FARMERS' REGISTER— FREDERICKSBURG AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS. 511 



best instrument of the kinrl, amon<:; a considerable 

 number, that I have ever tried; but a caution is 

 necessary in regard to tliis, the neo-Iect of wliich 

 has caused many other valuable iniplements to lall 

 into unmerited disrepute. I mean, — not to employ 

 it in work for whicli it never was designed. For 

 instance, it is utterly vain to expect that any cul- 

 tivator, yet known ainonf?; us, will kill grass, when, 

 (to use the language of an old overseer of the liy- 

 gone time,) " (7 gets no ill-natured as to knuckle 

 doion;" — a sight, by the way, which, I dare affirm, 

 the best farmers and planters among us have often 

 seen in their own cultivated fields. But in lands 

 which have been well ploughed, in the first place; 

 and where the grass is just beginning to appear 

 generally over the surface, this cultivator oi 

 Beache's will cultivate well the work of some- 

 what more than two single ploughs. 



Another proof that the spirit of agricultural im- 

 provement is now exerting a much greater influ- 

 ence among us than at any former time, is, that 

 even our miserable party newspapers, — which have 

 been for years past engaged in scarcely any thing 

 but destroying, so far as thi"y possibly could, the 

 peace, prosperity and happiness of our country — 

 will now often re})ublisli articles on husbandry. 

 Experiments and inquiries from agricultural news- 

 p:i})8rs not unfrequently present tiiemselves in the 

 columns of these profligate journals to relieve the 

 unutterable disgust which every honest and hono- 

 rable man feels at such a sha::;eless and pernicious 

 prostitution of the American press as is now the 

 prevalent practice, — nay I might say — the govern- 

 ing taste of the present times. 



That these experiments and inquiries will elicit 

 much valuable information, I have no doul't; for 

 the desire and willingness to imp;'.rt the species of 

 knowledge sought will probably — nay, certainly, 

 augment in proportion to the apparent anxiety 

 manifested in asking for it. Great care, however, 

 must be taken, lest the bad example set by the 

 political revilers, who are so constantly figuring 

 away in our party journals, should infect those who 

 engage in agricultural discussions. Some evidence 

 of this, I have regretted to perceive, has already 

 displayed itself in a few instances, among our ag- 

 ricultural papers ; although nothing ought to be 

 more manifest to all who write for them, than that 

 to abuseor totreat each other contemptuously, will 

 not only check, — but probably, altogether put an 

 end to original communications for these pajjcrs. 

 I will go no farther, lor proof of what! have said, 

 than to remind you of tiie apparently endless and 

 much vexed question relative to tiie origin of chess 

 or cheat, and of the angry style of some of the dis- 

 putants. For my own part, [ would just as soon 

 believe that a sparrow's egg could be so managed, 

 that it would hatch a rhinoceros, as to believe that 

 wheat could be converted into cheat; still I am 

 willing to hear patiently all that can be said in 

 favor of such transformation. But how very easy 

 it would be to convince all who really wish to be 

 convinced on this subject, if, instead of wrangling, 

 they would only take the troulde to make such an 

 experiment as the one lately stated in the Farmers' 

 Register. He who could still doubt, after witness- 

 ing such a result, would not be satisfied though one 

 rose from tiie dead to remove his scepticism. 



My reference to the Farmers' Register reminds 

 me of an article by M. Macaire, in theSth No. re- 

 lative to the rotation of crops, from the Avhimsical 



nature of the author's theory, which appears to 

 merit some comment. If the facts already known 

 be sufficiently numerous anil well authenticated, 

 (as 1 think they certainly are,) to establish the 

 necessity of a proper rotation, little benefit can 

 arise from speculation and conjecture, in regard to 

 the rationale of it. They may serve to aniuse, 

 but rarely instruct. Take, for example, the theo- 

 ry suggested by M. Macaire, and ascribed to JM. 

 de Candolle, to whom the scientific world is proba- 

 bly more indebted for his researches in vegetable 

 physiology, than to any other individual, and what 

 must be our conclusion.^ Why, that all plants, 

 while alive, void something resembling animal ex- 

 crement, which is unfit — not only for their own 

 nourishment — but for that of all other plants of si- 

 milar kind; and consequently, that no plantshould 

 be grown in the same ground, oftencr than once in 

 tv.o, three or four years, without the intervention 

 of different crops. Now in all this, there really 

 appears to me to be somewhat more of fancy than 

 of fact; for how, let me ask, does this accord with 

 what must have been noticed by every agricultu- 

 rist, who has followed his profession for any length 

 of time.'' For example, have not all luul frequent 

 occasion to remark, that many plants, such as the 

 onion, the sv.eet potatoe, the hemp, and I will ven- 

 ture to add, tlie Indian corn, — notwifiistanding 

 many believe the contrary — will grow for many 

 years in annual succession with very little, if 

 any, visible deterioration, — (some assert, none,) in 

 the soil where they are sown or jjlanled; and this 

 too, without manure, if the land be naturally fer- 

 tile, or first made so by any of the permanent im- 

 j)roversof the soil, — such as gypsum, lime, marJ, 

 salt, or ashes. This, I believe, is an undeniable 

 fact in regard to the enumerated plants ; to which 

 several others might be added, if necessary, that 

 do not appear to require a change of soil, provided 

 their own ofTal be j)loughed under. But it is a fact 

 not reconcilable to M. Alacaire'sborrov.ed theory, 

 laid down in the unqualified terms in which he has 

 expressed it ; unless indeed, (to keep up his own 

 figure, coarse as it is,) we can believe, that onions, 

 sweet potatoes, &c. are of so much more costive 

 habits than any other of their relations of the soil, 

 as to discharge flir less of this excrementitious 

 matter; or that the earth abounds much more with 

 their peculiar food, than with the food of those 

 plants whose habits are more laxative ; and conse- 

 quently will yield the costive habited plants with 

 unimpaired increase for a much longer term of 

 years. We might go on with such curious and 

 whimsical speculations ad infinitum ; but they 

 would add to nothin|^, except our power of fancy. 

 What practical agriculturists most want, and es- 

 pecially in regard to rotation of crops, — is, the 

 knowledge of numerous, well authenticated ex- 

 periments, with their results, in relation to the 

 culture of every kind of plant used among us, 

 as food either for man or beast, going to prove — 

 not only the best soil for each, — the best modes of 

 preparing and managing that soil, and the most 

 suitable manures with the methods of applica- 

 tion ; — but how often each kind of plant might be 

 cultivated in succession, without diminution of 

 product. 



Such experiments v>e should all endeavor to 

 make,^always however with a due regard to eco- 

 nomy of time and money. And we should ever be 

 both ready and willing to communicate them fully 



