Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-04-02
Agricultural

headed I" Farming in North Carolina," il
the American Agriculrurist. a' t'z
Manuring and Ditching.-The appli
cation of compost maaure, formed .on ,ht
ground 10 be cultivated, by a mixture O
swamp muck, stable manure, sod from lht
woodland, and about two bushels of limt
10 the acre, with attention to hill side ditch
ing, has enabled me 10 raise from 36 tc
40 bushels Of Indian corn on land before
too poor for any cop. lii another expert
ment the success has far exceeded the ex
pectation OF the most sanguine; this was
on haI piece of land, covered most of the
year with water, and with heavy growth
Of bamboo, [briars] where it was dry
enough, with weeds, iron wood, and other
noxious shrubs and plants. This was
cleared up, and diIched abonl FIVE feel
deep ;'atlhe bollom of the ditch the hard
pan of blue or white clay was perforated
with an augur. or occasionally cut through
with the spade; rocks stones were put
in The bottom. and carefully. covered with
split timber and then the diiches filled up.
They were entirely dry when finished, but
shortly after they were completed there
was fall of rain, when The bitches began
to discharge a considerable quantity of
waller, and have ever since made good
running streams. The ground has become
light, loose, and fiable, and has yielded
about rs bushels, Is barrels OF corn 10 the
acre. For The labor in cutting the dirches
/ have been more than remuncraled in The
quantity of muck Tor more properly speak
ing, clay) furnished for compos, beds, with
which the poor hill sides have oeen ma
nured. When dug up, this clay was ex-
lremely hard, forming the pan ON which
the water bad rested and was not uGlike
brick when taken from the mould. In
four loads Of this clay alternately added
one load Of good manure. until the com.
post rea. he'd from so 10 lU0 loads. This
was done in summer, or early in The fall
and suffered TO remain in the heap until
spring, when it was applied TO corn land
May moi The ferlilizing quality Of this COM
post have arisen from The entire disiuteg.
ration Of The clay by The frost? And was
not its capacity 10 collect and retain am
raeat raaritH aritHinHsAaAA''-e--.h---.a'-!.-------'---
am a great advocate Of atmospheric
manure, and have come to the conclusion,
that mosphere is the matrix Of all ma
nure and that no other manure is valua
bic only as it is auxiliary to the atmos-
phere. This may at first view appear TO
be starting and dangerous doctrine; it
would.cerlainly be so, if carried to the ex
tent lba, Jelhro Tull did, that is that all
oiher manures were to be excluded. am
in favor of giving every aid to atmosphere
IN our power, by all aIlkaies, composts,
anb such fixed salts as will impart 10 the
earth the. greatest possible capacity to
drink in and retain the sasses best suited
10 its support
In the compost beds referred to, there
were few bushels Of ashes put in with
the swamp earth, but 50 mixed as not to
come in contact with the stable manure
The object was for the ashes to exert their
full influence on :he muck. They would
not have been injurious to The stable ma
nure, for find lha, in my cow yard it is
beneficial 10 throw few bushels Of wood
ashes over the litter occasionally, to fix the
sails confined in the urine, and tail ma
nure. Thirty wagon loads Of rich swamp
mud, put up in heaps in he fall, with the
addition of TWO bushels Of causlic lime, is
found 10 be valuable for the reclamation
of sandy land resting on a clay subsoil.
The latter description of compost was ap-
piled to sandy land, too far from my house
10 add any stable manure, and with extra
ordinary effect, producing abou, the same
result that the first mentioned compost did
on the clay laud, viz: 36 to 40 bushels of
corn to The acre where the land had been
worn out. -.
Iu connexion with this subject, hillside
ditching must not be disregarded. Ii is
perhaps more important TO US. than in
your climate. The heavy rains of sum
mer have done great injury TO The soil of
the southern States, by working off the
most valuable of the hills, and draining the
bottom land; this is efectualIy guarded
against By laying off the land judciousIy,
aud ditching. II has the effect of protect.
ing both The upland aud bottom. by pre-
venting the flow of waerduring hard rains
on the latter, and the washing or wasting
Of the former.
Sir John Sinclair, has, by his perseve-
rance in the cause OF agriculture, done
more for this country than half the poili-
clans and military men Of his age One
great secret of his success is, his attention
draining the land we'll, and then protecting
il by hillside bitches, or whal he calls
water-furrows, carrying all the excess OF
water into his dilches and ponds.
In the secord volume of Mr.. Ruffin's
valuable work on agriculture, the Far
mers' Register, find that the application
Of leached ashes with half its quantity OF
plaster Of P Patis, has had fine effect when
put in the corn hill. Can you inform me
whether mixture Of carbonate of lime
would not be equally salutary? As a
manure | should think il preferable but
as food for the plant, or what is properly
termed alimentary manure, it may not be
equal to the plaster (a). The slovonly
practice of manuring in the bill, ough
never 10 be resorted TO by any farmer who
L r.