1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



6a 



iinparfect lights which we have : and therefore, would 

 greatly prefer, that the task should be undcrlaken by 

 another. 



Slavery, and the manajjcmcnt of slaves, as connected 

 with oir agriculture and douiostic economy, are cer- 

 tainly proper sub'ects to be discussed in this journal. 

 To deny that position would be almost as absurd, as to 

 omit in such a journal, all reference to the improvement 

 of land— for in the southern states, the agricultural 

 capital vested in slaves, and the products derived, di- 

 rectly or indirectly, fiom the labor, are scarcely infe- 

 rior, in value and importance, to the capital in, and pro- 

 ducts from, land alone. Still in these distempered 

 times, when there is so much madness and folly afloat, 

 on the general subject of slavery — so much fanaticism 

 in the north, on one side of the question, and not a lit- 

 tle in the south, on the other side, discussion on this 

 subject is rendered difficult to regulate, and to restiain 

 within proper limits, — and therefore would require 

 much caution and self-restraint on the part of all who 

 may undertake to treat on slavery. 



With regard to the insertion of queries, if our cor- 

 respondent had been longer acquainted with this jour- 

 nal, he would have known, that the practice which he 

 recommends, has been adopted to considerable extent : 

 but it is to be regretted, that there are fewer answers 

 than questions. If every difficulty were stated in the 

 form of a query — and every person who possessed the 

 information wanted, would promptly furnish it in an- 

 swer, that plan of mutual accommodation and instruc- 

 tion, aion?, would make the journal which was the 

 channel of such intercourse, of incalculable value to 

 farmers, and to the improvement of agriculture in gene- 

 ral. That simple means alone, fully carried into opera- 

 tion, would give to each reader the benefit of the lights 

 of all others — and would make the journal a general 

 "intelligence office," where any kind of existing infor- 

 mation could be obtained, by merely asking for it.] 



HIGHLANDS INJURED BY WATER. 



To the Editor of the farmers' Register. 



JVardsfurk, Charlotte. 



I have appeared so often on your pages of late, 

 I judge [ shall be charged by some of your rea- 

 ders with being urged by an itch tor scribbling. I 

 acknowledge it is a disease to which I am alitde 

 subject— but really I think, there is more apology 

 for those who labor under this pen-complaint, than 

 those who seems to be possessed by an uncommu- 

 nicating devil, who will write nothing for fear of 

 being charged with vanity. For my part, I think 

 this morbid sensitiveness, in some instances indi- 

 cates the very highest degree of vanity, that cloaked 

 under the garb of humility. I am acquainted with 

 Bome of our best practical farmers ; who, if they 

 could be induced to publish, might be of much ser- 

 vice to our agriculturalinterest. But enouffh of 

 this. ^ 



Much has been said about the injury done to 

 Jowlands, by water : but little notice has been ta- 

 ken of the bad effects of excessive wet, on high 

 lands. Indeed it is scarcely thought that highlands 

 are injured by wet, except those soils that are called 



spring3\ But all soils I think, are rendered less 

 productive by remaining level, while exposed to 

 the drenching rains of winter. Whether this is 

 owing to some mochanical or chemical chano-es, 

 I have not determined by experiment : for 1 make 

 but i'ew experiments of any sort. Having con- 

 stantly before me Nature's great laboratory, if I 

 can sospeaK, — I watch her operations and results, 

 and collect fiicts in a way more dgreeable to my- 

 self and my employments as a liirmer. For while 

 I was making in-door experiments on soils, I am 

 sure the practice would be bad without. I gene- 

 rally place myself in a situation, that while I am 

 learning from Nature, I can take a peep at Cuflee, 

 and the overseer, 'iiul see that they are practicing, 

 wliile I am contemplating. I am quite sure if I 

 were often engaged in making small in-door expe- 

 riments, and it was known to ihc slip- gap fra- 

 ternity of our parts, there would be very liual re- 

 sults to my corn field. 



But to the subject : I have noticed that those 

 spots of highland which have kept wettest Irom 

 their being so situated as to collect and retain ex- 

 cessive moisture, are sure to lliil in making a satis- 

 factory "turn-out," particularly in wheat ; while 

 on the other hand, the driest and most elevated por- 

 tions, more than flilfil their promise. 1 have no- 

 ticed two concave surfaces, containing about a half 

 acre each, in which the rain-water gathered, and 

 kept "sobbed" during winter ; but, would become 

 dry enough (aye, too dry — for it is of all earth the 

 dryestin summer,) to induce an attempt at culti- 

 vation with the rest of the field — but which, uni- 

 Ibrmiy failed to produce. It is a little curious to 

 see how lively and light the soil of ditch-banks, 

 and other elevations looks in the spring, compared 

 with the adjacent level places, and how much 

 quicker it moves vegetation. I have observed that 

 hill-sides from which the water most readily es- 

 capes, will produce best, agreeably to the fertility . 

 sloopes are better than entire levels, for the same 

 reason. I will here observe, though from the point, 

 that our lowlands even where it has been attempt- 

 ed, are generally not more than half drained. I 

 never saw but one perfectly drained piece of lovv- 

 grounds,a piece of John F. Edmunds', of Wardsfbrk. 

 It is made perfectly free from any degree of "sob- 

 bing," winter or summer, by the most skilful ditch- 

 ing, and the heaviest crop of corn I ever saw any 

 where, it yielded last season. But to the high- 

 land, the practice which my view of the subject 

 suggests is quite plain. Place rhe land for culti- 

 vation as near as you can in that situation, which 

 nature has placed the most productive spots, viz: 

 in a situation that will preserve it from the least sob- 

 bing from winter rains. For this purpose, I would 

 recommend all uplands to be left in beds, and par- 

 ticularly for wheat. Where soil is naturally of a 

 wet character, as some of our highlands are from 

 their level situation, or from a bad clay, it is great- 

 ly improved by ditching. 



I. R. 



From the British Farmer's Magazine. 

 AGRICULTURE IN FLANDERS. 



It is a pleasure to observe the laborious industry 

 of the Flemish farmer, recruited by intervals of 

 comfortable and decent refreshment^ and not less 

 agreeable to perceive the farm servants treated 



