Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1845-08-21
MISCELL A n EOUS
From the American Farmer.
TO THE YOUNG FARMERS OF
MARYLAND.
ON PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE.

Six teeth out of my Threshlng Machine
and the consequent delay in my operations
enable me to devote few to subject Oh
which have long contemplated addressing
you, but until the present, prevented by
various causes-that Of Practical Farming
more especially as applying to young
MARYLAND Farmers, like myself on old
lands.
The recent change in the form of our
venerable and useful Agricultural Journal;
keeping pace as it does with the ''lights''
as they are discovered booming above the
mists of by-gone ignorance, las suggested
the spirit of these papers; or, if you will
dignity them with the term, essays-and il
is my special aim, so far as consistent with
fact, to avoid all the technology Of pedant-
ry, the "schooIs' and the metaphysical
theOrist.
Succeeding to the management of an old
estate, at period when mercantile pur-
suits presented more pecuniary attractions
than agricultural, my first experiment in the
latter, was TO let my farm on shares, by the
advice of my friends, to acorking man; the
consequence was, that at the end of two
years was heartily glad to rid myself OF
vampire who exhausted what little blood
there was left in the old 'tUrnip'-his last
boast on quitting me being, that she had
skinned my farm Ia iacO ycars,' and thought
by ''rushing i'' Ia favorite phrase of his
to be able to do the same where he was
going. Hence you can readily imagine the
condition in which found matters, on as
Stunning sway in person.
Ny first efforts at restoration were to
repair and have made several hundred pan
nels of out-iencing; discarding entirely.
and using the materials on it, all inner or
cross lines, save a good sized paled barn
yard; fve-rail feeding and milking yard
and a poultry Misunderstanding to pursue
the soiling and exercise systems, and study
the economy of manures, Of which more
anon.
Of course the eyes of all our old neigh
bors were upon me, and their aged mouths
spake wondrously wise as to what II would
not do" not ''what 2could," to make liv-
ing off that old place. Your meadows
have all run Out," quolh one; "you'll have
to spend many dollar to repair your
houses" another quotha-and SO on, until
at last, had not at least possessed the neg
alive merit Of obstinacy, should have beat
en- my ploughshare into a sword, and taken
the road to Texas for a livelihood!
"It's pity" said person who was
burning blue lime, "you don't lime that
6are-Iooking field; why it won't raise dogs
hdlr." Now, gentlemen, with your leave
1t is of that very field intend treating in
this my first agricultural paper. My on
shares acorking man, not leaving until late
in November, no time could be found to
flush piece of sod for my corn, having to
sow my wheat, some as late as 25th No
vember SO the only spot "clean enough
the next spring was {" hat hare-looking
feld;" now, by the order of retrospect
you shall have the history of this field "A
neighbor had it some six years ago on q
lease; his last crop was wheat, 10 6ino
which he araS compelledto haul outold straqc
its oucn being TOO short TO tic around sheot
Nv brother then worked it in corn, manu-
red in the hills; the crop was scarcely
worth saving; his wheat succeeding that
no yield; next my working man planted j
in corn, partially MANFRED in the hills, anc
then neglected-so that you will perceive
the only place had for this voracious croy
had been planted in it the previous year
without, of course, any yield. After hav
ing it poughed, narrowed, and rolled il
March, | had it cross pIoughed, narrowed
twice and rolled in April; marked off il
checks 3 feet by 1-2-wdest spaces run
ming north and south, or nearly so-haulet
out two hundred one-horse cart loads o