BAD FARMING. 
13 
and still the concourse poured on their way, 
and listened to the animated explanations which 
their inquiries drew forth. Often amidst the 
tall crops of wheat, their heads alone visible 
over the waving mass, were knots formed, and 
rapid discussions carried on, with reference to 
matters of practical detail. At one moment the 
virtues of box manure were discussed ; then the 
expediency of growing wheat oftener than by 
the present systems of cropping; then the mer¬ 
its of thin sowing; then the efficacy of thorough 
draining on stiff clay; then the proper method 
of securing deep disintegration, and a fine tilth. 
On all these topics, the changes of conversation 
rung; and, amidst them all, ran an under cur¬ 
rent of commentary and calculation on the 
amount of produce which each field would yield. 
It was confessed on all hands that the wheat 
crops were splendid ones. For the last six 
years, Mr. Mechi has grown wheat alternately 
with green crops every second year, and he 
expects, as the result of the present harvest, a 
return of five quarters to the acre. His show of 
beans, potatoes, clover, mangold wurtzel, and 
turnips was also very creditable to him. On 
the second-mentioned crop, he took occasion to 
point out its remunerative character, and the 
prejudices which existed against it, while, with 
reference to the last, he dilated, as the re¬ 
sult of his experience, on the virtues of super¬ 
phosphate as a manure. Mr. Mechi has a 
hearty contempt for the fallowing system which 
prevails so extensively in Essex, and especially 
in the district called the ‘ roothings.’ His idea 
is, that the land should be deeply stirred, kept 
thoroughly clean, and be maintained in constant 
and high cultivation.” 
There, now, this is exactly what we like; and 
when we get on our farm again, we intend to 
invite all our neighbors, far and near, to come 
and see us occasionally. We will give them a 
plain lunch of bread, beef, and cheese; and then 
we will walk out and show them our grass, grain 
and root crops ; our implements and method of 
using them; our flocks and herds; our orchards, 
graves, &c. Many are the good hints, in the 
way of improvement, that we should get from our 
visiters, we have no doubt; and perhaps some 
one among them would now and then pick up 
beneficial ideas from our management, or what 
we might have to show them. 
There is nothing like stirring the waters to 
keep them from getting stagnant; and there is 
nothing more pleasant nor improving, than for 
farmers, gardeners, clergymen, lawyers, doc¬ 
tors, mechanics, and country gentlemen, living 
on their fortunes, to meet together occasionally 
and look over each other’s doings, and have a 
good social chit chat about them. 
BAD FARMING. 
Sowing wheat upon land without plowing is 
considerably practised in various parts of the 
United States, particularly in the south; the 
seed being covered with a very light plow which 
merely scratches the surface. This is bad farm¬ 
ing. How can a crop be expected when thus 
put in ? It is contended by the advocates of 
this labor-saving crop-losing system, that land, 
which has borne a crop of corn and peas, and 
been fed off by stock, is always clean and fit to 
receive the seed. True, but being clean is not 
all that is required to make the young plant 
grow. Fresh, newly-pulverised soil is as essen¬ 
tial to give the seed life and power to vegetate, 
as it is necessary to pulverise the grain for the 
use of man, to enable him to obtain the full 
supply of nutriment from the life-giving sub¬ 
stance, when properly fitted by grinding and 
mastication to be taken into the human stom¬ 
ach. No matter how clean your ground may be, 
never sow the seed upon it, before it has been 
previously well prepared by the plow—the 
most important machine ever invented by man. 
Planting corn , before plowing the ground, is 
another instance of very bad farming. This is 
also much practised at the south. The land is 
listed; that is, marked off for the rows by turn¬ 
ing a couple of very light furrows together, 
leaving the centres to be broken out after the 
corn is planted. One half of the labor of tend¬ 
ing a crop, to say nothing of its increased quan¬ 
tity, might be saved, if the ground were well 
prepared before planting. The excuse for this 
slovenly plan is this : The planter says he can 
tend more acres than he can plow previous to 
planting, and it is important to get the seed in 
the ground and do the plowing afterwards. The 
plan may produce him more corn, but we doubt 
it. If the ground were well prepared before 
planting, it would require less labor afterwards, 
and undoubtedly produce more to the acre. 
These hints are not all intended for the south ; 
northern farmers are guilty of bad farming, 
also. We have seen many hundred acres of 
oats sown before plowing and then plowed in. 
A very common practice, is, to sow oats on corn 
stubble, first splitting the hills , by running a fur¬ 
row through them with a one-horse plow. In 
this case, one half the seed falls upon a surface 
as unfitted to promote vegetation as a brick 
pavement. In turning this over, many of the 
seeds are buried beneath the clods and lost for¬ 
ever. If you desire good crops, you must use 
