396 



FARMERS' REGISTER— LIME, MARL, &c— ENCLOSURES. 



bor,) a p;reater distance is allowed, and two stalks 

 are left in a station where tiie strength of the land 

 is sufficient to bear it. This you observe greatly di- 

 minishes the hoe work. We use seed without 

 stint, dropping from six to eight grains in a place 

 where one stalk is to be left, and from ten to twelve 

 where we design to have two. The object is to 

 insure an even crop. We use a variety of small 

 ploughs; but infinitely more depends on the exe- 

 cution of the work than on the kind of plough 

 used. There should always, however, be a due 

 relation between the size of the implements used 

 and the width of the rows, in order that the whole 

 work may be completed at a given number of 

 bouts, Avithout ploughing any part of the row 

 twice. We deem it all important to start the 

 small ploughs early (soon after the corn is well 

 up,) ploughing deep and close to the plants, and 

 endeavoring to get over the whole field once in 14 

 days, till harvest. During that busy season we keep 

 about half the usual number of ploughs at work. 

 Some of my neighbors have frequently hoed over 

 their entire crops before I begin to weed at all — an 

 operation that at that early period I verily believe 

 rather retards than forwards the grow th of the young 

 and tender plants ; nor am I singular in that opi- 

 nion. If I can barely get over with the hoes be- 

 fore harvest, and that rather imperfectly as most 

 farmers would pronounce, I am perfectly satisfied. 

 Immediately after harvest we keep all our ploughs 

 running for five or six days; and at the same 

 time, we weed out the most grassy spots with the 

 hoes. We then commence thrashing wheat, and 

 leave about half the ploughs to lay by the corn, 

 which they do by ploughing every other row to 

 diminish the risk of firing. When the field has 

 been gone over in this way, they return and finish 

 the rows that have been left. As soon as the crop 

 of wheat is thraslied, the hoe hands return to the 

 corn field and destroy the young grass ; this is 

 done to expedite the seeding of wheat. Under this 

 system, we are enabled to deliver most of our 

 wheat in July, when according to the old plan, we 

 hardly ever commenced thrashing till about the 1st 

 of August. The advantages of an early delivery 

 of wheat nmst be obvious to every farmer. The 

 quantity is greater, the quality improved, and the 

 price enhanced,aswell for these reasons, as because 

 the miller is anxious to get wheat in order to com- 

 mence grinding at that early season. In fine, I 

 will not say that quite as much corn can be made 

 in this way as with more hoe work, though I am 

 by no means convinced to the contrary; but I do 

 say, that the increase, if any, would not compen- 

 sate me for the extra labor at tliat busy season of 

 the year. 



WM. B. HARRISON 



The land was put in corn, succeeded by wheat, 

 and is now in clover. The two former crops were 

 equally and manifestly benefitted by the calcare- 

 ous matter, but the clover exhibits a much more 

 flourishing appearance on the marled part, although 

 it is very tine where the lime was applied. 



The land on which I tried the second experi- 

 ment is now in corn. The soil is light. The quan- 

 tities of lime and marl, and the previous improve- 

 ment the same as before. The corn on the marled 

 part is equally as good as where the lime was used, 

 and strikingly better than on the adjoining land 

 which had received the same dressing of putres- 

 cent manure. 



The marl used was brought by water 12 miles ; 

 and I applied only 140 bushels per acre, because 

 the cost of this quantity, and of 70 bushels of un- 

 slacked lime, was found to be nearly the same, and 

 from the tried efficacy of the lime, I well know, 

 that, if the effect proved to be equally great, I 

 could extend the use of it to great advantage. Con- 

 trary to my expectation, the results of the experi- 

 ments stated, fully establish the fact that the 140 

 bushels of marl are at least as efficacious as half 

 the quantity of lime. You ask how much the crop 

 was increased by the marl.' I regret that I did 

 not ascertain by measurement, and cannot there- 

 fore say precisely ; but it may be confidently af- 

 firmed, that the increase of the first crop of corn 

 and wheat wdl repay the whole cost of the marl- 

 ing, and the land will be left permanently im- 

 proved. 



I observe that one of your correspondents in the 

 middle country has made some inquiries of you in 

 regard to the value of burnt clay as a manure. I 

 have tried it, but cannot affirm that the clay used 

 was of the right sort. The effect on light land is 

 not perceptible ; on a cold tenacious soil the effect 

 is greater, hut not sufficiently great to justify the 

 continued use of it. I find my time much more 

 profitably employed in collecting leaves from the 

 woods, and converting them into manure. 



WM. B. HARRISON. 



For the Farmers' Register. 



COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF LIME AND MARL, 



BURNT CLAY. 



The two following experiments to test the com- 

 parative value of lime and marl, were made on ad- 

 joining pieces of land of the same original quality, 

 and previously manured from the same heap. The 

 soil on which the first experiment was made, was 

 a fine loam, rather stiff. I applied seventy bush- 

 els of unslacked lime per acre, and one hundred 

 and forty of the marl, or two measures for one. — 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 ON TIIE LAW OF ENCLOSURES. 



Respectfully addressed to the Members of the Ge- 

 neral jfssembly of Virginia. 



Justice and policy have concurred in fixing as a 

 general principle in the laws of civilized nations, 

 that every individual should be compelled to refrain 

 from trespassing injuriously on the property, or 

 otherwise doing wrong, either directly, or through 

 others under his control, to any other person under 

 the protection of the laios. In Virginia, however, 

 there is one most important exception to the gene- 

 ral adoption of this principle. The whole land of 

 our country is, in effect, deprived of this protec- 

 tion against trespassers and wrongdoers. Our law 

 does not forbid A to suffer his cattle to eat and de- 

 stroy the growing or ripe crops of B, but compels 

 B to secure his fields effectually against the en- 

 trance of the cattle, or otherwise maintains A as 

 innocent. In this case the rule just named is re- 

 versed, and so far as our fields and crops are in 

 question, the principle adopted is this — every indi- 

 vidual shall guard and protect his property from de- 

 predators, and every one is permitted to consume or 

 destroy all that may not be well guarded. 



