106 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



■whole field, for in many places the subsoil is sand, 

 then clay, varying from one to the other several 

 times in one or two hundred yards. The rest of 

 the subsoil is blue clay. 



Of the arable land there are in regular annual 

 tillage about one hundred acres. The remaining 

 seven acres are attached to the homestead and 

 three small tenements. 



The principal manure used is the best stable 

 manure, purchased in Baltimore and delivered here 

 at an expense of $1 12| per cart load of twenty 

 bushels. Night soil, guano, charcoal and marsh 

 muck have also been used, but only to a limited 

 extent. 



For 1853 the crops were peaches and green ve- 

 getables, viz. peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, Irish po- 

 tatoes, cymblines, snap beans and asparagus. 



Peaches — 5000 trees on 46 acres. This orchard 

 is generally ploughed twice a year, and this year 

 17 acres were sown in extra early garden peas, in 

 rows four feet apart, three rows of peas to each 

 space between the rows of trees. 



In addition to these 17 acres were 21 acres in 

 peas, sown in rows seven feet apart, one bushel of 

 seed to the acre. Time of planting from first of 

 January to first of March. Time of gathering 

 from first of May to first of June. Manures used 

 guano and stable manure. 



On 16 acres of the land sown in peas were cu- 

 cumbers also planted — the peas and cucumbers 

 being in alternate rows. The time for planting 

 this crop is generally the first of April, replanting 

 every ten days until the frosts are over. 400 loads 

 of stable manure were put in the drills opened for 

 this crop. 



On 4 acres of the land sown in peas were planted 

 cymblines, and on one acre, snap beans, in alternate 

 rows, as the cucumbers. Time and mode of plant- 

 ing the same as cucumbers. 



On 22 acres were tomatoes, in hills six feet by 

 four. The plants were raised in frames and under 

 glasses. The seed were sown in smaller frames 

 about the middle of January — transplanting to 

 larger frames about the 10th of March, and as soon 

 as the frosts are gone, from the larger frames to 

 the field, generally from the 15th of April to the 

 1st of May. For this crop there were two hundred 

 loads of stable manure used in the Mil. 



On 7 acres were Irish potatoes planted in rows 

 3| feet apart, forty bushels of seed to the lot. This 

 crop was manured in the drill — first six hundred 

 pounds of guano to the acre, in drills six inches 

 deep, which was covered three inches deep with 

 the soil. The pieces of potatoes were placed from 

 six to nine inches apart in the row, and well co- 

 vered with a compost of hog-pen manure and marsh 

 muck, about thirty loads to the acre ; then over 

 this compost was thrown the dirt with the plough.* 



All of these crops are worked with the plough, 

 cultivator and hoe, as corn and other crops planted 

 in rows — the only difference being in more frequent 

 cultivation. Regular force employed, eight men, 

 four black and four white. For gathering peas, 

 eighty women and children, day laborers. For 

 peaches, one hundred and thirteen women at fifty 

 cents per day and seventeen men at one dollar per 

 day. For other crops, from five to thirty, at thirty- 

 seven and a half cents per day. These hands all 



* There are four acres in asparagus. The roots are now 

 ten years old, and were planted in drills three feet apart, 

 and at the depth of one foot. This crop is worked with the 

 plough and cultivator. 



come from Portsmouth each morning and return 

 in the evening; they bring their meals with them. 



Estimate for 1853 of Capital vested in Sunnyside 

 Farm. 



Land, 107 acres arable, 42 wood and waste — total, 



,600 00 

 400 00 

 200 00 

 600 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 

 50 00 

 100 00 



149— cost 



Hot beds and sash, 



Repairs to farm buildings, 



One boat, - 



Six hundred boxes, 



Four horses, 



Two cows, - 



Carts and wagon, - 



Corn sheller, hommony mill and straw 



cutter, - - - - 25 00 



Ploughs, harrows, cultivators and har- 

 ness, - - - 75 00 



Hand utensils, hoes, spades and shovels, 



* forks, rakes, &c. - 50 00 



Twenty-five hogs, - 150 00 



Four hundred barrels, - - 50 00 



Cucumber and cymbline seed, - 100 00 



Total capital, - - - $10,400 00 



In the foregoing estimate each article is valued 

 at what it is supposed it Avould sell for — in some 

 instances not one-half of the original cost. 



Expenses of Cultivating, Gathering and 

 Crops for 1853. 



Day labor, - 



Regular force, hire and support, 

 800 loads stable manure, 

 6199 lbs. guano, 

 38 bushels seed peas, (English,) 

 40 bushels Irish potatoes, 



1 bushel snap beans, 

 1500 barrels, - 

 1000 yards cotton cloth for barrel coverSj 

 150 baskets lost during the season, - 

 105 fruit boxes lost during the season, 



2 kegs of nails, - 

 Farming utensils lost and worn out, 

 Blacksmith's and carpenter's bills, - 



Total, 



$922 49 

 1,149 00 

 900 00 

 139 48 

 228 00 

 28 00 

 6 00 

 270 00 

 57 50 

 43 40 

 84 00 

 11 00 

 25 00 

 41 00 



$3,904 87 



Amount of Sales for 1853 of Fruits and Vegetables 

 in the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York 

 markets. 



Net, after 

 deducting 

 freight and 

 commissions. 



Gross sales. 

 Asparagus, 25 boxes, con- 

 taining 762 bunches, $234 46 

 Peas, 742 barrels, 2,351 47 

 Beans and cymblines, 171 



barrels, - - 298 89 



Potatoes, 88 barrels, - 217 88 



Cucumbers, 643 barrels, - 2,365 80 



Tomatoes, 186 boxes, - 863 49 



Peaches, 1006 boxes, - 3,997 93 

 Hay, 6200 lbs. 

 Amount of sales in New 



York not yet received, 200 00 



Total, - - - $10,529 92 

 Expenses of cultivating, gathering and 

 shipping crops, - 



Net profits, 



$197 20 



1,924 14 



193 80 



178 66 



1,875 86 



694 59 



3,203 96 



77 50 



150 00 



$8,495 71 



3,904 87 



$4,590 84 



