148 
me. robinson’s tour.—no. 17 . 
A horse that had a trick of pulling at his bri¬ 
dle and breaking it, was at last reduced to bet¬ 
ter habits, by tying him tightly to a stake driven 
on the bank of a deep stream. With his tail point¬ 
ing to the water, he commenced pulling at the 
halter, which suddenly parting, over the bank 
ne tumbled, and after a somerset or two, and 
floundering a while in the water, he was satis¬ 
fied to remain at his post in future, and break 
no more bridles. 
A ram has been cured of butting at everything 
and everybody, by placing an unresisting effigy 
in a similar position; when the sudden assault 
on a wintry day, resulted in tumbling his ram- 
ship into a cold bath, which his improved man¬ 
ners took good care to avoid in future. 
A sheep-killing dog has been made too much 
ashamed ever again to look a sheep in the face, 
by tying his hind legs to a stout ram, on the 
brow of a hill, while the flock were quietly 
feeding at the bottom. On being set free, 
and somewhat startled at setting out, in his haste 
to rejoin his friends, he tumbled and thumped 
master Tray so sadly over the stones and gul¬ 
lies, that he was quite satisfied to confine him¬ 
self £o cooked mutton thereafter. 
Man’s reason was given him to control “ the 
beasts of the field and the birds of the air,” by 
other means than brute force. If he will bring 
this into play, he will have no difficulty in meet¬ 
ing and overcoming every emergency of per¬ 
verse instinct or bad habit in the dumb things, 
by his superior cunning. 
MR. ROBINSON’S TOUR.—No. 17. 
North-Carolina Farming .—Having heretofore 
given some items of the products and expenses 
of cotton, sugar, rice, and wheat culture, I will 
now give, by way of comparison, the amount of 
expense and sales of a corn plantation on the 
Roanoke River. 
The tract contains 1,785 acres, valued at $13 
per acre. About 1,250 acres of it are open land; 
650 usually in corn, the remainder in grass, or 
“ resting.” It is composed of rich alluvial bot¬ 
toms, which are liable to overflow, and “ high 
land ridges,” that are comparatively poor. The 
corn is usually planted upon the richest land, 
1 foot by 5, and on the upland, 4 ft. 9 in. 
by 3 ft. 3 in., one or two stalks to the hill. The 
average yield, last year, 29 bushels to the acre. 
The land is deep plowed with two or three 
horses or mules, and almost exclusively worked 
with plows, particularly upon the upland, and 
at the last working, sowed with peas. These 
are fed off by cattle and hogs, of which more 
are kept than enough for plantation use, though 
the proprietor is of opinion that keeping cattle 
upon a grain farm, is poor business. His cattle 
only pay six per cent. Hogs should only be 
kept to just that extent required for home con¬ 
sumption and to eat the offal. Feeding corn, at 
50 cents a bushel, makes dear pork. Hogs are 
considerably fattened- upon peas and oats, the 
latter being sown in large quantities to furnish 
pasturage for hogs and horses. Corn is usually 
planted the last of March or first of April, 
and is ripe enough to commence gathering the 
second week in October. [?] 
The following tables of expenses and sales 
will be found interesting. It is to be presumed 
that a full supply of wool for clothing the ne¬ 
groes is grown upon the place, and that the pro¬ 
prietor never bought an article of provisions. 
The usual average number of hogs, about 200 
head, and cattle 100 head. Horses, mules, and 
colts, 30, sheep, 100. Stock winter in the corn 
fields. All the land, except some wet spots, is 
cultivated upon the “ level system.” That is, the 
ground is plowed as deep as it can be, and then 
furrowed with a two-horse plow and planted in 
the bottom of the furrow, and covered with 
plow or cultivator. Great benefit has been de¬ 
rived from ditching, draining, and deep plowing ; 
and that, the proprietor believes, will improve 
almost any land, and increase its productiveness 
as it will be seen has been done upon this. 
1844.- PLANTATION EXPENSES -25 FULL HANDS, 
19 PLOWS. 
Overseer’s wages, 
$160.00 
Hire of 8 hands, 
210.00 
Clothes and taxes for hired hands, 
50.00 
Bagging and rope, 
91.56 
Iron, salt, and plows, 
45.00 
Clothing bought, 
25.00 
Hats and blankets, 
36.00 
Taxes on negroes, 
50.00 
Physician’s bill, 
40.00 
$707.56 
80 acres of cotton made this year, yielded 
1,500 lbs. an acre of seed cotton. Interest on 
$31,500 capital, 6 per cent., $1,890. Amount of 
sales, $4,840.25, or a fraction less than 16 per 
cent, on capital. 
1845.—22 Hands— 14 Horses. 
Overseer’s wages, $200.00 
Hire of 4 hands, 158.00 
Nails, spades, shoes, &c., 13.00 
Salt, $12, taxes, $55, 67.00 
Physician’s bill, 45.00 
$483.00 
Capital same. Sales $4,138.78. Credit plan¬ 
tation for articles at selling prices. $298.34. 
Total, $4,437.12. Crop all corn, 540 acres, 
12,975 bushels, or 2,595 barrels, sold for $2.58 
a barrel, at home. Net to hand, $181.75, over 
15 per cent, on capital. 
1846.—24 Hands— -15 Horses. 
Overseer’s wages, 
$225.00 
Nails and salt, 
17.63 
Plows, scythes, &c., 
54.67 
Clothing and leather, 
20.52 
Hats and blankets, 
52.02 
Cotton cloth, plows, &c.,. 
53.25 
Cotton yarn, $13, taxes, $60, 
73.00 
Hire of one hand, 
50.00 
Physician’s bill, 
80.00 
$626.09 
Sales, $4,828.18. Corn at 
$3.64 a barrel 
