164 



An Important Decision. 



Vol. XI. 



the field that had neither bonedust nor ashes, 

 there was no perceptible difference in the 

 corn at any time in the season ; nor do I be- 

 lieve that the crop was increased five bush- 

 els to the acre, by either of the above men- 

 tioned manures ; but on the two acres that 

 had no barn-yard manure, there was a shade 

 of difference, and the corn was not quite so 

 good there, as upon the rest of the field. 

 The roller was then put to work again, and 

 followed with the corn-drill, which, by the 

 way, is the manner we plant all our corn, 

 and I am satisfied that more corn can be 

 raised planted in this way, than by planting 

 in hills. I was induced to try this way of 

 planting corn some eight or nine years ago, 

 on account of having a field that was very 

 hilly, and wishing to put it in corn, and being 

 unable to work it more than one way, I con- 

 cluded to drill it in by hand; but after plant- 

 ing one or two rows, I found it rather a slow 

 way of doing business. I set to work, and 

 knocked together a kind of machine for 

 dropping, which answered the purpose very 

 well, the ground having been marked out 

 with a plough previously. When we came 

 to take off the crop in the fall, 1 found that 

 we had so much more corn than usual, from 

 the same number of acres, that I concluded 

 I would make a drill that would perform the 

 whole operation of marking, dropping, and 

 covering, which, from some little alteration 

 made on it since, does its work about right; 

 one man and a good horse will plant about 

 eight acres a day with the drill. On field 

 No. 1, the corn was planted in rows, three 

 feet nine inches by six inches, and thinned 

 out after it came up to about one foot. After 

 the corn comes up, we go over it twice 

 generally, with the large cultivator, taking 

 out the middle and two front teeth, and in 

 this way doing double duty; and when the 

 corn gets large enough we pass through it 

 twice with the small cultivator, never, in 

 any case, allowing a plough to go in it after 

 the ground is ploughed. Fields Nos. 2 and 

 3, were drilled in, four feet by twelve or 

 fourteen inches, and worked in the same 

 way, with the exception, that no manure of 

 any kind was put on either of them. 



E. J. Dickey. 



Hopewell, Chester co., Pa., Dec. 8lh, 1846. 



The above statement showing a j'ield of nearly 

 3,300 bushels on 40 acres, gives a very favourable spe- 

 cimen of Chester county corn raising. It is a highly 

 interesting account, and should stimulate all of us 

 who hold the plough to aim at similar results. We 

 hope the leisure spoken of by our friend in his private 

 note, will be found, and that his promised communica 

 tion will be forthcoming.— Ed, 



Au Important Decision. 



We make the following extract fi-om the 

 opinion of the Hon. Ellis Lewis, given in a 

 recent important case, brought before the 

 Court of Quarter Sessions in fhis County, (of 

 which he is the presiding Judge.) 



A man by the name of John Lutz, had 

 leased lands of Henry Hildebeitler. After 

 the expiration of the lease, a dispute arose 

 between them as to which was entitled to the 

 straw of the " way-going crop." Hildebeitler 

 insisted that the straw belonged to him, and 

 that it should remain on the premises for the 

 purpose of enriching the land — while the 

 other as strenuously contended that half of it 

 rightfully belonged to him, as well as the 

 grain crop, and was about carrying the grain, 

 in the sheaf, from the premises. Resistance 

 was made to this; and the result was a prose- 

 cution against Lutz for assault and battery. 



In giving the charge of the Court, Judge 

 Lewis made the following remarks, — for 

 which we are indebted to the Union <^ Tri- 

 bune. 



" The moment the relation of landlord and 

 tenant is created by the parties, the law en- 

 ters into the contract and forms part and par- 

 cel of it, and the rights and duties of each are 

 established by law, without any expressstipu- 

 lation in the contract. It requires no provision 

 in the lease to bind the tenant to keep the pre- 

 mises in repair, to prevent waste, and to farm 

 the land in a husbandlike manner. These are 

 obligations implied by law, and growing out 

 of the relationship of the parties. Nothing 

 short of an express contract can relieve the 

 tenant from the performance of these, the ne- 

 cessary duties of his tenure. The principles of 

 good husbandry require that the straw raised 

 upon the premises should be returned to the 

 land with the accumulations arising from the 

 stock kept on the farm. This is the general 

 custom of the State. It has existed from the 

 earliest settlement of the country. No two 

 intelligent farmers, acquainted with the busi- 

 ness of agriculture will differ in opinion on 

 the subject. Any other course will impov- 

 erish the land and thus operate injudiciously 

 to the tenant — to the landlord — and to the 

 general interests of the community. It is no 

 answer to say that lime, and other means of 

 enriching the soil, may be procured. These 

 are well enough in aid of the natural sus- 

 tenance ot the land, but they are not regarded 

 as a substitute for it. There may be cases 

 where the owner may find it to his advantage 

 to exchange straw for manure, or for the 

 means of purchasing it. But these are ex- 

 ceptions to the general course of husbandry. 

 The interests of agriculture, the custom of 



