No. 6. Ansicers to the Queries of the State Ag. Society of S. C. 101 



large crop with us, and of late less than one 

 hundred bushels come nearer the mark. 



Manures. — It is only of late years that 

 science has discovered and partially applied, 

 the animal and vegetable refuse of the man- 

 ufactures to the use of the farmer. A com- 

 mencement has now been fairly made, and 

 the glue-boilers, tobacco manufacturers, co- 

 lour manufacturers, sugar refiners, wool 

 combers, skin dressers, button makers, and 

 mimerous other tradesmen, are made to con- 

 tribute to the fertility of the soil, what but 

 recently was a public nuisance. Poudrette, 

 also guano and bone dust, are coming into 

 extensive use. All this, added to our plas- 

 ter and lime, with the ordinary manures of 

 the barn-yard, certainly give ground to hope 

 for great ultimate benefits. All these ma- 

 nures and stimulants I have seen applied 

 with manifest, but various advantage. My 

 own experience has been rather in favour of 

 a compost or marsh mud, with plaster, lime, 

 and stable manure. Bone dust has not, on 

 our heavy rich soils, produced anything like 

 the effect described in England, and the 

 consequence is, that bone gatherers are con- 

 stantly travelling far into the interior col- 

 lecting bones, which are ground in Philadel- 

 phia, and shipped in great quantity to that 

 country. lie who uses or consumes upon 

 his own land, the straw and hay of his fields, 

 selling only a proportion of his grains and 

 fet cattle, may keep his land in an improv- 

 ing condition, especially with the aid of 

 those invaluable stimulants, lime and plas- 

 ter, and need look no further for manures. 



This process of returning to the land the 

 culm or straw it has produced, is recupera- 

 tive, and is a wise provision of nature, with- 

 out which all lands would have a rapid ten- 

 dency to sterility. 



Rotation of crops. — A judicious rotation 

 will, of course, have reference to the par- 

 ticular article of produce of the greatest 

 value in each district ; — as a general rule, 

 in all wheat lands, this will be wheat. 



Some years ago, on an agricultural tour 

 in the interior, about fifty miles, I heard of 

 a German, who had introduced an improved 

 system of cultivation, then generally adopted 

 in that region. On visiting this man, Jacob 

 Shcimer, of Northampton county, Pa., I 

 found hirn a plain, practical old farmer, who 

 in about thirty-five years, on a farm of 100 

 acres, with two hands, had realized about 

 four times its value of $80 per acre, besides 

 raising and educating a familj\ 



His process was as follows — his great ob- 

 ject being wheat — having originally divided 

 his farm into eight fields, of about twelve 

 and a half acres each : — 1st. Manure and 



lime; plough in May, .Tmie and August; 

 harrow and seed one and three-quarter bush- 

 els of wheat to the acre, which put in with 

 a plough. 



2nd. Clover seed, sown on wheat in the 

 spring, six quarts to the acre, and pasture 

 after harvest. 



3rd. Plaster the clover in the spring ; one 

 bushel to the acre; cut clover in June; 

 plough down second crop, and seed again 

 with wheat. 



4th. Wheat — Same treatment as No. 2. 



5th. Pasture early in the season. Plough 

 in August, and sow wheat. 



6th, Wheat again. 7th. Plough stubble, 

 sow rye, one and a quaster bushels to the 

 acre : sow clover in the spring on rye. 



8th. Plough clover sod and plant corn, 

 and next season recommence the system on 

 the fallow ground. 



By this system, it will be observed that 

 there were always three fields in with 

 wheat, one in with rye, one with corn, two 

 with grass and one fallow. His crops ave- 

 raged about 1,400 bushels of wheat, 600 

 bushels of corn, 300 bushels of rye, and his 

 land, when I saw it, appeared in excellent 

 condition. 



Breeds of Cattle, Hogs and Sheep. — 

 Gentlemen in the vicinity of cities, prefer 

 the stately Durham. Practical farmers still 

 continue the native breed, a complete mix- 

 ture of every race, though of late years the 

 Eastern or Devonshire breed, is received 

 with much favour. My experience is in 

 favour of the last mentioned. The Chester 

 county hogs are a highly improved and al- 

 most a perfect breed, and are fast supersed- 

 ing all others. Sheep are yet of the old un- 

 improved sort, though many are crossing 

 with the Southdown and other improved 

 breeds. There are also admirable breeds of 

 heavy farm horses. 



Labourers. — These are hired by the year, 

 month and day. Good hands by the year, 

 are worth .$125 to $150. Monthly hands 

 for the summer, are worth $15 per month ; 

 and the daily wages during harvest, are 

 about $1 ; at other times, about 50 cents, 

 all exclusive of board. The German agri- 

 cultural labourers from the interior, are ex- 

 cellent hands — industrious, trustworthy, and 

 in the line of their business, intelligent. 

 Many of the sons of independent German 

 farmers are willing to hire themselves in 

 the Anglo-American settlements for the pur- 

 pose of learning the English language. 



Agriculture neither asks nor receives aid 

 from the State. There has been a geologi- 

 cal survey of the State, at a vast expense, the 

 final report of which is withheld. We have no 



