376 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6 



geny. 1 askeJ, but could not learn, whether any 

 one had traced the tobacco worm through its mid- 

 dle transformation, so as to know what was its 

 appearance in its dormant stale, previous to its ta- 

 king wing. This might be easily learned by ob- 

 servation : and perhaps it would be found that in 

 that state, it was familiar to our view, but never 

 regarded because not known to be the enemy in 

 question. But as the worm does not make a co- 

 coon on the tobacco plant, and cannot move else- 

 where for that purpose, I infer that it buries jtself 

 in the earth — and if so, it could not be easily 

 found in numbers. 



The high jirices of lands, in Charlotte and the 

 adjacent parts of Prince Edward and Nottoway, 

 both of the best and the infiirior grades, alone 

 would furnish sufficient proof of the general indus- 

 try and economy of the people. The best im- 

 proved VVardsfbrk flirms, 80 to 90 miles from a 

 tide water market, and 30 to 35 from Farmville, 

 their usual place of sale, would sell at j»;20 the 

 acre. The poorer and generally much worse 

 managed lands seen in passing from Nottowaj' 

 Court House to Charlotte, vary in price from ,^12 

 to 8, few farms being below the latter estimate, 

 unless greatly injured, or originally of the poorest 

 quality. All are hilly, and difficult to cultivate ; 

 and yet the prices are nearly or quite double what 

 lands of like quality would sell for within a few 

 miles of tide Avater. 



This part of Virginia has derived, and indeed 

 is still obtaining, immense returns from tobacco 

 culture. But it is questioned by many of those 

 farmers who have had good shares of these re- 

 wards, whether this culture is not altogether ad- 

 verse to, if not incompatable with good and im- 

 proving farming. It may be readily admitted that 

 such is the fact, when tobacco occupies so large a 

 part of the farm as is usual. But if confined to 

 smaller spaces, I know no reason why tobacco — a 

 green- crop, and the one which gives the cleanest, 

 and most admirable preparation for wheat — may 

 not form a valuable part of a well arranged, impro- 

 ving, and profitable rotation. The abuse is, that 

 the crops of tobacco receive all the manure of ev- 

 ery farm, and generally also occupy every spot 

 that still preserves a large share of natural fertili- 

 ty. To give all the manure to a crop which re- 

 turns none, and to deny to the poorer corn lands 

 at the same lime any other sufficient means of im- 

 provement, is necessarily a land-starving sj-stcm, 

 and which, though it may give large present re- 

 turns, must eventually impoverish those who cul- 

 tivate the land so treated. 



The ridges, and other poorer soils, so far as I 

 could learn, are very little benefited by gypsum, 

 and of course are deprived of that great means ibr 

 increasing fertility. I could learn of but very 'iew 

 trials on such lands. If I may veiiture to suirgest 

 new practices for the profit of a region to which I 

 am so much a stranger, I would advise the adop- 

 tion of sheep farms, on a large scale, with perman- 

 ent, or long continued pastures — and mulberry and 

 silk culture. Both these would suit well on the 

 same land, and both would improve the soil by 

 rest from both the exhaustion and the washing 

 caused by the use of the plough. Sheep farming 

 has never been fiiirly tried in Virginia, because it 

 cannot be done on a small scale, nor on firms of 

 which every field is frequently and generally in 

 tillage. 



, S-pU Stii. 



Lime is the manure most wanted lor all these 

 poorer natural soils: but with such long and ex- 

 pensive transportation, any considerable use of 

 this manure is scarcely to be hoped for. Tlic bet- 

 ter improvement of the Roanoke and the Appo- 

 mattox, and the construction of railways, may 

 possibly yet place this greatest resource within the 

 farmer's reach : ^- provided always,''' that the com- 

 panies owning these improvements may acquire 

 and exercise more common sense than any have 

 yet exhibited, and may discover that the ulti- 

 mate profits fi'om tolls would be increased, by en- 

 coiiragiiig, instead of" prohibiting, by the rate of 

 the tax, the transportation and use of permanent 

 manures. Under all the existing discouragements 

 from long and expensive carriage, I heard of two 

 very intelligent, zealous, and successtlil practical 

 farmers, who have commenced the use of lime to 

 a limited extent, and who are well pleased with 

 the results. One, of whom I only heard indirect- 

 ly, and whom therefore it might be improper to re- 

 fer to more particularly, uses stone-lime (from 

 Maine) carried up the Appomattox nearly to the 

 head of navigation, and paying a toll of 25 cents 

 the cask, (three bushels of stone.) This was used 

 in compost ; and it was said that the result was 

 at least not discouraging. The other is Dr. A. 

 Campbell, of Nottoway, whose farm is 45 miles 

 from Petersburg, and who draws oyster shells that 

 distance in the wagons which bring his crops to 

 market, whenever they would otherwise return 

 empty. He also has used his lime in compost, 

 and in different modes — and though never at a 

 heavier rate than 25 bushels of shells to the acre, 

 the benefits have been so manifest, and considera- 

 ble, that he will continue thus to purchase and 

 draw shells, even if at more than double the price 

 of 75 cents the hogshead, (18 bushels,) at which 

 they are sometimes obtained. The other ingre- 

 dients of the compost, of which the oyster shell 

 lime formed a part, were leaves li'om oak woods, 

 and earth scraped from around negro quarters, but 

 which did not contain any recent ashes, as those 

 had been previously and carefully saved, and used 

 separatel)". These scrapings were of but moder- 

 ate richness, compared to most similar situations 

 where less care had been used to secure and re- 

 move the richer accumulations. The compost 

 heap, so formed, v/as exclusively used to dress one 

 part (I thmk a third) of the tobacco crop, while 

 the stable manure, and the farm yard manure sep- 

 arately applied, covered the balance of the field. 

 The effects seen on that (the first) crop were 

 greatest from the stable mn,nure, next l>om the 

 compost, and least from the farm or cattle yard 

 manure. But it should be remembered that the 

 early effects of lime are far from being the best. 

 The compost was also used not long after it had 

 been made; and Puvis says that the longer com- 

 post heaps of lime and earth remain belbre being 

 used, the better the efiijct as manure. In this ap- 

 plication, 25 bushels of shells were used to the 

 acre. 



Another mode by which compost was made by 

 Dr. C. presents fiic^ts well worth the notice of the 

 chemist, as well as of the liirnier. 'Vwo casks of 

 stone lime, (about 6 bushels of the stone, before 

 slaking,) late in March, were mixed with the con- 

 tents of the winter cattle yard, where 35 to 40 head 

 of cattle had been kcj)t, '-ind properly littered with 



