Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-01-01
AGRICULTURAL.
virginia Farming.

General B. Peyton, Of Richmond, pur-
iased farm seven or eight miles above
city, on James river, some two or three
,ars ago, which was in the same condi-
m as thousands of others in that State
hose owners have abandoned them a
orthless, or rather so worn out and I'M
roductive as not to be worth cultivating.
or this reason, thousands have emigrated
om Virginia to newer and more fertile
ands in some of the Western States, for
he sole reason that they could no longer
support their families and servants upon n
soil which produced old pines and broom
straw, and but little else. And whyl Be-
cause it had been scratched. not pioncd
year after year. until the surface was ex-
hausted Of fertility; and, however great
the amount Of richness beneath, it was to
the owner a hidden mine: for he had a
deep-rooted prejudice against deep-rooting
his ploics into the carth-"' twould ruin the
land;'-though if practised, it Certainly
could not have done so more cffectually
than the runious system which he has pur-
sued to ruin himself and land too.
Here, now, within stones throw of
the rich wheat and clover fields Of Gen.
Peyton, canbe seen the same kind of land
AS his, covered with that worthless pro-
duct-,he most worthless scrubby pines
and broom straw-contrasting with his
fields. like desert waste by the side of
y garden of fruits and flowers.
BY what magic has he wrought this
changei--Not alone by the expenditure Of
capital for lime, plaster. bone dust, guano,
or otner fertiiisers, but because he has
.PIowed deep while sluggards sleep,
Producing corn to sell an keep.
He has procured the best plows that
could be obtained, and used them with
four horses to turning plow, followed by
three more, subsoiling every furrow, in the
stiff bottom land foot and half deep
This alone has the effect to restore the fer
tlity to degree that will treble the crops.
He has every prospect now of twenty
bushels of wheatto the acre, and counts
confidently on ten barrels $50 bushels) Of
corn. His method of preparing land for
corn is much in contrast with theirs, who
plant FIRST and sow the land afterwards,
that we will state it. In the first place, the
land was plowed and SUBSIDIZED last fall,
eighteen inches deep. This spring it was
well plowed with two horses, and now,
April 18th, is being planted after the fol-
lowing preparation. A coulter-which is
somewhat Of the nature Of small subsoil
plow-is run twelve inches deep, twice in
a row. and all the ground loosened up by
an iron tooth harrow; and the corn cover
ed by double furrow Of the coulter, and
then all the cleds are carefully raked off
by small iron-tooth rakes, which are far
superior in every respect to hoes for that
purpose The case with which such land
is tended through the season would sur
prise sorae Of those who never plow till af-
ter the corn is up. when they break out the
middle-ifi it can be called breaking-by
a little scratching of a shovel pillow drawn
by poor mule.
Such examples as General Peyton and
others are setting in Virginia, are causing
a great revolution in that State. Old field
lands are brought often at greatly advanced
prices; and people are beginning 10 find it 10
more profitable to improve their own farms
than il is to run off IN pursuit of new ones.
Truly the spirit Of Improvement is abroad;
who shall limit lbs vast advantages to the
whole country---T The Plo1.