48 



Thorough Cultivation of the Soil. — Usefulness of Toads. Vol. VII. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 The Thorough Cultivation of the Soil. 



Sir, — I am glad to find that increased re- 

 gard to the cultivation of the soil, is likely 

 to command attention amongst us. J\o one 

 living can be more sensible of the extreme 

 importance of manure, in all the different 

 stages of husbandry, than I am, or of the ne- 

 cessity of returning to the soil in some way 

 or other, the strength, of which we are rob- 

 bing it; but I am quite convinced, that a 

 great proportion of this may be accomplished 

 in the shape of extra cultivation ; although 

 I might not, perhaps, be prepared to go quite 

 so far as Jethro Tull, who, it is well known, 

 declared that the only use of dung was to 

 cause a subdivision of the earth, which could 

 as well be performed by cultivation and mi 

 nute pulverization, as by manure. Still he 

 had the experience of years for the ground 

 of such assertion, during which he raised the 

 most exhausting of all crops, namely, wheat, 

 on the same land in succession, and continued 

 to increase its quantity as well as quality to 

 the end of the chapter. But I am quite pra 

 pared to believe, that one half the manure, 

 with double or treble the quantity of culture, 

 would be found far more profitable than the 

 mode in general practice amongst us — that 

 of merely turning up the soil with a large 

 and wide furrow, trusting to the effect of a 

 harrowing for pulverization — which cannot 

 be allowed to form that species of cultivation 

 which is beginning to interest the enlight- 

 ened tillers of the soil, and the effects of 

 which will be seen and felt in the future 

 state of the land, as well as in the health 

 and well-being of the crops. Now, in the 

 sebsoil-plough I see an auxiliary, which will 

 be the means of saving both labour and ex- 

 pense: and cannot but wonder what would 

 have been Tull's estimate of such a contriv- 

 ance to pulverize the subsoil, at the time 

 that ho was, by repeated ploughings, harrow- 

 ings and rollings, doing all in his power for 

 the benefit of the surface-soil; but such an 

 acquisition was reserved for us of the pres- 

 ent day, and by it and his experience, we 

 may now consider ourselves competent to set 

 a high example in the science and art of the 

 proper culture of the earth; performing the 

 operation with about one-half the labour, and 

 three times the pleasure and profit, that are 

 generally experienced. 



What has been said, however, does not, I 

 presume, so much apply to the cultivation of 

 the wheat crop in this country — for I have 

 ever found that the best wheat is raised on 

 clover-lay land, after once ploughing — the 

 seed being sown after the land has had time 

 to settle down after ploughing, and received 



a shower of rain, and become dry again, so 

 as to harrow kindly. And I have strong rea- 

 son to believe, that such a course would go 

 far to rid us of the Hessian fly, as well as, in 

 a measure, the rust; both these disorders be- 

 ing encouraged, if not engendered by a flashy 

 and premature growth of the crop. At all 

 events, the best crops of the present year, 

 are those that have been grown after clover 

 with one ploughing. But the perfection of 

 this culture has not yet been attained, for the 

 manure for the wheat crop ought always to 

 be given as top-dressing to the clover in early 

 spring, with compost, prepared with lime as 

 one of the ingredients, in as great abundance 

 as possible; after which, one crop of hay may 

 be taken, and the second crop fed ; or both 

 crops may be mown for hay — the subsoil- 

 plough, let down to the greatest depth, fol- 

 lowing the common plough, taking a deep 

 and narrow furrow, turned well over, so as 

 to completely bury the clover sod — then we 

 shall have a right to expect to reap very dif- 

 ferent crops, to those which we now see — 

 the land being renewed, and capable of vie- 

 ing with " the rich lands of the west." 



Jacob List. 



July 21, 1842. 



Usefulness of Toads. 



Suitors of the Cultivator. — I will take 

 the liberty of stating to you some facts, rela- 

 tive to the protection of garden vegetables 

 from the attacks of the cut worm, and some 

 others of the same tribe. Some years ago, 

 when dressing my garden, I discovered a 

 toad nestled under a plant, and shortly after 

 hoed up a cut worm, which I shoved near 

 the toad, who snapped him up as soon as he 

 got sight of it. The thought occurred to 

 me, as the toads and worms both come out 

 at night in search of food, it would be good 

 policy to gather up the toads and put them 

 in my garden to catch the worms. I did so, 

 by catching all I could find about my door 

 yards, hopping about at night-fall, put them 

 in my garden, and was not troubled with the 

 worms that season. I have repeated the ex- 

 periment with the same success ever since. 

 I consider it also an act of humanity to keep 

 them out of the boys' way, who are apt to 

 torment the poor creatures, when hopping 

 about in search of food. If the heads of fami- 

 lies would prevent their small children from 

 destroying the toads, and larger boys from 

 shooting and pelting with stones the birds 

 which feed on worms and insects, they would 

 come around our premises, and do a great 

 deal in relieving us from their depredations 

 on our fruit and gardens. S. M'Coy. 



April 20th, 1S42. 



