1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



879 



62|. The cost of llie crop, I estimated at ^6, 62i. 

 The manure say was worth -iUO, which brings 

 the account out even. In the spring I sowed orch- 

 ard grass and clover seed. The succeeding spring 

 1 sowed over the grass a quantity ol' plaster and 

 ashes. Tiie result was — from the manured acre 

 I mowed 5 loads of hay ; from the one not ma- 

 nured, I mowed 2 loads ; each load was worth at 

 least ^5 ; consequently, the manured acre yielded 

 me .$25 worth of hay ; the unmanured acre only 

 $'10 worth. The cost of harvesting the manured 

 acre was ^1 50; plaster, &c., 50 cents, making 

 ^2. Profit, 5 loads of hay at §5 per load, .^25, 

 leaving a clear profit of .923 on the manured acre, 

 'i'lie cost of harvesting the unmanured acre was 

 75 cents; plaster, &c.. 50 cents; making .^l 25. 

 Profit, 2 loads of hay, at ^5 per load, 810; clear 

 profit on this acre only §8 75. Difference of pro- 

 fit in one year in favor of the manured acre, 

 614 25. 



I have this year made three experiments in my 

 wheat field to ascertain what kind of manure is 

 best suited tor wheat. I applied barn manure to 

 one spot, barn manure and lime niixed on another 

 epot, and on a third spot, I applied lime alone. I 

 have tried other experiments with barn manure, 

 and from my experience I am fully persuaded, 

 that, lime or calcareous manure is the best for 

 wheat. lam about trying the efficacy of clover 

 and buckwheat, ploughed down, as a manure. I 

 intend sowing wheat in the clover, and rye in the 

 buckwheat field. 



To furnish putrescent, or animal manures for all 

 our worn-out fields would require immense labor 

 and expense. If lime will ansAver the same pur- 

 pose — and f believe it will — * we should not much 

 longer complain of poor land ; for, in this country, 

 we have an abundance of the best lime-stone and 

 timber — and now, all that is wanting is know- 

 ledge and industry in the preparation and applica- 

 tion ot it to our lands; in both of these particu- 

 lars, we must admit we are sadly deficient. We 

 have but two alternatives, either to improve our 

 lands, or to sell and go westward, where Provi- 

 dence has furnished a richer soil. 



Suppose, for a moment, my whole farm to be 

 as rich and as well cultivated as that one acre, 

 (and I might have had it so if I had began to im- 

 prove when I first purchased,) what would be the 

 profit of it yeariy7 If on that one acre I make a 

 profit of only .9.30, (and I am satisfied I will make 

 more when the second crop is taken) my whole 

 225 acres would then yield me a profit of ^0750, 

 a sum greater than I can sell the farm for, and 

 more than I have ever made on it since I owned it. 



But suppose a clover crop to be twice as valua- 

 ble as any other, I would still have S3375. I will 

 now deduct one-half of that amount for pasture 

 land and failure of crops, Sec, and I would still 

 have a profit of ,^1687. I will now suppose that 

 ^687 will be required to delray the expenses of 



* We would caution friend Peeples against an exclu- 

 sive reliance on lime for manure, valuable as it un- 

 questionably is. Nothing can justify the neglect of 

 animal and vegetable manures, without the application 

 of which, the permanent fertility of land cannot be 

 obtained — but when united with the use of lime, the 

 effect will no doubt equal his expectation : but in both 

 cases it must not be forgotten, that to insure profitable ! 

 results judicious tillage is indispensable. — Ed. Ten 

 Far. 



the farm, I would still have a veariv profit of 

 SIOOO. , ' ' 



I will now give you a short account of my pro- 

 fit and loss for a few j^ears. 



Now being able to work myself, and having no 

 force of my own, I am necessarily compelled to 

 have my work done by hired hands. After I be- 

 came unable to labor myself j I found that my iiired 

 hands were .sinking money for me. I then re- 

 solved to keep a strict account of all my farming 

 operations. At the end of the first year, I found, 

 on balancing the account, that I was 1^16.3 in debt. 

 I examined the account, and endeavored to ascer- 

 tain, if possible, where the fault lay. I satisfied 

 myself sufficiently to make a second trial ; accord- 

 ingly, I dismissed my manager and some of the 

 hands, and employed a naore faiihtul and indus- 

 trious manager, determined, if posssihie, to profit 

 by );ast experience. At the end of the next year, 

 when my books were compared, I found I had 

 made a profit of ^^93, a sum not half sufficient to pay 

 the interest of the money I had laid out. A third 

 trial is rsow going on, with the same manager, but 

 more immediately under my own supervision, aid- 

 ed by all the knowledge I have been able to ac- 

 quire from agricultural papers and other sources. 

 I cannot yet make a fair estimate of the profits, 

 but from present appearances, I think I shall real- 

 ize near §500. Is it not astonishing to see the 

 number of persons wlio subsist by fiarraing entire- 

 ly, still continue the old land-killing system, when 

 such profitable results are to be expected from an 

 improved mode of tillage? 



Farming is both a pleasant and profitable em- 

 ployment, if properly carried on. The expe- 

 rience of thousands have taught us this, and any 

 thing I could say, would not make it more clear. 



I have been asked by some, "what use have 

 we for rail roads? our population can consume 

 all the surplus which we now have." I answer, 

 if we had rail roads, the amount would be in- 

 creased to a vast extent; our interest would be- 

 come more united, and the danger of a disunion 

 proportionably lessened. 



A few words more to my brethren of the plough 

 in East Tennessee. From the great irregularity 

 of our surface, we have a great diversity of soils 

 and climate, requiring the greatest agricultural 

 skill, to ensure its full developements. Clover and 

 lime, judiciously used, as a manure, will produce 

 beneficial results, liar beyond the expectation of 

 those who have never tried them. Aiousc then, 

 brethren, to the improvement of your lands, and 

 be assured, you will reap a rev%^ard, amply suffi- 

 cient to compensate you for your labor. 



WM. PEEPI.ES. 



Fi'onitlie Register. 

 TO CURE THE BIG HEAD IN HORSES. 



Take one quart of hog's lard, one quart of tar, 

 and one pound of sulphur or brimstone ; put all 

 toirether in a pot over a slow fire, and boil it till the 

 brimstone disappears ; then make a mop on a 

 strong stick, and rub the horse's head from the 

 eyes to the nostrils once a day, until the mixture 

 is all gone, and it will make a cure. I have tried 

 one horse and did cure him sound and well. If 

 you think the receipt wortliy your attention, you 

 can put it in your Register, with my name. 



RICHARD B. HARRISON^ 



Dnllcs Co., JJla, .'7pril 19, 1836. 



