THE CULTIVATOR. 
107 
1847 
The influences essential to the germination of seeds, 
are nearly the same as those which promote decomposi¬ 
tion. The seeds of some plants will remain inert, when 
buried deep in the soil, for an indefinite period, and on 
being brought near the surface, or within the influence 
of heat, air, and light, will germinate and produce per¬ 
fectly healthy plants. Instances of this kind are within 
the observation of every farmer. When a furrow-slice 
of seven or eight inches in thickness is turned over in a 
rich soil, (though that soil may not have been plowed 
for years before,) the newly exposed surface soon teems 
with a growth of plants, produced from seeds which 
could not vegetate under the deep covering where they 
had been placed. 
Now it,follows from our previous reasoning, that the 
circumstances which would prevent the germination of 
seeds would prevent or retard the action of manures. 
We conclude, therefore, that manure lying at the bot¬ 
tom of a furrow eight inches deep, would be of much 
less benefit to growing plants than if it was only from 
two to three inches below the surface. 
From the principles above laid down, the following 
rule is deduced in regard to the application of manures. 
That it is best to keep them near the surface, well 
mixed with earth, in which situation they are most 
readily brought into a soluble condition and rendered 
available to the support of plants—their valuable quali¬ 
ties being neither liable to be dissipated by the atmos¬ 
phere or washed too deeply into the soil. 
An exception to. this rule is made in regard to soils 
which it is wished to render more loose and friable by 
strawy manure or fibrous vegetable matter. 
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY OF EUROPE. 
RURAL NOTICES ABROAD— No. III.— By Caius. 
The Campagna about Rome. —All the implements 
which th efattore or farmer can use, ai'eof most homely 
and inefficient construction; the import duties being 
so enormous, that no improved machinery can be intro¬ 
duced except at a ruinous cost. The same suicidal 
policy has hitherto prevented the introduction of. new 
species of grain, or new methods of tillage. Another 
obstacle to the profitable cultivation of the Campagna, 
lies in the unhealthy state of its atmosphere during seve¬ 
ral of the months of summer and autumn. The grain, 
after being sown under the careless mode of culture of 
which I have spoken, has hardly begun to ripen over the 
plain, when the herdsmen are obliged to withdraw their 
cattle to the pasture lands upon the Sabine hills, and 
such few as linger latest upon the Campagna, pant and 
groan under the stifling atmosphere. Meantime the 
grain yellows under the hot sun; there are no wander¬ 
ing flocks to disturb it; not a stray beast can be seen 
over the rolling land. Even the couriers or post-riders, 
and fattore, looking after their crops, make haste to 
get over the ground of the malaria. In this season the 
corn is ripe, and must be cut. A few of the most 
wretched of the mountain peasantry are tempted by the 
offer of large prices, to come down to the harvesting. 
Under the influence of the heat and the foul air, they of 
course perform the work indifferent^, and little or no 
method can be observed. Many poor fellows fall vic¬ 
tims every year to the malaria of harvest time, and more 
still carry back with them to their mountain homes, 
frames irreparably enervated by the influence of a single 
summer’s campaign. The grain is often injured by wet, 
still oftener by neglect, and I have seen it lying upon the 
ground, as left by the reaper, a fortnight after the har¬ 
vest, the heads moulded, and the straw nearly rotten. 
After all, the grain pays its entrance duty, on passing 
through the gates of the city. After harvest the Cam¬ 
pagna is deserted; now and then a courier goes gallop¬ 
ing over the roads leading to the mountains, or a post- 
chaise or a diligence toils along in a cloud of dust, but 
the fields are desolate, and smoking with the heat, and 
the evaporation of the water in the ditches. It is 
thought. by many intelligent foreign observers, that a 
thorough system of drainage would both improve the 
fertility of the Campagna and lessen materially the ef¬ 
fects of the malaria. But the operations for such an 
end would require to be conducted on too gigantic and 
liberal a scale for the bigoted and resourceless papal 
government. 
In the nearer neighborhood of Rome, and of the towns 
upon the borders of the Campagna, the rotation is from 
grain to grasses—the field resting a year or two in grass 
only. Farther from the towns, grain is put in only 
twice in a period of ten years. 
Vast tracts of land, not only upon the Campagna, but 
upon the mountains, belong to the princely families of 
Rome,—embracing sometimes whole towns in their cir¬ 
cuit, the rental of whose houses goes to sustain the 
splendor of a princely life. The princes themselves 
know little and care little for the management of the 
lands which are subject to their control. They deal 
through their secretaries with th efattore; the fattore 
secures his commissions, and a good rental to the Prince, 
and he is satisfied. Perhaps the princely family leaves 
the city a day or two in autumn, to pass the time at 
some old villa upon their Sabine estates; in that event, 
they have troops of city friends, • and give grand din¬ 
ners, and wander to the sound of music and fountains, 
between rich linden hedges, and through clipped ave¬ 
nues,—but of their farm lands they never inquire. 
Prince Borghese has latterly given more attention to 
the cultivation of his estates—perhaps through the in¬ 
fluence of his wife, who is an English lady. Near his 
villa grounds by the city, he has introduced the cultiva¬ 
tion of the turnep, and upon his hill lands has en¬ 
couraged more thorough tillage, and a scientific rota 
tion. Prince Rospigliosi is still more zealous; his es¬ 
tates lying near Palestrina, are under the most orderly 
management of any that I observed within the Papal 
territory. The land was well plowed—improved im¬ 
plements having been introduced; the crops had been 
well attended—the hedges, where they existed, in ex¬ 
cellent order, and the ditching, where;* rendered neces¬ 
sary, well laid out. It was upon his estate that I ob¬ 
served the only true American stone wall which I re¬ 
member seeing in Italy. The Prince is much beloved 
by the peasantry, and by his superior culture is enabled 
to pay more generously than most other proprietors. 
Many laborers are furnished with a neat cottage, a bowl 
of soup, and a small bottle of wine per day, with from 
one to two pauls, as the season may demand. The 
workmen are contented at their labors, but do not seem 
efficient people. They may be seen by crowds every 
Sunday during the winter at Rome; they collect in their 
steeple-crowned hats in the old portions of the city, and 
after saying mass devoutly at some church of the neigh¬ 
borhood, make bargains with the fattore. who meet 
them on those occasions,‘for spring and summer ser¬ 
vice upon the hills. By three or four of the afternoon, 
