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


baby done So though tina: circumstance was not no,eo
IN the corc.,, 10 winch refer My i'si dts
appointments however, IN regard To tie c'iec's %" me
growing c.cp ioie than compensated ny me hhi
Cd unca,i,v zeal end decided effect have never ia'i'
ed 10 perceiyc from the mr Gi0ne IN The cioeer sue.
cepdinp the wheat crop-wi:h which it has been my
cen raj practice apply the lime al the tine OF seed
np iaf. wing in the lime and wheat nj one ano Tue
same operation. The increased lusar'ance OF Inc
clover has furnished OF course, conclusive evidence
Of the lprovenen nj vi the land from the application oil
The lime and has, ITS turn enurd TO the still iu'ther
anelioratinn of the sotl All my observations, IN re-
satd to l,,ur vou!. lead me 10 the opnlon that II ~
the most D,rmanfu, Of all manures, and to concur IN
The conc son to!c5'y stated hy Df James ahdrl
SON one of the mos: copous and able Of all the British
writer's an arrcul,ure whn, BIS most valuable "Es-
say on Lime says, "that It's ctees On tic soti teH 0e
ftR ptrhups rs ioa@ as !c sol '1siS Anu ihs CON
cuson he ius,ites ~ The mode Of ITS aetnn al'ering
Tie n.trre and constitution al the SOIL 'sei aud en-
dunn il with capacities ard aiiin;;ics which ii never
before posse.sed MY applications Of lime have been
almost entirely on close gravely loan, OF brownsh
or rray colo.and the result OF SINGLE experiment, on
land of different description, would lead me 10 be
eve ,ha, il is not adapted 10 the red ierruginous clay
soils of the s,tes aud base Of our Southwest noun
,aius II j. provcr3 in England and Scotland, that
lie thai ra'l. sand
VIII buy land
But be- thai mlr.s clay
Inuws al away"
Tho ,eason ,ha, d. Anderson suggests for the com
para,ive iucciency of mari on clay soils If, that clay
forms large proportion of mari, aud the addition Of
clay Ia CLAW therefore cannot he expected to produce
so good an eft CT The reasoning would furnish
Il solution of the supposed want OF adaptation oil lime 10
the red clay soils Of the Southwest mountains proper
and of lis unquesonsblc efficacy the adjacent gray
looms, as chemical analysis Il! the two soils has,
understand disclosed the existence already TIVE per
cent OF lime the former, and OF hardly any sensible
quantity whatever i'll the latter.
Nothing cut be certain, than the highly bench
cial fleets Of lme as manure, on large MAJORITY OF
ur SOILS in which, according to TN analysis by Mr.
Ruia OF us many as sixteen different specimens taken
from various and distant parts OF the State lime is very
rarely found az original and natural ingredient
The important practical question then rs, whether the
e rensc of the application is justified by the dement's oil
the manure THIS is question which every person
mus, determine for himself, according to his particular
position, und his own views Of profit and loss For
myself, will only saw that have always found the
best application could make, of money derived from
the Land to return back to the land, IN Inc sape
OF Improvement. There is no investment OF capital
which can he more safe, and IN ninety nine out OF
hundred cases none half so profitable. II by laying
cut FIVE dollars manure acre OF land, you make
il produce YOU twenty bushels of wheat, worth dollar
bushe, when II produced but FIVE bushels Leiore, ana
this product is renewed 10 youeveTy four years, III an
ordinary rotation of crops have ycu not secured an IN
o.! hundred per cent on the outlay you nave
made, and, al the time, increased the value OF
your land four hundred per cent? And yet results such
As these, eXiravagaut they may seem, and though
we may he unconscious of them ourselves, are often
ac heved by Il liberal and spirited system OF improve.
me, The passion Of Virginia iarmersis TO acquire
more land not To make the land we already possess
more productive 1t farmer should add yearly 10 ms
possessions a hundred acres OF land, he would doubt
less consider himself getting along very prosperousy
in The world But if at no greater expense he can
make hundred acres Of land twice or thrice as pro-
ducve as they were before, is he not doing much bet
ter with the great advantage Of having more compact
surface on which TO concentrate his labor and care
The misfortune of Virginia agriculture IL, that we
have already too much land for the labor we can bring
Ia cultivate 1t. As not likely 10 make volrn
;ary cnr,anent of the extent OF our farms, the great
practical ,form that br introduced INTO Their
naoaeent is 10 curtal the arabic surface each, and
10 laY down u larger portion OF our lands TO grass
Instead Of wasting lie energies OF our SOIL ny annually
Spreading vide surface superficial, Negligent,
AND ltazng cultivation, yielding comparatively nothing,
how much better would ii he TO cultivate one hall or
one hrd Of the space do 10 concentrate up
on that all our resources Of labor and Improvement,
and 10 leave The res! 10 recruit Itself by the healing
rroce sses of Nature. Liebig has explained IN very
ingenious ard philoso phical manner The process by
which lands laid down 10 erase constantly renewing
and mp.o. ng themselves, and has thus confirmed the
deductions Of observation by the demonslre-
l,cns of science Should any one doubt whether we
should derive from the reduced surface, better cult
va:ed product equal 10 that OF The whole under made
told hy old Colunelia in his DE re 1uStica ut Roman
vine dresser, who had vineyard acd two daughters;
when his eldest daughter WAS married, H. gave her
hfd of the vineyard for portIon and yet he had the
same quantity If fruit us before; when his second daugh
ter was married he gave her the half of what remained,
and still the produce of his vineyard was undimnshed.
This nneccoie of the Roman agricutursts, gentle
G,en points The full force OF lis moral against that
fatal mania for emigration which has hitherto carried
of so large aud valuable portion OF our population 10
clp
the praitrs of the West 1t is not more land that we
need We have enough aud more than enough already,
properly cultivated and improved, Tor ourselves and
our children after us. !. is industry, improvement,
ro, hushanGry want, to develope the natural ca
nabt,es Of our so and 10 make it adequate to every
reasonable WISH and even 10 the iondest dreams oil
prosperity and wealth With these, secoEding the
gifts of Providence hy which surrounded, we
shall have nothing 10 envy 10 the untamed abundance
Il the West tempting US from The cherished scenes OF
our chldaocd and the alowed tonbs OF our ancestors
am happy TO believe, gentlemen, that brighter day
"a now dawnng upon US, and that the eminent natural
advantages aud superior capabilities OF Virginia are
beginning To be appreciated at their true WORTH By the
citizens Of sister States well 10 be more and
more felt hy her own children. While emigration from
our borders has, in great measure, ceased, ether
States beginning, their turn to send 10 US tn
butes Of Their moral industrious, and enterpris!ng po
pulalon, attracted hithcr by tie advantages OF our
c.ima,e, our numerous nayigable rivers our water
power. mineral resources, our favorable geographic
cal position, our kind and improbable soils. O these
welcome p.ga..,s from kindred hivce, have recently
become acsiuaa,ed wi,h of interesting charac
ter ctnbac"g persona eaa, respecab'l'ty from one
Of the Oldest and most highly improved counties IN the
State of New York, (the county of Dutchess) that
cannot deny myself the qualification Of reading to you
4 letter have recently received from nm intelligent
citizen OF the county of Fairfax, in answer to some en-
quircs addressed 10 HIM. giving me the parucuart
Of their settlement and establishment in that county
(Iere MIR. Rivcs read the letter referred to, as fol
lows
proceed make following your enquiries:
many of New iuk have purchased land III YOU
! County.
9a.. fum information obtain, there ahcn
fy (ams that have purchased land, 81 winch have
I'd, Int The greater ia o .i 10" reside III III. conh
Is; from three 20 ye PERSONS, makin
about Il l.urdrcd persons IN AL.
/ How much lard III III have they purchased:
H.. Thirteen thousand five hundred and thirty two aores
The, eia.y preferred small sized farms. from
and iiy humid bnt they have BEEN
u-d uri"se p'cc farms rather large traces of land
w,ich rhr, = mp 5 fast they
have they hccu sufficiently hong established Ia indicate VIVA