82 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
to occupy. They are covered with coarse kinds of grass, mostly 
of the cyperoidene family, which grow very thick and tall. They 
are in some places quite narrow, in others their breadth extends to 
several rods, and they are not unlike, in a superficial view, the 
moist margins of some of the rivulets in the level parts of the state 
of Nevv-York. They are here called sloughs, (our western people 
pronounce it as though it were spelled sleugh,) and are uniformly 
moist and miry, except in the severest droughts. Our soil is clay¬ 
ey, containing a very large proportion of vegetable matter, having 
an average depth say of eighteen inches,—its color is nearlv black. 
Bys- me it would perhaps be termed a vegetable mould, its earthy 
parts being aluminous. It rests upon a subsoil of clayey loam, of 
a yellowish color, or in other words a mixture of very fine clay and 
sand, colored probably by the presence of a very small portion of 
carbonate of iron. The difference between the elevations and the 
sloughs, consists principally in tiieir being drier, possessing a 
smaller portion of decomposed vegetable matter, and having less 
depth of soil—tlm sloughs often being two or three feet deep. 1 
am confident that by slight draining, perhaps by the aid of a single 
furrow, made mar the middle, to carry off the water which settles 
in the hollows between the bunches of roots, (or to use a rustic 
technical, as good perhaps as any,) tussucks, they might be ren¬ 
dered first rate meadow lands, provided we could once get the right 
kinds of grass started in them. In this region of country, which is 
below the rapids of the Illinois river, the upland prairies are on an 
elevation of from fifty to eighty feet above the beds of the large 
streams, which elevation terminates in most cases by an abrupt 
bluff, descending into the bottom lands. Such is the character of 
the Illinois prairies. Some of them are more undulating than oth¬ 
ers, and such are generally preferred by the settlers. Those which 
approach nearest to a level, are frequently interspersed with small 
shallow basins, separate from the sloughs just mentioned ; but as 
it respects herbage and soil, of a similar character. In short, our 
prairies preserve a great uniformity as to soil, and it, is not lacking 
in fertility. Tne main point, therefore, seems to prevent its dete¬ 
rioration by good husbandry. 
JOHN M. GAY. 
REMARKS OF THE CONDUCTOR. 
We are yet without much experience in the management oflive fences, and 
public opinion is altogether unsettled as to ihe plants most suitable for them in 
our climaie. Gen. Derby, of Salem, Mass, lias succeeded in growing a good 
hedge of the buck-thorn ; in Pennsylvania and Delaware there are good hedg¬ 
es of two species of naiive thorn, which Caleb Kirk denominates the cockspur 
and Virginia thorns, ihe first sometimes teimed the New-Castle, and the latter 
Washington thorn. Farther south, the red cedar is highly recommended as a 
proper plant, especially hy the late John Taylor; in the western part of this 
state, there is represented to be good hedges of English hawthorn, (Cratsegus 
oxyacamha) ; and we are experimenting with the honey locust and elm, and 
hope to succeed, though the result is yet problematical. In Flanders the beach 
is extensively employed We have in this vicinity several species of the Cra¬ 
taegus. w hit It seem better suited to our climate, and we think for hedges, than 
the species of the south ; indeed, vve should always advise the use of plants) 
that are indigenous, in preference to those w Inch are exotic. We have a tole-i 
Table good hedge made from these, the plants having been taken front the woods 
and pastures, and the species promiscuously mixed. It is clipped in June, 
and is annually improving. We are more in want of experience in managing 
hedges, and of patience in waiting their growth, than in suitable plants for 
them. Many persons object to the making a trial lor the reason that others 
offer for not planting fruit trees —they may not live to enjoy their benefit. We 
have no doubt the wild crab, and also the various species of our native thorn, 
will make good hedges, on soils congenial to their growth. We intend to give 
a cut ere long, to illustrate our method of training a honey locust hedge. We 
will also shortly give, in a tabular form, the results of Sinclair’s observations 
and experiments in relation to the most approved grasses. 
Our list of cultivated grasses is small. The clovers, lucern, timothy, herds- 
grass, orchard and tall oat, constitute the grass catalogue ol our most’respec- 
table seed shops. It is only hy trial that we can determine the relative value 
and fitness of these for different soils and climates ; and vve would rather 
inv te, on this head, the observations of experienced farmers, titan promul¬ 
gate our own crude notions. The clovers, timothy and herdsgrass seem 
in a manner indigenous in the eastern and northern states, and our opinion ol 
the orchard and tall oat, is greatly in their favor as pastures grasses. It is 
highly probable that there w ill be found in the w est indigenous grasses, which, 
under culture, will prove valuable to its husbandry. We have heretofore re¬ 
ceived the seeds of several wild grasses of the west, some of which are now 
growing with ns; but vve have as yet been unable to decide upon their value 
hete, much less for the rich and peculiar soil of Illinois. 
Vye design to continue onr illustrations of implements, &e. but prefer se¬ 
lecting those which are common property, which every man may make 01 
procure made. Cuts of patented machines, that are worthy of public patro¬ 
nage, will be cheerfully inserted, where the owner chooses to pay for the en¬ 
graving. 
CORN—APPLICATION OF LIME. 
Mannington, Salem Co. 6 mo. 17, 1835. 
Respected Friend—I did not intend thus long to have delayed 
acknowledging the receipt of thy acceptible letter, but in one way 
or other have been diverted from it. The corn reached me in due 
time, though a delay of some days must have attended it at the of¬ 
fice m New-York. The grain is not so large as the kind we plant, but 
it will no doubt weigh heavier to the bushel, and is the most on the 
flint of any 1 have ever seen. I planted it in some new ground about 
Ihe 25th of last mo.; it has been harrowed both ways and in a few 
days will be large enough to plough. Whether it will gradually 
or speedily assimilate with the corn of the neighborhood, I cannot 
tell, but knowing the tendency of every kind to mix when planted 
in rows contiguous, 1 reserved a small portion of it, and about ten 
days since, turned in some clover and planted it, where it will have 
no chance to do this. The ground was marked out 3 by 3, and I 
should think the soil in a good state for a crop. The fanners com¬ 
plain, many of them, of their corn not standing well ; many fields 
near me have been injured by the grub and wire worm, and the birds 
too came in for a share : having tarred mine well, and rolled in pla¬ 
ster. it has scarcely received any injury, and the process of thinning 
will have to commence shortly. My wheat, especially that part of 
it which was sown after corn, is very promising, though I fear it 
is too large, for the rains which will be likely to ensue between this 
and harvest. From experiments I have made, I am more and more 
inclined to change my mode of farming, and give up the oats crop 
entirely. I think it. an exhausting one to the soil, and from its ten¬ 
dency to lodge, where the season is favorable, is often a trouble¬ 
some one. About 80 loads of upland and meadow hay, the straw 
from about 30 acres of wheat and oats, and the fodder from about 
half that quantity of corn, are mainly my resources for manure. 
This I intend to put on the corn ground, with about 40 bushels of 
lime to the acre, and to proceed in this way till the farm lias had a 
coat of the latter. I feel however, at a loss to know how this 
should be applied, as a contrariety of views appear to be held out 
by different writers. From some of them you might infer that it 
made but little difference when lime was put on, so that you get it 
on tome time in the year, and that the efl'ect was complete when 
combined witli manure; from others, that it should always precede 
manure when breaking up old lays for cultivation, he .—that it is 
injurious, when mixed with any common dung, tending to render the 
extraction insoluble ; that when laid upon the land during the same 
season, the dung should beploughed down alone, and the lime after¬ 
wards harrowed in with the seed furrow. This lastseems to be the 
point, but “British Husbandry” is appended to it, and though ir de¬ 
tracts nothing from its met it, yet we are liable to be misled by foreign 
practices,which ore not always adapted to our climate. I should with 
to plough in my manure in the spring, and a short time before plant¬ 
ing, lime and harrow it in. provided it would be advisable to do so. 
One of my neighbors told me he thought he was 200 dollars out 
of pocket from having limed his wheat, ground last fall ; he put on 
about 60 bushels to the acre, and I think, shortly after, put on his 
manure and turned all down toget her, harrowing his wheat in. He 
probably put on too much lime, but from what I have observed, 
should think it best not to lime the wheat ground at all—-I mean 
just, before you sow. It would seem to be best to have the lime well 
incorporated with the soil by the tillage of a previous crop, and for 
this corn is well adapted. This plan I pursued a year ago, but did 
not manure the corn ground, but re-erved about half the usual 
quantity for the wheat, which was sown about the 22d of the 10th 
month, and is now equal perhaps to any in the county. I took the 
pen to sny how much I felt obliged for the corn ; this might have 
been done in a few words, and some apology is certainly due for 
thus encroaching on thy time ; I have done it from a desire to ob¬ 
tain in a future number of thy “ Cultivator” information on the sub¬ 
ject alluded to. I read what I can yet hold of on agricultural sub¬ 
jects, but books containing the desired information are not always 
to be found, and in the words of a great writer, “ to search is not 
always to find.” Very respectfully thv friend, 
WM. CARPENTER, Jr. 
Remarks. —We confess ourselves destitute of much practical knowledge in 
regard to die use of lime, and, as our correspondent observes, authorities are 
tou contradictory to tie fully relied on. Our limited experience has however 
taught, that it is worse than folly to apply it with barn-yard manures, either 
conjointly or separately, the same season. We gave a dressing of caustic lime 
