Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-17
> sII; ~ 4
KlCHMOND. APKIL III.
fcnMMuNIca1fnN


"reminiscences
The structures OF Exile upon iratsr. rub-
Iished IN the Enquirer. are far from beu. ar.
rect, either in pnint offact or reasoning. Arator
does not admit that he cuts the roots OF corn
me ,ray. In the SD number, he recommends
adeep furrow to be run ueAf1he cor,, one feat
from II, when NJ rs about one foot high. Ia the
succeeding number, is the following passage:
" IT'S roots are never cnt III one direction aud
this great depth Of filth. thus early obtained
nv snpersoding the occasion for deep plough
ing in the latter period OF ITS growth Sarcs them
ia ihe other" From these puot.rions and 9TH
er parts OF his essays, tits evident. that BY the
exclusion OF cross plOughinw, Nv removing tie
deep iuriow one foot f:Om the corn al period
when its roots Nave not extended farther Nv
titb enabling the roots to strike deep, and by a
subsequent shallow cultivation. lie designs to a.
void cutting the roots any way
The idea that its roots may starve the plant
is new. ifitwas true, to multiply roots would
multiply theenemes ofthe plant. Each would
Withhold nourishment from the plant. TO ex-
mend in its own extension, and the dStruCtion
ofsuch extension would require greater de-
gree of nourishment to repair the injury. The
fact accords with this opinion. Foryoung corn
languishes whents roots are cat; aud though
il NAV revive mot invariably, however, break.
jny young mans bones. because they will
knit again. would he a similar piece ofngenu
ity. 1.-THE root cutting noiionis correct, nature
seems TO have blunSercd greatly, by excluding
almost the entire vegetable Kin sdoin from its
benefit.
Exile save" the commonest observer among
even planters, Knows the destruction commit.
ted by late ploughins. This, then, is not the
season for cutting the roots. Because vegeta-
ton. as the feeding of the roots, is al an end
their ibres have becoHe hard aud woody
their rnd is impervious TO soluble matter; aud
what they have takenup is in IT'S progress up
wards to complete ats destined purpose. II
these assertions were true. il would follow that
the roots might he cut without injury TO the
plant, but not whilst they were pervious TO so
lube matter, and vegetation was fed NY them.
Exile's facts reverse his conclusions. L eau
not, however, discern ANY application in the
experiment Of cutting wheat nearly ripe, to
that of uitn" corn roots, quite young. Exile
admits deficiency OF IT'S analogy in cOnsiitu
tion to corn, by stating that the latter suffers
by an excsiun of its extreIpltics, in a state 81.
milar TO that in which the former is improved
by decapitauon.
Exile observes" that there are other reasons
besides those detailed by Arator, tor deep
ploughing," disclosing one only az a sample OF
Arators ignorance. Plants" says he, "re.
quire air." Now the system OF Arator is bot
toned upon the agency of the atmosphere ia
vegetation and fertilizung the earth, and This
Eency urged az the CHIEF, among many 9th
er reasons, for deep ploughing Arator has
avoided quotations OF aerial experiments, and
c0ntented himself with setting out from the
conclusion al which chymlsis stop. lie endca.
vors to draw the atteniIonOt farmers for prac-
tical purposes, TO the Importance Of the atmos
phere, however compounded aud TO eXplainthe
lnOueS OF using III. l1oW, tnSh. can ne De
charged with inatteDtion TO the to0d OF plants?
But Exile is correct III charging ATgtor with
having neglected many important points,
and Arator must be convicted OF The crime of
having, whilst he was suggesting many good
things, overlooked many more. Whether the
punishment for this crime ought TO be some.
what aileviated, because he wrote only occa.
sionai Essays for newspaper, and never thOt
OF composing treatIse upon agriculture; and
because he avoved his object to be, chiefly. TO
excite others, who could handle the subject
better, to undertake it his judges mnst deter.
mine. For my part, tar from tblnk ing, with
Exile. that The work is a " bulky one, the vari-
ETY. of its subjects, aud theconciSenesS nccessa
ry even TO OBTAIN admission into a newspaper,
seem ~ have subjected tie style 20 degree
ofbrevity which would haze been censurahie
had the author undertaken io write 4 labored
agricultural book. But AratOr'S brevity may
Indeed be termed bulky, compared with the
brevity OF Exile, who explains in s'ne sentence
doctrine, as ne asserts, " nsDliug the simplest
farmer TO devise, out of the endless UQriety Of
circumstances incident 10 Vrgirians, system
for hhnseif" A good otcp will often succeed
another. This is ali tie ground work uecessa
ny for the simplest farmers 60 form fine sys-
TEN, "a be checqHered. however, with an end
less variety OF crcums lances. He adopts the
exploded doctrine" that the earth contains a
separate dish, adapted to the tas &c of each plant
and that good crops may be obtained without
intermissIop, by understanding the cookery of
the caterer, and finding out tIs palate OF the
guests" ATat0r prefers the modern idea OF
manning, TO this lazaIdOuS and hitherto I'M
successful opinion borrowed, as he conceiveS
from a subsequent good crop being rather the
effect Of the previous tiilage, like the cases of
corn or wheat following tobacco, than Of an
inexhausthle variety of food in the earth, TO
meet the hunger Of an endless succession Of
plants.
Exile answers all the arguments urged by
Arator in favor OF Tdging corn, by urging the
possibility OF billing il, by means of cross
plougbing. This, perfectly effected, every be-
ncfit arising from ridging would be sacrificed
for it and prohibition upon sowing wheat
among corn wOnid be an additional evil, Of no
light nature. Moreover, ii WON'T require more
labor, TO - considerable extent, both from the
hoe and the plough, than the system of plough
ing one way, well executed.
'The saving of the blades and tops Of corn,
are certainly works of great abOr and expense.
But Arator wrote to country chiefly depend
ant upon them for forage, and they are intrin-
scally an item in the value OF the corn plant.
As such he considers them. Yet he does not
cOnteHd that this species of forage renders am
attention 10 the other kinds unnecessary, but
the reverse. Exile, however, Is mistaken ~
supposiEg that they are gathered alta busy sea.
son on the contrary, one advantage they pos
securing them and IN estimating their value,
he also tOrgets, that they cost no land, whence
saving arises, cOmpensating to some extent,
The laber OF preserving them.
Finally, ~ The crown, for "subtletY OF talents
be Ougs TO bim Who is 80 iBge nions a. 10 defy
conlreht nsion. I must applamd tie modcsty
O. Bale, in assigning 10 AratOT, that which so
PHILo.ARATOR
To TIE EDITOR.