22 FARMERS' REGISTER— GENERAL SYSTEM OF CULTIVATION, &c. 



flat early in the winter, the rows laid off in checks, 

 andtilled by double shovel ploughs, and oilier im- 

 plements suilablcto the friable and yielding nature 

 of the soil. The labor of tillage is very light, 

 considering the richness of the land, except where 

 wire grass grows : and even those spots are made 

 nearly as easy to cultivate as the balance, by remo- 

 ving that abominable weed at an enormous cost of 

 labor, before planting the crop. Tlie growth of 

 wire grass seemed the only considerable evil atten- 

 dant on the numerous advantages of this farm. The 

 sandy and rich soil now made calcareous, is as fa- 

 vorable as possible to the growth and increase of 

 this plant. Mr. L. computes the labor caused by 

 wire grass to be equal to one fourth of the whole 

 tillage and management of his crop of corn. His 

 most laborious operation is conducted in the follow- 

 ing manner. When breaking up the land in De- 

 cember, the ploughmen mark every spot of wire 

 grass turf by setting up small sticks, whicii are 

 provided in great numbers for the purpose. These 

 marks are necessary, because when the soil is well 

 turned 5 to 6 inches deep (5 preferred to a greater 

 depth,) the wire grass can scarcely be seen until it 

 begins to grow, Avhicli is late in the spring. In 

 the latter part of winter, and whenever the earth 

 is fit for the operation, men dig up the long roots 

 with three pronged hoes — such as are described 

 and recommended by Taylor, for digging, and 

 loading with coarse manure. These tools are 

 made strong, and are admirably suited to taking 

 up the vfire grass. The roots Avhich are thus ob- 

 tained in great quantities, are shaken clear of the 

 soil, heaped when dry, burnt, and their ashes 

 scattered on tlie land. At this time, they are cart- 

 ed off and throAvn into a small piece of adjacent 

 marshy ground. The burning, or throwing away 

 of so much vegetable matter, whicli also could not 

 be entirely cleared of the rich mould in which it 

 grew, seemed to be a waste of materials for manure 

 not according with Mr. L.'s general practice. But 

 he considers wire grass roots as but a poor litter — 

 and when he formerly tried it for manure, its life 

 was never entirely destroyed, before it was carried 

 out to the field to increase tlie stock already grow- 

 ing there.* Six men were engaged in this job at 

 the time when these oliservations were made, and 

 they had still ahead of them a large portion of tlie 

 field thickly marked by the sticks which directed 

 to the concealed enemy. 



Mr. L. has his seed corn prepared in a manner 

 which he finds effectual in preventing crows from 

 eating it. They will make a sufficient examina- 

 tion throughout the whole field, and then move off 

 to some otlier place offering better fare. The same 

 means however arc not sufficient to guard against 

 blackbirds. Tlie seed is treated in the following- 

 manner : — To a convenient quantity of corn pour 

 hot water, keeping the corn well stirred as long as 

 the water is pouring on. The water may be al- 

 most boiling without injury, if the corn is kept in 

 motion. Alter standing in the water about twelve 

 hours, the corn is drained by being placed in bas- 



* A farmer on hilly land can use wire grass advanta- 

 geously to lay on his numerous galls, where the soil has 

 been entirely washed av.'ay. As wire grass cannot grow 

 on very wet land, the roots if heaped in a wet pit surely 

 would die and rot. Tlic green roots contain much sac- 

 charine matter, and arc cagci-ly eaten by hogs, and also 

 by mules when thrown into the stables. 



kets, and then sjiread on a table. Tar, and stur- 

 geon's oil (or train oil) are then well mixed with 

 the corn, in the proportion of two pints of tar and 

 one of oil to three bushels of corn. Enough quick 

 lime is then added to cover the grain, and be fix- 

 ed by the tar and oil : and finally one gill of poun- 

 ded sulphur is Avell mixed with each bushel of corn. 



Wheat. The quantity of seed given is only 

 tliree to three and a half pecks to the acre general- 

 ly — and only a bushel for the best, or the stiffest 

 soil. Tliicker sowing considered injudicious on 

 soil so light. An observer riding through the 

 fields at this time, would not suspect that so small 

 a quantity of seed had been given, as the growth 

 looks thick enough, as well as very luxuriant. 

 Many jiarts of the field now appear as if the crop 

 would lodge. Mr. L. supposed that some of the 

 best spots will produce at the rate of thirty bush- 

 els to the acre. His lodged wheat is cut with reap 

 hooks. 



The land manured for corn is kept in beds 

 through the cultivation, to prevent as much as 

 possible exposing the manure. For the same 

 reason, the wheat is afterwards sowed on the sur- 

 face, and covered by small (double shovel) ploughs. 

 All the other land is ploughed before sowing, with 

 two horse ploughs, tlirowing several corn rows in- 

 to one flat bed, and the seed is then sowed and co- 

 vered with harrows. The slight covering of the 

 seed is not supposed at all injurious to the crop. 

 The beds formed in ploughing for wheat, are not 

 needed (except in a few situations) to keep the 

 land dry, but are useful to direct the sowing of 

 clover seed. 



Turnips and other Succulent Crops. Mr. Lewis 

 decidedly prefers turnips to any other root crop. 

 He supposes his usual product of turnips, (Avithout 

 a bad season or some other serious disaster,) equal 

 to 800 bushels the acre. He does not believe that 

 turnips (in this country) deserve to be considered 

 as an improving crop, as they are held to be in 

 England : and neither does he concur in the gen- 

 eral opinion entertained among us, that they are 

 extremely exhausting to the soil. To support his 

 defence of this plant, he showed the land now in 

 wheat, which Avas manured by summer cowpens 

 in 1831, and only part of which was put in turnips, 

 and the Avhole in corn the following year. The 

 wheat on all is very fine, and pei'ceptibly better 

 on the part which was not under turnips : but the 

 difference is so small, as to sustain the opinion that 

 the injury caused by the turnips, bears no com- 

 parison to the value gained from that crop. 



Parsnips and carrots are also made in smaller 

 quantities, to furnish juicy food to milch cows, &c. 

 after turnips are unfit for use. Carrots require 

 much richer land than turnips. Some rich lots of 

 orchard grass, and lucerne also are kept for green 

 feeding before clover is enough advanced. None 

 of these crops except the turnips occupy any part 

 of the four fields, and therefore do not affect the 

 general rotation, nor come within the range of my 

 inquiries. 



Postscript. A subsequent visit to Wyanoke 

 (May the 13th) has enabled me to supply some defi- 

 ciencies in the foregoing memoranda, particularly 

 as to the management and uses of clover. A ievf 

 years only have passed since the establishment of 

 the fact that the profitable field culture of clover 

 was possible in the tide water district of Virginia, 



