236 



Whitewash your Land. 



Vol. 111. 



I shall not undertake to diptate to those 

 who already know all about it, but simply 

 inform those who intend to enter the lists for 

 a c;ood orop the cominfr season, that they had 

 better begin to think about it soon, so as not 

 to be under the necessity of making up their 

 minds on too short notice ; for tliis, like all 

 other important matters, requires some think- 

 injr before you will be properly prepared for 

 action. There is always some theory to arrange 

 and adjust previous to the action or practice, 

 and the sooner this is accomplished the belter. 

 Well, every body knows that corn thrives 

 and produces best when it is well fed, and 

 there is nothing pays better for full feeding 

 than this gormandizer. Have you any dung 

 to spare ? if you have, don't omit to apply it ; 

 you can't put it to a better purpose. But per- 

 h?ips it is intended to let the dung remain in 

 the barn-yard, during the summer, to rot, and 

 bleach, and wash away, and then haul the re- 

 mains of it out on the oats stubble, which is to 

 be sown with wheat; perhaps this may be 

 right, but I confess I begin to have some seri- 

 ous doubts about it. But if it must be so, 

 procure lime, say forty or fifty bushels to the 

 acre, and spread it on your corn ground after 

 it has been ploughed and harrowed, and see 

 what that will do for you. 



It will certainly pay a profit, and it is 

 strongly suspected, (for what has been, may 

 be again,) it will repay the whole outlay and 

 leave a balance in your favor in the corn 

 alone, independent of the benefits to be de 

 rived from the subsequent cropping in after 

 years. 



The time for planting and the manner of 

 doing it, each one will determine for himself, 

 for there is not a man in the country but 

 thinks he knows at least as much, if not a little 

 more about it, than any body else ; so in re- 

 gard to these matters, they must be left to 

 their own sound discretion and superior judg 

 ment; but one thing, and one only, will I in- 

 eisf upon ; and that is, raise a large crop of 

 corn, not less than fifty bushels to the acre, 

 and as much more as suits your convenience 

 and circumstances; and, if you are not very 

 well to do in the world, aim at sixty bushels 

 by all means : rich men can afford to raise 

 small crops without much injury, but poor 

 men who wish to raise themselves in the 

 world, should begin by raising large ones, 

 and this course persevered in will be sure to 

 bring them into the ascendant node. O. 



P. S. I was well-nigh forgetting to re 

 quest you, Mr. Cabinet, to tell our brother 

 farmers not to forget to prepare a nice patch, 

 not less than an acre, in the highest and dry^ 

 est corner of the corn-field, for sugar beets 

 Plough it deep, pulverize it thoroughly, and 

 manure it well ; keep it clear of weeds, and 

 6tir the soil frequently during the season; 



and your cows, if they could express them- 

 selves vocally next winter, would pay you 

 a handsome compliment; but as that is not 

 likely to be the ca.se, you will have to be 

 satisfied with taking your pay in a greatly 

 increased quantity of improved milk and 

 butter. O. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



IVliitewagli your L.aiid. 



The que.stion respecting the utility of ap- 

 plying lime to the soil with a view of increas- 

 ing iis products, has so often been answered 

 in the affirmative, that it is scarcely necessa- 

 ry to produce more testimony in corrobora- 

 tion of it. But a case so striking in its cir- 

 cumstances, which occurred of recent date 

 with a highly respectable farmer in New 

 Jersey, appears to justify giving a short nar- 

 rative of it. He had a field of twelve acres 

 of light sandy land, which he prepared and 

 treated in the usual way, and sowed it with 

 rye; when harvest time arrived the whole 

 produce was one load, which was not an 

 adequate remuneration for ploughing the 

 ground. He now thought he musi try to do 

 better, and worse he could not do. He ac- 

 cordingly determined to whitewash this field 

 and again sow it with rye. It was ploughed, 

 and twenty-five bushels of lime to the acre was 

 spread upon it, and rye sown ; which pro- 

 dticed an elegant crop, equal to any in the 

 neighborhood, and far surpassing his most 

 sanguine expectations ; fully demonstrating 

 the benefits to be derived from white-wash- 

 ing poor, light, sandy land. In ihis case 

 the dressing was only about half [what it 

 should have been, but he was a prudent 

 man, and no doubt thought that if he lost 

 all, he would only lose half what he other- 

 wise might, by making his whitewash a little 

 stiffer. 



I would be glad to furnish the name of the 

 farmer above alluded to, but our farmers 

 generally have a great objection to seeing 

 their names in print; and many of them are 

 very cautious about writing them oftener 

 than is absolutely necessary. For this they 

 no doubt think they have their reasons.— 

 Some think that appearing in print savors 

 somewhat of vanity, and should therefore be 

 avoided, and that writing one's name has 

 often led very honest, v.orthy people into 

 great difficulty. 



Depend upon it, there is nothing like lime 

 for sandy land. A. B. 



No map's spirits were ever hurt by doing 

 his duty. On the contrary, one good action, 

 one sacrifice of desire or interest, purely for 

 conscience' sake, will prove a cordial for w eak 

 or low spirits, beyond what either indulgence, 

 or diversion, or company can do for them. 



