* VOLUME V.
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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From the Carolina Planter. j
Mr. Editor,
It should be gratifying to the pa'riot to |
observe the interest excih d of lute nmongsi
many ofour most distinguished citizens on
the subject ofngriculture ; and every planter
or farmer, throughout the S ute, should tun I
your agricultural press asnn important auxiliary
in the great enterprise. Agriculture
is M the foundation of produrtivo industry,
nnd lhA bulwark nf moral hahi s." and was
therefore considered in the first ages of the
world, the most honorable of'-mployments :
indebted to it ns we are for the ic ual support
of life itself, thus it should be cons^d -r. d
in ullages.
M Tn? profit of the earth is for nil: tin?'
king himself is served by the field.'* Ttie
toost distinguished kings and emperors of
nations being alive to ths fact, n sorted to
every means to promote nnd honour this
art. It is said of one of iho emperors of
China, that to show his sense of the inesti-1
mable benefiu of Agriculture, he woul 1 often
undertake for a short time the laborious
occupation of directing the plough in person.
Among the Romans, their most honorable
senators frequently appli-d iln mselv
es to the cultivation of <he soil; and the agricultural
productions of that once eminent
but now comparatively degraded people,
were sufficiently extensive, apart from any
Other index, to have discovered the efforts
they were then making in the cause of civilization
and refinement. The history of ;
the nn?t. with a full understanding of our
present condition, admonishes us to elicit
the best talents and energies of our S ate in
elevating and improving her system of husbandry.
As is their nature, the quack and
the pettifogger hurl their anathemas against
the regular bred physician and the enligh?ned
lawyer ; and so it is with the self,
conceited planters, who thunder their phillippics
agninst those of the fraternity, who
combine theoretical w'.th practical skill.
When taunting book planters, they assume
the position (with what modesty 'hey can
judge for themselves,) that whatever may
^ be the fate of others, they at least cannot be
taught any thing more by the skill and experience
of their race. " Secsr thou a man
wise in his own conceit ? there is more hope
of a fool than of him." u But lie that hearker.eth
unto counsel is wise." In our apprehension,
a wise planter will not onlv learn
from his own experience and ordinary observation,
but will increase his store of
knowledge from every ava'luble source.
He will read tho best agricultural works,
try all new and important discoveries, and
even gather instruction from the experienced
menial in his field : the more lie advances,
the moro cause will he find for exertion.
II- ...:n ~ : i .L?. A
lio wut uc atiuit v-i'iiviuieu mm n^iiiuiiuic
is not merely an art, but a scipnce, the theory
of which is intimately connected with
Natural History, Chemistry, Experiment
Philosophy, and Mechanics. Sods.and
Manures are to be analyzed?a knowledge
of soil and manure best adapted to different
plants, and of vegetables suited to clima'e
and soil, mux! bo acquired?and objects of
no less importance are to be learned in re.
lation to Implements of Husbandry, the various
methoJs of cultivation and manag -ment
of crops, improving seed, feeding and
improving stock, &c.
It is true, nil cannot bo scientific planters,
but alt may profit by. and perhaps improve
upon scientific experiment, and in this way
the impoverished lands of South Carolina
might, in less than twenty years, be restored
and rendered more fertile titan can well be
imagined. By discoveries in Agriculture
the Chaldeans procured excessive crops of
corn?-driven to it iu order to sustain themselves
and flocks?and through this medium
they suspended the necessity of emigre,
lion.?Let South Carolina do l.kew;se, and
she will not only keep tier sons back from
the West, but will rejoice in the superubunonco
of her harvests.
In connexion with the agricultural interests
of our State, I was pleased to observe
% ^Resolution passed in the Agricultural Con
vention, with the view of obtaining an estimate
of the amount of money paid out by
South Carolina for Pork and other Western
stock. P an approach to a corrpct es'imate
can be made, I am fully persuaded it
will astonish the people of tho Slate, and
*1 would suggest a more certain plan of
obtaining the proper estimate than the proposed
With the voluntary aid of Tax-Collectors ;
and it would bo the appointment of agents to
ascertain the number of stock driven through
the mountain gaps?and the amount of Bacon
imported*5nto Charleston. Hundreds purchase
stock who pay no taxes, and many purchase
Bacon in lion of Pork.
i
.1 .V It CI
BMBWMMaaaiBgBlU. 1 " "i wi J 9
CHE
should especially alarm her planters ; Tor if
not checked, it may yet prove the high way
to bankrupty. For a rou^h estimate, let
us suppose one-half of the Pork and B icon
consumed in the State is purchased from
other Slutcs. It will readily he perceived
this is not too high an estimate. When
44 laying in" our meat for th.j year, the planters
in the rriddle and upper p.ir s of the
S ate, centrally calculate a hog for each
m**mbt r of our famd es, (whi'c and black.)
Ttiis, we suppose, is nottiiecasein the lower
n r \ t ha
coutrry. our wc may surety esTtma:c jw
ibs. (if Purk as t)?e avenue amount used
yearly by each inhab tant oft'e State. Ac
cording to .lie latest census, tiie population
exceeds u half million. Suppose then 500..
OOd Ibs. of Pork to be :he qu in ity consu.
med, one-half of which is purdiased at 86
per cwt \ The cost wi I be one million
and a half dollars! This we expend unnu
d v for meat ! !
Oft'ie annoyance, or loss (if any) o the
B mks when llus money (or most of it) is
drawn in specie or its equivalent, 1 am not
informed ; but the ch'ef loss falls upon the
planiing community?a loss of not l"ss than
20 per cent, on all the meat purchased. I
am auare this is not the goneral opinion
prevalent. M ?nv take it to bM only an e?
| qual exchange of Co ton for its equivalent in
Pork.
It is well known that tho soil of hilly or
broken lands is * washed away" m h If the
tint" under the culture of oo ton that would
he taken for 'hen* la vat ion if th *y w r cul
I t vated in corn or sin >11 grain. It ?s also
well known tba' th e\ soiled cultivaiion of
Cot on affords little or no time tor improv.
ing lands. But besides nil this, I v. n uro to
show that 20 per cent, is lost in the actual
exchange of Co ton for Pork ; or, in o her
words, .hat the planter in purchasing gives
20 per cent, more for his Poik than it would
cost him to raise it. It must e conceded
by all planters, who have skill >n raising
hogs, that one ear of corn per diem will
keep a hog thrifty from the time it is a suckling,
until it is one year old ; and that five
months, (December, January, February,
March, and April, uie the only months in
the year in which the corn-feeding is requied.
Small g?ain and corn-field pastures,
grasses, wood-ranges, &c. will ktepthe hog
i r . ;
seven months 01 me \ear in growing rou- i
dition. A hog being kept kept on" I
year, becomes more ' shifty." and will be
k< pt growing by feeding on n half.ear ot
com per day, for five monhs in the second
year. Tuer for 225 arsof corn, we have
a bog two years old?and sixty average
ears of co n making a bush I, three peek*
therefore, includ" the expenses of raising. I.
will take, how ver, fiv? bushels forfiUening
Upon this ordinary plan of raising an i fattening,
the hog (two years old.) should
weigh 15U lbs. nett. For eight bushels and
three pecks of corn, we have then 150 lbs.
of Pork. Seventy-five cents p- r bushel
for corn, a* the crib, is a h^iwrpaying business
'han Cut on at its overage price. Accordmglv,
for $6 56 1 4 the planter may
have 150 lbs. of Pork, which, if he has ii
to buy, will cost him an average of $6 p<?r
cwt. at least?(thus sustaining a loss ot 27
per cent, ins e.id of 20 per cent, on every
dollar so expended.)
Should this estimate be deemed extravagant,
I would venture further in saying that
by the morn careful and skillful plan of rais
ing hogs?without any more ?,qrn and bu'
little additional expense?the hogs that
nre thus brought to Weigh 150 lbs ,
w" ~ o # ? I
may be made to weigh 200 lbs. lUhis po
sition were &us'aiued,.as I make no doubt
it could be, two hundred pounds of Pork
will cos? th?' planter 80, for which ho give*
81*2. I admit, hogs cannot be thus raised,
or raised at all, without some c-re and at
tention ; but th's is essential to success in al.
most every branch of industry. In a future
number I may detail the plan of raising, and
it can then be tested by those who may
think it worth the i rial. A? the expense of
washing away lirr lands under the cul ure of
Cotton, leaving a scanty opportunity for
their fu'uro improvement, and, in fact without
any goo 1 or valuable consi.lorn*ion,
cugbt the State to give nnnuallv for Pork i
the enormous su n of $1,500,000 ? To a
condition of a(Tt<rs so ruinous, how long
are we to submit ?
J. D.
\Quere. Besides this expenditure, how
much do we pay annually for Horses, Mules
and Cattle ?
From the Caroiina Planter.
Mr. Editor :?
I have experienced much pleasure in perusing
the Carolina Plainer, and I do believe
. lit - 1-.?i
(Mat It snoiliu no circimieu wiui special industry
among the small planters and farmers,
wh ch may be done, as the low price of
tlie paper puts in the reach of every man
who can rea l. No farm *r can read such
a p tp^r with caro an I not be benefitted infinitely
beyond the small amount he pays for
it.
Poor men are specially to be benefitted
by learning how to revive worn out land,
inerease the produce of iheirland, and improve
their stock of cattle.
A German came to Pendleton with a
wife and 5 or 6 children, very poor, so that
they had to labour at wages for subsistence.
Tno next year he hired a farm, on which
he made a crop. The following year he
bought a place adjoining, on which he commenced
his work of improvement. He
made baskets of willows, which he did at
such limes as he could not work on his
farm?and with the proceeds of their sale
began to get a stock of cattle about him,
IE R Jl W
RAW, SOU l'II-CAROLI]>
aanyoifiKsxaKu^wnaaniSQ^B
both for family comfort and manure. He
has increased his stork, and by their manure
and the industry of his sons, has improved
his land so much that I was assured that he
ttould gather a? least 15 bags of Cot'on, besides
a crop of prov.sioiis, a large portion
of which would be sold. He h is now no
time to spare from his farm to make baskets.
IJ.? has b<*en but about five years in
'his country, and wall his skill and industry
has already paid two "birds the purchase
money of his land, while at the same lime
he h is doubled its productiveness.
Such examples are worthy of notice to
encour ig?? others o improve their old lands,
and save the leaves of their wood lands for
manure. How little value do wmt p"op! f
set on manure, when they allow their ca de
to lie in th" road till jo l have to walk with
can-, lest vou get your feet soiled. Our
'i?*rman does not so ,Evcry particle of nw.
nure is counted as gold, and not a particle
permitted to b<* wasted.
S.iouM you think th" above of any value,
you are at liberty to use it in any wuy you
pit?US0?
S. B.
From the Boston Courier.
MR. WEBsTEu's AGRICULTURAL SFF.ECH.
We copy from tin* N- w K"gl md Farm
cr the Report of Mr. We" sot's Spe-'ch.
ma le at he meeting of the friends of Agriculture,
it th" State-House, on Monday
evening. J muary 13:
Mr. Webster bngan with s'nting that he
regarded agr.cuhurc as the lea ing imprest
of society ; and in all its relations having a
direct aid intimate hearing ujion hum.n
comfort and J ho nation d prosp riy. He
had be'*n familiar wnh its o.?era-ions in Ins
youth ; and tic had alu ?\s looked upon tlx*
subject with a lively iind d<?ep interna!. He
did not regard himself as particularly quali
fied u> judge of the subjee1 in all its vaiious
asp c s and department? ; and he neither
himself regarded, nor ivou'd ho have others
regard his opinions as uthoriiative ; hut the
subject had been one ofeareful ob>erva ion
to him, both in public and private life ; and
his visit to Europe, at a season of the year
particularly favorable lor this purpose, had
given him ihe opportunity of seeing thoir
unproved husbandry, and as far as it miglit
he interesting, or would have a bearing upon
the subject of itn* evening's discussion, the
agriculture of M iss irhusetts, he would proce
d to give his views and impressions.
How far in this mater the example or
other roun rics was to he followed, was a
subject worthy ofmu"h consider-t on. The
example of a foreign country might be 'oo
clos ly followed. Ii would furnish a safe
rule of imi ation only as far as the circum
stances of a Country correspond with those
of the country whoso rules und customs it
was proposed to a Jopt.
Tue j?r*"a? objects of agriculture and the
great ngr cultural products of d,(T rent
countries were much the same. Hread,
meat and clothing constituted tli"se ohjecis;
Cotton might bo regarded as -*?n incidental
product, peculiar to certain laltitudes and
countries. Though the great agricultural
produc s of d.flf rent countries wero the
sam", yet there were various diversities ol
condition and circumstances, which materially
affected the agriculture of different
countries.
The primary elements which entered into
the consideration of the agricuhurc of a
Country were (our; climate, soil, price of
land, und price ol lubor. In any comparison,
therefore, of the agriculture ol Engl <nd
with ilicit of Massachusetts, these elemen's
were to is! ak<n particu'arly into view.
Toe climate of England differed essen>
..1* ilt.j ?*Aiin|pv Th/it;
nuny in'iu mui ui ? ? ?vmn;.
were on lue wrsUTii s:de of the eastern,
and we ??n ih? eas ? rn side of the wesern
continent. The clurint** of each con (try
was materially affected hy th'-ir respective
situations iu rel ;t on to the ocean. Tiie
win-Is witicn pr vail noth m ihisconntrv ?nd
in Engl iii?I art Irom ilio west, and westerly
winds ii.ow three* dys out of lour. These
fids .ire familiar. T- e consequences r< suit
ing from th**rn are, toat our winters are
colder unJ our summers much ho; < r tli m
iu England. Our laiitu e is ahout 'hat of
Oporto, yet the temper .turn was very dif
ferent. On these accounts, therefore, the
mruiing of the crops in England nnd ihe
power of using these crops would create a
material difPr-nce between their agricul
turn and ours. It may bo supposed ihat
our c.imnie musi resemble liiot China in the
same latitudes; and this f?ct may have an
essential bearing upon that branch of agriculture
which i is proposed to induce among
us, the introduction of silk.
The 8 cond point of d (Terence between
the two countries lies in tne so I. The soil
o; England is mainly argillaceous ; a soft
and unctuous loon upon a substrn urn of
clay. Tit's inay he considered as the
prominent characterise in the parts whichhe
visited. Thosoutncrn parts of England
are sandy, resting upon deep beds of < hulk
The rocks in England ar4 of a different
formation from ours. Ours is ? granite soil,
Tin-re is in Gr^a. Britain ; bu' th s sp'-ci.'s
of sol prevails in S-olland, a p?rt of tho
coun ry which more rcs<#*ibli-s our own.?
Our soils are stony. Such lands aru not
found in England. Our alluvial soils on
Connecticut, river, and in some other parts
of'tho country, are equal to any lands; but
those have no clav. It is not proper to
compare the soil of England wi;h ihe soil
of America, because of the extreme differences
in different parts of our country,
stretching, as it doe9, through so many do
*?
Cr AS
AD FEB 1
IA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY
grees or latitude, and embracing in its ex- i
tent every variety of climate and soil. i
The price of land, another important ele. i
ment in agricultural calculations, differs I
greatly from the price of land with us. It <
is three tinrv?.s as high as in Massachusetts. 1
The price of labor is much more in Mis- 1
sacliutfotfs than in England. In different I
parrs of England the price of labor is co u c
siderably various pbut it may bo set down I
aslifHre as dean with us as ! ere. c
These qre general remarks, which have s
suggested themselves in regard to the state r
T ~ cr
of things abroad. Now have we anything ?
to learn from them t Is there any thing hi t
their condition applicable ro ours, in which i
: jfce agriculture of Engl ?nd may bo of use I
to Massachusetts and to other courrrtes 7 I
The subject of agriculture in Euglandjhas I
strongly a tracted the attention and inquiries a
of men of science. They have studied par. t
ticularly the nature of the soil. More than *
twenty years ago, Sir Humphrey Davy un- i
deriook o tre >t the subject of toe appiica- i
lion of chemical analysis of sods and ina- t
nures. The same atiten'ion has been con- c
linued to the subject, and ilie extraordinary
d Slovenes and advances in chemical,science, I
s;nee. hjs time, are likely to operate greatly
to the adiantage of agriculture. The I
best res ills may be expected from it. These i
inquires arc now prosecuted in France wi'h
great enthusiasm and success. We nviy i
h ?pe lor like beneficial results here from the t
application of science to this subject with 1
us.
A s cond material feature in the agricul- I
ure of England consis s in die rotation of '
crops. It is a set led principle in their ag- I
nrul ure, that two while crops shall not
come in immediate suceesjum. A tenant *
woul I bit discharged by fiis landlord who *
should volute this rule White crops are I
gram crops, wheat, barley, rye and oa s.? <
Tiieso are succeeded, by or alternated with ;
j ota'oes, vetches e or tares, beans, peas. <
turnips and clover, which are considered 1
as gr?en crops, > *
The great improvement in English bus- '
haudrv ar* all tr?e?d to the introduction, I
from sixty to eighty yevrs ago, o(the culii- 1
vet ion of turnips. B fiwre that time, when '
lands became exhaiiste%by the repetition <
of grain crops, they we|g left, as it was '
term* . fallow, that is, w^unot cultivated I
at ad, but abandoned to theme Ives i
as they might. This occured a? often as I
every fourth year, so that one quarter of <
the arable land was always out of cultiva. 1
tion, and yielded nothing. Turnips are 1
now substi.uted in the place of these naked
tallows; ami now land in ?urnipg is consia 1
er?-d us fa low. What is he philosophy of I
this? The raising of ciops do- s not in it- J
self enrich, but exhausts the laud. The rx- I
h mstion of the land, as experience and ob- '
sirrva ion have full demonstrated, tokos i
place mainly when the seeds of a plant are !
allowed to perfect themselves. The turnip 1
is a biennal plant, (t does not perfect its '
seeds b- fore it is consumed. There is anothei
circnms ance in respect to the turnip I
pLnt which deserves considers ion. Plants, i
it is well understood, derive a large p inion i
of their nutriment from the air. Tnc leavt-s
of plants tire their lungs. The leaves of tur I
nips expose a wide surf ice to the atmos- J
phere, and derive th refrom much of their I
sub-dsteiicc and nuHment. The broad
aves of the turn-ps likewise shade the i
ground, preserve its uiois ure, and prevent. ?
in some measure, its exhaustion by the sun I
and air. <
The turnips have u fur her and ultimate
use. Meat and clothing come irom animals. I
I lie more animals are sustained upon a
larm, the more meat and the more clo iiing. t
These ilungs b -ar of course, a proportion !
to he number ot hullorks, sheep, swine and ?
poultry which are maintained. The great t
i..niurv. then. is. what Kind of crops will <
M,,l V * 1
leas- fiiuius; the land in their cultivation, and
furni^v> support to the largest number ol
an ma Is ?
A very large amount of land in England
is ruitiV.?:e?J m turnips. Fields of turnips
of hie^, four and even five hundred acres,
are not uncommon. Since the iniro
iuct on of the turnip culture, bullo-ks
'lid she# p have irebl< d 111 number. Turnips,
for th'* reasons given, nr* nof great
exhaiKers of fi*e soi, ; and they furnish
abundant food for animals. Where on-bush
I of oats up prodij' ed, ten bushels of
turn ps may tv* grown a' the same cogi.?
The great difTerenc- 'ui the two crops is to
be lound in the farmer's baru-yurd. H'-re
is tlietest of their comparative value. This
is the secret of the great advantngi-s which
follow from their cu tivation. The value
of in mure in agriculture is well appreeia.
led. Dr. Ure states the extraordinary fact,
that the value of the manure nnuu illy np.
plied to the crops in England, at present
prices, surpasses in vulue the whole amouni
of their foieign commerce. Thero is no
fount that r greatly exceeds it. i turnip (
crop returns a vast amount of nutritive ma. '
ter to the soil. Ti?e farmer, then, from I
ais green crops, and by a regular system I
of lotation, finds green feed for his cattle,
and wlipai for t'm market Tt?e growth of I
green crops :s intiinu.ely connected wi.li
a system of rotation ol crops.
Tne lands ir. the coun ry of Norfolk, in
England, arc s..ndy. Here is the place of
the remarkable cultivation and distinguished
improvements of Mr. Coke, now Lord Leicester.
His usual rotation is barley, clover,
turnips, wheat. These lands resemble much
of the land in the county of Plymouth ; and
the sandy lunds to be found in .he vicinity of
Connecticut and Merrimack rivers. The
cultivation ofgreen crops in New England,
L
b
TS k
,
"V
VE T T
' / Z E R,
\
?j????????W?i
14, 1840.
deserve attention. There is no incapacity r
in our soil ; and no circumstances unfavor- *
able to their production. What would be
the best kind of succulent vegeahles to be c
'uliivated, whether turnips, or carrots, or ?
Sweedes, he was not prepared to say.? ii
But no attempts within his knowledge had v
jeen made among us of a systematic agri. c
culture ; and until we enter upon some rogu- tl
ar rotation of crops, and our husbandry be. c
:omo more sysemaiic, no distinguished h
tucc-ss could be looked for As to our soil, h
is had been remarked, there was no inhe- 1
. *. r. - il. ?r.... a
?"IJI JIJCUJJHCi'j it/i lire: pruuuuuuu i/i uujr w? he
common crops. We could raise wheal c
11 Md>sachusetts. The average crop in ^
Snglaird. is p^euty-six bushels to the acre, e
Vmn hrn o"wa farin,aj>dii waa comparative- h
y a thin and poor soil* he had obtained this c
iummer seventy-six bushels of wheat upon o
hree acres of land. It was not therefore tl
my want of capablity In the soil; but the a
mprovement and success of our husbandry 9
Tiust depend upon a succession of crops b
idap cd to the circumstances of our soil, c
d-mate, and peculiar condition. ?
In England, a large portion of the turnip w
iro > is consumed oil the hud where it grows, h
rho sheep are fed out doors all winter; and fi
le saw many Urge flocks, thousands and a
nillionsofsheepi which were never housed, u
This was matter of surprise especially con- v
?idt ring the wetness of the ch'mato; and t
liese sheep were often exposed in fields s
where a dry spot could no: be found for t
hem to I e down upon Sheep were often v
bided in England by wattled fences or j t)u
rifles temporardy erect-d in different I
larts of the field and removed from place f
o place as the portions of 'lie crop were c
onsumed. In some cas"8they were fold- d
d and the turnips dug and carried to v
hem. In such ruse they were always fed ti
jpon lauds which were intended the next ti
year to lie brought under cultivation. In r
one case he saw n man employed in the field d
in raising turnips wi h a crow-bar for sheep, 'Xl
who was expected to be exclusively in this c
business the whol winter. It is deemed c
by many fanners much the preferable mo le
(o d<g all the turnips for tho sheep as they J1
are wanted. In this case they are more f
setnpletcly consumed. The Swedish tur- *
mp docs noi suffer even bv being frozen in 1
the winter, but is found when thawed in the J
spring uninju ed. In the north of England r
lurnips are generally housed ; or they are *
covered with straw on the land which is to <
be brought under the plough. Land is of' '
ten designated by way of excellence, as <
land thut will carry sheep that is, land [
in which crops of turnips are to be raised *
for feeding :ho sheep ; nnd such lands nro I
rtrnnriv rmtiffl liv tlinir heino fed noon it. f
^ ""'V "J * B I ;
In the Lothiar.s of Scotland where the culti- 1
ia ion is os hue as in any part of Great f
Britain, turnips are largely cultivated. Here I
hey are generally covered or housed. The a
Swedish turnips are particularly suited to a I
:o)d climate. ?
Mr. Webber proceeded in his remarks .
lo suite that the agricultural subject which
iipw most srongly engrossed the public at ^
tention was that of the draining of lands.? I,
The drainrng :o which lie particularly al.
ud (I was what is called tile draining.? v
Much ol England as he had stated, was s
based upon a clayey and reton ive subsoil.
We ness is prejudicial and destructive to S
he crop Marginal drains or drains on the
lutsi ie of ilie fields, do not always produce *
he d1'sired results. These tile drains have 5
ffected most important improvements.-? 1
fite tile itself is made of day, baked like .
irtcks ; about one foot in leng'hf four inch s
in width, three fourths ol an inch in thick- 11
icss, and stands from six 10 eight inches in ^
eight, b ing heinispuericril, or like the half
?f a cyl.nder with Us si les elongated. It P
resembles the Dutch td^s some'iines seen f1
jn tiso ro>fs of the oIJ houses in Albany
in 1 New York. A ditch is sunk eighteen
>r twenty inches in dep h, and these drains
ire multiplied over a fte'd ai a distance of *
k-ven yards tp<rf, and vast estates have
ieen dr i fted in this way. Tim* ditch being
niiik and he bo torn made smoo h, these
lies are laid down with the hollow side on
ue bottom, the ends placed near each other,
uid somes raw pu over the joints to present
the admission of dirt. Tnese are not
to expensive a mode of draining as might
3e supposed ; hut so important and useful
ire they considered, that even a large expose
is soon met by the immediate beneits
r sul ng font them. It has added
ivery where at l?; st twenty per cent, to t ,e
tmount of the wheat crop A beautiful
^xainph* came under his own observation
:iot long before he left England On a port
a field, which had been ihus drained, the
wheat presented a most luxuriant growth ;
while on a part of t e same which had
not undergone this op'-ra ion, the wheat,
sowed at the same time, was feeble and just
showing itself in sraggling parcels above
ground. I. seems a singular fact that the
ndvan ages of ihis thorough draining are as
percept inle in dry as in wcr wea.her. A
great evil in clay soils is that they become
in dry weather hard and baked, and impermeable
:o the roo s of the plants. The
wa:er, by tins thorough system of draining,
being removed qoi -kly from such soils, they
are less subject to become hardened by the
sun ; and remain porous and friable.
There was another improvement which
he witnessed, and which lie considered as
the inost remarkable and beautiful agricultural
improvement which had ever come
under his ohs rvation. This was an instance
of irrigation. Irrigation is much
practised in VViliehire, in the south of England.
He had repeatedly heard of water- j
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fr'.
??1tb i i
NUMBER 14.
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ueadows ; but ho had not been able to fqrm *
i very satisfactory notion of what was ia>nded
by that designation. At the Duke
)f Portland's estate he had an oportuuity of
witnessing this extraordinary agricultural
mprovement in a remarkable form*. This
*as in the north of England at H place *
ailed Sherwood Forest. By a forest in
his case you aie to understand an extent of
ountry wit!) a thin arid soil, covered with ?
eath and ling, resembling brakdk, with *
ere and there a few oaks scattered upon it. ? ' *?
ren years since this land was not valued
t a rent of one shilling per acre. It pxodu.
ed nothing. A Brook ran near it. This
rook passed through a village and gath?
red some of the refuse matter from the
ouses. It was-coaducted by a carrier**
anal, similar to the water-way of a-Scroty
rthe feeder of a canal, along the "edge ofhis
tract of lond proposed to be irrigated, '"*
ml suffered to ooze or pass out in small
uantities over the land. Successive em.
ankments or barriers were erected to reeive
and Convey the water, and in this
/ay the whole field wa9 irrigated. The
later whs never permitted to flood the laud,
iut was let out in small quantities, and the
ield was watered in March, May, July,
md October. No manure was ever put i,
ipon this land ; and when Mr. Webster
vna there in November, they were thevn
aking off the third crop of hoy cut that
eason; and which certainly was not lest
lion two tons to the acre. After this crop
vas gathered, sheep were to be turned in
ipon it, which were expected to lamb at
Christmas, so that the iambs might be ready
or the market in Match, when they would
ommand a high price. There can 1 no
loubt that the sediment deposited by the
waters, which they had collected in their
rnnsit through the village, contributed much
o the extraordinary fertility and productive,
icss of the laud ; but there can be as little
loubt that pure water'itself is an element of
mmense value in agriculture, and that it
:oittafhs*essentinlly and abuodan ly the food
>f plants.
With respect to implements of husbandry
dr. Webster was of opinion that the English
had no advantage over us. Their
vagons and carts were not better; their
hreshing machines infciior to those in use
imong us. The drill cultivation was a
emarkable feature m .English hesbaadry,
md exccu ed with great nearness and pre.
:ision. The young wheat fields appeared
ike rows of onions. Some of the drill ma.
:hincs were constructed so M to drop small _
)ori;ons of compost manure with the seed
it the time of sowing. In tbie matter ho
emarked upon our deficiency. Their
jround is finely prepared. He saw a field
n turnips, where the seed which was careiilly
soaked und prepared, was sown on
Friday and the rows of plants were distinctly
wen on Monday all over the field. This rapid
;ermination, where it can be effected, lias
peat advantages.
There were various other matters in
Sn^lish agriculture upon which be would
;ladly remark, though at th risk oftsxii g
oo severely the indulgence ofailic meeting,
r'-erc were crops cultivated among them of .
vhich we had none. The English bean, ts
mall brown bean, was much liked,and proluccd
about forty bushels to the acre. It
onstirutrd an excellent food fo: their horses,
fetches, or tares, likewise, a sort ofpea. was
cry much cultivated; it was customarily
own in the fall for sheep, und w.is eaten by
im tK/% fr.ll nn/l ii'inli f
I !*'( II III liiv tail UliU
The sheep husbandry in England is an
rnmenso interest. They n il! this year cut
rom six y to seventy millions of fleeces;
nd sheep under one year old are not shorn.
The average yield may he six fo seven
iounds to a fleece. Tnere are two
rincipal classes of ship in England, iho
dng and the short wooled sheep?the Leiestcrshire
and the Sputh.Down. The
eng. wooled, or L'iccstershire sheep, give
i fleece of about eight pounds ; the short*
irooled, or South-Down. a fleece of from
hree to four pounds. Wool is of great ?n?ior
nnce to them, and mutton in their mark,
ts commands high prices. Sheep are to
le considered at the head of their ogrtculfu-*
nl products. The great importance or*
irovid ng for thero, therefore, must bv oh-,
nous.
Our climate as has been observed, differs
rom theirs ; hut the great inquiry appl ca>lo
in equal force to both countries is, how
inn we manage our land in order to produce
he largest crops, while at the some time we -
(top tip the condition of the land, and
>hce it, if possible, in a course of gradual
mprovoment? The success of farming
nust depend in a considerable degree upon
he animals produced and supported on the
arm. The farmer may calculate in respect o
animals upon two grounds of profit, the *
tatural growth of the animal, and the weight
>btafned by fattening. The skillful farmer, hereforc,
expects where he gains one pound
n the fattening of his animal to jpiin an c.
[uai amount in the growth. The eartymaurity
of stock is consequently a. point of
nuch importance.
Ox^n are rarely reared in England W
he yoke. In Devonshire and Cornwall, oX *j
earns arc employed ; but in travelling'one iv#
housand miles in England, Mr. Webdfa
taw only one ox team, and here they wetit.*'
Jriven one before the other, and in harness
iimiiar to the harness of horses. Bullocks
ire raised for the market. It if .highly detirabie,
therefore, both in respect to neat
:at(le and sheep, that their growth should
je moid, and their fattening properties farornble,
that they may be early disposed of,
ind consequently the expense of production???
essened. ?--?