204 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JAWrARY 7, 1S134. 



THE SOUTHERN AGRICULTURIST. 



[John D. Legare. Esq the able and courteous editor 

 of the Southern Agriculturist, has disposed of that work 

 to Mr. A. E. Miller, who has printed it for several years 

 past, and will continue to publish it. In the December 

 number Mr. Legare has taken leave of his friends of the 

 forming interest in an excellent Farewell Address from 

 which we have taken the extracts following :] 



The. Subjcd of Rotation of Crops and Manures, 

 shcHihl command your serious attention. Without 

 referring to the mooted point of what is llie cause, , 

 or entering in tile least into the discussion, it is suf- 1 

 ficient for iis to know, that any vegetable grown 

 long on the same soil deteriorates, even when the 

 ground is annually manured, unless the manure 

 used possesses the peculiar nutriment fitted for it ; 

 • and so true is this admitted to be, that it is acted 

 on eveii l>y the market gardeners, near London, 

 where rents are (Miormous, and manures made free 

 use of. It is stated, moreover, on high authority, 

 that it is a practic(,- with them to lay down u part 

 of their grounds in grasses, finding that the rota- 

 tion of garden vegetables is not sufficient, and that 

 by pur.-uiug this course, their profits are increased. 

 If tlieu it be so necessary, where manures are 

 used to such an extent as would astonish us in 

 this country, how much more necessary must it 

 be where so little is used, and wljere the supply is 

 so limited ? Rotation of crops is in some measure 

 a substitute for manuring ; and it is well known, 

 that ;ifter plants of a certain class, have exhausted 

 the' soil of all nutriment which will support them, 

 other plants will grow most lu.\uriantly on it, and 

 be for some time very productive. These, in turn, 

 eihaust the soil of their jieculiar food, and have 

 to yield their places to others. And such is the 

 course pointed out by nature tliroughout the vege- 

 table world, whether it be in the forest or in prairie, 

 the cultivated or uncultivated land. 



But a rotation of crops can seldom, if ever, be 

 substituted for manuring, and should never be con- 

 sidered in that light, for although each plant may 

 have a certain specific food, without wliich it can- 

 not thrive, and which it may obtain by a change of 

 soil, and which is not necessary for the healthy 

 growth of other plants, which are to succeed, yet 

 there an; certain elementary constituents necessary 

 for all plants, and wliirh are required by all and 

 consumed by all, and which can only be supplied 

 by the annual decay of the vegetables which grow 

 on the soil, or by manures. Where the operation 

 is left to nature, the first takes place, but when 

 man interferes the second must be resorted to. 

 The object, however, of manuring should not be 

 merely to keep the soil at its jM-istine fertility, but 

 to improve and make it more productive. To et- 

 fect this, care should be taken that a greater quan- 

 tity is added to a field than is taken from it. Nor 

 shoidd it be a matter of indifttirence what manure 

 is carried into particular fields, for while some ma- 

 nures would be exceedingly beneficial in one field, 

 they might be inoperative or the very rever.se in 

 another. Nor is it always necessary that the ma- 

 nure should contain c-iilier vegetable or animal 

 sid)stances. To a still" clay soil, the addition of 

 pure sanil very often proves highly beneficial, and 

 clay is the proper corrective of a light soil. Wood 

 ashes, lime and marl, are most excellent manures 

 wheu juoperly applied, liut of all manures, that 

 which is obtained from the stable and farm-yard, 

 is the most beneficial, and consequently most to 

 be prized. The greatest attention, therefore, should 

 be paid to the collectiug and augmenting of it. 



We need not here enter more fully into this 

 branch of. our subject. Our readers need only to 

 refer to the back volumes of this journal for all in- 

 formation necessary. The subject is undergoing 

 investigation daily, and as these investigations shall 

 bring to light new discoveries, they will be given 

 in the succeeding numbers of this work. 



The next subject we call your attention to, is 

 the care of your Live Stock. It is all-important to 

 a i)lanter, that he should have an am|)le supp'.v "^ 

 i manure : — with it he goes on to realize a iorluue, 

 uiul without it, he will at best remain stationary. 

 How many planters have been ruined, and how 

 many are there, who scarce make their income 

 and expenditures njeet: In many cases this is 

 more owing to a neglect of collecting and apply- 

 ing manures, than any other cause. Content with 

 what the natural fertility of the soil yiiilds, the 

 productions of their fields become less in each 

 succeeding year, and instead of supplying the 

 waste which lakes place, by the application of ma- 

 nures, they, in many eases, emigrate to the " far 

 West," leaving all the comforts of civilization, and 

 tearing asimder all the tender ties of early life. 

 Others are content to drag on thus, provided they 

 can hilt live ; when it would require but little ex- 

 ertion on their jiart, to [dace them in comfortable, 

 if not affluent circumstances. 



A proper attention to the stock of the planta- 

 tion, (for all have more or less) would go far to 

 relieve the embarrassments of the planter, in this 

 respect. Let his horses and cattle, his sheep and 

 hogs, be properly attended to ; let ihem be taken 

 care of, during winter, and have their pens well 

 littered, and he will be amply repaid by the quan- 

 tity of manure he will have in the spring, to eli- 

 ri¥Ii those spots which are poorest. But even 

 apart from the additional manure which would be 

 made by proper attention, the many comforts yield- 

 ed by a well kept stock of cattle, sheep and hogs, 

 are suflicient inducements of themselves, to cause 

 us to pay more attention to them than we do. In- 

 stead, therefore, of permitting them to roam at 

 large during the winter, and losing a large num- 

 ber annually in the bogs of the swamps, let them 

 be housed, fed, and well littered. Let no one say 

 that this cannot be done, or only accomplished on 

 a small scale. The success which has attended 

 Dr. H. Ravenel, refutes this opinion. His stock is 

 large, they are all housed and fed during the win- 

 ter, and this is done by him on three separate 

 plantations, on each of which the number of cattle, 

 sheep and hogs, are considerable : nor does Dr. 

 Ravenel possess any facility for feeding them, not 

 wiihin the reach of all planters ; but he is provi- 

 dent, and his cattle fare well. 



Another point to which we would call your at- 

 tention, is the want of system on most of our plan- 

 tations. It is but too common for all the opera- 

 tions of the plantation to be jierformed, as it were 

 on the spur of the moment, and not with that 

 order and regularity which should always govern. 

 Were our plantations under a more systematic 

 arrangement, the laborers divided and properly 

 apportioned to the various works suited to their 

 strength or ability : the crops properly equalized 

 us to quantity, so that neither may predominate to 

 the injury of the rest ; a strict accountability en- 

 forced, both from the overseer or manager, and 

 from each driver or head of a gang ; our planters 

 would have far less trouble in the management of 

 their plantations, and their profits, without doubt, 

 be much increased. In order to facilitate these 



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ i 



operations, .is well as for reference, regular books 

 should be kept, in which all the transactions oi 

 the plantation should be entered. As an example 

 of what can be accomplished, we refer our reader! 

 to the account of" Hopeton," (the residence of J 

 Hamilton Couper, Esq.) given by us in the 6th vol- 

 ume of this journal. This place is well worthy ol 

 the attention of all our planters, more especially 

 the young. It is certainly one of the best con 

 ducted plantations in the Southern states, and wi 

 have, as yet, met with none as well managed, ei 

 iher here or at the North. 



From the Vergennes Gazftte. 

 POTATOES. 

 The following is the result of some experiment 

 I made during the present season in growing Pa 

 tatoes. 



Presuming the produce would he such as t 

 |)artake too much of the marvellous for gener: 

 belief, and some small risks having been taken o 

 the result ; to place it beyond the reach of doul 

 or contradiction, it was agreed to appoint Sarnm 

 Willson, Esq. one of the Common Council of tl 

 city, and Mr. R. Stowell, measurer, to superinten 

 personally the measuring of the ground, the dij 

 ging of the potatoes and the measuring of them i 

 the most liberal manner, giving 38 quarts to tl 

 bushel. The following was the result of the di 

 ferent pieces': 



No. 1, at the rate of 1361 bush. 8 quarts. 



No. 2, do. do. 3410 do. 



No. 3, do. do. 2041 do. 28 do. 



No. 4, do. do. 1654 do. 16 do. 



No. 5, do. do. 2253 do. 3 do. pr aci 



Average of the whole number of pieces, 18- 

 bushels ."i, 133-161 quarts to the acre. The ca. 

 ing was performed by Benj. B. Allen, A. M. 'ai 

 Mr. Sidney Duntpn, Mathematicians, 



This may certify that the above is a correct i 

 timate of the rate per acre of which the seve 

 lots of A. W. Barnum, (above described by th^ 

 respective numbers) produced. 



Benj. B. Allei 

 Vergennes, Nov. 23, 1834. 

 Owing to the early drought, my first plantii 

 (late in April) proved a failure, producing less tl 

 half a crop. In digging some early in July, 

 family use, 1 found they had not only ripened p 

 maturely, but had put forth shoots, a sect 

 growth. In August I discovered upon th 

 sprouts (which had then risen to the heigh 

 from 6 to 8 inches above the surface, assum 

 the top and appearance of a regular planted 

 tato,) small ])Otatoes from the size of a pea to I 

 of an ounce ball. I regret exceedingly I had 

 permitted a drill to have remained until the ut 

 time of gathering in the fall ; the experiment mi 

 have aflbrded some valuable information on 

 subject of growing this most useful of vegetabl 

 From the frequent experiments I have mad 

 fully believe that 1000 bushels of potatoes ma; 

 raised upon one square acre of laud with less I 

 half the expense it usually costs on four acre 

 the common manner of cultivating them. I vv( 

 most cheerfully communicate the manner I I 

 adopted, in planting, hoeing, &c., the result o 

 years' experience, aided by the valuable iufor 

 tion received from others, but presume, like n 

 useful hints daily published in our public jouri 

 it would be reluctantly read, and readily disreg 

 ed and forgotten. A. W. BARKUi 



Vergennes, Dec. 24th, 1834. 





