VOL. Xtl. NO. 9. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



67 



I- of rye, on the neighboring soil of the same 

 iro, vary I believe from seven or eight, to twelve 

 or tliirlcoi) bushels per acre, nccorJinjj to the cul- 

 tiviuion and their approximation to the river. We 

 usually raise on the land from thirteen to thirty 

 bushels of Indian corn per acre. Potatoes are very 

 good ill quality, but the quantity is quite small ; 

 not sufficient to be profitable, were it not that the 

 and is very easily cultivated. 



In the summer of 1837, we sowed three bushels 

 of winter rye near the river, on about two acres of 

 land, which produced twentycight bushels. 



In 1828, we sowed four bushels on four acres of 

 land running the whole extent of the plain from 

 the liver. [This piece was sowed in the spring 

 with oats, but they were completely smothered 

 with charlock, and about the middle of Juno, the 

 whole crop was iiioweil to prevent the charlock 

 seeding. About the middle of Aug. a second crop 

 having covered the land, it was plowed very care- 

 fully, in order completely to bury the charlock; 

 and then suffered to remain until the I,5th of Sep. 

 tember, when we began sowing the rye in the fol- 

 lowing manner: A strip of land about twelve yards 

 wide was plowed very evenly to prevent deep gut- 

 ■.ers between the furrows, and the seed immediate- 

 y sown upon the furrow and harrowed in. Then 

 mother strip of the same width, and so on until 

 ■.he whole was finished. We found the oat stubble 

 ind charlock entirely rotted, and the land appeared 

 ts if it had been well manured, though none had 

 jeen applied to this part since it had been in our 

 30sscssion. The rye sprung very quick and vigo- 

 •ously, having evidently derived great benefit from 

 jeing sown and sprouted before the moisture sup. 

 died by the decaying vegetable matter in the soil 

 ■ lad evaporated to any considerable extent. This 

 ;rop produced 133 bushels — 33 1-4 bu. per acre. 



In 18"20, the charlock was suffered to grow on 

 :he land appropriated to rye, until it had attained 

 ; ts growth and was in full blossom. The land was 

 I :hen plowed very carefully, and the charlock com- 

 Dletely covered in. In a short time a second crop 

 j ippeared, more vigorous than the first. This also 

 I was allowed to attain its growth, and then plowed 

 I n as before. A third crop soon appeared, which 

 ' jf course was destroyed when the land was agnin 

 I alowed fur sowing about the middle of September. 



I Phis piece of land was a parallel strip running from 

 ihe river, and containing two acres. Two bushels 

 ( 5f rye were sowed. The crop presented a reinark- 

 I ibly promising appearance, and yielded seventyfouf 

 ind a half bushels — 37 1-4 bu. per acre. 



In 1830, the land appropriated to rye included 

 nearly all the lighter parts of the soil, and owing 

 to a pressure of business was not attended to as 

 ■we could have wLshed. It was plowed in the early 

 part of the summer ; but harrowing, to destroy the 

 ■weeds, was substituted for the second plowing. 

 This, and the unusual blight which affected all the 

 grain in this part of the country, led us to antici- 

 pate a small crop. It yielded, however, fifteen 

 bushels to the acre. 



The land on which the crop of rye was raised 

 the present season, had for the three or four pre- 

 vious years been planted with Indian corn. And 

 owing to the extent of our tillage land, we have 

 not been able to apply more than four or five loads 

 of manure to the acre this season. The charlock 

 was suffered to attain its growth as usual ; and on 

 the IStli and 19th of June it was carefully plowed 

 in. Tlie second crop was plowed in on the Cth 

 and 7th of August. On the I4lh and 1.5th of Sep- 



tember it was sowed in the usual manner, namely : 

 a small strip of land was plowed and iho seed sown 

 immediately upon the furrow and then harrowed in. 

 Then another strip of land was plowed, and so on 

 until the wliole was completed. One bushel per 

 acre was sowed as usual. The seed was originally 

 obtained from a farmer in Ibis vicinity, and I sup- 

 pose is similar to that which is generally used. We 

 have ne^fer prepared our seed in any manner, but 

 have directed our attention solely to the prepara- 

 tion of the land ; and to this we attribute our suc- 

 cess. Owing to the unusual severity of the winter, 

 the crop was considerably winter killed ; but re- 

 covered very soon in the spring, excepting in the 

 iiiidfurrows. There, as the land lies very level, 

 the water settled and so compleiely destroyed the 

 rye that they continued bare the whole season. 

 This would of course cause some diminution in the 

 crop — perhaps a bushel or two. The rye was 

 reaped at the usual season, and, as the weather 

 was favorable, immediately put into the barn. The 

 land contained one acre and thirteen rods, and 

 yielded forlijsix bushels and three pecks. A re- 

 markably fine sample. 



In entering a claim for your premium, I would 

 ask your attention particularly to the process of 

 cultivation. It is, I believe, entirely new ; and 

 capable of general application. 



Sowing the seed immediately after the plow, we 

 consider very advantageous to the crop. The soil 

 being then moist, causes 'the seed to spring imme- 

 diately, and gives a forwardness and vigor to the 

 plants, which they ever after retain. 



The process of plowing in three crops of weeds 

 before the seed is sown, very much enriches the 

 soil. It would be altogether unnecessary to at- 

 tempt to refute the notion, that by such a process 

 nothing more is applied to the soil than was before 

 derived from it. If one could not discover by the 

 light which chemistry has shed upon the subject of 

 agriculture, sufficient reasons for the contrary con- 

 clusion, observation, one would think, would be 

 sufficient to convince any intelligent man of the fact. 



And here I would suggest that I do not consider 

 the experiment as we have conducted it, quite com- 

 plete. To render it more so, in the first place, in 

 plowing in the weeds, I would not turn a furrow 

 after the dew had evaporated. I have no doubt but 

 that a large portion of that fertilizing quality in 

 the soil, which (during the summer months) is con- 

 tinually exhaled from the earth, is by the dew 

 brought again within our reach, and it would be 

 wise to avail ourselves of the opportunity of again 

 burying it in the soil. And in the second place, I 

 would by all means use a heavy roller after each 

 plowing. It would fill all the cavities left liy the 

 plow, and by pre.ssing the soil more closely to the 

 weeds, at once hasten their decompositi(m and very 

 much retard the evaporation from the soil. 



But the land is not only very much enriched by 

 this process. There is, I conceive, no method by 

 which it can be so effectually cleaned. Three 

 times during the season, a fresh surface is present 

 ed to the atmosphere, and each time, as the decay 

 ing vegetable matter increases in the soil, so is the 

 exciting cause augmented to mike a more vigo- 

 rous effort. We have in this manner gone over 

 nearly all our land which is infested with charlock, 

 and the diminution of the weeds is quite sufficient 

 to warrant the expectation, that in a few years it 

 may be comparatively eradicated. 



Very respectfully, JOHN KEELY. 



Haverhill, Sept. 23, 1832. 



SELECTING SEEDS. 



Groat improviMiiont may ho made by a judicious 

 selection of seeds. In most all crops, some plant* 

 will be found more early, or in some respects su- 

 perior to others. Erom such, seeds should be 

 carefully selected. 



If a cultivator desires to have any production 

 earlier than usual, after procuring ^n early kind, 

 let the first seeds that ripen on a well grown and 

 productive plant be secured, and so proceed yea^ 

 after year, and in this way a variety will be obtain- 

 ed that will excel in earliness. 



Every variety of vegetable may be rendered 

 more productive by selecting every year the seed 

 of the most productive and well formed plants. 

 And this method of improvement will bo found the 

 cheapest that can be pursued, as the difference in 

 the cost of good and poor seed is a mere trifle. 



Select peas for seed that grow in long full pods 

 on vines that will bear abundantly, and if you 

 would have them earlier, take those which ripen 

 first. Choose beans in the same way. Select the 

 finest heads of grain for seed before reaping. Se- 

 lect seed corn from stalks that bear two or more 

 good ears, and take the largest and best formed 

 ears. Choose from stalks that are largo at tho 

 bottom and run off to a small top, not very high. 



If you would have early onions and few scul- 

 lions, select for seed a few that ripen first, and 

 have a good form. Follow the same rule in every 

 thing. Like produces like, is a general law of na- 

 ture ; the same in the vegetable and animal king- 

 dom : there are some exceptions, but not enough to 

 affect materially the general crop or production, 

 and by these exceptions we may profit, for when 

 the exceptions are an improvement we may follow 

 them out and in a long time establish a new race 

 or variety, but when the exceptions are inferior we 

 can reject them. 



These exceptions to general rules offer great ad- 

 vantages, and a wide field for improvement, while 

 the disadvantage is a mere trifle. As a spark will 

 kindle a great fire, so from a single seed of supe- 

 rior excellence, large crops of this superior produc- 

 tion may be raised, and widely disseminated to the 

 benefit of thousands. 



There is no subject of improvement so much 

 neglected as this : it is within the means of all, 

 and yet few give attention to it. Too many are 

 content to plod on in the old way, and while they 

 spend much in manure and cultivation, they neg- 

 lect a much cheaper way of improvement, or to 

 avail themselves of those made by others in this 

 way, when at less expense they could accomplish 

 it, and perhaps more effectually. 



We selected seed from the first pumpkin that ri- 

 pened, in a variety which we cultivated for several 

 years, and last year some wore ripe in two months 

 and five days from the time of planting. NumerouB 

 instances could be cited for the truth of the above 

 remarks, but it is so clear to every common obser- 

 ver, that no evidence is necessary, but it is impor- 

 tant that they be reminded of a subject so much 

 neglected, and with so much loss — Farmers^ Jour. 



" Never," says Drew, "shrink from doing any 

 thing which your business calls you to. The man 

 who is above his business, may one day find his 

 business above him." 



That life is long which answers life's great 

 ends. — Young. 



