not only greatly enriches the land, 

 but keeps out weeds and other grasses less 

 valuable and more difficult to subdue. In a 

 word leaves land at all times in a proper state 

 for the the reception of a crop of grain. 



!The large or mammoth clover is the most 

 valuable species tor this purpose, and ifthick- 

 " ly sown, will make good hay. 



Some farmers raise two or more wheat 

 crops in succession on the same land. This 

 is a bad practice. The second crop is always 

 uncertain, and it generally leaves the land 

 covered with chess and cockle. 



The good farmer will always endeavor to 

 have a regular rotation of crops — first corn, 

 peas, or beans; then wheat, and then grass, — 

 and never two wheat crops in succession — or 

 oats, or rye, after wheat; or in other words, 

 his green crop will precede and follow his 

 white one. 



The green crops in succession are also in- 

 jurious to land, as corn after corn. 



Corn should always be raised on sward 

 land, and it should be highly manured. Peas 

 will also grow well on clover sward, ploughed 

 in the fall, and also beans and potatoes. 



I think I before remarked that corn should 

 never be topped — it injures the grain and the 

 produce is less by eight or ten bushels to the 

 acre. 



But, sir, I find I am scribling at a great 

 rate, and must close my remarks for the pres- 

 ent. A FARxMER. 



P. S. I am a great enemy to oats, and 



rreatcr to flax ; they are both great exhaus- 



Iters; and wheat should not follow either. — 



Some of our farmers cultivate flax for the 



eed. It will prove to them the dearest crop 



they ever raised. 



The good farmer will not 

 raise to sell oats or flax. They may afibrd a 

 quick return, but, on wheat land, will in the 

 end jjrove to him a dear crop. A heavy crop 

 ot corn is far less injurious than either, and 

 the wheat crop after will be belter, provided 

 the land was well manured in the spring. 



Hints to Farmers. 



There are two particular items, to which 

 I would call the attention of our farmers, 

 viz, to do every thing at a proper time and 

 in a proper manner. Never to put oifany 

 thing till to-morrow that may be done to-day, 

 is an excellent maxim, and should be ob- 

 served by every farmer : while he holds in 

 everlasting contempt that saying of ihe 

 Spaniards, do nothing to-day that can be put 

 oir till to-morrow. Very much of a farmer's 

 success will depend on a due regard to the 

 observing of time. If his land is in good 

 order to sow his seed he should never wail 

 for the morrow that the moon may change, 

 I heard a respectable farmer " dou-yi eunf' 

 ask another if he paid attention to the moon's 

 phases, when he sowed his peas ; he replied 

 that he did not even let the moon know 

 when he sowed them ! You may smile a 

 the old gentleman's remark, and I may sa^ 

 to such as do regard the moon when the} 

 sow their seed that I am astonished at thei 

 folly! But to return ; a man can do mucl 

 more work in season by a little regard to or 

 der. Generally speaking, every part of ; 

 farmer's work should be as distinctly sepa 

 rated as the ends of his fingers, though thi 

 rule will not hold good in every case. 1 

 farmer was asked how he got along so wel 

 with his work? he replied that he did bu 

 one thing at a lime. Solomon said (ani 

 surely he ought to know) to every thin] 

 there as a season, and a time to every pui 

 pose under heaven, a time to plant and 

 time to pluck. But perhaps enough of that 

 Then let every thing be done in a prope 

 manner. It would be well for every farme 

 to remember what I many times heard a: 

 excellent farmer say, " if a thing is wortl 

 doing at all it is worth doing well." Thi 

 applies to every person whether farmer c 

 mechanic. But to the farmer more especiallj 

 If his land is worth ploughing at all, it i 

 worth doing well. It is too often that th 

 farmer reasons thus: "If I expend ever s 

 much labor and money upon this piece c 

 land, it will yield but little, therefore I wil 

 not take much pains with it." He might a 

 well say of the best piece of land he has 

 if I sow or plant this, and the corn or whea 

 should do well, it might be destroyed b; 

 mildew or some other means, therefore 

 will let it lie. This is in nothing more ne 

 cessary than in making fence or buildiuj 



