THE CULTIVATOR 
166 
acres by this method, when his attention was directed to 
the spade culture of wheat, on learning that an experi¬ 
ment had been made at Fottingham, the result of which 
was beyond all example. From Mr. Falla’s statement 
of the expense of digging and sowing one acre of land 
broadcast with wheat, including the price of seed, it ap¬ 
pears that the cultivation by the spade cost live shillings 
sterling more than by the plow; but the comparative 
value of produce was so great as to leave no doubt of the 
vast superiority of the fal-nier method; for averaging the 
crops of two years raised by spade cultivation, they gave 
for each year, sixry^-eight bushels and a half per acre. 
The average produce of his n ighborhood, raised by the 
plow, being twenty-four bushels per acre. But, instead 
of taking that as a criterion by'' which to make a compa¬ 
rison, in the autumn of 1819, much pains were taken to 
ascertain the exact quantity of wheat contained on a field 
immediately aiijoining, and which was considered a re¬ 
markable cro{); by' which it was proved to be thirty- 
eight bushels per acre. This was on land of naturally' 
better quality, quite as highly manured, and worked in 
the usual manner by a two horse plow, the crop sown 
also broadcast. Slating the wheat at eight shillings per 
bushel, the then market jirice, the following was the re¬ 
sult : 
By the s;;ade, 68 | bushels per acre, at 8 s.. £,%! 8 0 
By the plow', 38 “ “ 8 s.. 15 4 0 
The difference,. =tl2 4 0 
Being the advantage gained by the extra expense of 
five shillings sterling.” 
It is added by way of lemark, “ It is well known that 
water enters so largely into the food of all plants, that if 
its gradual supply can be secured, the husbandman feels 
assured of a fair return for his labor; whatever mode 
of cultivati m, therefore, can best effect the object of 
drawing off’ from the seed or plant an excess of W'ater, and 
retaining the surface as a reservoir from which a gradual 
supply of moisture may be obtained as required, must 
possess decided atlvantages. It is also known, that to ob¬ 
tain the best crops, the soil ought to,cbe well broken and 
separated; and t'’e nearer it is brought to the state of 
garden mold, the m ire perfect the cultivation. And 
these facts no one will dispute, nor w'ill any deny, that 
the spade is better calculated to jirejiare a better recipi¬ 
ent than the plow, for an excess of water in rainy sea¬ 
sons, and to re'urn it to the seed or plant afterwards, in 
a manner more favorable to vegetation. The spade, 
wherever there is sufficient soil, oiiens it to a depth that 
allows the water to pass freely below the bed of the seed 
or plant, and to remain there until a long continuance of 
heat draws it forth again, to rejilenish the crop when it 
most requires to be gradually supplied with moisture; 
and the greater depth to which the soil is opened, the 
greater will be the advantages of this important opera¬ 
tion. But the action of the plow upon the soil is the re¬ 
verse of that of the spade, in the following imporlant jiar- 
ticulars. Instead of toosciihig the subsoil, it hardens it; 
the heavy, smooth surface of the plow, and the frequent 
trampling of the horse's feet, tend to form a substance on 
the subsoil well calculated to prevent tlie water from 
penetrating- below it; and in many' soils, after a few 
year’s plowing, it is there retained, to drown the seed or 
plant in rainy seasons, and to be speedily evaporated 
when it would be the most desirable to retain it; and 
thus the crop is injured and ofien destroyed in dry weath¬ 
er, for the want of that moisture, which under a different 
system, might have been retained in the subsoil—that 
system being culture by the spade,'’’ 
Now, although it is not jirobable that cultivation by 
the spade will be practiced in the United States for many 
years to come, yet, there is no question that the mode of 
its operation is incomparably' the best adapted to the rais¬ 
ing of large crojis. How all-important then is it, to se¬ 
lect those plows which are best suited to the purpose of 
pulverizing the soil to the depth it is turned, after the man - 
ner of the spade, without regard to the smooth and shi¬ 
ning surface displayed on the upturned furrow, or the 
clean and well pressed edge of its land side; qualities 
which are deprecated in the garden, w'here, itisacknow- 
ledged, is found the best system of culture. The subject 
is so important that I may turn to it again; in the mean¬ 
time, I subscribe myself your friend and constant reader, 
Springfield, N.J., Aug. 16, 1843. J. D. C. 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIE-^ FROM N. CAROLINA. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —With you, small grain 
and the grasses, with roots, appear to be the staples; 
with us, cotton an i Indian corn,—for a market, almost 
exclusively the former. Manures, as you are probably 
aware, have received very' little attention here. “No 
time” to raise manure. The grand object has been to 
clear, and hence to wear out, to abandon ; but to improve, 
appears never to have entered their system,. “ Book 
farming” and “ book farmers,” are speckled birds in our 
country, and for a man to adopt and persevere in any 
course of improvement, requires a moral firmness which 
few of us, possess". ”>Vhat may have increased the diffi¬ 
culty in reganl to improvement, is the want of many of 
the articles which are so conveniently' obtained by you. 
In the interior of North Carolina, we have neither lime, 
marl, plaster, bones, nor many of the numerous articles 
of compost in use M'ith y’ou. If we obtain them, it must 
be by purchase, and that with much expense and trouble, 
the cost of transportation often excceihng the prime cost. 
Your population is more dense, your towns and cities 
more numerous, j'our facilities greater; and hence you 
obtain all you want much cheaper anil easier. My land 
is somewhat rolling- and stoney, being near the com¬ 
mencement of the hill country. From the abundant and 
luxuriant growth of sorrel all over the cultivated part, I 
presume lime would be the grand dispossessor of this 
enemy of the farmer. But this article, selling in New- 
York from 80 to 100 cents, costs us at least $2,00 per 
bbl. exclusive of hauling 12 miles. Now, an interesting 
question arises. Can I use lime upon my soil to advan¬ 
tage and profit, at this great expense; especially as I ob¬ 
serve from the remarks of Dr. Dana, that a little lime, 
like a “ little learning, is a dangerous thing,” or in other 
words, that the quantity must be abundant to realize the 
benefits desired. What is the least possible quantity to 
be operative, and should it be sown broadcast and plowed 
in? I have had an idea of mixing equal quantities of 
lime and wheat, and sowing together. What think you 
of the plan? (a.) 
I have before my eye a field, a part of which I wish 
to devote to a vineyard. It is a little undulating; light 
sandy' soil; having clay foundation some two feet below 
the surface; open to the south and east, and protected on 
the north and west by a thick forest, and last, though not 
least, very poor! Now, Messrs. Editors, can I succeed 
here? “Not without manure,” say you. Very well: 
can I icith it? If so, what kind, how applied, and when? 
Farther, when is the most propitious time for setting the 
vines, and what are the proper distances? (b.) 
How will the same field answer for the apple and 
jieach tree, and what kind of manure is best, particularly 
for the latter? I am almost deterreil from attempting to 
rear the peach, from the numerous diseases to which 1 
jierceive it is subject. At what age should the jieach free 
be removed from the nursery to the orchard; and at what 
age of the apple tree is grafting to be performed? (c.) 
I notice the recent advice of an agricultural journal, to 
“ cut down, put into piles, andas soon as dry, have burnt,” 
all the weeds and briers with which the land is infested. 
Now I have just Deen pursuing a very different course 
from this, and am in doubt as to its propriety. I have a 
lot of ground which I have taken into my grove, and was 
formerly under cultivation. Upon it has sprung up a 
vast quantity of weeds and briers. These I have had 
pulled up, hauled to my stable yard, and while yet green, 
thrown into heaps as follows: 1st. A layer of wet wheat 
straw; on this 1 sprinkled a course of slaked lime; then 
a layer of clay, (designed for a sandy soil;) next a layer 
of weeds with lime sprinkled ihereon; then the clay, &c. 
until my heap was completed. Now, genilrnen, shall 1 
next spring have a pile of manure, or shall I have mil¬ 
lions of weed seed, to be scattered over my land? If the 
former, is my compost judicious, or could you have im¬ 
proved it? I have half a mile off, good swamj) mud, but 
‘‘ I hadn’t time” to get it up. Wilhal, 1 thought the 
clay would do well for the sandy soil. I recently made 
a large heap composed of scrapings of wood yard, pine 
leaves, litter from the stables, and lime, aUei-natel}' mix¬ 
ed, and think I shall realize from this pile a parcel of 
good manure. AVhen making this pile, a conversation 
oecurred between one of my servants anti myself, which 
permit me to detail. He was engaged in spreading lime, 
and with a thoughtful air he asked; “Master, what ilo 
lime cost, sir? ’ “ Two dollars per bbl.. Bob, besides 
the hauling.” He did not reply, but from his inquisitive 
anti s leptical look, I oiiined that he doubted—if not the 
utility, at least the profit of the application. “ Why Bob, 
do you think we never shall get repaid for our lime?” 
“I don't know sir, but it looks like as if it was all 
lost.” (d.) 
Now, gentlemen, do you (hink w Ih Bob, my lime 
will all be lost, or will its use here repay me at $ 2,00 per 
bbl., and hauling? (e.) 
What is your usual practice in regard to sowing oats, 
as to time? With us, it is universally done in the spring; 
but from the frequent failures owing to wetness, &c. of 
the weather, I have been disposed to try the sowing them 
in the fall. My neighbors say it won’t do, the winter 
will kill them, and I am almost afraid to try the experi¬ 
ment. If I am not mistaken, however, I think the north¬ 
ern practice is to sow in the fall, and if so, your winters, 
much more severe than ours, do not kill them, and I 
should suppose they would stand our climate. Please 
enlighten me. (/.) 
The beautiful grass plats and pleasure grounds of the 
north have frequently attracted my attention, and I should 
be pleased to know how their beauty and regularity are 
obtained. Are the grass seeds sown where designed to 
stand, or is it done by turfing? W’hen should the seeds 
be sown, what preparation is necessary, and what kind 
mos'ly used for this purpose? (g.) 
The idea which I have heretofore attached to the term 
“meadow,” is inseparable from that of low, swampy 
bottom lands, and this is the definition given it by Web¬ 
ster. Yet from the knowledge I have of the geography 
of the northern spates, I presume your ideas of the term 
are more enlarged, or at least your practical use of mea¬ 
dows are not confined to Ihe low lands. Am I right in 
supposing your high and rolling lands devoted to the 
grasses, or are they exclusively confined to the bottoms? 
Are such locations as I have described mine to be, un¬ 
dulating, gravelly, dry, adapted to the growth of grasses, 
and if so, what preparation is necessary to bring them 
info cultivation? (h.) Wm. H. Wills. 
Rocky mu, N. C., Aug. 30, 1843. 
(a.) Lime is undoubtedly one of the best applications 
on lands liisposed to a gi-owth of sorrel. The quantity 
used may be from 50 to 100 bushels per acre, and it will - 
generally well repay the expense. Has our correspon- i 
dent tried plaster on his land? We think it would act 
favorably. Sowing lime with wheat, is an excellent : 
practice. His letter found us engaged in brining and li¬ 
ming seed wheat for our fall sowing. The preparation 
acts favorably on the seed, aids germination, and pre¬ 
vents smut. 
(b.) We should think the vine would succeed well on 
the ground mentioned. Vegetable manure, such as de¬ 
composed leaves, weeds, &c. is the best manure for vines. 
As the vine is to be permanent in the soil, it matters lit¬ 
tle when the manure is applied, if only there. Thepru 
nings and leaves of the vine itself, furnish the best of 
dressings, if covered in the soil when first taken off. 
April or May, is the best time for planting the vine, or 
perhaps it might do earlier there. The distance will de¬ 
pend on the manner of training. If single and upright, 
as in most foreign vineyards, six feet apart will be suffi¬ 
cient; some )Hit them at four feet. 
(c.) The planting of apple and peach trees in the eanic 
field, shoulil be a\ oided if it can conveniently be done. 
From two to three years of age is ihe best time for re¬ 
moving the peach; and grafting may be performed on 
the apjile tree at any time after the fii-st year’s growth. 
(d.) Our correspondent’s treatment of his weeds and 
briers is an excellent one, provided the ferraenlation pro¬ 
duced in their decomposition is sufficiently active to de¬ 
stroy the seeds of tlio weeds, which it doubtless would 
be. Clay iiuUerized or made fine, is a good aiidilion to 
a C(nii|H)Sl heap iiilended for sandy soils. We have known 
the spieadmg of clay alone on such soils, produce an as- 
tonisiiing ettect as reiaining- the water necessary for ve¬ 
getation. The best compost is made of barn j-anl ma¬ 
nure and swamp muck, one part of the former to two of 
the latter. Swamp muck is a treasure to the farmer. 
(e.) Lime will not be lost ajiplied to sandy soils; but 
clay marl, or a inixtiire of clay and lime is belter. Has 
our corresjiondent ascertained that the clay iindei- 13 'ing 
his sand, does not contain lime? We think it prohab’e 
it docs, and that the means of improving his soil are 
nearer than lie siqiposes. 
(/.) Oats are never sown in the fall at the iiorlh. '1 be 
winter here would inevitably be fatal. Experiment would 
show him the result there. 
(g.) Grass jilats or pleasure grounds are formed here 
by sowing the seeds, although thej' may be made by tiirf- 
iiig. After the grass is once rooled, it is kept snioolh 
and even by frequent cutting. Tlie thicker the roots of 
grass, the finer and more even the turf. 
(//.) Fornierl}- tlie term “meadow,” was used as our 
correspoiident siip|>oses. Under the New Husbandr}-, or 
that based on a roiation of crops, every part of a fanii is 
in succession meadow or jilow land, and the best farms 
are those on which this S 3 'steni is most fully carried out. 
W e pasture, mow, raise corn, roots, or wheat, as the 
course may lie, suce ssi\ el 3 ', on the same ground, and 
when vi eil eonducled, without fear of exhaustion. Tl;e 
New Husbandry knows no ‘ old fields,’ "meadows,’ or 
‘swamps,’ as such; all are made to jiroduce ati 3 - crops it 
is desirable to put upon them. 
Messrs. G.ayloru & Tucker— Will you permit a re¬ 
cent subsci-iber to (rouble you with a few inipiiries on 
the subject of Muck, Compost, kc.l 
Being- “ seized and possessed,’’ (as the lawyers would 
say,) of two or three hundred acres of land in (he iinme- 
dialc vicinily of this place, and having- some little turn 
for agriculiural pursuits, I have lately been tliinking 
whether my little farm might not be turned to purposes 
of profit as well as amusement. To this end, I see that 
I must give all attention to the subject of manures. But 
how to make the greatest quantitv’ at the least trouble 
and expense, I would be glad (o know. 1 have been ti y- 
ing clover for two or three 3 'eai-s; but I fear that our 
southern suns will ei er jirei ent it from being such a fer¬ 
tilizer w\i(h us as it is with you. Last November, I 
made a compost heap of burnt clay, s'able maniire, -and 
leached ashes, and hauled it out in February and March, 
upon my meadow. The efi'ect has been such as to en¬ 
courage me in further attempts to add to my stock of 
manure. 
Having seen a good deal said in the late numbers of 
the Cultivalor, on the subject of muck or stramp niud, I 
liope you will excuse me, for inquiring farther about if. 
W’ilhin two hundred yards of 1113 ' field, there is a small 
pond -.vhich co\ ers about two acres in a rainy season, 
but is sometimes ih- 3 ' during our long summers. W’hen 
Ihe water firs( subsides Ihe bottom iiresciits the apjiear- 
auce of swamp rnud, of a rich dark color. Bat after being 
exposed to the sun a few days, it becomes somewha; asliy 
ill apiiearance, splits or cracks in v arious directions, and 
seems somewhat tenacious or tough. When thoroughly' 
dried, it resembles (hat well known domestic article, rot¬ 
ten stone. Now is this deposit what you call muck? And 
is it, ill your opinion, worlhy' of admission into my com- 
liost heap? A learned friend of mine, (but no practical 
farmer,) tells me it is worth “just nothing.” My next 
door neighbor, (a nice manager, but a young fanner,) 
hauled a good deal of it into his stable yard two or three 
winters ago, but found the large lumps so hard to be dis¬ 
solved that he got out of conceit of it. For my own 
part, I scarcely eier pass that pond, without thinking 
that there is a ti-easure at the bottom of it, if I only knew 
how to avail myself of it. AVill you be so good as to give 
me your opinion on the subject, and let me know what is 
the best mode of preparing it for tlie soil. In order to 
furnish yon with every facility' foi-answering my inqui- 
i-ie.s, I will s!ate that my land is of a light gravelly cha¬ 
racter, abounding with loose sfones, and having a foun¬ 
dation of red clay some six or twelve inches below the 
surface, (a.) 
Having despatched this matter, I now trouble y’ou with 
another query. In making a compost heap, supposing 
I 
