Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-07-04

from he Southern Agricaiiurisi.
On he Benefits dtising from Ho,isouioi pIoI-rL
taS aud Ditcting by A HlouLANbr0.
GEoHoIA, Feb. ~, 1851
MR. EDToR-Moa of your readers no
doubt, tememher disscusiUn OF In. merits OF
horizontal ploughiog, ms n mean oil pre.e,y.
ing soil conducted some time lns, year by Mr..
alulhins aud Mr.. Ellison. II Interested nue.
anu all other, dare say who have suffered
'he pam Oh seeing the rich hill sides of their
plantations stripped by heavy rains OF the soil
10 winch alone the pr0pI ietor could look Ior
the production oil crops fh4 evil ia 81 penr,
al and 20 heavy in all The 80 thern states, tina,
II mny he regarded ms he ptu cue that is anro
ally wasting The Substance oil the country. rn
pid'y reducing the hIliy parts OF II 10 hopeless
s'erliiiy aud desoIaton. Without a fonedy
think ihere would DO no risk IN pte1,clng Tia,
within the period Of GHy years, four nth, of
tn. KIND OF suriaGe will cease 10 h.
tenhnfed by the human rnce, though in II
mahea fertility, this very region has been n,o-
dneise III better incomes than any other pafi
oil il'e United States II is here thai thousand
oi planters, have ina few years raised tneln-
selves. by the fruits of the SOL only fr,,,
poverty to inpedendence, aud many ~ all !,
cue.
am acquainted with no country where es-
hapsted helds. which lie level are NOR, sne.tt-
~ and cheaply restored toa good rat. an
production than the oak lands OF South Carol,
ia and Georgia -nnd think il probable thai III
process Is equally taciG on the sandy plains oil
the " long leaf pine county. But who bs,
resolution enough TO spread manure on G,l
side from nhicn the most or all will probably
be swept by the heavy rains Of n single season.
None. who work tor any thing bu for The
sake OF work,
The question then presents il sell can tho cul
usators o' The broken lands fn1 rehef against
tbese deVasthtune 10y the use OF Mr.. Amk,u',
prescription, HORIZONTAL ploughing, or any 9th
- practicable means This moi. Of ploupb H.
ing IS not much practsed IN my neighbour :
| hood, thong h in other parts oil thp state IL
has been Tor several years. aud | believe yer,
seneraly approved Tor the purpose under con-
sidsfaiion. IL IL undervaiued, suspect, only
by those who have been disappointed ia extra.
yHgant aud unreasonable expectations. No one
who has ever seen such ploughing really ex.
esuied, can affirm 1t 10 be useless and the bet.
Ter opinion seems TO be IN its favour. admitting
the iaci that less ground cAa be plonghed N
day, on this method, than the usual one of
straight burrows. Large fields, oil whiuh the
surfaces are 50 inclined as 10 give course of
two, three OF four hundred yards, (or even onr
hundred yards Sn ANY thing like a steep de
cliyity)io running water cannot be so plough
ed, wlih any instruments we are acaualn-
Ted with, as 10 prevent the wasting away oil
the surface aud formation of gnllies. In
the space of week / think We sometimes have
rain falling 10 The depth ot two OF three feet,
deposItng mass OF water that mllldams would
hardiy retain. No planie, can Wish 10 retain
II, ou, rather to pas. II of as quich Ms possible
aud with the least detiilhsut to his soil which
| cannot he SO well doae ny any olIer means as
horizontal htcheS across hIs 6eidr. BY hurI-
zontal plougblng, the moderate aud fsfnlizng
showers are retained Tor me benefit oil the
growing crop of pasture aud by horizontal
dhches SO located Ms 10 pass of 10 neIshboI.
ing brnnch or ravine, the redundancy Of water
that tails ai any season OF the yeaf, tlle soi on
onr hill sides may be mad. almost as sale nd
as durable as that on the level plains. Tins is
/ not speculatiOn--,evcrnl experiments are now
making IA this country winch have thus far n
| bunduntly established the uii Ity OF combining
the two---boriIonIaI ploughng aud ddcbing
aud clearly shown tbatthe labor aud expense,
Of The latter IS no ImpedI'nent 10 Us universal
adoption. From The iridl ! have made | sup.
pobe that hall dozen men, "tb spade, aided
by gooi morse and plolgb Can make at least
a quaiper Of Il nils oi such dIehing Il day.
Ploushng up the earth on the Inc marked
out for the ditch, greatly facilitates the work,
Tor IT leaves the men with spades or .hoyeia
nothing 10 do but l,ft Up the puserlzed earth
to the embankme0t' on the lower side OF the
ditch, which need not Oa cut more than about
ono foot deep, and eighteen or twenty inches
wide. The SIZE. however, and the dfecnoa
Of every ditch cut for the purpose OF projecting
valuable fedsfrom the destructive action OF
heavy rains, mu.t be dictated by the eHpeu
ence and Discerning eye OF The master or mhn.
ager. They should not be perfectly horizon
Ia but have such an inclination as TO give TO
the flowing water gentle current other"lse
n rapid accumulation might break The embdnk-
mort below, or without sufficient current to
carry off the gradual deposits ol sand, &C. tue
ditch would be filled ny.
Should others OF your subscribers have seen
or made experiments on this subject, they
could hardly fail 10 render essential service 10
our agriculture by communicating results.
Discretion.-i recolegt one of The Miss
b.. Lord Oxford. favoiites. using
the eIpresson-' That seal OF medocrny
atfectalion = Don't you think this striking
4 forgot how ii arose the other day, bu
she asked me, Pray, Mr.. Norhcote. IS dis
tretion reckoned enc Of the Cal dinal virtues 7
l. No, SAID ], il is not one OF them, FOR IL u
all! II we had discretion al all times. W,
should not do wrong; but wa are takfn of
our guard ny being thrown into new & Difficult
situations, and have not time to weigh III,
consequences, or summon resolution to ou
aid. That is what Opie used 10 say when h,
had been engaged 10 an argument over night
what ex cellent answers he could give tn
aexi day, and was vexed with himself for no
ha wing thought ofthem. No I il we had sui
ticient presence OF mind TO foresee the con
sequence Of our actions on the spot, we shout,
very rarely have occasion 10 repent Of then
Iaftsrwards.' HasHH's Conversation.