24S 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. 1 



ble part of the manures; that these yards be 

 thoroughly cleaned in the spring, and tlieir 

 contents, together with the manure from the 

 stable and pig pen, applied to hoed crops, as 

 corn, potatoes, beans, &c. before fermenta- 

 tion has progressed far ; that it be spread 

 broadcast, ploughed in as fresh as possible, 

 and the ground rolled or harrowed before 

 planting. Thus all the manure will be saved, 

 the hoed crop greatly benefitted by it, the 

 weeds destroyed, and as much fertility left 

 in the soil tor the grain crop whf'ih is to fol- 

 low as the same manure would have afforded 

 had it lain in the yard till after miJsummer, 

 and been then applied. But if manure has 

 rotted, it rnay be applied to the turnep or 

 small grain crop. In these cases it sliould 

 not be buried deep, and may with advanta<?e, 

 at least on dry soils, be harrowed in with the 

 seeds, where it serves frequently a beneficial 

 purpose in protecting the young grain irom 

 the severity of winter. 



Clover, will grow on pretty much all soils 

 thai have been laid dry by good drains. It is 

 the basis of good farming, on all lands sus- 

 ceptible of alternate husbandry. Its benefits 

 are threefold ; it breaks, pulverizes and me- 

 liorates the soil by its tap I'oots, and it fur- 

 nishes a cheap food for plants as well as ani- 

 mals. A good clover lay is wortii to a crop, 

 by the food which it affords, as much as five 

 tons of manure to the acre. To ensure a good 

 lay, at least ten pounds of seed should be sown 

 to the acre, and the ground well rolled. Its 

 value, as food for plants, depends more upon 

 the quantity of the roots than the luxuriance 

 of the stems, though the abundance of the 

 latter will depend in a great measure upon 

 the number of the former. To obtain the full 

 value of this plant, we must cultivate it as a 

 food for our crops as well as our cattle, and 

 in this case we should use it as such the first 

 Of seconodjvear before it has run out. There 

 ij econmy in always sowing clover with 

 envall grains, tliough it is to be plouglied in 

 the same or next season. Ten pounds of 

 s-ied cost upon an average one dollar; the 

 labor of sow uig is comparatively nothing. Its 

 value to the next erop cannot be less than 

 four times tiiat sum, to say notliing of the 

 fe)od it may aflbrd, or its mechanical rne-j 

 lioration of the soil. We cannot avoid again : 

 urging a trial of the method of making clo-i 

 ver liay in cocks, as we have heretofore re-j 

 commended, notwithstanding the rebuke we 

 have had upon this, from our esteemed friend 

 and CO respondent, Sir. Perkins. We have 

 followed the oractice twelve or fifteen years, 

 and hence speak from experience and with 

 confidence, of its manifest advantages over I 

 the common method of spreading from the 

 swath. Put it into small cocks, with a fork ' 

 .jTrom the Bwath as soon as it is freed from ex. 



ternal moisture, or well wilted, and then leave 

 it to cure. An hour or two exposure to the 

 sun, previous to its being carted from the field, 

 is all the further care it will require. This 

 mode saves labor, prevents injury from rain, 

 and secures the hay in the best possible con- 

 dition. 



INDIAN CORN. 



There is no crop which habit has rendered 

 more indispensable, to the wants of our fami- 

 lies and our farms, as this. The late John 

 Taylor, of Virginia, termed it our " meat, 

 meal, and manure." Holding this high rank 

 in our farm economy, it is a subject of mo- 

 ment to adopt the best mode of culture. As 

 many districts are shy in producing wheat, 

 and as this crop is seriously threatened by 

 the new (to us) wheat insect, it becomes more 

 a matter of solicitude to render our corn crops 

 j'iroductive. But as this grain demands more 

 labor in its culture than other grain crops, so 

 it i»' more important on the score of profit tiiat 

 it should be well managed; for if thirty bush- 

 els an i:'.cre be considered only a remunera- 

 tion for .*he labor bestowed on the crop, all 

 that the product falls short of this must be a 

 loss; and ai' that it exceeds, a net gain to 

 the cultivator. The first consideration in re- 

 gard to the corn crop, is to give it a dry mel- 

 low soil ; the se^'ond that this soil be rich, 

 fat, or fertile; anu the third, that the seed be 

 timely put in, ai.id the crop well taken care 

 of Neither wet ^grounds nor stiff clays, nor 

 poor grounds, will .repaj' by their product the 

 labor required on a crop of corn. He who 

 has no other lands but thsse should not at- 

 tempt to raise it as a fielVl crop. He had bet- 

 tor bestow his labor upon other objects, and 

 buy his corn. We think .the best prepara- 

 tion for corn is a clover lay,- well covered 

 with long manure from the barn yard, well 

 ploughed, and well harrowed, it is better to 

 give sixty loads of dung to three acres than 

 ten, upon the ordinary lands of our neighbor- 

 hood. The difference in product wi.'l not 

 make up for the difference in labor. Corn 

 can hardly be dunged too high. What we 

 have to recommend that is not common in 

 the culture of the crop, is, tliat double tha 

 usual quantity of seed be applied; the num-^ 

 ber of plants to be reduced at the weeding, 

 in order to ensure three or four stalks in each 

 hill; that tiie roots be not broken, nor the 

 manure thrown to the surface, by tlie plough, 

 but that the harrow and cultivator be substi- 

 tuted for it, which will sufficiently mellow > 

 the surface and destroy weeds; and that the ' 

 hills be but sliglitly earthed. By ploughing i 

 and hilling, we conceive the manure is wast- 

 ed, the crop more exposed to injury from 

 drought, and the labor increased. 



If the fodder which the stalks and shuckai 



