512 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nor. 



1 



would be expensive manuring. On Mr. P.'s farm 

 it probably costs not more than $15 or $20 per 

 acre. 



His opinion of guano, I understand to be, that 

 it is too volatile, animal and vegetable manures 

 from his stables and styes are carefully preserved 

 and judiciously applied. A common practice in 

 this State is, to continue the same crop so long as 

 it will pay. A piece of ground is cleared and 

 planted vrith tobacco, and yields a good crop. It 

 is repeated and the cropping process is carried on 

 as long as it will yield enough to pay the expenses 

 of cultivation. So of other crops. I know of fields 

 which have been in wheat the last two years, and 

 are now being sown to wheat again. This is a 

 very ruinous practice. 



Mr. Patterson does no such thing. A proper 

 rotation in crops he has made his study. His ob- 

 ject seems to be, not to extort from his soil the 

 greatest amount of products in a given time, but 

 to secure and maintain such a healthy and vigor- 

 ous condition of soil, as will return the greatest 

 profits for the labor bestowed. 



To efiect this, he keeps his land much of the 

 time in grass; when he takes up a plat of ground, 

 his object is first to improve this condition of the 

 land, and secondly, to secure a paying crop. In 

 this way, his soil is kept in good heart and his 

 crops are remunerative : or, if not, the loss is more 

 than made up by the enhanced value of the land. 



American farmers are greatly indebted to Mr. 

 Patterson for the efforts he has made to introduce 

 improved breeds of stock. 



Nothing is more common among farmers than 

 to cry out against "amature farmers," and "book 

 farmers," and say " 'tis nought, 'tis nought" — to 

 the results of scientific experiments. In this they 

 err egregiously, and do great injustice to those who 

 are laboring most assiduously, and sacrificing most 

 liberally for the promotion of their best interests. 



Without the aid of science, what would now be 

 the condition of agriculture 1 and without "book 

 farmers," whence would the light be obtained? 



Mr. P. gives preference to the Devonshire breed 

 of cattle, and breeds no other. I counted 2G cows 

 of that breed, all of them as near perfect as a 

 stock fancying artist would be likely to sketch in a 

 fancy picture. Color, deep red, not a white hair, 

 a mal-formed horn or any other blemish to be seen 

 upon either. A two year old bull, of the same 

 breed and color, was imported in June last, and 

 cost $700 in Baltimore. He imports a bull about 

 once in two years, and raises his own heifers. His 

 calves, such as are without blemish, he sells for 

 $100 each, when weaned. I was told they were 

 bespoken months, and sometimes years beforehand. 

 Besides this "blooded" stock, he has, what he 

 denominates his "stock" cattle. Of these, I saw 

 one hundred in one field. They were purchased 

 last autumn, and are designed for the market, 

 soon. They run out during the winter receiving 

 hay from the barns, enough to keep them in a 

 good condition, and then during the summer en- 

 joy such a chance at grass that they become good 

 beef. 



In the raising of stock and making of beef the 

 farmers of this region have great advantage over 

 t'lose of the north. The cost of wintering is but 

 very little. 



Sheep need but very little feeding during the 

 winter, and so of stock, cattle and colts. I deem 



it safe to assert that, the price and quality of land 

 being th^same, it costs not more than one half as 

 much to raise stock here ajad in Virginia as id 

 Vermont. 



Mr. Patterson gives preference to the Berkshire 

 pigs, and keeps no other. His hogs, as is the 

 custom in this region, run in the fields during the 

 summer and autumn. In his selection, he has 

 reference to the hams rather than to the middlings, 

 or sides. It is an interesting sight to see a " herd 

 of many swine feeding," and especially to see and 

 hear some two or three hundred black pigs "shuck- 

 ing " among the leaves in a forest. 



As to the products of the farm, I obtained the 

 following items : four hundred tons of hay ; one 

 thousand bushels of corn ; thirty-five hundred 

 bushels of wheat ; one hundred head of cattle fat- 

 tened. This is, of course, but a portion of the 

 products of the farm. A large number of hogs 

 are fattened ; much attention is paid also to horses 

 and sheep. 



Mr. P. has forty-one slaves, seventeen of whom 

 are laboring men, and this constitutes his efficient 

 force. He employs no overseer, but is himself 

 daily and almost constantly with his men. He is 

 represented as a very kind master, never over- 

 working his men, and making very ample provision 

 for their comfortable subsistence. Indeed, his 

 neighbors complain that, by his indulgence, he 

 spoils all the negroes in the neighborhood. Be- 

 sides victualing and clothing them, he distributes 

 money among them ; — after harvest $300, giving 

 to each laboring man $5, to the women and boys 

 less. At Christmas about half as much. 



I might write much more of this estate, — of the 

 two copper mines recently opened, one by a New 

 York Company, with a capital of $500,000, the 

 other by Marylanders, and which last is already 

 paying Mr. Patterson more than the income of 

 his whole farm had. After expressing the hope 

 that many may be found in emulation of Mr. 

 George Patterson, to expend money and apply the 

 principles of science in agricultural experiments 

 for the benefit of the great fiirming family, I will 

 stop my furrow. Yours, r. b. h. 



Baltimore, Aug. 13, 1853. 



THE SEASON. 



It is remarkable that throughout the New Eng- 

 land States there was no frost to injure even the 

 tender vines until the morning of the last day of 

 September. During that month an unusual amount 

 of rain fell, so that the springs and streams are 

 full. 



The late planted corn has come to perfection, 

 and the crop generally will be a fine one. 



The after crop of grass continues heavy and 

 luxuriant, and will have a commanding influence 

 on the price of hay. 



Potatoes continue to come out badly rotted, 

 but we think there will be no scarcity. T.ess of 

 them will be fed to cattle and swine, and better 

 care taken of those fit for the table. 



Apples will be high ; they are selling readily 

 now for three dollars a barrel. 



Cranberries are plenty and good, and bring 

 rewarding prices — $3 to $5 a barrel. 



