Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-11-01

The meadows are we'll set with timothy AND nero
grass, and Tue high land with clover aud timothy
General Richardson, who IS competent Judge o' tue
gaod properties the hog should possess, thinks ms
white breed, Uhe Hampshire, no douht,) VIII eeu "
greater weight than his Berkshire They are longer 10
The neck and body nut not compact OF form US 'ne
o;he. bn appear faten well, and no doubt VIII et
tain rqnal weight, properly managed
K. Hhichsif0s Farm.
Sixty acres, OF which twenty and hall are III III
10 pp meo dow and D, .ture The buildings comfort
able dwelling with all the usual Offices large Stable, WIN
loft aboye distinct and calf shelters, and hu"e,
Gus and convenient hog siycs The crop Of corn Sm"a
for The land of oats, hay and rye, are very GOOD nc
enclosures, chiefly of plank are 10 good repa'1.-L
bor his OVID, and one man, of which his taVs'" -
CURES two fllhs Stock, two horses and NUE. zen
cows aud calves tcommon,) fifty hogs, prine'Pa'!
ertshi;e, of which twelve, destination, to produce
ri.hiecn hundred weight of pork, are fnr the use VI
tie tavern and his family, consisting OF hve persons
No part of e farm ia very rich nor is 1t snscePt'ue
OF very high and permanent Improvement Without .,e
application of lime, mari, or their equivalents We
pleased, however, TO observe the srent eho' "
enrich soil so little inviting, and the improving .'
ton Of the whole The entire corn field recei'eo SHY
cart loads Of manure the acre, and on The ADJOINING
fpld hundred and eighty loads from the COW pen
made since planting, deposited, resoy ,oF
the plough. The accuracy and correctness Vi wi.
Whchellos ju1sme nj, in his endeavors 10 improve no
stock breeder of hogs is fully sustained oy the
excellence of several individuals, male ana female
evincng unweared perseverance end superior discern
menl, Which, we trust will be crowned ny Inc happy
effect Of attracting notice, ard lmsuring Pfohe rus
Berkshire boar, though lean, we are confident "i no"
weigh sc ZEN hundred o ,nds The 1uckahoe pig, (h'w
seven months old) prob1bly two hundred and s two
sisters one hundred and fifty each. The white snrry
SOW exhibited at a former meeting, has ra;seu t"eny
pigs at three lt;ers, Of which, at seventeen
months DID, weighed four hundred and forty one nhd
another of which, with two Berk shres not 70 large,
appareuy Welded one thousand three hundred weight
Of pork at twenty months old, IN the Richmond mar
ket Tits SOW has oil the MARKS Of the Gloucester
shire breed, which is universally supposed hy writers,
10 have bee formerly the prevailing breed oil England,
and therefore, may excite interest, though esteemed
inferior to either of those already referred 10.
Your Committee beg leave TO observe, that poultry
TALL feaiheTed stock Of The farm yadl has been general
IL esteened Of doubtful advantage as farm stock, bu
nevertheless would suggest, that the CONDITION, 10
cation aud circumstances Of some OF your MEMBERS To
when your attention has been particularly directed
would seem invite effort to render the rasing OF
poultry be NJ fetal well nher iarmng stock Our
cma e and soil both favorable and the market
so inviting that with careful selection OF siock with
view 10 size and flavor improved by good feeding,
we can scarcely doubt but that this business might be
conducted with profit
We have deemed it advisable TO make no report upon
farms entered for, but to which we have not awarded
premiums, or which have not heretofore obtained pre-
niums, for reasons, which We believe VIII lie uHoef
stood and approved By you
The Committee award the first premium TO General
VIM H. RcharGson-the second TO Anthony Robinson,
Jr-the third 70 r. Whichellu and the fourth 10 Thos
Gnnet-And ia doing So, beg leave 10 add, that whilst
we repret that go few farms entered for premiums,
we reluctantly acknowledge, that greater number
could not have been examined (ho@cver wiling we
MIGHT have been to devote ourselves To your servce
will, the least prospect Of faithful and satisfactory re
portland that the Society may ac, (shonld they at
,em,t TO REMEDY the many obstacles and difficulties
| nd he ar Committee
such lights as y c can afford them. We will add that
in accomplishing The highly important, and with view
to the instructions Of the Executive Commlttee-ne'
cessary point OF comparing the meanS OF improvement,
prruniarV rs accR all "hcrS amount 81 taoor, ana
edrurtaecs Of iora,iOn possessed by each applicant
with those possessed by others respectively IN adci
cn TO our more obvious duties our difficulties were
very great indeed Tor example, the utter disregard OF
The proper means 81 knowing correctly the expense IN
cured in the farm operations improvements, on the
value oC the produce obianed-the manifest and per-
u.cious influence of preconceivej opinion, to the
question at issue, upon even the guess work plan, ny
which this knowledge was attempted to be supplied
the frequent want of ell connection between an ehect
and it's supposed cause-and from the minute and al
mos. impercePtibe circumstances which diversity re-
sus independent of the nature OF the soil ITSELF
But these difficulties were much increased, W inc
prea dversities end vast variations, here presented,
requrng knowledge not commonly possessed by The
practical farmer and to which your Committee, who
are not couyersant with the science Of Chemistry, do
mot pre,end In determining then the comparative
ind.nen displayed by the competitors, IN discovering
the deficiencies in the proportions OF primitive earthly
materials, and in providing what 10 deficient, Qher
chen pest merD by the application OF mineral animal,
and vegetable manures we'll as in subsequent crop
ping and taae, have confined ourselves to the ma
tural appearance Of the SOIL the nature ct the plants
produced their growth and uxurance, ana 10 the state
mfnfs he Of e farms examined, as 10 former
fertility or tarenness and present capabilities and
power OF productiveness.
Your Committee cannot close this report without
calling the attention Of the Society TO the fact; that
ation or an arrangement OF crops, the most prominent
feature in good farning--thnt which has attracted The
attention. occupied the pens, and called into active ex
ercse the skill Of the most successful end intelligent
rpriculturss seems be little understood, al least
practsed on the farms visited by usexccpt SO far
lain xpos ures, peculiar situations and conditions OF
soil may sometimes partially obtrude an unwelcome crop
upou the established routine oi the and field land.ki
inn system We repeat unhesitangly, that if our bre-
thren of this vicinity deem it highly requisite d alter
nate or interpose crops, with TO the varieties and
proportions of nutritious materials, upon which the de
mand is to be made-ther practice and convictions are
widely yarinnt-and it is also much to be lamened, that
the great effect which the appropriations Of different mat
tiers or udmxture of earths have IN varying the proper
ties and suableness Of soils seemng essential 10 their
productivences in sorts Of crops)-is little
derstood for thong soils adjacent, an admixture
of which would probably have been highly efcia,
vegetable and animal manure with little plaster, SEEM
ed IN the estimation Of most Of those whose farms Vi
sited the only from which the principles Of
reliable nutrition could be drawn We therefore suggest
that perhaps something might be done TO correct this
evil by proposing premiums for the best crops Of peas
and ,urnps from the land in the year the
order in which they are named-(which last might IN
very warm and rich SOILS be followed by greens fer
the following sprng)-for crops Of savoy cabbases-
enrly ,nrnips- peas-bnnch beans-potaloes pump.
kns to be followed by wheat. Any one Of these last
coil a
smsll farms certainly unecenomca practice of pre-
pairing the land for that crop by naked faow These
rotations suggested for the sake of ILLUSTRATION only
and as having been tried with success by one ofycur
committee.
Respectfully submitted.
VIM. MILLER,
CHS. MARX.
Although unable, from severe and continued inds.
posi,ion. 10 encounter the fatigue Of examining all the
farms offered for premiums yet my personal acquain'.
uncc with them and with two, especially, enables me,
plpasure and nerect confidence to concur the