346 FARMERS' REGISTER— LEAVES FROM A TRAVELLER'S NOTE BOOK. 



supposed, of 33 for one. But none of my neigh- 

 bors had raised this crop, and I had forgotten a 

 part of tliu directions I had received from the gen- 

 tleman who sold me the seed: your King AVil- 

 liam correspondent's directions for harvesting, &c. 

 if I had then had them by me, would have saved 

 most of the twenty bushels which were lost. My 

 success induced several of my neighbors to try the 

 crop, some of whom succeeded well, so that I am 

 inclined to think that much of the high land near 

 the Chickahomony, is well adapted to it. I raised a 

 good crop last year, and have seldom failed, when 

 the ground was properly prepared, which is very 

 necessary. Give it entire possession of the soil, — 

 for, although it is a quick and luxuriant growth, 

 it should not be incommoded when coming up. I 

 Lave never since made so large a crop for the seed 

 as the above — owing, perhaps, to the superiority of 

 that season. The crop just secured is short, owing 

 to the drought. 



Mr. Edward Sydnor, near Richmond, sowed 

 five bushels of this grain a few years ago, as he 

 laid by a corn crop, which yielded him 100 bushels, 

 without injuring, as he thinks, the corn crop, which 

 averaged between seven and eight barrels to the 

 acre. Here was a good crop for little trouble or 

 expense. 



I consider the 15lh to the 25th July, a good time 

 to sow. 



I have generally sold what I had to spare at -^1 

 per bushel for seed — what I had ground did not 

 nett me more than that, after deducting the ex- 

 pense of the barrels, sending to mill, and thence 

 to Richmond — but left a good profit. The demand 

 may not justify raising large crops, but after sup- 

 plying the market with flour, a part of the crop 

 may be used advantageously at home. — Besides 

 supplying the family with a favorite article of diet 

 for breakfast, the fowls and hogs may be fed with 

 a part, which they will soon become very fond of, 

 as I know of no grain on which they will fatten 

 faster. I cannot say from experience, that a part 

 of the crop may be used successfully in restoring 

 our lands, but some judicious farmers are of opin- 

 ion that buckwheat sown at a proper time would 

 make a good lay to turn in — and I have heard it is 

 used in that way in the western part of this State 

 with decided benefit. 



Wishing that your zeal to promote the interests 

 of agriculture, may be crowned with abundant 

 success, 



I am, respectfully, yours, 



KU. B. CRENSHAW. 



Hanover, Oct. 14, 1833. 



LEAVES FROM A TRAVELLER S KOTE BOOK. 



For tlie Farmers' Regitter. 



September the \Wi. — Mr. Robert Dunn, of Oak 

 Hill, on the Appomattox, and opposite to Peters- 

 burg, within the last two years has withdrawn his 

 personal attention from his commercial business, 

 and directed it to the improvement -of the land and 

 the products of his farm. He has been Tery suc- 

 cessful in both, on a soil which does not appear ve- 

 ry favorable for receiving great benefit from putre- 

 scent manures — the means here mostly used. The 

 proper estimate which Mr. Dunn places on manure 

 induces him to buy, as well as to make as much as 

 possible — and his farm being within a mile of the 



principal stables in Petersburg, enables him to be 

 supplied at no great expense of carriage. It is of- 

 ten remarked, sneeringly, of those who in this man- 

 ner manure lands near town, that " with money 

 enough it is an easy matter to manure well, and 

 make fine crops on poor land," — and with most 

 persons, it is a sufficient objection to any mode of 

 improvement, to say that money, as well as labor, 

 was used freely to produce it. Now it cannot be 

 denied, that much color has been given to the un- 

 dervaluing of tlie improvements and products of 

 ama/ci/r farmers, residing in or near towns, by the 

 injudicious operations of some, and the want of such 

 accuracy of the estimates of all, as might enable them 

 to show when an improvement was cheaply or 

 dearly bought. But, admitting that none are quite 

 clear of errors and losses, in some of their appli- 

 cations of purchased manure, there can be no doubt 

 of the profit of using it judiciously, to any extent 

 whatever, while it is so cheap, and the carriage 

 within two miles. The rich manure accumulated at 

 tavern and other stables, (which is so much the rich- 

 er to the load, from the want of plentiful litter,) in a 

 well rotted state, is bought at \2\ cents for the hea- 

 viest load that a good horse and cart can draw — 

 which I should suppose to be fully 14 bushels. This 

 is the bulk of the loads of the heavier and poorer 

 manure from the streets of New York, which the 

 Long Island farmers pay 21 cents for, in the dock. 

 When the stable manure in Petersburg is bought 

 in the heap, it is often obtained much cheaper. — 

 But at 12| cents for 14 bushels of rich stable ma- 

 nure, every load used judiciously, must be attended 

 with a considerable clear gain ; and the farmer who 

 buys and uses the most, is giving better proof of 

 his economy, than (as is usually supposed) of his 

 amount of cash, or his spend-thrift farming. Mr. 

 Dunn seems to be profiting well by the low price 

 of manure — which price, however, is a sufficient 

 proof of the low state of agriculture in the neigh- 

 boring country. I think it is Marshall who ob- 

 serves that the price of manure is a correct stand- 

 ard to show the rate of advancement in agricultu- 

 ral improvement in any district. In the " Survey 

 of the Southern Counties" of England, by that 

 author, the price of manure used on the valley of 

 Farnham, was a guinea the load — probably large 

 wagon loads. 



But much the greater part of the manure used 

 at Oak-Hill, is made on the flirm : and for this pur- 

 pose, every thing that will serve for litter or ma- 

 nure, is carefully saved. Leaves raked in the 

 woods are used largely. A large body of straw, 

 which I saw, well secured for winter use, seemed 

 to give evidence of a large crop of wheat having 

 been made ; but I learned from Mr. D. that it was 

 all purchased and brought from a neighbor's farm, 

 at 4 1 371 the wagon load. The crop of wheat was 

 supposed, by its owner, to be equal to 1000 bushels 

 — and the whole of the straw sold in this manner, 

 brought him ^40. Mr. Dunn had made no wheat, 

 having no land last year enough improved and in 

 proper state to receive that crop. There will be 

 no such deficiency this fall. The field of corn, 

 (along the tunipike-rcad,) shows clearly the effi- 

 cacy of the ma-nure which it received, and gives 

 assurance that the crop of wheat which is to follow 

 will be a good one. 



The honied cattle as well as the horses and mules, 

 are sheltered from cold and bad weather, in excel- 

 lent houses, with close floors of plank for the 



