NEW ENOL.AND FAMMER. 



PuUishcd by Jons 15. Ri;ssi;i.l, at A*>. 52 JSTorHi Market Street, (over tlic .QgiicuUvrat fV^ircliouse). — Tiiomas G. Pp.ssenden, /irfjVor. 



VOL. VI. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1827. 



No. 8. 



AGRICULTURE^ 



llixlracts from Hiii'.s foi- American Ilusbaudmcu. publislic.l li^' 

 the I'unns^'lviinia Agricultural Soci<nv.] 



On subsUtutcs for Hay — Indiin corn sown broad- 

 cast on Falloie — its Jartnaaous product, and 

 value as long fodder. 



DY JOHN HARE I'OWEL, ESQ. 



rowctlon, Feb. I, IS^IT. 

 The ilrouglit of the last Sprinjj so much dimin- 

 ished tlio crops of hay, that various substitutes 

 were suggested for long fodder. A field was 

 ))loughed early iu June — part was manured with 

 ashes — part with rotten horse dung — part with 

 bones bioken and strewed, at the rate of 9.M) 

 bushels per acre — tlie ashes at the rate of 200 — 

 the horse dung in quantities equal to 350 bushels 

 iicr aero. 



Upon one acre of the field, three bushels of In- 

 dian corn, and a busliel of millet seeds, were sown 

 together — the land was heavily harrowed and roll- 

 ed. As tiie niillet seeds were bal, and the Indian 

 corn had been a Ion? tiii.o thrashed, twice the 

 quantity was sown, which it was supposed would 

 vegetate. The millet seeds principally failed — 

 Not more than a third of the corn appeared above 

 the ground. 



Upon adjoining portions of the field, ruta baga, 

 yellow Scotch, and flat red top turnip seeds were 

 sown with Bennett's trough, at the rate of five 

 jiounds per acre. 



The turnip seeds were lightly harrowed and 

 rolled — the portion.s of the field so occupied, were 

 in a stutc of high cultivation as a garden. When 

 the leaves were obout an inch and an half long, 

 all the turnips were harrowed with a light seed 

 harrow. For some time they tippeared feeble, but 

 ihey revived in forty-eight hours, and grew more 

 luxuriantly than I had hoped. 



I caused a line to be stretclied along the field, 

 by which a man was enabled to scuffle rapidly, a 

 space equal to twelve inches, as he advanced in a 

 straight direction. The line was removed until 

 rows 6 inches wide were made in succession, 

 throughout the field, leaving the plants as if they 

 had been rcguhirly drilled, tlius diminishing the 

 expense of hoeing, whicli by American labourers, 

 is little understood. 



It will be obviously remarked, they might have 

 been drilled by a regular machine. I had so often 

 been disappointed in growing turnips in drills, 

 from the failure of the plants, that I was deter- 

 mined to secure the crop if practicable at the ex- 

 pense of the larger quantity of seed. The plants 

 were subsequently thinned. 



The ruta baga yielded at the rate of about 400 

 bushels per acre — neither the yellow Scotch tur- 

 nips nor white turnips were worth gathering. — 

 The Indian corn, although intended to be taken 

 whilst green for long fodder, was allowed to be- 

 come mature, as it promised to produce much 

 grain. It was cut close to the ground, and bound 

 in the usual mode in small stacks. It yielded 

 thirty bushels of corn — a very large quantity of 

 long fodder, which was estimated at the time, and 

 has since, by the number of cattle which it ha.s 



half tons of hay. No labour was applied to the 

 Indian corn after it was rolled, until it was gntli- 

 crod. 



TliEsc experiments with luilian corn, Swedish 

 turnips, yellow Scotch and white turnips, have 

 confirmed the opinions I have held, that turnips 

 are not profitable in an Indian corn country, ex- 

 cept with particular objects — more especially, as 

 in this climate mangel wurtzel supply, at much 

 loss cost, the purposes which they are intended to 

 meet. I have the honor to bo, &c. 



.ToHN Hari; PoivtL. 



To the President of the Pcjiii.Agric. Socktij. 



On substitutes for Hay — Indian corn soicii broad- 

 cast on Rye stubble and sward — its product and 

 value. 



BY JOHN HARE POWEL, ESQ. 



Powelton, Feb. 1, 1827. 

 After a rye crop had been taken, the richest 

 part of the field was ploughed — yellow Scotch and 

 v.hite turnip seeds wore sown with Bennett's 

 trough, and were managed as before. 



One acre of the same field was at the same 

 time ploughed — four bushels of Indian corn were 

 sown and ploughed under, with a very shallow 

 furrow — an adjoining acre, which had not been 

 previously ploughed, was sown with the same 

 quantity of the same corn, which was in the same 

 manner ploughed under with the stubble — it was 

 all harrowed and rolled. The land had been lim- 

 ed five years since, and was in fine tilth. The 

 turnips failed entirely — the corn vegetated rcgu- 

 lariy-^covered the ground thickly, and put out 

 tassels when five feet high. It was mown when 

 in full blossom — treated exactly as hay ; but from 

 the succulence of the stalks, it required much 

 more time and attention, before it could be housed. 

 I found my cattle to-day contending for it ea- 

 gerly, when portions of it were thrown before 

 them in the midst of the most fragrant clover liay. 

 The quantity was estimated at two tons per acre. 

 Upon another field, wliich, after having been fif- 

 teen years in common, was manured with oyster 

 shell lime at the rate of an hundred bushels per 

 acre, I caused six bushels of corn to be sown 

 immediately after the sward and lime had been 

 reversed. The land was harrowed closely, and 

 heavily rolled — the crop was mown and managed 

 as that of the last field — its product was estimat- 

 ed at two tons and an half per acre. 



In another part of the same field, manure taken 

 fresh from the stable, was spread upon sward 

 which had been limed as in the first instance 

 About three bushels of Indian corn were sown on 

 the dung, and were ploughed under with the 

 sward, which was after harrowed and rolled. Few- 

 er seeds were used, as it was supposed the manure 

 would cause most of them to vegetate vigorously. 

 This piece of land, although much shaded by a 

 close row of trees on its southern boundary, pro- 

 duced more abundantly than the last. It was cut 

 and managed as before. I am inclined to believe 

 from the results of all these experiments, that four 

 bushels of corn in that state of soundness, in 

 which it is usually found afte: having been thrash- 



upported, been considered equal to two and anted some months, is the proper quantity, or that 



tliree busheld frgni selected ears, would be suffi- 

 cient. U must be observed, that tlie latter part n! 

 the sea.son was unusually favorable to the growth 

 of Indian corn. 



I have the Iionor to be, &,c. 



John Hare Pnwi;i. 

 To lite President of the Peiin. Agric. Soc. 



On Substitutes for Hay — Mllet, Us value as Ion}:- 

 fodder — its injurious ejfats when cut late. 

 BY JOHN HAKE POWEL, ESQ. 



PowclCon, Feb. I, 1327. 

 Notwithstanding the success in the experimenti- 

 with Indian corn, I should prefer millet as a sub 

 stitutc for hay, and I should have last year em 

 ployed it, if I could have procured seeds of goot 

 quality. 1 have obtained, in various seasons,tIirefc 

 tons of millet per acre — and in one, much more 

 than that quantity, so far as it'could be estimnlod 

 by weighing one load, and keeping an accurate 

 account of the restof equal size. 



I cultivated thirty acres of millet in 182.3, and I 

 should cultivate an equal quantity again, to supply 

 the deficiencies occasioned by the failure of the 

 young grass, of the preceding year. 



I am not disposed to consider it a substitute foi 

 Indian corn as a farinaceous crop, for obvious 

 reasons, wliich 1 have explained at length. Mr 

 Dupont, of Delaware, has cultivated it extensively, 

 and continues to entertain the highest opinion of 

 its value. I am not aware of any evil attending 

 its use a!3 fodder, except when it has been allow 

 od to become ripe ; some danger is then to be ap- 

 prehended to jieat cittle, from swallowing the 

 grain unbroken, which,' adhering closely to the 

 stomach, cannot be ejected for the purpose of ru- 

 mination — in one instance I have known it to 

 cause death. Similar effects are sometimes pro- 

 duced by feeding cattle upon Indian meal, with- 

 out mixture with cut hay or straw. The animal 

 having been tied in a stall, and tempted to con- 

 sume as much as possible — the system is made 

 sluggish by the want of exercise — the stomach 

 loaded with fat, becomes unable to perform its of- 

 fice — the indigestible meal coheres, causes some 

 times apoplexy, and always injury to the beast. 



Graziers, feeders, and dairy farmers, have vari- 

 ous appellations for the diseases, with which theit 

 animals are assailed ; and if the nostrums nnd 

 hard names which cattle doctors have given in 

 English books were to be regarded, the maladie."' 

 of neat cattle might be considered almo.it as nu- 

 merous as those of our own race — whereas in fact 

 they are very few, exhibiting in different stages 

 various symptoms, in most cases to be ascribei! 

 to sudden changes of temperature — to bad man 

 ayement — to external injuries and excess, or de 

 ficiency in the supply of food. Free circulatiou 

 of air — due proportions of succulent and dry food 

 — regular exercise, with protection merely from 

 tcet, are the best preventives — copious, bleeding — 

 large and repeated doses of Glauber salts in mo 

 lasses and warm water, followed by castor oil anil 

 sulphur, are generally the best remedies for dis- 

 ease. I have the honor to be, &.c. 



Ji.uN Hare Powel. 

 To tlie President of the Perm. Agric. Soc. 



