690 



FARMERS' REGISTER— PINE LEAVES &c.— AGRICULTURE. 



as I can, and litter it almost exclusively with pine 

 lao;s — (you must allow me the use of this term) on 

 this, the cattle are kept until November; and tlic 

 manure made, is used as top-dressing for wheat. All 

 my efforts have been directed, for three years, to 

 the crops of Avheat and clover. I apply my ma- 

 nure to the surface, at the rate of a one-horse cart 

 load to seven yards square. You will see, that I 

 never use the litter, without first pcnnino- on it, nor 

 pen the cattle without the litter. I cannot illus- 

 trate my idea of the use of either of these means of 

 improving our land taken singly, more aptly, than 

 by supposing a j)erson to be so opposed to labor of 

 every kind, that he would stick pieces of raw cotton 

 over his body, and assert, " that cotton so used, 

 formed a most comfortable shirt." My land was laid 

 off in four fields, some years ago : but as I had it all 

 to clear, the fields were so small, (and indeed are 

 now,) as not to entitle them to that distinction ; 

 containing not more than thirty acres each. This 

 plan was adopted, that one of these little fields 

 might be fallowed for wheat; and it Avas thought, 

 that if the field to be fallowed could be manured, 

 good crops might be expected ; and that the land 

 would certainly improve. In the commencement, 

 I was so much afraid that the field for corn would 

 be reduced too much by that crop, to bring good 

 clover, that I applied the manure I then made to 

 that crop; and by that act of folly, lost half its val- 

 ue. 1 am now, as stated above, putting it on the 

 fiillow field, all of which, I do not expect to ma- 

 nure, as 1 have been able, hitherto, only to get 

 over about twenty acres a year. The last crop 

 of wheat was the oidy one from which I could 

 have formed a just estimate of my plan, (which is 

 the one lately recommended by Mr. Carter.) And 

 although it was destroyed by the unfiivorable sea- 

 son, and the fly, yet it proved to me, beyond a 

 doubt, that the quality of ray manure was good. 

 During the whole spring, the crop on the manured 

 land looked fifty per cent, better than it did on the 

 land adjoining; and at harvest, the difference was 

 as strongly marked. To facilitate the carriage of 

 the manure to each field, they were so arranged, 

 as to meet at the farm-yard ; by which means, its 

 contents would never be carried through one field 

 into another ; nor would it be carted a greater 

 distance one year than another. 



When I first resolved to improve my land from 

 the farm-yard, I began with the plan recommended 

 by Cobbett, in his work on gardening — which is, 

 to place layers of different manures, and loam, al- 

 ternately, on each other. In this way a mound is 

 raised which is to be covered entirely with loam, 

 -when it is finislied; and to remain with this cov- 

 ering unbroken, until a short time before it is to 

 be used. It is then dug down and mixed from top 

 to bottom ; and in a week or ten days after, is de- 

 lightful dressing for every |)laut on which I have 

 ever tried it. The labor of bringing the loam to- 

 gether, (after the corners of the fences near the 

 heaps had been exhausted,) induced me to use lit- 

 ter from the woods. In my situation, which is 

 peculiar, more manure can be made from the 

 woods, in the same time, than could be made on 

 his plan, and therefore I have abandoned it. It 

 might be practised with great profit on many 

 farms in this county ; on those, especially, on which 

 there is a scarcity of woodland; and this remnant 

 the owners are cutting down. The same hands 

 can manure double the land they can clear, even 



under bad management. I know this to be a fact 

 fi-om my own experience ; and I think I follow 

 the best rule that ever has been given on that sub- 

 ject, that is, to keep sharp grubbing hoes and 

 axes, lose not a mouient, and, when at work, tofoy 

 on with all your might. The small size of my 

 fields obliges me still to clear as much land every 

 year as I can ; though that is but little, for the 

 hands I work are not equal to four good negro 

 men. If the time occupied in clearing was taken 

 up exclusively in making manure, I am sure, I 

 would get over thirty acres with more ease than I 

 now do twenty. I have mentioned the size of my 

 fields, and the labor bestowed on them, for this 

 reason— that when a system of improvement is 

 recommended by a wealthy man, those whose 

 farms are small, and force weak, think they have 

 no part in the matter — and that he is able to do 

 this thing from his superior means. Now the peo- 

 ple \vho are most benefitted from such a plan as 

 Mr. Carter's, in proportion to means, are the 

 small farmers; a class of citizens so respectable, 

 that to be one of tbe.m, I have always been well 

 content to be a diminutive myself. 



My fields are well set in clover, and have been 

 sown as soon as each succeeding clearing had been 

 in cultivation sufficiently long to receive it, though 

 they have not received the full benefit of this 

 inestimable grass. The number of hogs sold in 

 Virginia from the Western States, induced me to 

 try and set my neighbors an example, that, if fol- 

 lowed, would at least exempt us from this tax. 

 With this view, I increased my stock of hogs; 

 and as I wanted to prove, that any quantity could 

 be raised without corn for six months in the year, 

 I was obliged to graze them on my clover, from 

 the 20th of May, until they came to the fattening 

 pen. They gleaned the wheat field after the crop 

 was taken off. The experiment succeeded admira- 

 bly. Mine is not what is called corn-land, but I 

 consider the product, one year with another, four 

 barrels to the acre. I am very much pleased with 

 the appearance of the growing crop of wheat; and 

 if every head of it is injured by an unfavorable 

 season, I should contiime my plan. It may not be 

 imj)ropcr to state, that I have no f(?ar of sorrel 

 from pine tags, when used as litter for stock. I 

 top-dressed a small piece of sorrel, (all I could 

 find) on land also well set in clover ; and the clo- 

 ver had nearly extirpated it, early in the summer. 

 By the way, as a word at parting, more Irish po- 

 tatoes (good food for man and beast,) can be raised 

 under a covering of pine tags, than I have ever seen 

 raised in any oilier way, and the quality better. 

 My cattle never run on my cultivated land, but 

 graze the deserted fields around me, which are 

 very extensive. In their office as scavengers con- 

 sists their principal value, though they furnish 

 an abundant supply of milk, butter, and beef, and 

 (as you may well suppose under this management,) 

 oi leather too. Very respectfully, 



JOHN P. BOLLING. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 ON THE NECESSITY, AND MEANS, FOR LEG- 

 ISLATIVE AID TO AGRICULTURE. 



I have been much gratified in reading the va- - J 

 rious pieces which have appeared in the Farmers' | 

 Register, calling on the Legislature to extend the 

 aid of government for the inijirovcment of agricul- 

 ture. But the gratification \vas caused, altogether, 



