VOI>. XVXI. NO. :iT 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



291 



sists of 200 acres, and a pasture of 123 acres in a 

 neighboring town. Soil a gravelly loam — about 

 50 acres of interval overfloived in the spring by tlio 

 waters of the Housatonic river^ol acres under the 

 plough — spreads and ploughs in 20 loads of green 

 manure to the acre — ploughs greensward in the fall 

 — sows rye in the fall, or oats in the spring. The 

 second year, manures and plants with corn, pota- 

 toes, or turnips : and the third year sows with 

 spring grain, and stocks to grass. Many prefer 

 turning over sward land in the sprin<r, say from 

 the first to the middle of May, after the grass shall 

 have started a few inclies. The reasons are, that 

 generally a greater quantity ot vegetable matter is 

 turned under, the sod will turn over smoother in 

 tlie spring than in autumn, the grass is much lo^^s 

 likely to spring up between the furrow slices, which 

 materially injures the crop, and lastly the worms, 

 which commonly abound in grass ground, are less 

 likely to injure the crop. The reason must be ob- 

 vious to every farmer. Finding no green substance 

 in land turned over in the fall to. feed upon, they 

 invariably seize upon the growing crop. Where 

 the green sward has been thus turned over in the 

 spring, after the grass has started it is said, and is 

 within the experience of some of our members, — 

 that injury from the worm does not occur, but when 

 tliis is done in autumn it is rarely otherwise; 



The rotation adopted by Mr Goodrich we do not 

 entirely approve. Successful culture greatly de- 

 pends upon a correct and systemstic rotation of 

 crops. It will be found that a very considerable 

 saving of labor and manui-e, an. increase of crops, 

 and a continually improvirig soil are the certain 

 results. A repetition of similar crops upon the 

 same fields, together v/ith an injudicious use of the 

 plough, have reduced many a farmer's grounds to 

 barren wastes. One crop should never be followed 

 by another which requires the same elements of 

 matter for its nourishment. Two grain crops there- 

 fore should not succeed each other upon the same 

 field, without the interventioa of a root, or some 

 other crop, depending for its groivth upon different 

 nutritive properties of the soil. If we were to 

 take the liberty of suggesting to Mr Goodrich a 

 course of culture, it would be one in some meas- 

 ure difiering from that pursued by him. We should 

 recommend that he turn over his sward land in 

 the month of May, and instead of 20- loads of 

 green stable nianure, to spread on 20 loads of 

 compost to the acre, made by mixing his green 

 manure with double the quantity of h-is alluvial, 

 peat or swamp mud. A load of this compost well 

 rotted down, has been found, by repeated experi- 

 ment, when well mixed by the use of the harrow, 

 or cultivator, with the fresh earth which has been 

 turned up, to produce as great crops of grain or 

 roots, and as durable in its effects, as the same 

 quantity of green stable manure. If the first crop 

 should be corn, the second should be potatoes, or 

 roots, followed by wheat, or rye, with grass seed, 

 or with grass seed alone. If the first crop be roots, 

 the second should be wlieat, or rye, or corn follow- 

 ed in the fall or spring, with grass seed. During 

 all this the sod should not be disturbed, and no other 

 ploughing but the first turning over of the green 

 sward. The portion of the hard pan turned up 

 will in this way be kept on top, and enriched by 

 mixing with tlie compost, and by exposure to the 

 enriching properties of the atmosphere. It will be 

 perceived that, by this method, there will bo a great 

 saving of labor and manure, there ' being but one 

 ploughing, and one dressing of compost, for the 



! production of two crops, and laying the ground to 

 grass ; and in addition to these advantages, the soil 

 j will be deepened and enriched. Swan! land when 

 I turned over, should not be turned back by cross 

 i ploughing, until the vegetable matter wliich is turn- 

 ed under, .shall have entirely decomposed, nor until 

 the ci.nunencement of a second rotation. By cross 

 ploughing the portion of tVcsh earth which is brought 

 to the top, and which is so essential to the crop, es- 

 pecially to a wheat or rye crop, is turned back 

 to where it was brought from, and the vegetable 

 matter and light mould is brought again to the top, 

 to be wasted by the winds, or washed away by rains. 

 Deep ploughing is indispensable to good husbandry, 

 especially in the culture of a wheat crop. By a 

 chemical analysis it has been ascertained, that in a 

 tract of country resembling in all respects the 

 rough, hard soil of our o«rn state, the hard pan, or 

 subsoil, has-more of the elements of fertility than 

 the top soil, divested of its vegetable and animal 

 matter. It contains twice as much of the carbon- 

 ate of lime, and other fertilizing qualities, as are 

 found in the top soil. This oircumatance may ac- 

 count for the fact, that we have never known a crop 

 of wheat, either in Massachusetts or Maine to fail, 

 when the seed has been sown upon the inverted 

 sward, where the ploughing has been deep, either 

 as a first, or second crop in the rotation. 



Mr Goodrich sowed 6 acres of s<immer wheat, 

 two of which were upon land planted the year pre- 

 vious with Ruta Baga, and gave twenty bushels to 

 the acre. The other four acres were on land sowed 

 to Rye the previous year, and yielded but ten bush- 

 els to the acre. This speaks loudly in favor of ro- 

 tation. The great ditferenco in the two parts of 

 the field could not probably be caused so much by 

 the extra manuring on the part of the field sowed 

 with Ruta Baga, as by the change of crops, and the 

 circumstance, which was no doubt the fact, that the 

 ground appropriated to roots the year before, was 

 ploughed- much deeper than- the part sowed to rya 



Mr Goodrich's- crop of Ruta Baga was a fair 

 one. We regret that he- had not given us a few 

 more particulars relating to this crop, such as the 

 nature of the soil, the kind and quantity of manure 

 used, expense of cultivation,. &-c. Tho- value of 

 this root is but little known by the bulk of our 

 farmers, and its cultivation being but of recent date, 

 compared with most other crops, would seem to 

 render a greater particularity as to the- mode and 

 expense of culture^ the more necessary. On soils 

 which are suited to this crop, and there are very 

 few which are not, we are confident that no crop, 

 to a certain extent, will be found to yield so profit- 

 able returns for- the labor and manure expended. 

 When the abundant yield and- the various- uses, to 

 which Ru'.a Baga may be applied, are considered, 

 it is surprising that this article is not held in. high- 

 er estimation by our farmers. Oxen and cows may 

 be fatted on these alone, with a small alloivaiice of 

 hay — milch cows will double their quantityof milk, 

 when fed with a moderate portion of these roots — 

 young cattle will tlirive wlien kept upon the poor- 

 est hay if allowed a small quantity of them — 

 horses may be kept in good working condition by 

 giving them half the amount in value of these 

 roots, that would be required to keep them in the 

 same condition on grain — swine may be kept in a 

 healthy, growing state., when given to them cooked, 

 and for sheep, whether store, or fattening, they are 

 the very best food they can have. Add to all these, 

 they are an excellent vegetable for the table, and 

 may be kept almost the whole year round. The 



soil best adapted to this crop is no doubt a dee;^i 

 moist loam : and yet the greatest crop we have ever 

 seen, was produced upon rather a high sandy knoll. 

 The green sv/ard was turned over after taking off 

 a crop of hay, at the rate of 25 cart loads of 

 C(in)post to the acre spread upon the surface, and 

 the seed sowed up^n the inverted sod, which was 

 not disturbed in tho cultivation of the crop ; a quan- 

 tity of saltpetre was sowed on broad cast at the 

 rate of 100 lbs to the acre, just before planting, the 

 etfectof which was, not only to prevent injury from 

 worms, but greatly to promote the growth of the 

 roots. We reconunend to every fanner to have his 

 field of Ruta Baga ; no crop leaves the ground in 

 better condition for t!ie one that follows, and none 

 gives him a more profitable return. 



The quantity of grass seed sowed to the acre 

 by Mr Goodrich, we have no hesitation in saying 

 is much- too small — only 4 quarts of herd's grass 

 and 4 lbs of clover seed ! not a quarter part of 

 what it should be. Half a bushel or 3 pecks of 

 herd's grass, a bushel of red top, and 8 lbs of clo- 

 ver seed ta the acre we think little enough.. By a 

 liberal supply of grass seed, every inch of* the 

 ground is occupied, and the crop of hay not 'only 

 much heavier, but greatly improved in quality. 

 Farmers nrake a great mistake in supposing that 

 they injure the crop of hay by heavy seeding. 

 Thin seeding admits the growth of weeds. The 

 hay is coarse and strawy, and much less nutritious. 

 The increased value of the crop, by thick sowing, 

 will pay ten fold for the extra quantity of seed. 



With these e;;cepUons, we think highly of the 

 skill and enterprise exhibited by Mr Goodrich in 

 the management of his farm. Hi* fields, taken to- 

 gether, produce large crops, and indicate a high 

 state of culture. By a judicious application of la- 

 bor, united with a good share of agricultural skill, 

 he has enabled himself to present a striking in- 

 stance of profitable farming. The committee there- 

 fi)re recommend that a gratuity of one hundred and 

 twentyfive dollars be paid Mr Goodrich. 



The farm of Mr Caleb Wetherbee of Marl- 

 borough presents some strong claims to the favor- 

 able notice of your committee. His -farm when he 

 commenced operations upon it,, was very rough and 

 stony, having a naturally strong and productive 

 soil. By his own personal exertions, he has made 

 the rough places smooth, and has reclaimed large 

 tracts of swamp land to good Englrsh rneadow ;, and 

 is still zealously engaged ia the same praiseworthy 

 business, and adding much to the annual increase 

 of his farm. 



We cannot however pass over unnoticed what 

 we consider some striking defects in his mode of 

 culture. He breaks up his sward land in autumn, 

 the next spring plants with potatoes — if planted 

 with corn the worm.'} would destroy it — plants for 

 tiM) succeeding years with corn, and then sows 

 down to grass with grain; As a remedy for the 

 evil suffered from worms, we recommend turning 

 over his green sward in May, after the grass has 

 started — roll down, spread on compost, harrow well 

 in the same direction with the furrows, and plant 

 corn upon the inverted sod the first season. The 

 worm will find food enough without resorting to 

 the corn. Planting grain crops in succession is a 

 manifest violation of the rules of good husbandry. 

 Air W's crops of corn are pretty good, and we have 

 no doubt, that by a proper attention to a correct 

 system of rotation, putting on the same quantity of 

 manure he now applies, he may nearly double his 

 crops of grain, and save one half the labor now 



