The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1846-10-15

The chief feature of llle improved Eng
lish system Of agriculiure may be said 20
be the cultivation Of lurnips for the rear
ing and latiening Of cattle. The following
description contains minale account Of
the NOHhumbrisn system BY which man
ual labor is almost dispensed with:
The land having been prepared by as
many plOughings and borrowings a. may
be thought requisite 10 pulyeTize il and
destroy The weeds, and laid quite fia., an
experienced ploughInan draws as straight
furow as possible. and returning, lays
the next lunow slice upon The Eirst thus
completing bout. The usual width Of
the lurroW being nine inches, the first
ridge and furrow take up eighteen inches,
the next funOw slice being laid over Tue
first, The whole work takes width OF
lweniy-seren inches. lie then enters a.
gain at the distance Of twenly-seyen inch
es from the land side Of the first made FUR |
row, and completes second bout paral. |
lei 10 the first. When ihe whole piece,
or Geld, is thus laid into narrow ridges,
The depressions are about six inches be-
low the former surface and the ridges as
much above. This at once doubles the
depth Of the cultivated soil in the ridges.
The manure is now brought on the land
in small one horse carts, the wheels Of
which are about filIy.lour inches apart, so
that The horse walks in one furrow while
the wheels move in the two adjoining
The manure, which is chiefly farm. yard
dung, not too much decomposed, espe-
cially If the soil is inclined 10 clay, is laid
| in small equidistant heaps in the centre
furrow, drawn out Of the cart by dung
drag, and afterwards evenly spread in the
mhldse lfurrow 70 the right and leit Of
those. The quantity thus laid on must
depend upon the supply in the yard, but
ought not 10 be less than fifteen or TWEEN.
;ly single horse loads per acre. The
ploughman now begins 10 cover this dung
by splitting the ridges in two. laying one
half TO the right and the other 10 the left
and reversing the bouts, so that the ridges
are now directly over the dung, which is
completely buried. A roller is now drawn
over the ridges 10 flat,en them al top. in
order that they may better receive the
seed, which should be drilled in as quickly
as possible TO take advantage of the mois-
ture of the fresh turned soil. Ii would
be desirable to soak the seed in a strong
detection of tobacco for twelve hours, and
dry il previous to sowing with the drill
harrow. In light soils another slight roll
ling is necessary TO press in the seed, but
Ordinarily the roller Of the drill harrow
will suffice. II will be obvious that by
, this method the seed has not only great
er depth Of mellow soil 10 strike in. but
the fermentation Of the dung, immediate
ly under it, acts as hot bed, and soon
; brings il up; by which means it is gene.
: rally so rapidly in the rough leaf that il
is not likely to suffer from the fly, more
especially if the precau,ion OF soaking
the seed, with view 10 secure the object,
has been attended TO. As soon as the tur-
nip has four leaves out OF the ground, the
rows may be thinned by the hoe, and the
plants left from eight 10 ten inches apart
The next process is stirring the ground
;. between the rows with light one horse
r plough. The plough takes small shall
n low furrow TO the left Of the row within
l. three or four inches of the young plants
c and lays it in the middle of the Interval
: between the two ridges. When this ha:
i. been done on both sides all over the
field, there will he small ridges formed be
tween the principal ridges on which the
turnips grow. All weeds are thus burr
= ed except between the plants in The rows
where they are taken on by the hoe
Some time afterwards harrow culiiva
tor with crooked tines is drawn though
J, the furrow to level the small ridges lel
" from ploughing only and TO clear ,h'
ie ground of all remaining weeds. Befor'
$, the autumn rains set in, or the turnip
I'd have too wide spreading tops, plougl
o with double mould board is drawn alon:
70 the middle Of the intervals, and lays hal
=. of the soil on each side against the ridg
se on which the turnips grow, 10 suppl,
ID fresh mellow earth for the extending Fl
o. bres to strike into. When the turnips ar
off, one bout Of the plough levels each @
the edges, heavy harrows level The whole
and il can be ploughsd in an ordinary wa
- for spS:ng crop.
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