64 ON RYE. 



A strip of land about twelve yards wide was ploughed very even-* 

 ly, to prevent deep gutters between the furrows, and the seed 

 immediately sown upon the furrow and harrowed in. Then 

 another strip of the same width, and so on until the whole was 

 finished. We found the oat stubble and charlick entirely rotted^ 

 and the land appeared as if it had been well manured, though 

 none had been applied to this part, since it had been in our 

 possession. The rye sprung very quick and vigorously, having 

 evidently derived great benefit from being sown and sprouted 

 before the moisture supplied by the decaying vegetable matter 

 in the soil had evaporated to any considerable extent. This 

 crop produced 133 bushels. 



In 1829, the charlick was suffered to grow on the land ap- 

 propriated to rye, until it had attained its growth and was in full 

 blossom. The land was then ploughed very carefully and the 

 charhck completely covered in. In a short time a second crop 

 appeared more vigorous than the first. This also was allowed to 

 attain its growth, and then ploughed in as before. A third crop 

 soon appeared, which of course was destroyed when the land 

 was again ploughed for sowing about the middle of Septemer. 

 This piece of land was a parallel strip running from the river, 

 and containing two acres. Two bushels of rye were sowed. The 

 crop presented a remarkably promising appearance, and yielded 

 seventy-four and a half bushels. 



In 1830, the land appropriated to rye included nearly all the 

 lighter part of the soil, and owing to a pressure of business was 

 not attended to as we could have wished. It was ploughed in the 

 early part of the summer. But harrowing to destroy the weeds 

 was substituted for the second ploughing. This, and the unusual 

 blight which affected all the grain in this part of the country, led 

 us to anticipate a small crop. It yielded however fifteen bushels 

 to the acre. 



The land on which the crop of rye was raised the present sea- 

 son, had for the three or four previous years been planted with 

 Indian corn. And owing to the extent of our tillage land, we 

 have not been able to apply more than four or five loads of ma- 

 nure to the acre this season. The charlick was suffered to attain 



