204 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
July. 
the tl Country Gentleman.” A Subscriber. 
New-Fairfield, Conn. 
In reclaiming a peat swamp, and bringing it in¬ 
to profitable cultivation, the first and chief requi¬ 
site is to have it well drained—or at least so as to 
reduce the water eighteen inches or two feet below 
the surface of the muck. If the water flows 
down from the surrounding upland, an open ditch 
will cut otf such a#runs over the surface, or an 
underdrain will intercept that which runs only a 
foot or two beneath, on the surface of a harder 
subsoil. But if the subsoil be gravel or loose 
sand, allowing the underground streams to run at 
all depths, and in various directions, the side-hill 
drain will be of but little use, and the water must 
be wholly drawn from the swamp itself. 
After the swamp is drained, pare and burn the 
sods at such a time that the peat below will not 
take fire—spread the ashes—if practicable, put on 
a good dressing of compost, having at least one- 
half loam, and sow with red-top and clover—tim¬ 
othy or herds grass will do, if the other cannot 
be obtained. The peat ashes will answer an ex¬ 
cellent purpose in improving the soil, but should 
the paring be deemed too expensive, let the whole 
at a dry time, be thoroughly harrowed, and then 
cart on two or three inches of loam, and sow the 
grass seed. The peat will grow good corn and 
broom-corn, and doubtless the Osier Willow, after 
a thorough draining, with no other preparation 
than clearing the rubbish, and subjecting it to or¬ 
dinary cultivation. But as such a porous soil is 
peculiarly liable to frosts, an early ripening varie¬ 
ty of corn must be planted late, so as to escape 
late spring and early autumn frosts. 
It sometimes happens that the plowing can be 
done to great advantage on a soft swamp, while 
it yet remains frozen hard, except when a few 
inches of the surface is thawed -in early spring. 
The most thorough and perfect t reatment is un¬ 
doubtedly the cheapest, and some of the most 
valuable meadows in the country consist of re¬ 
claimed swamps, yielding three or four tons of 
good hay per acre. The formation of a strong 
turf gradually fits the soil for other crops, and 
ultimately good wheat crops have been obtained 
on such lands. —••— 
Large Root Crops. 
tracting the increased attention of farmers, and it 
well deserves more consideration than it has here¬ 
tofore received. ' — 
Culture of Indian Corn, &c. 
Messrs. Editors —I have read the several arti. 
tides which have appeared in the Country Gentle¬ 
man , on the culture of Indian corn. I differ with my 
friend of the north, in regard to the time of plow¬ 
ing as well as the mode of manuring for this crop. 
Instead of plowing in the spring, I would plow late 
in the fall, and to the depth of ten to eleven inches, 
laying the furrows at an angle of at least forty-five 
degrees. This will expose a large quantity of the 
subsoil to the action of the frost, and may even 
penetrate to the bottom of the furrows, as they 
are not tlirowinover flat. I consider the action of 
tire frost indispensible to. the improvement of stiff ' 
clays, as they will thus become disintegrated, and 
mingle freely with the top soil, and thus improve 
it very much. We use altogher the left-handed 
plow’’, and to enable us to plow to the depth men¬ 
tioned. the low T er part of the beam and the low r er 
part of the share ought to be at least 18| inches 
apart, with a w'heel that will keep it exactly at the 
depth desired. By adding a little width to the 
mold-board, and letting it extend out with a curve 
so as to just scrape along the edge of the furrow, 
it will fill the cavity between the the furrows, and 
make the field look like a bed in the garden, and 
this ought to be the object of the plowman. 
As to manure, I would not turn it dowm, with 
an eight-inch furrow laid flat over it. In some 
lands I should think such a course quite wrong. 
After the plowing is done in the fall. I would haul 
out the manure at any time during the winter or 
spring, and spread it evenly over the ground • and, 
when the ground is in a suitable condition, tho¬ 
roughly mix the manure with the top soil with a 
double shovel plow, a two-horse cultivator or a 
gang-plow. It is well knowm to all men of expe¬ 
rience, that everything put on the land, such as 
manure, lime, guano, bone-dust, and everything 
else that is soluble in water, has a downward ten¬ 
dency, and therefore ought not to be buried eight 
inches deep. But some will say the corn will find 
it. That may be • but how much of it will the next 
crop of wheat, and the grass sow f n with it, find? 
I am as much opposed to hauling out manure, and 
leaving it exposed to the sun and rains of summer, 
as I am to burying it too deep in the earth. Far¬ 
ther, I have no objection to plowing it under four 
to five inches for wheat. 
The only proper time for deep plowing is in the 
fall, or just before frost sets in. It is the only 
time it can be done to the depth required, which, 
as I have said, is about eleven inches. To turn 
up a heavy subsoil, at any time from March to 
November, w r ould be wrong. 
•I differ with my friend about hilling corn, in or¬ 
der to throw out props. This I W'ould prevent if 
I could. I would rather have it propping up 
about the ear than at the ground. Another tiling. 
I think it wrong to plow among corn when it is 
near tasseling. It is too late. Plowing at this 
time tears the roots, and injures thegrowih of the 
corn. I consider plowing corn, at anytime, of no 
use. The double shovel, or cultivator, is all suffi¬ 
cient. After the corn is two feet high, the roots I I 
ought not to be disturbed by plowing. ^ 
¥m. Todd. 
Utica Mills, Md. : May 15, 1853. M 
At a late meeting of the Executive Committee 
of the Litchfield Co. (Con.) Agricultural Society, 
the following premiums were awarded for the best 
acre of root crops:— 
Ruta Baga. 
1. To John T. Andrew, West Cornwall,. 1,272 bu. 
2. To T. S. Gold, Ag. School, Cornwall,.... 1,184 
Carrots. 
1. To Abraham Beecher, Bethlehem,. 1,416 
2. To Albert Wadhams, Goshen,. 1,344 
Crop of N. Hart, Jr., Cornwall,. 936 
Turneps. 
1. To John T. Andrew, West Cornwall,. 2,102 
2. Zo A. Beecher, Bethlehem,.. 924 
Crop of II. M. Hart, Cornwall,. 688 
Crop of J. M. Wadhams, Goshen,. 660 
The turnep crop of J. T. Andrew, (2,102bush- 
els per acre) is thought to be the largest ever 
reported in this country. Most of the other 
crops are very large. We would thank the above 
named gentlemen to furnish us with their mode of 
culture, for publication. In England, root culture 
is much practiced and highly approved by the best 
agriculturists. In this country the subject is at- 
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