Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-10-08
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,
FROM THE AMERICAN FARMER.
IMPROVEMENT OF WORKOUT LANDS IN
VIRGINIA.

Hon. WiilosSghby .NstrtOn, detailing his I'M
provement of WORKOUT farm in Eastern
Virginia, will command the most intense
interest His success should not only slim
ulate the young men Of the good old COM
monwealth, to remain at home and improve
their patrimonial estates, but should attract
capitalists from abroad. 1t must be obvious
that there is no land in our country more
susceptible of mproyement-none offering
greater inducements to investments. The
facts stated are Of peculiar value Just at this
time, and the thanks of the farmer are due
to Mr.. Newton for furnishing the state
ment, which is made at our request
LINDEN, Westm'd Co., Va.
August 10Th, 1851.
To the Editor Ofths american Farmer:
l, to-day, finished threshing the crop OF
wheat of this farm, and, in compliance with
my promise, proceed to give you the result.
The farm contains three hundred and eigh-
ty acres, $3.50 and was purchased about
fifteen years ago, at 81 an acre, price
then deemed high for forest land. In a
hopeful spirit, which like to encourage in
myself as we'll as in others, as not only
conducive to success, but essential to hap
piness, ventured to say of it, in the adj
dress delivered in October last, before the
Agricultural Society of Maryland, ''the
whole cost Of the farm was $3.50, and
have good reason to expect, with favora-
bic season, from the crop now sown and
dressed with guano, buShel of wheat for
every dollar Of the prime cost of the farm. ="
This was no doubt, deemed by many, a
very eXtravagant expectation, and was
probably set down to the credit of an over
sanguine temper. The actual result, how
ever, has far transcribed even NY hopes,
the yield being 2010 from 1O2 bushels of
seed, or over 20 for one throughout the en-
tire crop. Forty-six bushels were sowed
on clover fallow, and yielded 1910 or "a
bout 224 for one. There were two yarie-
ties of wheat, and Rulin's early purple
straw. The blue stem was sowed on the
fallow and the better part of the corn
land and produced from 50 bushels of
seed 1868 bushels. The early purple
straw was sowed on poor corn land, neither
lined nor otherwise improved, than by the
single dressing of guano, and from p OF
seed yielded 402 bushels. The whole ex-
$500, and it was applied to both fallow and
corn land in proportion to its supposed
strength at from 100 to 210 lbs. to the acre.
1t will be thus SEEN that have derived
from this single crop not only ga bushel OF
wheat for every dollar of the prime cost Of
the farm" but have also the seed returned
and 44S bushels to reimburse the money
expended in the guano, to say nothing OF
the large quantity Of straw and the greatly
improved condition of the land. Besides
the profit derived from the wheat, the farm
furnishes an abundance of milk and butter,
fruit, vegetables, and fuel for a very large
family, and will produce of corn this year,
about 1000 bushels, with every prospect of
great annual increase for the future. |
leave YOU to calculate the profit of such an
investment.
have heard of larger yields from small
lots dressed with guano this year, on land
similar to mine, but l am not aware of any
instance where as much as one hundred
bushels were sowed on any one farm of
like quantity, where the yield has been as
great. therefore infer, that although there
may be no peculiar merit In my mode of
and as it is subject of great Importance,
about which there is considerable diversity
ofopinion,I take occasion to state my prac-
tice. The guano, after being sifted and re-
duced to proper ineness, is carried to the
field in bags in the dry state, empty barrels
are placed at convenient distances for the
sower, and each bag in turn emptied into a
barrel and mixed with water until it is wet E.
nough to be sowed without blowing away.
1t usually takes common buCketf I'll to a
bag. This is the only addition to the qua
no, and the water is used for the convent
ence Of the sower, without reference to any
virtue to be derived from the mixture,
though probably in dry season that may
be attended with benefit. The guano is
sowed, as evenly as Possible,on the surface
of the rough fallow; and to ensure its equal
distribution (the laud having been previous
ly laid off by burrows at 10 feet distance)
il is sowed twice over. A heavy harrow
Immediately follows, which partially inter-
mixes the guano with the surface soil, and
prepares the land to receive the seed, which
is then sowed and put in with the common
shoe-horn cultivator, followed by heavy har-
rows, which finish the operation. The qua
no is thus thoroughly Incorporated with the
soil, and neither remains upon the surface
nor buried too deep. Experience and OBJ
servation have taught us, that all coarse
manures should be applied on the surface,
and all fine manures, not excepting guano,
as near the surface as may be consistently
with their thorough incorporation with the
soil My countyman, Mr.. L. Washington,
farmer of great intelligence and observa-
ton, informed me, that in compliance with
the usual prescription, he buried guano,
few years ago, deeply, with the plough, for
wheat. The crop was not very much ben
Gifted, and the next year, when the land
was prepared for corn, large part of the
guano was turned up entirely unchanged.
On corn land my practice has been either
TO turn both wheat and guano in together
with light turrow or to put IN the guano
first with light plow, and to cover the
wheat with a harrow. have not perceiv-
cd any material difference IN the result
In this, as in all other matters on the farm,
| convenience and saving of time should be
regarded.
[ have been familiar with this farm from
my childhood to the present time, and /
have no recollection of its ever having pro-
l,duced as much as twenty-five bushels of
Wheat in any one year, until commenced
Improving it. | purchased it merely as a
healthy site for residence, without the re-