Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-06-15


of alienation. Until this shall be done, however,
the dgent application of the precepts lying at the
foundation of the system, is to the practical the
surest guarantee of success.-Amerlcan Farmer.
A Few Words on Summer Fanows.
The two principal objects of summer following
are to clean the land, and convert by the adms-
sion OF light and air, and by the communion of the
particles of the soil its inert matter into available
food for plants. In light sandy soils, which adE.
the air readily at all times-and in which, conse.
quenty there is but little dormant matter capable of
speedy decomposition-a fallow is not followed by
that increase Of crops so observable on rich clay
ioams which, without constant working, are imper-
Vlous to the atmosphere. Farmers in old countries
are well satisfied this point, while with every
year seems TO convince multitudes of its truth
We admit that sandy land produces better crops
Tor few years when first titled than clay land, and
that summer faowing on such lands is attended
with better results for few years than ON heavy
loans. But after the organic matter of these light
soils is removed-as under system of summer fal.
lowing it soon will be-the increase of crops from
this process is materially lessened. Summer allcw-
ing on sandy soil is simply acceleratng the decom-
position of organic matter and the disnegraton of
the mineral elements of plants in the SOIL rendering
them available, without increasing the quantity. On
such soils, therefore, it must be considered an eX
hausting system of cultivation.
On aluminous soils the case is different Most
clays naturally contain almost inexhaustible
aim of the cultivator to render these elements
slmllable. Thorough pulveriZation enables him t"
do this to the best advantage; and we may questio
whether the heavy land farmer will ever be able to
dispense altogether with summer faIlows.
Clay land possesses the power of retaining the am
mona contained in the rain water which filters
through it while sandy soils possess this power only
in slight degree, if at all.
When an underdrained, rich clay soil is summer
faowed, therefore, not only is the food of plants
mn IN ahI huf oil fhoo
MIA in the rain which falls during the year it is fall
low, is retained for the of the subsequent CROP
If the rain which falls on acre of land in year
contains fifty pounds of ammonia, a good summer
falow, on such soils we have supposed, would in
the next wheat crop ten bushels per acre. or
in other words, it would supply as much ammonia as
three hundred weigh of the best Peruvia 5uano
On sandy soil, especially which has long
been under such system of tilage, little increase
fertility is gained by the decomposition and disnte
grafton of inert matter-snce such soils contain com
paratvey little inert food for plants-and but small
proportion fthe ammonia of rainy water is retained
So that, while the heavy land farmer is under the
necessity OF performing much more heavy work and
OF raising fewer crops than his sandy soil neghbor
yet he is not necessiated to much manure and
reaps frequently in one crop much profit as the
other does in two. Each class of soils however has
IFS advantages and disadvantages and in Great Britain
since the extensive introduction Of turnp culture the
light soils have been more profitable than the hea , :
soils which need summer following
Summer fallowing sandy soils is unwise Eow
then should they be cultivated Sow them TO clover
peas beans, lenls, rape, &C., and either plough in
these crops or feed them to the cattle or sheep and
return the manure. These plants take up the ammo
MIA brought 10 the soil in rain water and when
ploughed in or eaten on the land the ammonia is re-
tanned ustas il is on the clays. In this way. clover
&C., is to the light soils what the double silicates are
to the clays-he retainer of ammonia for the use of
the following wheat crop.
On Medium SoiIs--Such as ahonn] in Wnetorn Nor,.
York and Upper Canada--a blending of these two
systems would appear judicious. This would be-
growing as much clover, &C., as possible, eating a
portion of it on the land, and breaking up about the
last week in June, simply cultvating and narrowing
it afterwards to keep it free of weeds and render it
mellow. This practice is adopted to great extent
in Western New York: and is found much better and
cheaper than several ploughings in the old summer
fallow system.
Even on heavy clay land, many intelligent farmers
prefer turning under crop of clover when in bloom
In this way rather than TO summer falow proper
The clover keeps the land light and the gases gener
ated during It's decomposition, both to enrich
and amelioraty the soil. How far this practice is
capable of superseding the old summer falow, expe-
rience ony decide English experience is against
it, but our cold winters and hot summers, and above
all the westerly winds which constantly prevail,
and which so asonish Europeans in licking up mois
ture render the pulverizaton of the soil in this
try, comparatively easy task, and enable us 10 dis
pense with much of the labor necessary on European
and especially British farms
And we may here say that such the differences
of climate that quite satisfied that no English
system OF rotation of tlage is applicable to this
country, and that the only advantage to be expected
from the experience of our trans atlantic Cousins
admitting rust, that they dre the best farmers
in the worlds from studying the principles on
which their syst ems founded, and thus while we
may not be able to grow their turnps and vetches,
and not perhaps, under the necessity of adopting
their long summer falIow, may build up sys-
tenn of agriculture adapted to our different crcum-
stances, and yet having for It's foundation the same
great laws which govern the processes sanctioned by
their long experience.
One of the great wants of our system of rotation
is tallOW crop. crop which, while 1T impover-
ishes the soil but ltile permits the free of the
cutlVator and hoe during summer; crop that shall
be to us what the turnip is to English farmers
crop, in word, that shall enable US to clean our
land well as though it summer fallowed that
furnishes large amount of nutritious food and
| which, when consumed on the farm and the manure
made from returned 10 the SOIL shall leave the land
rich in ammonia for the of the following cereal
crops Indian admirably answers the two first
requisites, but we fear it consumes or destroys as
much ammonia as wheat and that therefore, ii is
not true falow crop. Beans our
requirements than any other crop we are acquainted
with and II is surprising that they are not ex
| tensively grown on all wheat farms.-CountrV Gen.
henan, May "a
/ LORD PALMERsToN's TESTIMoNY.-Tt is reported
that Lord Pameston has strongly asserted it is moi
i the intention of her Maiestv's government to nter