122 



FARMERS' REGISTER— AGRICULTURE IN VIRGINIA. 



trampling of domestic animals. This mould, thus 

 suddenly exposed to the atmosphere, the rain and 

 the sun, is soon evaporated, or washed into the val- 

 Bes. Being soluble in' a great degree, its evapo- 

 ration is, in my opinion, as great as its consump- 

 tion in every other way ; for it rarely washes oil 

 under the tobacco crop except from steep hill sides. 

 The elevation of the tobacco hills causes Ihcm, be- 

 fore shaded by heavy plants, to dry quickly both 

 by sun and wind. To this we may add the fre- 

 quent stirring of the groud when the plant is 

 young, by the process of weeding and hilling up. 



Here, by way of digression, I must be excused 

 for a few remarks which would seem to have a 

 more appropriate place elsewhere. But, as they 

 apply to this mould — this young and tenderest part 

 of all soils, I insert them in this place. 



The vegetable mould found on the top of all vir- 

 gin land, varies in thickness, according to circum- 

 stances. But these circumstances involve a phi- 

 losophical inquiry, into which the limits of a fugi- 

 tive essay do not permit me to enter. Why is it, 

 that the leaves of the forest so rapidly decay in the 

 rich woodlands of the western country, and that 

 they are covered with grass? Is not this the case 

 sometimes, in the forests of Virginia.' Why do 

 the leaves of the walnut, and some other trees, de- 

 compose so rapidly in all situations.-' and why is 

 the ground about them richer than that adjacent.'' 

 The mould on the top of new land ought never to 

 fee broken up and exposed, if it can be avoided. 

 On the contrary, it ought to be turned under and 

 mixed with the under sod. This process will be 

 a little difficult in new ground. But the benefits 

 resulting from tlie mixture and fermentation, will 

 more than compensate for the trouble. I would 

 recommend that such land be prepared as well as 

 possible, and planted in corn, without destroying 

 the cover of leaves by the barbarous and common 

 practice of i-aking and burning. Corn is a vigo- 

 rous plant, and with the aid of hoe work, will be 

 greatly benefitted by the half decayed twigs, 

 leaves and wood, which cover our virgin land. 

 Neither wheat nor tobacco will grow so well 

 amidst the trash of a new ground. The working 

 will intermix the whole mass of litter with the 

 mould and a small part of the next stratum. And 

 thus, when the corn crop comes off, the previous 

 stirring and amalgamation of the mould, leaves, 

 twigs, rotten wood, and a part of the sub-soil, vv'iH 

 be a preparation for after crops. It is true, that 

 the greater the quantity of litter, the less corn 

 will the land yield. If we could spread lime, or 

 marl, or, even the more common article of plaster, 

 upon it, before coultering and working, the corn 

 crop would be relieved from its pale-green, sickly 

 appearance, and give more grain, and that riper. 

 The frosts of the next winter will prepare this 

 land for a crop of tobacco, or small graui. If the 

 soil be good and the owner wishes to make tobac- 

 co, he will get more the next year, and even the 

 year following, than he could have made tlie first 

 year, after the old plan of raking and burning. 

 We have sought, as our ancestors did, every mode 

 of destroying the vegetable mould upon our lands, 

 and of the materials out of which it is produced. 

 My idea is, that with a. fanner, or even the tobac- 

 co maker, who has lots or flats, it would be best 

 to put his hew land, managed as I have described, 

 in small grain the second year, followed up by 

 clover and plaster the third and fourth years. After 



this, it will have yielded him a fair return, be 

 richer tlian when cleared, and be capable of pro- 

 ducing a good crop of any thing he may wish to 

 cultivate. And it may be, ])rogressively, im- 

 proved by a proper rotation, if there be a clay 

 foundation: if not, it can be kept productive, and 

 comparatively rich. The chief difficulty in re- 

 claiming exhausted land, arises from the absence 

 of putrescent vegetable matter, which it origi- 

 nally contained, and which has been destroyed by 

 severe cropping, bad tillage, and close grazing. It 

 is in vain tliat nature annually attempts to renew 

 this essential food of plants, when the rapacity o€ 

 man and beast unite to defeat her efforts. But to 

 proceed. 



Tobacco leaves but little offal or manure; and 

 it comes off the ground so late in the fall, that no 

 sheltering or improving after crop follows it. No 

 crop remains so long on the hands of the cultiva- 

 tor, or requires sucli constant and fatiguing labor. 

 It is generally from twelve to eighteen months 

 from tlie sowing of the seed to its arrival at mar- 

 ket. All this time it requires constant attention, 

 if not the constant application of labor. The plan- 

 ter formerly relied upon it as his only source of 

 income; for he seldom made corn for sale, and 

 often less than he Avanted; and the wheat crop 

 went to make up deficiencies, pay taxes, &c. In 

 this respect there has been a favorable change 

 within the recollection of the writer. Woodlands 

 adapted to tobacco have now become scarce, and 

 it is, chiefly raised on manured lots, aiUl rich flats. 

 Necessity has thus driven the planters to the new 

 practice of taking care of manure ; but they de- 

 vote nearly all of it to their tobacco lots. More 

 attention is now paid to grain crops than formerly. 

 The three shift system is the one conmionly pur- 

 sued, by which each field is improperly said to 

 rest one year in three; but under the kind atten- 

 tion and constant presence of all the four-footed 

 animals on the farm. - It, however, gets a little 

 respite after harvest, when the stock are turned 

 into the grain fields to glean them, and destroy the 

 young after-growth of weeds and grass which pro- 

 vident nature throws up as a protection from the 

 sun, and as a fresh supply of" vegetable matter to 

 sustain the growth of the next year. In the rota- 

 tion of crops, she sets us a beautiful example. — 

 Look to the various productions she sends forth on 

 new land; and, especially when we destroy each 

 production. The next is always different from 

 the immediately preceding one. This land-de- 

 stroying, Virginia system of husbandry has been 

 practised by almost the whole community until 

 within a few years, and a majority of our people 

 still pursue it. And, is it to be wondered at, that 

 after the destruction of so much of the soil by to- 

 bacco, and such long perseverance in this system, 

 our lands wear out and yield such scanty returns 

 for the labor of the husbandman.' 



If you examine the plantation of the tobacco 

 maker, you find every appearance of poverty or 

 unpardonable neglect. The owner will acknow- 

 ledge that things ought to be aral might be better ; 

 but that he has no time to spare, owing to tlie pres- 

 sure of his crops, particularly his tobacco crop, 

 which interferes with all his other operations 

 throughout the whole year. There is much truth 

 in his excuses ; for, in January, February, and 

 March, he is clearing new grounds; preparing and 

 burning plant-beds; fencing; manuring, and fal- 



