Winchester gazette. [volume] (Winchester, Va.) 18??-1826, 1824-12-03

~I.--~- =
VI. of the first day-one of the rules ma
|king this ebligst0ry.]
! Pagebrook, November 5th, 1924.
S1n,-I take the liberty to present to
the society the product of piece of ground
cultivated in corn during the last season.
! have thought for some time. past, that in
our climate, greater crops may be made
on our best lands than we are in the habit
of gathering, by earlier and thicker plant
ing. The lot selected was a piece of
strong, highland; It was plentifully, al
though not extravagantly, MANFRED. AT
ter being we'll pioughed and narrowed, the
greater part of it was laid off in rows four
feet apart one way and alternately two and
four the other. One acre, for the sake of
experiment, was planted in rows four feet
one way and two the other. In both cases.
two stalks were generally left in hill.
From five acres thus prepared, and plant
ed between the 18th and goth of April. |
measured up, as nearly as could ascef-
tain, fifty seven barrels of good corn.
which, considering the drought which pre-
vailed in the month of August, may be re-
garded as very good crop. The success
which attended this experiment, on land
in IFS natural state by no means favorable
to the culture of corn, ascribe principal
ly to good previous preparation, and to
the thickness of the corn; the early plant
ing, too, by enabling it to get out of the
way of the drought, contributed, no doubt,
materially to the favorable result The
two best acres, one of which wa. that
planted thickest, produced rather more
than twenty eight barrels. :
| also submit to the society sample of
cotton which was raised at Pagebrook the
present year. 1t differs in no respect, as
far as can perceive, either in staple or
fineness, from that which / have seen in
the lower country. 1t was planted on the
10Th of May; it is not, therefore, matter
of surprise that few of the stalks we're
little injured by the frost Had it been
planted three weeks earlier, and topped
lower, l have no doubt but that it would
have escaped the frost altogether. In the
present depressed state of our agricultural
interest, when some of us are induced from
choice, and all from necessity to engage in
greater or less extentin manufactures, il
may be worthy of consideration whether
we are not able to raise, within ourselves.
supply of this very useful commodity.
Before conclude this letter, will take
the liberty of directing your attention to
what consider an error in the mode adopt
ed by our society in awarding premiums.
ailude particularly to those which are
given for the best crops which are produc-
ed o.. small pieces of ground. They are
too apt to induce the farmer to bestow that
labor and those resources, which ought to
be devoted TO his whole estate, on some
lnconsiderable portion of it; and in that
way there Is danger of their becoming, in
fact, premiums for bad management. If
it is true, as | suppose it to be, that the
manure raised on an estate is common
took, due of right to the improvement of
lall its parts. it surely cannot be right to
precipate it with needless haste on spots
already highly favored by nature, merely
With view to the attainment of prize
md yet such IS the desperate course to
'yh!ch those premiums sometimes invite
heir followers. They would have the
anne effect, ifgenerally pursued, which the
! allure OF tobacco produces in those parts
# our state where agriculture is seen in its
worst aspect, where every thing is sacri-
iced to this plant, and the greater portion
If the estate-is Impoverished for the bene-
ut Of few favored lots. We have already
witnessed something Of this sort within the
lrange of our society. We have seen some
farmers manuring profusely spots of mea-
dow land some diligently improving
their richest lots; and some expanding
their resources on grounds which have
been used as gardens by them aud their
fathers for 80 years. The product upon
lsome OF thoae lands during the last year
twas enormous this year, however, the
drought came, and the crops of corn have
| fired 10 the ears. The same objections
may be made to some of the premiums
which are awarded for stock Of different
sorts They do not apply to those anir;als
which. are to be kept as breeders, and are
intended to improve the race and adorn
the farm but they certainly apply with
full force to the exhibition Of hogs, and
other stock which are raised at mills and
distlleries; and which are handed over to
the butcher, so soon as they have starved
their fellows, and entitled their owners to
a prize.
have thought it proper to make these
few remarks for the purpose Of directing
the aitention of the society to what CON
slider a defect in their scheme. | have
/ nof fin,e af r,raeant IL.