1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



105 



to them, exclusive of adding calcareous earth, is, 

 to force crops by putrescent manures; but that, 

 when these manures are withheld, the soil will 

 speedily revert to its original sterility. JMr. Ruf- 

 fin observes that no agricultural or chemical writer 

 ever denied these lacts; but he asserts, and we 

 think with truth, that by not one of them have 

 they ever been distinctly stated. We are not 

 quite certain as to Grisenthvvaite, but we are so 

 as to Kirwan, Dundonald, Davy, Chaptal, and 

 other agricultural chemists of the Continent. Mr. 

 Ruffin allows that it might be interred from the in- 

 gredients exhibited by the analyses of fertile soils, 

 as given by these chemists, that calcareous earth 

 was an ingredient essential to permanent fertility; 

 but still none of them have ever distinctly said so. 

 We shall probably examine the work more in de- 

 tail hereafter: in the mean time, it is due to Mr. 

 Ruffin to state it as our opinion that he has per- 

 formed a very important service to the scientific 

 agriculturist in this country, as well as in Ameri- 

 ca. 



face of the ground: 1 then ejiread my potatoes 

 over if, until they are not more than two or three 

 mches thick: I then cover them with the rich sur- 

 face soil, just so deep as I think necessary to pre- 

 vent their being injure*! by light frosts. In this sit- 

 uation I let them remain until the season for plant- 

 ing. 



Early in the spring I select what I suppose will 

 be a suitable piece of ground. In making this se- 

 lection, I chose a piece which lies fliir to the sun, 

 is tolerably rich, and considerably sandy. 1 break 

 it up deep, and then let it remain until I wish to 

 f)lant, which is some lime between the middle of 

 May and the first ot" June. I then plough again, 

 and harrow well, so as to make it as n'lellow as 

 possible. I then take a one-horse bar-share plough, 

 and ridge up my ground by throwing three Iuito\\ a 

 together. Ttjis done, I cross it with a single fur- 

 row at the distance of about three feet. A very- 

 slight operation with the hoe afterwards prepar.s 

 my hills, for I do not want them very large, nor 

 high. I now go to my bed, aiid find my potatoe.-! 

 are all nicely sprouted, and those nearest the sur- 

 face are up, and some of them have two and three 

 leaves; but none, or but (ew, have yet any roofs. 

 I carefully remove the earth so as not to break the 

 sprouts from my potatoes — for if they are broken 

 off, they are destroyed. I put two or three pota- 

 toes in a hill, according as they are large or small, 

 being careful always to leave the tops of" the sprouts 

 out of the ground, or near the surface, as they may 

 be more or less advanced — so that when I am done 

 planting, my potatoes are up, or nearly so. 



You are now ready to inquire of me what I 

 have gained by this process? I answer, several 

 things. First, my hills are now light and mellow 

 and ready to receive and nourish the young roo!s 

 when they start — not baked, or rendered compact 

 by the heavy spring rains. Secondly, I have com- 

 pletely subdued the grass and weeds, for they all 

 had started to grow between the time of breaking 

 my ground and the time of makuig the hills. I 

 have then avoided all the trouble and labor of 

 scraping down the hills two or three times before 

 the potatoes are up, or while they are so small as 

 not to admit of being hilled with the hoe. Thirdly, 

 the earth and the season have now become warm, 

 and my potatoes grow uprapidlv. I work my pota 

 toes in the following way. When the vines have 

 elongated half way down the hills, I pass twice 

 between the hill, each way with a bull-tongue 

 plough; this mellows the ground. 1 then with a 

 hoe, cover, say one third of the vine, leaving the 

 In the cultivation of every thing, we should con- j remainder out, but yet so as not to make the hill 

 sider of what kind it is, to what climate it belongs, I very large. — This is all the work they require; for 

 and what kind of soil is best adapted to its produc- belbre the grass and weeds have time to start, the 

 tion. From a neglect to considerthese things, ma- 1 vines have so covered the ground as to smother 

 ny unsuccessful efforts have been made to raise the them. T-vo years ajro 1 did not plant my potatoc.si 

 sweet potato. The sweet potato is a native ofa until the 7th day of June. The season was un- 

 warm climate, and ofa light sandy soil. We should favorable; yet I made a fine crop, and the largest 

 then, as far as possible, endeavor to combine these I potatoes of the kind I have ever seen in Tennes- 

 tvvo things, by a judicious selection of a piece of see 



THE SALIVATING QUALITY OF GREEJf CLO- 

 VER, AND CLOVER IIAV. 



To the Editor of tlie Fanners' Register. 



May I inquire, through the Register, of you, 

 or soiTtie of your subscribers, if clover has any in- 

 lierent property whichcauses it sometimes to sal- 

 ivate 1 If so, what is it? and how may the cause 

 which produces thiseflectbe neutralized? When 

 it salivates in the green state, vA.\[ it always do it 

 in the dry or cured ? 



It was my opinion that clover hay would never 

 salivate; but my crop of last year, (cut from river 

 bottom when the clover was in full bloom, cured 

 in slender tall cocks, or mostly so, leaves and blos- 

 soms pretty well preserved, and but little altered,) 

 is almost worthless as a feed for either horses or 

 catde. Both will eat it well for a few days, then 

 appear to become sick, and then refuse it altogether 

 if they can get any thing else. If confined to it, 

 they become salivated. A part of the crop was 

 salted when it was stacked, but little or no advan- 

 tage was derived from it, except that sheep pre- 

 ierrcd that salted to any kind of^ hay I had. 



A SUBSCRIBER. 



From tlie Tennessee Fanner. 

 CULTIVATION OF SWEET POTATOES. 



ground upon which to raise them. I will give you 

 the plan \vhich I have adopted in raising sweet 

 potatoes, which has been very suceessllil. Per- 

 haps some who have heretofore failed, may be en- 

 abled to succeed better, by adopting it. 



Some time in March, when I think the hard 

 frosts are over, I take my potatoes from the cellar, 

 where they have been kept through the winter. I 

 prepare a "bed in my garden, bv levelUng the sur- 



VoL. lV-14 



iJopeioell, Feb. 10, 1S3G. 



A SMALL FARJIER. 



ON STALL FEEDING. 



Extract from a Summary of Practical Farming, a new 

 English work, by C. Hildyard, Esq. 



Stall Feeding, which has now become so much 



