Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-09-08
AGRICULTURE.
With your leave Sir, will poach upon your manor.
EXTRACT from Mr.. C. T. Bolts "Southern Planter,
for September.
FARMERS CLUBS

4
community Annual fairs and exhibitions are well
enough in their way, but they are Too few and far be-
tween to be productive OF any very important results
II is TO The continued and repeated influence OF those
nep hhorhood associations, which, under the name OF
uFormers Clubs are beginning 10 be so popular, that
We nrs to look for those benefits to agriculture that all
other arts nd have derived from the union and
association Of their members.
One of these clubs has been gotten up this vicinity,
and single attendance was sufficient TO satisfy Us
that tbes meetings are admirably calculated TO mins-
ter not less to the sociabty than the improvement OF
a neiphborbood. To man grooming under the heat
and dust of a city, nothing can be more delightful
than one of these rural excursions; where amidst the
songs of birds the odor of flowers and the shade Of
trees he NAV enjoy the delightful hospitality of the
members of the Henrico Farmers Club. The fore.
noon is devoted TO social intercourse, and is not
until the cloth is removed, and the physical fully
provided for, that the spiritual bsngs considered TO
be sufficiently srbmated 10 take into consideration
the profound truths of agriculture Then II s, tina,
some question selected at previous meetng,s MADE
the topic of conversation, and an opportunity all 'rd
ed TO every member 10 avail himself Of the expert
enoe of his friend and neighbor. 1t is our lot TO fill
the honorable post of Secretary of this Club, and
from our notes. we shall probably, from time to time,
make few extracts for the benefit OF readers.
For instance at the FIRST meeting the question for DIS
| cussion was,
"hat is The best mode Of euttirating Indian Corn 2
This question was handled very ably by some of the
Oldest and most successful growers in The county
Although it was universally agreed that much Dope nd
ed upon soil and season, yet great diversity of OPT
MON prevailed, upon almost every point that arose, be-
tween men living side by side, either OF whom would
have been considered by his negbbors good authority
upon nv question connected with the making of corn;
particularly upon the question OF the proper distance
for planting did company essentially differ. One
gentleman whose head would have been grew If ii
had not been bald man too of very profound OBJ.
servation declared, that one year with another six
feet by three would yield in climate and soil
than any lesser distance This doctrine which would
hopeessy condemn US TO short crop are happy
to say, found very few supporters. Five feet and
eighteen inches was the distance that seemed TO be
most generally preferred; the prevailing opinion was
that than that, in ordinary seasons, the corn
would Sire, and the crop would be shortened. We
were pleased TO hear gentleman declare that xpe
rience and observation had perfectly satisfied him of
the truth Of the doctrine Of DR.. Sans Of South Ca.
rolna, which called the attention Of readers
in the last volume of the Planter The amount OF
this doctrine briefly this; that the natural tendency
of the roots Of the corn IS downward and that such
will be their invariable direction in deep rich mel
low SOIL but that when the earth i. scratched only to
the depth of few inches and the hard pan under
meath left undisturbed, then II is that the of
the begin wander in a horizontal crecon and
that their length will very much depend upon The dis
lance within which they find their proper supply
of food The inevitable and valuable rcusion from
this position s, that The soil is deepeled and en-
rched, that may plant closer and cloer, until
obtain crop that perhaps has never yet been dreamed
of in American husbandry. Firing, say the advocates
of this doctrine, is neither more les than dying
for want of nourshment Corn, like cattle, la We
mehng 10 live upon; and 1t your lantis poor, and
the season unfa vorable, you must be carfu that you
allow sufficient latitude of range to boil the and
the other. In other words certain decree of nuiri.
ment is required. and the trve without
the space which it is afforded.
gentleman present, whom, although young far
mer, know be very skilful and srcessful one,
remarked that he had Of late years disposed entirely
with The use of the hoe in his crop. +. breaks his
ground up deeply and thoroughly leuvig ii as fresh
ly stirred possible at the time OF pang he plants
early, and as as the growth will ennte him to do
so with mpunity he runs the plough, lth the bar
close the corn, both sides, turning he dirt from
the CORN the middle part Of the aresoked with
cuvalos. In few days, he pnts in his pughs again,
reversing the frs, operation, and thrown the DIRT TO
) the corn whereby the weeds betwee the plants,
whch usually removed with the hoes, e complete
:, ly covered and smolhersd. Again. ancfor the last
tme he resorts to the cultivators to cea the rows
and he seldom never finds any thing nre nscessa
~ than the several workings here descr'd provided
the ground is well and thoroughly broke in the first
instance. By this system and the free Us OF manure,
he had succeeded in making averngtof len bar
rels to the upon thin, light Chickahoiny upland
The next subject worthy of note wht our memo.
D randa furnish US, is
CURING CLOVER HAY
/ Here, again, We find diversity Of onion One
| member of the Club extensive andvell known
hay grower, and his views according ycommanded
s great attention. He promised by saynghat he con-
ceIved the great object 10 be TO mch with the
air. and litle with The sum- as possible his practice
was, to commence cutting just when the lossoms be-
Il gan to turn brown; after permitting 1t lie IN The
swath about couple Of hours he draggedhree swaths
together thereby forming winrow, in wch The clo-
= permitted TO remain twenty four ours longer;
# then put into large shocks, wich, soon
# as they sufficiently cured, irted TO The
barn stack. These general rules we, however,
. much modified by the weather. There VI no portion
o of the farmers business that required he eye and
g critical judgment OF the master more tbs the curing
Of clover hay. Seasons would sometIns come, in
q which, in spite Of the greatest precaution,
1t @ould be impossible TO save the cTop'xccpt IN
very injured condition. This gcn,lems nstated, that
good clover hay as he had seen, hhad known
TO be cured by stacking It, fast it cut, about
two poles or rails, in such manner, thu when they
+, were drawn out, perfect vent would be II, by which
, the air might circulate freely through III stack in
f this manner, The hay sufEcienilyure with
out losing particle of its fine green colo Another
gentleman here remarked tha, upon the principle
+ he had frequently known clover IN ewinds TO be
piled upon the sumps, and he fit ASSURE, that any
: plan which might BE- used to enable the circulate
freely through large mass, would afford thmeans of
curing clover hay with the least possible deee of risk
or labor. Another gentleman stated, that ira friend
!. in the county of Luudoun, he had obtaine the fol-
lowing mode, which he had pracsed for se,ral years
with great success In the evening, he uew into
large cocks whatever hay had been dung the
n day. by ten O'Clock next morning. he wouldnd the
h heap in high degree Of heat he would The throw
1t open, and spread it, in which state he Won leave
i, for an hour or two, when he would proceed stack
or house it.
.: 1t wns stated, by another member that in thSaley
j Of Virginia, which is celebrated for the guilty as
the quantity of its hay, 1t was the universal prare to
permit the clover to lie in The swath it II, for
w nty-four hours II was then turned bottd up
wards and thus exposed for an hour longer, zen il
was considered sufficiently cured TO be cartedo the
house, where it was sailed in the layer gon Of
salt being used 10 abcu, wagon load of ciov. In
) tina, section of country, it consderefit to
be cut until at least half the blossoms had irned
/, brown and died.
Another gentleman stated that last year he II pu,
in practice plan that he had learned in Illinois there
/ II universally prevailed This was simply tcaIry
the hay as II cut, and pack green akitc care
10 sal; The layers as it pat up. Layers oil raw,
It II could be conveniently had ln'erpos be
tween The layers of hay. Although, in this peri
f nent, ne had lost small portion of the boim OF
his heap, in consequences of his having packed TOO