No. 7. 



Premium Farm. 



205 



of the farm, with the economical mode by 

 which it has been raised to its present fer- 

 tility. That is, from an average of less 

 than five bushels of wheat to the acre ten 

 years ago, or in 1835-6, to an average of 

 twenty bushels, its present annual average, 

 1846. This increased product has been 

 made by an application of only forty bushels 

 of lime to the acre, and not exceeding two 

 entire crops of clover turned under. You 

 will perceive I have adopted the four-field 

 rotation. Wheat follows clover, corn upon 

 wheat stubble, — no oats after corn, — but 

 wheat sown amongst the standing corn, or 

 otherwise the corn cut, and carried some 

 thirty yards distant from each row, and then 

 plough and sow with wheat. I much prefer 

 this plan, as the wheat is not such an ex- 

 hausting crop as oats, and besides which, the 

 clover grows much better after wheat than 

 oats. It is upon this tillage, or field of 

 young clover, that I put my manure, which 

 I generally haul out after I have done seed- 

 ing with wheat, and before the corn is fit to 

 gather. This I try to spread thin and evenly 

 over the young clover; and the next August 

 turn this clover, manure and all, under, as 

 the best possible chance for wheat. 



I have stated that I keep no more stock of 

 horses or cattle than what is actually neces- 

 sary to work the farm and to supply the 

 family with milk and butter. I keep no 

 sheep. This year I have thirteen head of 

 hogs, which I keep up in a large pen ; the 

 meat of which I expect will cost me per 

 haps twice the market price, owing, proba^ 

 bly, to the fact of my being too neglectful 

 of them. I have not yet been able to get 

 that breed of hogs, the manure from which 

 will pay for their keep ! 



I have been led to this course — as regards 

 the keeping a small stock of cattle — from 

 the fact of believing that the over stocking 

 the farms on this peninsula has tended much 

 to the exhausting of the soil. I consider the 

 over stocking with horned cattle, sheep, &c., 

 as one of the four principal evils that have 

 operated against this otherwise favoured 

 section of country. The first of which was 

 slavery, which makes the people lazy and 

 careless; second, rum, which led to dissipa- 

 pation, and extravagance, and neglectful- 

 ness; third, the horned cattle, which eat off 

 every vestige of vegetation, and left the 

 land exposed to the scorching rays of the 

 summer suns; and in winter they consumed 

 all the straw and fodder of the farm. The 

 fourth and last of these evils, is the want of 

 a judicious government; one that would prO' 

 vide us with a steady home market for the 

 products of our soil and toil ; creating con- 



sumers to use up the surplus products of our 

 farms. John Jones. 



Exhibition Grove, Stnckford, 

 ]oth September, 184G. 



THE COMMITTEE ON CROPS 



Regret that farmers will not more generally 

 report their crops, or compete for the valua- 

 ble premiums offered by the Society. This 

 apathy may arise, in part, from the fact that 

 but few have, as yet, got out their wheat or 

 oat crops; and also from the fact obtained 

 from the most reliable sources, that the 

 wheat crop is at least 20 per cent, short of 

 the crop of 1845, both in Delaware and on 

 the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Enough, 

 however, is unofficially reported to justify 

 the committee in believing that many crops, 

 both of corn and wheat, have exceeded the 

 standard for premiums, as adopted by this 

 Society. 



The Wheat Crop. The Mediterranean 

 variety, as usual, has succeeded best. The 

 late varieties have, in many cases, scarcely 

 produced the amount of seed sown. The 

 Washington and Etrurian varieties have 

 also sufl^ered much from fly, rust and scab. 



The Oat Crop is also short of an average 

 crop at least 20 per cent., although appear- 

 ances, previous to ripening, indicated an 

 abundant crop. 



The Corn Crop bids fair to be a full crop 

 in New Castle County, at least. Benjamin 

 Webb has a lot, that, it is supposed by those 

 who have seen it growing, will yield near 

 one hundred bushels to the acre. It was 

 planted on an old timothy and green grass 

 sod, of six years' standing. The particulars 

 of its culture, and amount of product, it is 

 hoped will be furnished before the reports 

 are published. 



The Potaloe Crop. The early crop, we 

 are sorry to hear, is affected by the rot, par- 

 ticularly when early dug. The crop is also 

 represented to be short of an average one. 

 It is hoped the late crop may be gathered in 

 a sound state. 



The Hay Crop has been abundant. Bryan 

 Jackson reports over three tons to the acre, 

 and is entitled to the premium for the best 

 two acres, clover and timothy grass. The 

 lot upon which it was grown was subsoiled 

 a few years ago, and a heavy growth of su- 

 gar beet taken therefrom, after which wheat 

 was sown, followed by grass. 



Sugar-beet and Ruta-baga Crop. But 

 few of either of these crops are grown in 

 Delaware. Our farmers and dairymen have 

 discovered that yellow corn meal and good 

 clover hay, cut and mixed together, are pre- 

 ferable on all accounts. 



