THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



41 



My mode of applying it to the respective 

 crops has been as follows: For turnips broad- 

 cast I sow the guano and cultivate it in with 

 what we call a "gang plough,"* to the depth 

 of about four inches; then sow the turnip seed 

 and harrow it in, completing the work by 

 rolling the land. On oats broadcast I apply 

 as above, except tfaat I sow the oats and cul- 

 tivate both oats atad guano in at one operation. 

 I have generally found from 100 to 150 lbs. 

 sufficient for oats or barley. When I drill in 

 any of the small cereals I sow the ground 

 broadcast with guano and cultivate it in, as 

 above; harrow the ground neatly, then drill 

 in the seed as the last operation. In applying 

 it to roots in drills I open the drills and make 

 a calculation how much to apply in each drill 

 to apply the desired quantity per acre; strew 

 it by hand as suently as practicable in the 

 open drills; then pass a cultivator, having but 

 two teeth in it, and a wheel in front to steady 

 it. The two teeth being made like little 

 ploughs, so set that they close in the soil on 

 both sides of the drill containing the guano; 

 which operation covers it effectually, but does 

 not mingle it with the soil sufficiently; and to 

 do this I pass a common one-horse hoe with 

 three teeth setting quite close to each other, 

 twice through each drill. This operation be- 

 ing completed, the land is left nearly level. 

 The next operation is to pass a light one- 

 horse plough drawn by two horses through 

 what were the ridges before the operation of 

 covering the guano was commenced, closing 

 up the ridges over the guanoed bed; after 

 which a light grader and clod crusher, drawn 

 by one horse, is passed over the land, the ani- 

 mal walking in the opened drill, and grading 

 down two drills on each side of the horse at 

 one operation. This last process either crushes 

 or deposits all the lumps, stones, sods, &c. into 

 the furrows between the ridges, leaving the 

 ridges smooth, level and of uniform height, 

 and in the best possible condition for the use 

 of the dill-barrow, with which we plant the 

 seeds of all our root crops, except carrots. 

 Since I have given such a detailed description 

 of my mode of applying guano in drills for 

 roots, I would say that I pursue the same 

 course when I apply fine stable manure or 

 compost with the guano. To potatoes I apply 

 the guano composli on the seed in the drills or 

 furrows; but I have had the best success 



* The gang plough that I use is marie by M'Kin- 

 ney of New Britton, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. 

 It costs twenty dollars, is drawn by two horses, it 

 tills a belt of four feet in width at one operation, 

 and the depth may be modified or changed from two 

 to five inches. 



t I use guano in no other form than as a compost, 

 prepared thus: screen the guano, crush the lumps 

 with flails on the barn floor, add to one bushel of 

 guano two bushels of fine charcoal, and one peck 

 fine gypsuta— thoroughly incorporate the three. — 

 The coal is obtained from locomotives burning wood, 

 and costs nothing but the. cartage. It completely 

 absorbs the ammonia, and renders pleasant to sow. 



when 1 have covered the seed (it being placed 

 on a subsoiled bed) with stable dung, (long,) 

 and strewed about 200 lbs. guano per acre on 

 the manure. I usually plant my potatoes 

 about four inches deep, as this depth will or- 

 dinarily secure those two great requisites for 

 success in the culture of this crop — humidity 

 and uniformity of temperature. This depth 

 will also perfectly prevent the escape and waste 

 of any portion of that most volatile constituent 

 of the guano, that in which its value as a fer- 

 tilizer mainly consists — or if not mainly, in a 

 great degree. 



Now, as to the mode by which I applied the 

 guano to the com crop, so indefinitely described 

 in the report of the "Farmers' Club," published 

 in the Germantown Telegraph, of which you 

 desire a more definite description, I would say- 

 that it was as follows: 



The land, a sandy loam, had been cropped 

 within the last five years, thus: an orchard 

 grass sward was turned under with about thirty 

 two-horse loads of stable manure (principally 

 from horned cattle) and one bushel gypsum 

 per acre in planting potatatoes in the spring 

 of 1848. The yield was 250 bushels per acre. 

 The land was sown with wheat (Mediterra- 

 nean) the following autumn. The yield of 

 wheat was 36 G-32 bushels per acre. The 

 stubble was turned under immediately after 

 harvest, subsequently 300 lbs. guano, and 10 

 bushels bone «!ust were cultivated in per acre, 

 and 1 lb. purple top turnip seed sown broad- 

 cast per acre, and narrowed in with 12 quarts 

 timothy seed per acre. The turnips, yielding 

 420 bushels peracre, were pulled in the autumn 

 of 1849, and the ground was found to be well 

 set with timothy. The timothy was mown for 

 two successive years, (1850 and 1851,) and no 

 fertilizer applied save one bushel gypsum per 

 acre. The yield of timothy hay was about \\ 

 tons per acre each year. During the autumn 

 of 1851 it was pastured after mowing, but very 

 little. In March (about the 25th) of 1852 I 

 sowed broadcast upon this lot about 150 lbs. 

 of guano (composted as above) per acre, and 

 allowed the grass to grow (which it did very 

 rapidly) until about the 15th of May, when 

 the ground was ploughed to the depth of eight 

 inches, following the surface, with the subsoil 

 plough, to the depth of six inches more. The 

 ground was rolled with a light roller imme- 

 diately after the ploughs— allowed to lie thus 

 until the 25th of May, when the entire surface 

 was gang-ploughed to the depth of three inches, 

 harrowed four times, furrowed out both ways 

 by a furrowing machine four feet each way, 

 five kernels of mixed gourdseed and large 

 yellow flint corn planted and covered with 

 hoes about two inches in depth. When the 

 corn was all up, I applied one bushel gypsum 

 per acre, and when the corn was from three 

 to five inches in height, I passed a light one- 

 horse plough through it, turning the furrows 

 about four inches in depth from the hills, fol- 

 lowing the plough and strewing 75 lbs. guano 

 per acre in the furrows, and following imme- 



