The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-03-22
9or the farmers.
From the Journal OF Agriculture.
Thorough or Rich Farming.
BY PROF. j. J. NAPLES.

best European writers to express such a system
Of farming as would embrace the use of capital
literally, and at maximum profit, in contradiS-
tinction to low farming, or the procuring of mi
nimum crops, with no investments beyond the
purchase Of land and cheap workings.
Those who pursue high farming argue that it
is both safe and profitable, and that they use
their capital literally to put the land in the best
possible condition by understanding, sub-soil
pleughing, convenient arrangement Of cisterns,
pumps, manure. houses, &C., &c., so as to have
light expenses by labor saving arrangements, at
the cost, perhaps, of heavier original outlays.
The high farmer has analysis of his soils, and
uses upon them all the manure they are capable
Of converting into plants; or, in other words, all
that can be used with profit, instead Of only so
much as will only produce a crop. For such
crops as are found to pay profit for the labor,
the soil is plowed two, three, or more times be.
fore planting; and where thorough admixture
of the manure through the soil is found to be
more. advantageous than simply to plow or hat
row it in, large cuirator or stirrer is literally
used for this purpose For crops which are ad-
vanced materially by continued irrigation, even
steam-engres are kept in motion to insure the
necessary supply.
Cattle on such farms are never pastured, but
always fed in buildings supplied with every COLI
veuience to save manual labor. The supply of
water is always at hand, and readily led by gut
ters to the front of the animals. The arrange
ments for warming and ven.ilating are such as
to insure a steady and healthy temperature and
supply of atmosphere. The manures are rapid
ly removed as voided, and composted with as
much inert vegetable matter as can be converted
BY its fermentation into useful amendments. The
fluid excretie is led by cutters to masses Of mat
ter, which receive it and retain the volatile por-
tions from evaporation.
If the soil is short of potash, soda, or any 9th
er constituents of the required crops, these are
added not directly to the soil, but to the COM
post-heap so as to advantage by their decom-
posing or chemical effects before going to the
roots of plants. Manures are never left INNER
sed in water, parting with gases without under
going proper decomposition but the drainage
of manure-heaps is daily returned to them, to
supply the necessary amount of moisture to in:
sure decomposition without burning or .fre:fang-
ing.
If ammonia is lost by steaming or overhead
ing of manures, the drainagecistern of the heap
is Immediately supplied with dilute sulphuric
acid, or some soluble sulphate required by the
compost, which changes the volatile carbonate
of ammonia to the fixed sulphate of ammonia,
and thus all the eXcretia of animals is saved in
its best and most efficient form.
Some old-style farmer may say, "This IS all
very well but where is the money to come from,
and when can you get it back?" We answer,
60 tba otto hat in En-
gland and elsewhere, as tenant farmers, have
made large fortunes by high farming, while but
few have done so by any other style Of culture.
Now, while free trade is parayzing the efforts Of
the farmer, those who pursue high farming alone
are able to succeed. We do not assert that all
who spend much succeed as consequence of
such expenditure; but those who use their cap:-
tai freely and judiciously do succeed, and find it
more to their interest than to invest on bond and
mortgage at the ordinary rates of interest. Hun
dreds of tenant farmers IN England are borrow
ers Of capital on interest, extending the amount
of their operations as their their increased capital
may permit.
How many farmers do we know in this coun-
try, who have heired fortunes, or become rich by
the rise of property, and whose farms are of less
value than their more industrious neighbors',
from the want of capital properly applied to
them! They loan out their surplus incomes at
six per cent. per annum, when part at least
could be used on their own farms at twelve per
cent. with rroht.
Let no man, however, attempt high farming,
who thinks a fact becomes fasehood by having
been printed. He must have brains enough not
to rail out indiscriminately at book farmers. He
must even read books, until he knows how to
answer the following questions, at least, and as
many Others appertaining to his calling as these
may suggest
Do plants receive the whole of their poursll-
ment from the soil, Or part from the atmospheric
and what from each?
Do those received from the atmosphere enter
the plants above or below the surface of the soil
and if in part below, what conditions Ct the soil
are necessary for their reception!
By what means arc these conditions Of the
soil to be attained}
How does moisture affect the vegetable econo-
To what depth will the roots of plants enter
the soil if properly prepared
TO what depth dothe solutions Of manures pen
citrate the soil! and if not to an indefinite depth,
why2
n what manner and from What causes, DO