AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY , THE MOST USEFUL, AiKD EH2? .afOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. -Washinutob. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
VOL. XII.—NO. 26.] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1854. [NEW SERIES.—NO. 52. 
m*FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, fyc., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
FARM OF MR. JAMES BUCKALEW. 
MULES—SANDY SOIL OF NEW-JERSEY. 
We had the pleasure of looking over the farm 
premises of Mr. James Buckalew, at James- 
burg, N. J., last week; and finding many things 
to admire in his system, we will give some 
items that will be likely to interest our readers. 
Mr. B. began his business life some 25 or 30 
years ago, with no other means than a clear, 
practical head, and industrious habits. Being 
a native of the region of his operations and pre¬ 
sent residence, he was kept somewhat in check 
by the conservative (it is now the fashion to call 
it old fogy ) influence of a not over-zealous or 
enterprising neighborhood. But not having the 
fear of experiments so fully impressed on him 
as some others, he ventured to deviate some¬ 
what from the beaten path, and occasionally 
struck out a new way for himself. How well 
he has succeeded will be apparent when we 
state that he is the owner of between 3,000 and 
4,000 acres of farming and wood lands, worth 
from $15 to $100 per acre; and over400 mules, 
worth from $100 to $400 each, besides much 
other property. 
He began buying land when no inconsidera¬ 
ble portion of the southern part of Middlesex 
county was laying out in common, and then 
selling at from $3 to $20 per acre. His general 
system of managing it has been, after taking off 
the wood and timber, if it was fit to cut, (and 
which usually more than paid the original cost 
of the land,) he burnt over the surface, and put 
in a crop of rye, with clover and grass seed. 
The latter was sown according to the English 
principle— from the tail of a cart— that is, pro¬ 
fusely; his orts or uncleaned grass seed selected 
from his feeding troughs and mangers, affording 
him a large quantity. The next year he mowed 
a first crop of grass. The subsequent growth 
was turned under the following spring, and ma¬ 
nure applied and planted in corn. The fourth 
year followed with rye, clover and grass, and 
repeat as before. This was the course with 
light blowing land. We saw several fields of 
corn, one of which contained 100 acres, and 
would average during this very dry season, 
about 35 bushels per acre, and the stalks are 
fully worth the cost of cultivation. 
For land with a slight admixture, of clay, con¬ 
stituting a light loamy soil, called here, grass 
land , a somewhat different course is adopted. 
First year, corn with manure; second, oats and 
clover, and plow under the clover in the fall 
and sow with wheat; third year, wheat with 
clover and grass seed; fourth year, mow, and 
continued in meadow as long as grass remains 
good, then turn over the sod and repeat the 
course. 
Squankurn marl is an abundant product of 
the region a few miles south of JamesBurg, the 
application of which to farming lands has so ma¬ 
terially enhanced their products in this section 
of New-Jersey within the few past years. It is 
applied with the greatest advantage to this last 
mentioned soil. The railroad from its junction, 
with the Camden and Amboy at this point, now 
extends to Freehold, the shire town of Mon¬ 
mouth county; and it is the design of the stock¬ 
holders to continue it into the very heart of 
the marl region. This fertilizer can then be af¬ 
forded at a price (say six to ten cents per 
bushel, according to the distance of transporta¬ 
tion) which will render it of almost universal 
application in this section of the State. It now 
affords an extensive fertilizer for this neighbor¬ 
hood, and is applied at the rate of 50 to 100 
bushels per acre on medium soils, and 200 on 
the poorest, to be repeated in doses of 20 to 40 
bushels per acre in two to five years. This is 
suited to all crops, as it generally contains some 
carbonate and sulphate of lime, an appreciable 
quantity of phosphoric acid, and 4 to 14 per 
cent, of potash. 
The manures for blowing land, have been 
with Mr. B., lime applied on the surface and 
harrowed in, and subsequently stable manure 
thoroughly decomposed and applied in the same 
way—not plowed in. The coarse, rough, undi¬ 
gested manure he deems prejudicial when 
plowed into this light soil; and when applied as 
a top-dressing, it is beneficial as a mulch rather 
than as a fertilizer. By decomposing, the ma¬ 
nure is freed from three-fourths or seven eights 
of its bulk and weight, which is merely cai’bon 
and water, and which the action of the remain¬ 
ing manure, when kept on or near the surface, 
tends to bring again to the soil from the atmos¬ 
phere (the great and inexhaustible store-house of 
these materials) whither they had escaped. 
The system for reducing his manures, is rig¬ 
idly followed up by Mr. B. His yards are con¬ 
vex (rounded up) instead of concave, (hollowed 
out,) and the drainage is carefully conveyed to 
the adjoining meadows, or stored in excavated 
reservoirs, and mixed with various materials for 
manure. This gives him at all times, a dry, 
wholesome yard. The manure, whether drop¬ 
ped in the yard or stables, is thrown into one 
or more central heaps, with peat, the refuse of 
corn stalks, and other rough fodder, and is over¬ 
hauled two or three times to aid its decomposi¬ 
tion. When finally reduced, it is easily trans¬ 
ported and spread upon the land, where it acts 
upon the crops with something like the inten¬ 
sity of guano. 
This is the system by which Mr. B. has re¬ 
claimed thousands of acres of this worthless 
sand—so apparently worthless, as to forbid any 
but an experimenting man to have made an at¬ 
tempt at their reclamation. We saw a field of 
wood land , adjoining another of similar soil, now 
planted in corn, and producing, this peculiarly 
dry season, at least 25 bushels per acre — 
and such wood land we have not seen for many 
a day. It had been cut over twenty years ago, 
and nothing has been done with it since; yet 
the sum total of the wood would not exceed five 
cords per acre. Mr. B. has this season over 250 
acres of corn (besides 100 of rye) on similar 
land, averaging from 20 to 40 bushels per acre, 
and the stalks will pay all expenses of plowing, 
planting and cultivating. He has, also, over 150 
bushels of oats, and 100 of wheat, on his heavier 
lands. If the man is to be esteemed a public 
benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow 
where but one grew before, in what estimation 
should those be held, who fill barns and grana¬ 
ries where nothing grew but stunted pines and 
worthless shrubs ? 
To say that the stock of mules to be seen on 
the premises of Mr. B. have never been equalled 
by any similar number at the North, is very faint 
praise. They have never been approached in 
size or value at the North, and never surpassed, 
if they have been equalled by any one lot in the 
West. He has between 400 and 500, about 
half of which are employed during the open sea¬ 
son, in towing boats on the Raritan canal, and 
the remainder are working on his farms. Over 
100 are of extra size, 75 of which will average 
about 16 hands high, though only three years old. 
Several of them are about 17 hands, and one is 
18 hands high ! When fully mature, they will 
weigh from 1100 to 1350 pounds. This lot cost 
him over $200 each, delivered on his farm. 
Many pairs will readily command $600, and we 
have seen a smaller pair than some of his will 
make, sold for $1050. 
Here again we consider Mr. B. a public bene¬ 
factor. He has persistently advocated and in¬ 
troduced mules as a substitute for horses on the 
roads and canals, and for oxen on the farm; and 
his example has been followed by thousands. 
They have quite recently been extensively in¬ 
troduced upon our city railroads. By their 
substitution for horses, thousands of dollars are 
annually saved to the community in their supe¬ 
rior economy, hardiness and lastingness. We 
do not claim for Mr. B. that he invented mules, 
or that he was the first or sole agent in their 
introduction. He has simply imported large 
numbers from the West, for use and sale, while 
others have been indifferent to the subject; and 
he has shown by his own extensive and suc¬ 
cessful example, the great, economy and advan- 
