396 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



An, Address delivered before the Monroe (JV. Y.) Ag- 

 ricultural Society, at their annual meeting in 

 1823. By Mr. James Sperry, Ptesidcnt of the 

 Society. 



{Concluded from page 387.1 

 In the summer fallow, if the sod be made "of 

 the roots of the spear grass, (and most of oar 

 pastures and meadows are bound down with 

 that unprofitable grass,) the decomposition at 

 the time of cross-plou;;hing is very imperfect. 

 The sod partially rotted is, therefore, while un- 

 dergoing a thorough harrowing, and afterwards, 

 exposed to the full heat of the sun, to lose the 

 gases already disengaged, and to become dri- 

 ed and unfit for the purposes of vegetation. 

 Two or three ploughings, ami as many har- 

 rowinga, are generally insufficient to break and 

 reduce them to that tilth which land ought to 

 be in for the reception of the seed. They 

 are therefore necessarily permitted to lie on 

 the surface, either dead or green, tO impede 

 the growth of the first crop. We therefore 

 liave no reason to believe that land is any rich- 

 er, Of in any better condition for the production 

 of a crop, when cultiTated as a bare (allow, 

 than it would be were a crop of corn grown 

 while the grass roots were rotting. 



The amount of this saving would depend on 

 the goodness of the land, and the season. If the 

 land were rich, and the season favorable, from 

 60 to 100 bushels of corn might be easily obtain- 

 ed, one half of which, at least, according to the 

 rule of letting ground, would be saved by this 

 process. 1 raised last season, on a piece of good 

 ground which was broke the preceding fall, 71 

 1-2 bushels of corn to the acre. The tending 

 was not as expensive as common stubble land. 

 1 likewise raised at the rate of 56 bushels per 

 acre on an unproductive part of my meadow, 

 the soil of which was naturally light, yielding 

 o-rass bardiy sufficient to pay the expense of 

 mowing. This year the same ground, with a 

 light dressing of manure, and one ploughing, 

 yielded at the rate of 100 bushels of oats to the 

 acre. On my other piece of corn ground, 1 

 raised this year, under very unfavourable cir- 

 cumstances, — a lale, wet spring, bad seed, (not 



tention than it receives — one which will assur- 

 edly reward our labors with abundance, without 

 exhausting the soil to such a degree as to require 

 heavy dressings of manure to render it produc- 

 tive again. Land worn too long before it is seed- 

 ed becomes foul, and requires much more labor 

 to obtain a scanty crop, than would be requisite 

 on land in good heart to obtain an abundant one. 

 To the practice of cropping our lauds excessive- 

 ly, we may attribute the cause of such quanti- 

 ties of foul wheat being raised — an evil of 

 which the manufacturer justly complains, and to 

 avoid which no pains ought to be spared 



An objection would naturally arise against 

 the system, on account of the expense attend- 

 ing frequent seedings with clover. But this 

 may be easily obviated, by each farmer raising 

 his own seed. A small piece of ground set apart 

 annually for this purpose, would yield seed suffi- 

 cient for a large farm ; and the extra profit re- 

 alized from this management, would more tban 



doubly compensate for seeding, and other ex- ed, with a firm belief that the experiment will be 

 penses. If any doubt as to the result and saving, successful. I would likewise recommend thai 

 let them try the experiment. Good and proti- the board continue theirpremium for the besi 

 table farming does not consist so much in fitting [half acre of peas, free from bugs, 

 land for this or that crop well, as in knowing! 1"'^ system and rotation recommended ir 

 how to manage the whole concern from year to ] this address, is notpretonded to be a perteclone. 

 year. I The bare outlines are given ; the cultivation ol 



It will be observed that peas are mentioned only three of the most important crops is men- 

 as a crop to succeed corn, in the rotation re- 1 tioned : time would not permit, were it necessa 

 commended. The return they make for the | ry, to designate farther. I would recommend ; 



or weak lye, that the peas may be completely 

 immersed for 24 hours, and the destruction of 

 the troublesome insects is complete. The in- 

 sects may be seen in and about the fields sown 

 with buggy peas, from the time they are sown 

 till some time after the podding of the pea ; it 

 is therefore believed that they do not stray 

 far, and that all who are careful to prevent 

 their escape will not suffer by them. 



I had supposed that peas free from bugs, suf., 

 ficient for seed, might be obtained by sowing 

 late. This belief was supported by a statement 

 made by the Hon. Timothy Pickering on that 

 subject, to the Massachusetts Agricultural Soci- 

 ety. But I was unsuccessful, the season past, 

 in an experiment of half an acre of late sowing. 

 These were sown as late as the 27th of June; 

 ihe first pods were considerably infested, the lasl 

 were killed by the frost. I would therefore re- 

 commend the attempt to secure and destroy 

 the bug before it leaves the pea, as before stat- 



more than two thirds of which vegetated,) and the last. 



expense of cultivation and harvestiivj is ample ; 

 they are excelled by no grain, except corn for 

 fattening swine; they ripen early, and are har- 

 vested before corn is fit for feeding ; and as they 

 leave the ground in such excellent order for 

 wheat, they merit the particular attention of 

 the farmer, as an im[)ortant crop in whatever 

 rotation he pursue. Perhaps as good wheat 

 might be grown next after corn, as next suc- 

 ceeding peas ; but the expense of harvesting 

 stout corn, by cutting it up and drawing it off 

 from the ground in season for sowing is a very 

 heavy draw-back from Ihe profits of the crop. 

 This expense is avoided by cultivating peas 

 between corn and wheat; and if it be desirable 

 to seed with the third crop, wheat ought to be 



a severe drought in June, — 30 bushels of peas 

 to the acre. It is now into wheat, with every 

 appearance of being equally as good as it would 

 have been had it been well fallowed. I men- 

 tion this barely to show what may be saved, 

 and to influence, others to abandon the e-.ipen- 

 sive process of summer fallowing. 



It is believed that land in good heart well 

 ploughed once, is better than if twice plough- 

 ed ; as the first ploughing covers the weeds, 

 grass, and remains of the preceding crop, which 

 will naturally benefit the succeeding one. In 

 breaking up, particular care shouldbe taken that 

 the work be complete,and of good depth,and that 

 the furrows be well turned, and no balks made; 

 —it may then be harrowed the succeeding 

 spring, both ways, without disturbing the sod, 

 and until it is of sufficient filth to receive the 

 jeed. — With a shovel-pl'Ough, or some other 

 instrument, light furrows may be made 4 feet 

 apart, that rows can be formed both ways ; and 

 a shovel-plough is the most suitable implememt 

 to plough among corn at the time of hoe- 

 ing. 



This system is not mentioned as new, or un- 

 known to others, but as one entitled to more at- i 



But there is an important objection to the 

 cultivation of peas. Of late years, they are 

 much intested with the bug — so much so that 

 those who have heretofore raised, have aban- 

 doned them as an unprofitable crop. — Yet I am 



premium to be awardeiUflt the end of four years 

 to tlie person who shall offer the best system, be 

 ginning with green sward — to be determined b; 

 actual experiment, taking into account ail thi 

 expenses attending the whole process. 



Nothing is said in this address of the applies 

 tion of manure, and the use of plaster; it wa 

 deemed unnecessary. The main object hn 

 been, to Lay the axe at the root of the error wit 

 which most of us are charged — summer fallowing 

 This practice, I think — it must be admitted, i 

 erroneous; and the sooner it is abandoned, th 

 better it will be for us. One metliod of prop; 

 gating truth is to expose error ; and there ar 

 many errors of which we are guilty in farmin§ 

 but time will not permit us to dwell upon them.- 

 One more, however, must not be omitted. Th 

 farmer is guilty of a most palpable error, whe 

 he raises rye among his wheat intended fo 

 market. Every man of experience must know 

 that wheat in which there is but a small pre 

 portion of rye, will make flour of the firi 



of the opinion, that could the cultivators of j quality; and as our greatest surplus article, an 

 *i>e pea be prevailed on to act in concert, this ] that on which we place the most dependenc 



objeciiori might be removed. — Entomologists 

 inform us .v.ct the pea-bug is propagated only 

 in the pea— tbo* ,1^^ ^j, j^ deposited on the pod 

 soon afterit IS forii.M, .,nd being hatched by 

 the heat of the sun, eats w „r,y j^j^j (1,^ pgg 

 and there remains till the ensuui^ '^Piing, wheii 

 it escapes and is inoffensive until the ,o!^ j^ -^^ 

 the pod again, and dies soon after the ;( j^ 

 deposited. By observation we have ocular i. 

 monstration of the fact. This being the case, 

 by destroying these insects in those peas kept 

 through the winter, the succeeding crop would 

 escape unhurt. This may be elTecfed with 

 ease. Let those designed for seed be put in a 

 barrel soon after they are thrashed, and cover 



for exportation, is wheal, it is of the utmos 

 importance that we give a character to all 

 flour. Rye cannot be separated froin wheat al 

 ter it is threshed. The machinery of the man 

 ufacturer will not do it. We therefore stand i 

 our own light, when we sow wheat that h?s th 

 smallest mixture of rye. Care should be tak«i 

 that wheat intended for seed, in parli>;iiljf 

 i should not be exposed in the barn, and liablotc 

 '■^^'~'- 'the scatterings of the rye mow. Bi< ii 

 care shou.u . ,^p(^p^,^,^, j,, j^^^ respect, Ive 

 should not fail, soon .u^v,. — .^_ ;« haadid. 

 to pass through the field and take it all out. 1 

 Although many who cultivate ^u,, jjj ^\ 

 of opinion, that the art they profess 1o u..,',^ 

 stand is susceptible of little or no improvemet) 



ed so as to prevent a free circulation of air, and _ _- . ., . 



there will be no danger of an escape; let them I a little reflection, and attention to facts, ofW^ 

 be thus kept till a short time before sowing, | convinces the best and most successful agncij 

 wiien let the barrel Ise filled with water, brine, nurists, that the knowledge they possess is V8:i 



