THE SOUTHS 



RN PLANTER. 



91 



simply this, that geese consume with complete 

 impunity, certain noxious weeds and grasses, 

 which taint more or less, according to their abun- 

 dance, the finest paddocks pastured by horses, 

 bullocks and sheep. Most farmers are aware of 

 this, and in many places where the beeves ap- 

 pear sickly, geese are let into the pastures, and 

 the soil where they tread is converted for the 

 time being into a sort of infirmary. — New Far- 

 mers 1 Journal. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 EXPERIMENTS IN CORN AND WHEAT. 



JWr. Editor, — As I have received both plea- 

 sure and profit from the perusal of your agricul- 

 tural journal, by way of making some little re- 

 turn for the same, 1 submit a few experiments 

 in corn and wheat, made during the last year. 



I was induced from various, results which ap- 

 peared in your paper, to try experiments in thick 

 planting of corn, and accordingly, had three lots 

 of land prepared. The first contained one and 

 a quarter acres ; the second, three acres ; the 

 third, one acre. The land was well fallowed 

 with a three-horse plough, harrowed, laid off 

 and bedded with a two-horse plough ; the beds 

 were then well harrowed and opened with a 

 scoop plough, to receive the seed. 



Lot, No. 1, was laid off, a portion at the dis- 

 tance of 2| feet, the balance 3 feet. The corn 

 was dropped at the distance of 6 inches apart, 

 by a measure made for the purpose, and covered 

 with hoes. When of sufficient size, it was 

 thinned and ploughed, leaving one stalk in the 

 hill, and a small portion of earth drawn around 

 the corn. It had no further ploughing ; for that 

 was impossible without great injury to the crop. 

 I gave it a broadcast weeding with hoes, which 

 was all that was done on that lot. It yielded 

 26| barrels of corn, or 132^ bushels. 



The other lots were managed in the same- 

 way, except that they received an additional 

 ploughing and hoeing. 



The three acre lot was planted 9 inches apart, 

 the distance between the rows being 3-| feet. — 

 It yielded 53 barrels. 



The third lot, one acre, was laid off 4 feet 

 between the rows, and the corn dropped 12' 

 inches apart. It yielded 12 barrels. 



It is proper to say, that this land was all of 

 the very best quality of James River lowgrounds, 

 of lower level than the main body of lowgrounds 

 adjoining; and the lot of one and a quarter 

 acres particularly adapted to the growth of corn, 

 being more mixed with river sand and other 

 light rich deposites. 



These crops were perfected without having 

 rain after the corn began to shoot. 



I will lake the liberty of mentioning the re- 

 sults of two corn crops of my neighbor, Mr. 



Lewis W. Cabell, for the years 1843 and 1844. 

 He adopts the thick system, and his preparation 

 is similar to mine. His crop in 1S43 averaged 

 12 barrels throughout; a portion of it being 

 made on high land. In 1844 it averaged be- 

 tween 16 and 17 barrels on a field of seventeen 

 acres. 



I consider it no longer a matter of experiment, 

 and the farmer who plants his rich land under 

 the old system, throws away half his labor and 

 more than half his profits. 



My experiment in the thick seeding of wheat, 

 gave me a very different result. I prepared se- 

 veral lots with great care, and sowed lJf, 2 and 

 3 bushels to the acre. The lot on which I 

 sowed 3 bushels, proved a total failure ; it soon 

 fell, and never recovered, owing to the weakness 

 of the straw ; and the crop rotted on the ground. 

 The lots of 1^ and 2 bushels to the acre brought 

 me a fine crop. I am perfectly satisfied two 

 bushels to the acre is enough for any land, and 

 have my doubts whether one and a half would 

 not be preferable. 



Very respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 



Mayo Cabell. 



Union Hill, March 15, 1845. 



N. B. — I planted the corn in the lots above 

 mentioned, between the 5th and 10th of April, 

 but should prefer planting the last week in 

 March, if the season suited. My experience is 

 greatly in favor of early planting ; and the only 

 sure preventive against rust in wheat, on the 

 river, is early seeding. M. C. 



From the Prairie Farmer. 

 ROADS. 



BY J. C. FITZ. 



Now suppose instead of the plank we substi- 

 tute earth, run a ditch on each side of the road, 

 after cutting off the timber or bushes, if any 

 there be to shade; make these ditches of suffi- 

 cient magnitude so that when the substance 

 taken out is applied to the road it will cause the 

 surface to be convex, and the more so the softer, 

 wetter, or lower the land is through which it 

 runs ; that is, a section of the road crosswise 

 should be a segment of a circle — the width and 

 convexity to be regulated by circumstances. — 

 One of the machines described in your paper 

 for ditching might be employed to advantage. 



When done, allow none but broad-rimmed 

 wheels, three inches wide at least for the lightest 

 pleasure wagon, and every thing else in propor- 

 tion. Under this treatment the road will imme- 

 diately become hard and smooth ; in fact, the 

 more it is used, with some few exceptions, the 

 better it will be. 1 have seen a cart, having 

 two wheels and loaded with more than a ton of 



