Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-01-17
NUMBER 3.
farmers department.
English Farming,


With the abundance and cheapness Of land
in our country, it is well occasionally to look
at the manner in which our cousins across
the water ''do up farming" Prof. johnson
of Yale College, describes in the Country
Gentleman" the way in which Mr. Charles
Lawrence, of Circencester, England, con-
ducts some of his farming operations. While
we cannot adopt these more expensive modes
of cultivation and management we may
gather valuable hints for the Improvement
of our present wasteful and slip-shod style
offarming.
"The farm is under a four years rota-
ton, viz 1st,I root crops; I'd, barley: Sd,
seeds, (glass, clover, rape or lucerne > 4th,
wheat
The soil is prepared at the beginning Of
th9 rotation ief root crops, byturning under
siatte manure. to the depth Of 5 or q inch
es. In the spring the root crops are drilled
III with 4 peculiar manure, which is of
powdcry character, admitting of distribu-
ton With the seed. 1t is composed Of pig
and priyy manure, mixed with ashes and
superphosphate Of lime. Mr.. Lawrence con-
Quoted Inc to sort of excavation made in
the side CT knoll, the only rough place on
tho farm, where he caused all the weeds from
The fences and roadsides, all dead leaves and
vegetable litter to be collected, and burned
e. eharred So much OF these ashes is mix
Ell With the pig or priyy manure as to dry
the latter ard make it manageable, aud then
% every acre 80 bushels of this compost,
mixed wish 3 ewt Of suporphospate fhome-
made from boncs) are applied. The field
thus prepared has no more manure drawn
eYoa il for four years. the second and third
years it IS put to barley and fodder, with
only the usual preparation Of tillage. The
last year Of the rotation preparatory to
wheat, it is plowed nine inches deep, and
SUBSIDIZED with Reads subsoil pillow. should
correct the statement that no manure is put
en- after the first year. Mr.. Lawrence makes
It rule to sow one cwt of salt per acre
with every white crop, (wheat and barley.)
He considers it to strengthen the straw.
In this way every year. one fourth of the
farm is manared, and grows root crops; ano-
Their fourth yields barley another fourth Is
ing fourth is SUBSIDIZED and put to wheat
Now for the stock of the farm. Besides
half dozen horses, this consists Of 20 head
Of cattle and 500 sheep, all of which arc
iattencd, sold off. and replaced annually, as
| understood. The cattle are fattened in
boxes. These are pens feet deep below
the stable floor, and s or 10 feet square, with
suitable railing into which the beef is turn
ed at the commencement of fattening and
from which it then does not come out but
to be sent to market. a feed trough is pro-
Tided which Is raised from time to time as
the filling up Of the box makes needful
The food OF The boxed animal is made as
follows Oil cake is steamed, and then Gin
wooden box which holds enough for the
IS head, it is mixed with chafF or fine cut
straw, the two being put down in alternate
layers until the box is full. The mass short
ly fermcnts and in a few hours the ehaff or
straw is perfectly reduced to apulp Then
the whole is mixed together and served out
Water is supplied cd htiium.
In ORDER to keep the animals clearly and
comfortable, and to prevent any loss of ma
nure, they are daily Uttered with small
quantity Of straw cut about one inch in
length. This cut straw absorbs the liquid
excrements so perfectly, and the weight Of
the animals packs the whole so closely, that
the inmate of the box oiuoys has a dry and
comfortable bed, and pure air, entirely un-
like the ammonia charged atmosphere of or
binary stables, as | was astonished to OBJ
serve. say small quantity of cut straw
was used as litter. This il true, i. e., the
quantity employed Is much smaller than
would suffice were it uncut. The boxes are
i just lurgc enough to be filled by the fatten-
/ in@ Of one animal. The manure that results
is rich from the use Of oil cake, is uniform
IN quality and entirely free from long lit
ter 1t is not, however ready for applica-
tion. Ia the spring it is removed from the
boxes and carried few rods into an adjoin-
i0e road or lane where it is made into a
pile four our five feet high and wide, and
several rods long, aud covered with coat
( ing Of road serapings When field is sub
soilea, numbers of small calcarcous stones
are thrown up, which are drawn upon the
farm road. They are rapidly pulvcrized un-
der the carts, and in wet weather the mui
is collected for covering the manure heaps.
Il shortly forms over them a solid, quite
imperA io0s coating, about one inch thick
completely protecting the manure from va
Ter and air Within, the heap icrments, no
Poreeptible loss occurs By escape Of ammo
Ma, aa3 tho whole is converted into a Gni-
form back nasa 6 excellent manure, rich
IA fe.t;lziug Ingredients and, as it would
tseot1, il the tes, condition for exercising a
beneficial action 1t is this manure that is
+ Howed IN before the root crops are sowed.
Mr. Lawrence said to me with great en-
phasis, 'tae secret Of farming is a good flock
Of sheep, | had only distant view of his
500 sheep, but from his lips gained an idea
Of tue systematic manner in which they are
managed.
They are kept great part of the year
upop the fields, aud to furnish them con-
stanfly with green food, a variety of crops,
viz; turaips, ruta-bagas, mangel-wurtzel,
rape, lueerno and clover are cultivated, AMI
50 chosen and sown, that each one is consul
nod while in season, and before it passes ii,
prime. and is then succeeded by another.
fof ezample--in the early winter, turnips
are fed, while towards spring, when they
become stringy and less nutritious. the man
( gel-wurt2d comes into use and Mr.. Law
renee thinks that at another season they
make better feed than at any other. This