Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-06-22

l, My answer to your first inquiry IS
my farm conss of one hundred and tltty
acres. exclusive of wood land.
g. 1t has variety Of soil. Its general
character is light loan rather inclInIns to
sand than clay,-some gravel in dtteren,
parts; some of the low meadows have q
peat bottom no clay.
5. | have always found that by mixing
soils of difl;rent qualities. made a more
permanent improvement, than BY putting on
manure of any kind. put light sandy
loa,n on to wet and heavy loan peat Is
useful to both. The greatest objecion Is
the expense ofcartlng. When the mixture
can be effected by the plough, as it often
can, the sub-so. often differing in quality
from the surface soil, it is done at very
cheap rate.
4. Nine is stock farm, and | till but 1t.
tie. have in tlllage this year, seven acres,
including nursery. On lot intended for
corn or potatoes, Fut abou, 20 loads or 5
cords Of manure to the acre generally.
S. l use both long and compos: manure.
6. Inever put manure in The hills. 1t is
one of The worst modes Of practice. 1t
eopardizes the crop the present year, and
operates unequally on the succeeding. It
is an invitation 10 worms, and lessons the
labor Of The crows. 1t gives you more
stalks than corn.-more vines than potatoes
and more !aboris required in spreading
it. plough in the coarse manure and
harrow in the fine.
7. plough the green sward just before
planting-frst having spread on long ma
nure never suffer the manure 10 dry after
spreading. Put handful of ashes on the
hill ofcorn a spoonful Of plaster on pota-
! toes.
8. NOV. this year, about As acres of
upland including M interval that can be
ploushed; and we judge that we have cut
40 tons ofmrrcanable hay on the same.
9. | irrlga,e none but low meadows
think the practice Of watering high lard in.
jures the quality ofthe hay.
10. By making dams across tho brook,
flow most of my meadows occasionally,
and improve the grass both in quantity and
quality. No matter how wet these mead.
ows are kept, if the wafer is not suffered 20
stagna,c aud heat. These low meadows
are spoiled for meadows by dtchIng. If
we drain them we must introduce the Eng.
! lish grasses.
IL. Imow 25 acres Of coarse meadow
Grass, very suitable for young stock, worth
half the price Of English.
IL. have reclaimed much low peat
land, within dozen years, and continue the
practice. began by pairing and burning
The surface. This mode has some advan.
lages. In dry summer, an acre may be
prepared for seed at an expense of S20.-
The ashes furnish an abundance ofmanure
for two or three years, and have thus OBJ
tained one and half tons ofhay to the acre
withou, other manure. But as many seasons
prove wet, and stop our whole progress for
The year. have abandoned this mode, and
pref r o cart on loam or sand. or gravel:
in preference. Wien banks OF this kind
are near the margin If the meadow. a man
with one woke of oxen will cover over one
acre in six days-Sl2. Ten loads OF com.
post mus, then be hauled on-Sl0. This
is the lowest estimate. A lew years ago.
sold about four acres of such land at $500
Der acre. Before it underwent this pro-.
cess, the same land never yielded a dollar
per acre. have reclaimed one acre o' low
land, which is not peat bottom, at very lit.
tie cos. When purchased it, twelve years
ago, 1t had never borne any crop. 1t was
too wet TO grow bushes. ! drained 1t, and
have gathered ten good crops from it in
succession without any manure. Two OF
these were corn-one, potatoes !; the other
crops were grass, and we have often cut
two of these in season. Last summer !
sold the standing grass on this acre, for two
tons, without welghing,-,he purchaser paid,
within fraction, twenty dollars forit. Since
that, in August. we cut one load for horse,
of rowen, on The same, and now the cattle
are taking from it third crop. The soil
is black light mould three 10 four feet deep
so light puffy that We were obliged to
carry on 20 loads ofloam from the road.
side, before the seed would yege,ate.
Since that, we have applied three or four
loads Of leeched ashes to the surface. This
acre has been kept thus productive by
merely ploughing in the rowen, or second
crop once in three or four years, and SOW
ing erass.seed on the furrow in September.
Thus | kill the sour grasses without going
through the Improbable process Of planting
and sowing wet lands.
In reclaiming meadows that are to:efably
evea on The surface, | first drain them
then cart on loan, &C., cnouI N 70 cover up
tho grasses completely, not having nso''sa mo
The grass-'his long grass helps 10 h'l up
the cavities, and much less loan is required
to cover it. We lose the grass, but 1t Is
soon turned 10 manure, and we are not so
| Ill uly ~ hear from II auaiD as if we had cut