Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-06-08


gle horse barshares followed by The har.
row. aud fl,e burrows KEEP, open bv a fur
row plough this ground was seeded with
wheat and the furrovs opened we'll after
plougiiung Il III and rakiug. The pro-
due Was rom Ills field containins 80 acres
2Ou bushels, or about one third If what
II ought 10 have produced il WIS SOW
ed IN clover, aud ii Produced much better
clover IN the naked burrows, than on the
top of the ridges. On the top Of The
ridges IL generally died. The next year
the ridging vas continued with the same
result; the third year also with the differ
snce for the wheat crop Of ploughing down
the ridges as well as | would while the
cove was standing. bui they were still left
high, and the same result the fouth year
being st'll unwilling Ia give up the rihging
plan altogether, Iploughed my land into
Ia feet beds, aud put two rows of corn
on Them, cultivated them with the irowel
noe and harrow, and kept open the fur
rows +; on this plan The crop was much
better, but still not equal to plain and
cross plomghing. When | seeded it i'm
wheat, | levelIed the burrows as well as l
could. The presen, crop of wheat grew
on ihis land some Of my neighbois saw
II little time before il was cut, and their
opinion was should lose b. The ridging
one third of What the ground ould other
wise have produced. The crop has been
got out aud carried 10 market, and the
produce was an average a little over S
bushels per acre, verify ing the observa-
tiens OF NY peighbors; the sam" field III
iine before, when II was IN wheat, ave
ragged ~ bushels SO that the experiment
OF ridgiDg has cost me loss OF 800 bush
els OF wheat on AN average tor four
years, or l2u0 bushels of wheat and at least
500 barrels at corn ON 4 little farm of 100
acres, or fields OF 40 acres: the lots are
moi included. A dear bought experiment
many others were equal losers with MY
sci, forth r,Gging mania WAS prei,, gene
raiin Inns county, though believe there
l. ut more all three farms Oh uhicii dis
continued nov.
The fertility of the fields has now ey
IDENTITY increased, though the crops have
laiterII been diminished and The impress
sion made on my mind l., that any given
quantity OF land div ided lnio four fields
will make more produce after the first 70
ia'ioD, than. the same quantity III three
t'eihs, each being managed equally alike.
speak with respect TO the common state
OF The land IN The greater part OF Virginia,
and more especially such lands az the
plaster does not prOduc" lis wonderful
effects on, but must be impro, ed by the a,d
OF manure. Now have mentioned plas-
ter, shall state tina, since the wear 1878
or perhaps before, the plaster has produ
ced no visibl" effect not even on that
part OF the plantation where lis effects
hal been SO evident. | still continue
using II partially by way OF experiment.
but can discover 10 effect on the soil,
though think the crops Of corn grow
1t L.. al. L -.
IN il, and that insects do not injure plas-
tered a. TNuci, "a upholstered corn. Before
tins period in the course of years, had
put at least bushels OF plaster per acre
on The land. | will now relate my mode
of raising manure, &c. keep my horses
up altogether winter and summer in the
stable, except brood mare and colts,
which are kept through I t summer i'll the
lots the stable Is without plank fuor
on account Of saving their uriuP, though
The summer clover Is cut for them, and
given TO them in racks. II is cut one day
before II Is used they are Uttered daily
with clean straw, and the soied straw
| with their manure moved out of The sta
bic and piled In a corner of their yard.
All The offal of tie crop is brought ~ TO
The farm yard where all the stock is kept
through the winter, except hogs; and
with Them have tried variety of expe-
rlSirnts bul none satisfactory, except one
lately adopted with tatteniuS hogs, which
shall presently relate. b fore | adopt
ed the plan OF keeping the stock in lots,
used ,ty heap manure In the farm yard in
consequence OF the corn stalks being got
III late. they were not sufficiently bru ke 10
pieces and roiied so that kept the ma
nurs made with them with mixture of
# cll ifS &-n a. and
were iIeaped in The following manner: Tie
heaps "ere made 30 feetsqWare, first d lay
er OF manure of this dimension Is put one
fool deep, aud where the manure il moved
from, The artl is lIoed up aud layer of
u is pat on The manure one inch deep
regularly over. then d layer of manure one
loot, Then the earth one inch. and SO on
alternately till the heap WAS feet llga
The last layer was al earth, and The SIDES
we're mads perpendicular; when finished
some earth was put round the base Ia
coniiue the moisture, IN this manner WAS
The whole i1auure made from the ca: tie
heaped and kept I'LL breaking up of corr
ground, when Il Was cartcd ouI as 1t was
wanted 10 be ploughed in. Alter had
determined on removing the stock from
my corn fields, | altered my plan OF
carting out my mdnur - we'll as plough
lug. Believing that The soil would be
more benefited by beng covered well
With good coat of ciov~r and weeds
through the winter than by being plough
ed up aud eXposedi0 the atmosphere, and
That part Of these weeds and 81 yer would
be rotted before the crop was introduced
INTO The earth; of course, all Tie gasscs
that escaped by this rottiHg or dccOmpo-
sitlon would be entirely lost. whirh would
be absorbed By growing crop, adopt
cd The plan OF breskiug ny my corn ground
as lale ds possible so aS 10 finish n Oaly