The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-09-26
THE REPU BLIC.

section of country The surveyor sent 10 explore
the Territory after the of 1912, for locating the
soldiers hnd- bounty warrants, reported there was
not good land enough in Michigan for this purpose.
When the earth is first exposed by the plough, II
Is Of pale yellow, and, TO the unpracised eye, ap-
pears barren. After exposure To the atmosphere,
and few STRINGS, il becomes darker than choco-
late, and finally almost black. Most Of your land
in this section ofthe country is remarkably adapted
10 corn In passing through the State in the spring,
have seen fields planted, which it appeared TO me
would i'll repay the laborer, and In the tall have
| found the crop much heavier than on the clay land
IN the northern part OF Ohio. The general opinion
| Is, that the lands in and about Washington are
hopelessly poor Last season, made il an object
TO ask northern gentlemen To visit, with me, differ
ent cornfelds and all of them confessed they had
under estimated their fertility General Henderson
raised more than hundred bushels to the acre.
| In retaining your land, the first object should
be to stock il with clover, the most ready mode
| to make il fertile. To insure success, lime should
be applied in suitable quantities. These will depend
on the vegetable matter on which II Is to operate.
IL in abundance much lime may be used, Gyp-
sum- plaster of Paris, is friendly to the growth of
clover, and may be prohtably applied. Clover and
| lucern have long tap roots, which penetrate the
earth deeper than the of any other grass and
| few grasses survive drought as WELL This have
noticed in the public grounds of Washington this
year as to clover and called the attention OF gen
eneh 10 its freshness, when the other grasses were
dry The clover in the fields of your enterprisng fell
low-citzen f. p. Blair, who is doing much in the
| cause OF agriculture, scarcely gives evidence Of
| drought. The orchard grass has a hrm, tenacious
root, and Is cultivated advantageousy by Mr.. Stone,
| near Washington, on hill sides which have
as barren a road. Mr.. Saunders, an experienced
| iarmer Of Kentucky, in visiting last season the
beautiful and well cultivated residence of your
teemed fellow citizen, Mr.. Riggs, pronounced the
orchard grass be the best for general cultivation,
on account of the burden produced, and its general
health and vigor and the little injury it sustained
| by drought
| DO nos believe you proftably raise any
other grain for sale i'll this part of the country than
corn, except some farms which in good filth.
II may be best for every farmer TO raise his own
breadstuffs, because the straw and stalks useful
in manuring his land, if they are prudently taken
care of butsuch is the competition in the West, and
| such is the quantity OF grain grown, that think
| your attention should more generally be turned to
stock, To daries, and to articles for the markets,
than it has been In order to restore to the earth
what succession of crops has exhausted, in add,
ton to lime and plaster green crops or barn-yard
| manure should be ploughed in.
Thatremarkable fertilizer, guano, which Mr. Skin
introduced more than twenty five years ago, has
been most literally purchased this season in this
county, and have no doubt you will realize your
anticpatons in the increase of your crops but the
amount paid is heavy tax, which should be avoid
ed, if you can obtain substitutes at home which
| will save the moneyto circulate among yourselves.
| Whether you raise grain or stock, you need
barns The loss of grain exposed in the shock for
weeks, nay months, and then threshed and win
moved on the ground, is great beyond the concep-
ton of any one The Hon John Taliaferro, of Vir-
says he measured square yard of wheat, an aver
| age of his field, cut off the heads with knife,
shelled the grain out and separated it from the
chaff in his hands, and it produced pint equal to
rs bushels TO the acre. The field was not supposed
to yield over thirty bushels. The grain should be
removed from the field to the barn soon as it is
sufficiently dry, and be carefully slowed away. In
cutting grain great care should be taken that none
of it be scattered and there is much economy prac
| tsed in raking and binding.
Sheaves of a proper size and shape easily
handled, and they stow well in the NOV rick.
barn is necessary for the security of hay, grain,
and straw from injury and exposure to the wea-
Their.
He is not only benefactor who make two
blades of grass grow instead of one but that man
must be ranked with him who can best secure them
| for use when they are harvested.
Although you have climate comparatively
mild, working cattle and cows should be housed in
wet weather IN the fall, winter, and spring. The
| best dairymen in the northern part of Ohio-and
| some of them have a hundred cows-have sheds,
under which they drive their cows for milking, and
they arc there secured by stanchions, and fed mod
erately twice day with bran, oil cake, or ground
grain, Notwithstanding they are taken from fields
of luxuriant white clover. Ii to me that the
making of cheese and butter must be profitable in
this section of the country If properly attended to
and good articles are produced. At the West, but
ter is rarely except in the cities, worth than
eight ten cents, and here it brings from eighteen
Cheese, there, sells from four and half 10 six
cents per pound, and here the average may be put
down at sixteen cents.
AT the prices l mention in Ohio, the farmers by
their economy In independent circumstances
| The money paid for these two articles, which are
consumed within circle Of thirty miles from this,
| amounts ~ a large sum.
The value Of the exports Of butter and
cheese in lS4O was. ..,......... S2lO,I49
The value of the exports of butter and
cheese in 1913 was.......... 1861 SOS
Being increase in eight years Of -. Sl,l50,sl9
You are favorably situated for raising sheep, and
| exporting wool.
The increased demand for wool for home manu-
facture will be great. change is progressing in
manufactures and commerce, which will be in
favor Of the United States. There is reason why
we should not supply Mexico and South America,
TO very great extent. Texas, Oregon, California,
and New Mexico, are possessed by the United
States, and are parts and parcels Of them. The in
tercourse with our possessions on the Pacific, whe-
ther by sea or land, brings in conneIion with
the inhabitants the islands, which will be ex-
tended to China. The time is not far distant when
our commerce with Africa will be immense.
These not spoken Of as Immediately connected
with the growth fwool but 10 open up 10 your view
sources Of unparalleled encouragement Cor your
industry when applied TO objects 10 which you
have been strangerss
The number Of sheep in the United
States in $40 was. ,................ 1891 ,374
The quantity of wool they produced
was-(be ..................... 55,SO2,ll4
In lS45, our importations Of wool
amounted to ...................... Sl,729 1855
Much Of this wool was Of low price, arising
partly from the dirt and foreign substances il
tained, and not unfrequently these arc added, 10
place the wool in that class which pays the least
I duty. The number Of sheep in England, Wales,
and Scotland, in 1870, about 80 900 900, produ
cling about 1876 637 500 lbs. Of wool; and notwth-
standing this home supply the importations in the
same year, into England, must have been between
forty and fifty millions Of pounds. We can not
only supply our own consumption, but we should
compete with France, Spain, and Germany in the
British market.
Sheep useful not only for food and their wool,
but no animals profitable in retaining worn
out lands and subduing foul pastures.
The volume {" ON sheep husbandry in the South, y
by H. s. Randall, of New York, prepared at the re-
quest Of Mr.. Skinner, is recommended by him as
decidedly the best work that subject that has
been offered TO the American public, and worthy a
place in every farmers library.
~ the alpaca cannot be proftably reared here, the
whole Of your mountain region is well adapted 10
their habits aud health. The great beauty of this
wool will cause IL 10 be extensively sought after
and manufactured. For many years 1t will com
mand from forty to fifty cents pound.
sec no reason why portion OF your 10 Dor should
/ h. ~ ell