Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-10-18
From the Tarborough soatherner.

L
Mr. Editor: / have made such an ex-
traordinary production Extraordinary for
this region of country of Oats and Hay
from an acre of land, that propose to give
you an account oft The acre in question
comprises lots Nos g and 10 in this town
aud was seeded to Oats and clover in March,
81. The Oats in 81 were fair Weld, fol- /
lowed in 50 and So by excellent clover, as
good as ever saw in the Piedmont country
of Virginia The land was we'll manured
in 81 50, and So aud received in addition
so bushels Of ashes in so.
In the month of March last plowed the
land seven sx eight Sacl1esA deep, sowed two
bushels of tgats and sppIIed roo pounus-Ur
Peruvian gnano mixed with one bushel of.
plaster and narrowed and cross-harrowed.
the whole in.
The latter part of June cut the Oats, the
cutting occupied three hands two entire days,
the Oats being badly lodged, caused the slow
progress of-the hands.
After cutting and curing hauled off the
Oats and the yield was nine tsCo horse ,Oqg-
gon loads, equal to four and a half stacks.
| regret that | did not weigh the product,
but | feel safe in saying, that it would have
been between seven and ten thousand
pounds.
A fine crop ofcrabgras now sprung up and
nothing was done to the lot, save pulling
out the weeds and briars twice. On Monday
the 25th Sept. commenced moving the hay,
which was from two to three feet bigh all
over the acre, and I'll venture the opinion,
with great deal of certainty, would COM
pare favorable with the best of New England
Timothy. 1t required the labor of one hand
for FIVE days to NOW it and when weighed,
after four days curing and sufficiently dry to
house, made seven thousand five hundred
and twenty-one (752D pounds Now here
is an amount of provender truly astonishing
to have been made on single acre, upwards
of fourteen thousand pounds of Oats and
Hay, sufficient to maintain four horses fol
twelve months.
Now where is any wisdom displayed in
abandoning such country as this to seek {
,, virgin soil in the South and West. The
: ever captious may say your product COS
:. you too much. Where was the cost The
+ 1only item which cost any cash was the Isl
!; pounds of guano at d cents per pound. S;
!. Is. The balance was labor, and well spen
!, labor to- bring about such result
' IDnce heard Of a farmer in Halifax coun
a ty being jeered BY yankee about the condi
ton Of his team. His reply was that hi
v fodder crop the past year was short. g Wh,
Il don't you raise grass ?'a'says the yankee
Il" Our climate don ss;txit," says the far
@ efs4s
our y ankeo fr1end came fHOm Halifax 10 thl
: place, narrated his conversation with the far
Y mer and said he had seen more grass tha
t day than he eUer saO IN one dag before
Every body knows we have to struggI,
It with the grass from the 1st of August anc
, every body knows it too often happens tha
! grass wins the victory. L the cry no onge
be raised that our climate does mt suit grass
: when seven thousand pounds of crab gras
4 Hay can be made on an acre. Nothing j
0 necessary, but to curtail your cotton crop,
d or 10 acres, according to the size of the farm
It manure it WELL pull out the weeds and briar
d and TIE Timothy of the South (crab-grass
Il will do the balance.
!, Calculate the production of this acre, a
present prices of Oats and Hay, one dolla
/, per hundred, and we have the round sun
k of one hundred and torty;jf0e dollars. Oh
2, jecton may be made to vaIuing crab-gras
n Hay with Northern Hay, but the objectio
Il will not hold good. | confess (with somo,
+ + be it said) to using Hay from the Mort
:. one season, and | assert that aCeU cured crat
is grass Hay is in every respect equal and ofte
d superior to the yankee article.
le | deem it proper to state that | took
IS number of gentlemen both from town an
e. the country several times to see the crops
II Oats and Hay, and can confidently appe;
i to them to sustain me in the statements hel
20 set FORTH
rt Very respectfully, .....
or Your ob'd't serve't,
g. JNO. S. DANCY.