174 
MARYLAND FARMING. 
in number; seven, however, are an abundance. 
Having one bale out, is sufficient to show you. 
Now I am done, and right glad of it, as I fear 
your readers will be. I have been obliged to be 
particular, thinking unless the detail be so minute 
as to be comprehended by any one, it would not 
meet your wishes. I hope that my little labor will 
answer the ends for which you desired it. On 
some points I have not touched—the machinery 
and gin-stand; and I ought to have passed the 
pressing, as my press is far behind the present im¬ 
provements; but I hope yet to furnish you with 
all that, though I can not promise, for without en¬ 
gravings it is difficult to explain. 
M. W. Philips. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
MARYLAND FARMING. 
Davidsonville, Md., July 20 th, 1843. 
Hear Sir : The district in which I reside, is in 
Ann Arundel county, 33 miles south of Baltimore, 
and 10 west from Annapolis, between the Patuxent 
on the west, and the Chesapeake bay on the east. 
The good land commences at the head of South 
river, and runs south about 20 miles, with an 
average breadth of about 7 or 8 miles from the 
Patuxent to the bay. These lands were originally 
of great strength, producing every variety of timber 
of the largest growth. Many trees still remain of 
great size; oaks 6 to 8 feet in diameter, poplars 4 
to 5 feet, chesnuts the same, hickory, beech, elms, 
and maple, all grow luxuriantly, and in abundance. 
The surface of the land is gently waving, and 
all the hills are about the same level, which gives 
the surface in the distance the appearance of 
prairie-land. The soil is alluvial, composed of 
sand, clay, and vegetable mould. Green sand 
marl is found in many places, and is in different 
degrees interspersed with the soil. Forty to forty- 
five feet below the surface, a bed of shell-marl is 
always found about 15 feet thick, composed of 
every variety of shell, large and small. 
This beautiful country has been cultivated from 
the first days of the emigrants, to within 20 years 
ago, by tilling the same fields with the same prod¬ 
uce, or a simple alternation from wheat or other 
small grain, to tobacco or corn, without any effort 
to restore strength by manure or rest. Of course 
the land degenerated, and finally produced not 
more than 3 or 4 barrels (15 to 20 bushels), of 
corn, 5 or 6 bushels of wheat, and 5 or 6 hundred 
weight of tobacco to the acre. About 20 or 25 
years ago, a few intelligent gentlemen commenced 
the system of planting and clearing and an alter¬ 
nation of crops; and soon the earth began to give 
forth its fruits anew, producing 20, 25, or 30 bush¬ 
els of wheat, 8 to 10 barrels (40 to 50 bushels), 
of corn, and 1,000 to 1,200 lbs. of tobacco to the 
acre. Others soon followed the example, and now 
nearly the whole district is renovated, and fairly 
under this system. 
The plan is simply to take an old field exhaust¬ 
ed and overgrown with small pines, sassafras, 
chesnuts, &c., &c., grub clean, and put into corn. 
The yield, under the most favorable circumstances# 
will be about 20 bushels of corn the first year 
It is then put into small grain, and sown to clovei 
the following spring; at the same time, plaster to 
the amount of a bushel to an acre is applied later 
in the spring. This crop will not amount to more 
than 6 or 8 bushels of wheat, and if other grain, 
in proportion. The clover is not grazed this year, 
but carefully preserved. The following year the 
first crop of clover is cut for hay in June, the sec¬ 
ond crop is turned ingabout August, and seeded 
with wheat about the i5th or 20th of September. 
Sometimes the planter prefers reserving this fallow 
for his corn or tobacco; this depends on his land, 
his force, and perhaps on the prices of different 
produce. I should have stated that plaster again, 
to the amount of one bushel to the acre is put upon 
the clover early in the spring; in fact plaster is 
applied to everything, to the grain, to the young 
corn, and tobacco, in the hills soon after planting, 
and even to the fields that are uncultivated, when 
used for pasture. 
The crop, whatever it may be, will now show 
the effects of the clover and plaster. The wheat 
will be about 10 to 12 bushels to the acre, or 35 to 
40 bushels of corn, or 800 to 1,000 lbs. of tobacco. 
The next year this field goes into tobacco or corn, 
and then again into grain, then clover, and so on. 
The second process of clover will cause the land 
generally to produce about 20 or 25 bushels of 
wheat, or 10 barrels (50 bushels), of corn, or 1,000 
to 1,200 lbs. of tobacco, according as the one or 
the other may have been cultivated. 
Our farms are divided into 4 fields, for corn, 
small grain, tobacco, and clover. Our fences are 
not all permanent, so that the fields are enlarged 
or contracted at pleasure, according to the cultiva¬ 
tion. On a farm of 500 acres, the common size 
here, there would be about 150 acres in wood, 30 
to 50 acres in meadow, stable-yard, garden, and 
the grounds about the house; and 4 shifts of about 
70 acres each. On such an estate 20 hands could 
be employed; say six men, six women, four boys, 
and four girls. From this farm, 50 to 60 hogs¬ 
heads of tobacco, 1,000 to 1,200 bushels of 
wheat, and 500 barrels (2,500 bushels) of com, 
besides oats, clover, hay, timothy or rye, potatoes, 
&c., &c., can be, and is produced. It is found by 
those who commenced this system of improve¬ 
ment 20 or 25 years ago, that their lands are at 
a stand, and even that they produce less than the 
lands now going through this process of cultiva¬ 
tion. Such persons are consequently turning their 
attention to the use of lime, and in every instance 
where time has elapsed sufficient to test its effects, 
they have found the greatest advantage in it. 
This article has heretofore been too dear, but the 
present price will enable all to obtain it in the 
course of time. Eight cents a bushel for slacked 
lime is the price now, and it will be lower. 
Such is the productiveness of our soil, with the 
worst of all labor, that of slaves; and I have no 
doubt from what I have seen here on a small scale, 
that if our district were divided into farms of from 
100 to 150 acres, farmed by an industrious and in¬ 
telligent set of white men, that the land would 
produce double the present result. The black la- 
