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     HOR’TICULTURE 
     
     AND 
     
     AGRICULTURE. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The following very valuable communication from 
     
     an intelligent and ractieal agriculturist, deserves an 
     
     attentive perusal rem all who are engaged in agricul- 
     
     tural pursuits. By the mode in which sward land is 
     
     usually managed. The manure which the 1191‘ con- 
     
     tains is dissipated—given to the winds. and dispersed 
     
     through the atmosphere. instead of constituting food for 
     
     the crops of the owner of the soiL—Eliron. 
     
    

    
     OF PLOUGHING AND MANAGING GREEN- 
     
    
   
   
    
     SWARD LAND. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The subject is certainly one of great importance to 
     
     farmers. Considering the exhausted condition of most 
     
     of our grounds, and the expense of restoring them by. 
     
     the application of manure, I am surprised that so little 
     
     attention has been paid to this very essential part of 
     
     husbandry, even by our most scientific and best prac- 
     
     tical agriculturists. By the usnal method of turning up 
     
     she sward, and then cross ploughing and harrowing 
     
     the sods are pushed about by the plough, and dragged 
     
     by the harrow, and so exposed to the action of the sun 
     
     and winds, that the nutritive matter contained in the 
     
     routs and tops of the grasses is in a great measure 
     
     wasted. By this practice, the vegetable matter which 
     
     was before upon the surface, lis brought there again, 
     
     and the poorer part of the soil, which should remain at- 
     
     the top, whereby it would be greatly benefited and en. 
     
     riched by the fe rtiliziug properties of the atmosphere, 
     
     is returned to itsoriginal position beneath. This is ex. 
     
     actly the reverse of what it should be. Let the root' 
     
     and tops of the grasses, together with all the vegetable 
     
     matter on and near the surface, be buried and retained 
     
     to ferment and decompose, and the poor earth be 
     
     broug tto and retained upon the surface, where, by 
     
     culture and exposure to the atmosphere, it will soon 
     
    
   
   
    
     - Aubecome a body of rich mould. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Ifthe result of my own experience will be of any 
     
     use to your correspondent, or the public, [give it with 
     
     pleasure, I ascertained by an accurate experiment 
     
     that on the first of May. a single foot of award land, ta- 
     
     ken from a field which had been mown for a number of 
     
     years, the soil a light loam. with a gravelly bottom, 
     
     and thinly set with red top and herds grass, contained 
     
     nine ounces of vegetable matter, consisting of the roots 
     
     and tops of the grasses, giving at this rate over twelve 
     
     and a quarter tons to the acre. I must confess I was 
     
     not a little surprised on finding the quantity so much 
     
     beyond whatI had calculated, and it satisfied me of 
     
     the necessity of adopting some plan by which this val- 
     
     uable treasure might be turned to good account. To 
     
     make the most of this enormous quantity of vegetable 
     
     matter, as well for the benefit of the immediate crops 
     
     as for the eventual improvement of the soil, would 
     
     seem to be an object worthy the consideration of lar- 
     
     mers, 
     
    

    
     My first trial was upon a piece of worn out pastnre 
     
     land. In the month of August I turned over the sward 
     
     as evenly as possible. then rolled with a heavy loaded 
     
     roller. The ground was then harrowed in the same 
     
     direction as the furrows, with a light horse harrow, and 
     
     then sowed with buckwheat, with red top and herds 
     
     grass seed. The bush harrow was then drawn over it, 
     
     and then rolled again. The harrowing was so light, 
     
     that'the sod was not disturbed.—No manure was used. 
     
     I had a fair crop of buckwheat. The grass seed took 
     
     well, and looked so promising in the spring following. 
     
     I concluded to mow it. The crop of hay greatly ex- 
     
     ceeded my expectations, and, as pastnre, it has been 
     
     iess afiected by drought, and yielded double the quanti- 
     
     ty of feed for my cattle that it gave before ploughing. 
     
    
   
   
    
     THE BRITISH AMERICAN. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The success of this experiment induced me to try a- 
     
     nother. 0n the first of May 9 1823; 1 had “"o "I" M. 
     
     award land, which had been considerably exhausted by 
     
     long cropping, yielding less than aton of red WP “d 
     
     herds grass to the acre, turned over; having a hand 
     
     occasionally to follow the plough with I hoe. for the 
     
     purpose of turning over such parts as the plough and 
     
     missed. The ploughing was from four to six inches 
     
     deep. varying according to the depth of the soil, taking 
     
     care always to go deep enough to bring to the surface 
     
     a portion of the gravelly and poorer part of the soil.— 
     
     After ploughing. the outside furrow, which was turned 
     
     out, was taken into the cart, in convenient pieces, and 
     
     placed in the vacant space which was left in the middle 
     
     of the lot. whereby this space wasjust filled, and no 
     
     ridges left on the outside; the field was then rolled 
     
     with a heavy roller, and the uneven parts of the sward 
     
     settled down, and the whole made smooth. It was 
     
     then harrowed lengthwise the furrows thoroughly with 
     
     a horse barrow, but so light as not to disturb the s od 
     
     Twenty cart loads of compost, made of loan. peat, 
     
     mud, and stable dung, (a sufficient quantity of the lat- 
     
     ter having been mixed to cause the whole mass to fer - 
     
     ment.) were then spread upon the acre. It was again 
     
     harrowed as before, and, from the evenness of the sur- 
     
     face, the field had more the appearance of having been 
     
     tilled for a number of years. On the sixth of May,corn 
     
     was planted upon the furrows in drills, parallel with 
     
     them. three feet apart, and the corn six inches dis— 
     
     tant in the rows, having previously marked out the 
     
     rows, three at a time, with an instrument made for the 
     
     purpose, by which the work was performed by one 
     
     hand in less than an hour. The ploughing between 
     
     the rows and the hoeiag was done without disturbing 
     
     the sod; and the not only useless, but injurious prac- 
     
     tice of ridging. or billing the corn was carefully avoid- 
     
     ed. 
     
    

    
     The corn at first did not exhibit a very promising ap- 
     
     pearance, but as soon as the roots had extended into 
     
     the enriching matter below, and began to expand in the 
     
     sward, which had now become open and mellow by 
     
     fermentation, and the parts of soil more minutely divi- 
     
     ded than it could have been by the plough or hoe. it 
     
     assumed a healthy appearance, and grew more vigor- 
     
     ously, than corn which I had planted upon a much bet~ 
     
     ter soil, cultivated in the usual way. When the ears 
     
     were filling out, atime when the corn most requires 
     
     support, the roots easily penetrated the mellow sod, 
     
     and an abundance of nourishment was afforded by the 
     
     decomposing of the vegetable matter. The crop was 
     
     harvested about the middle of September. I did not 
     
     measure the produce for the purpose of ascertaining 
     
     exactly the quantity which was gathered. but some of 
     
     my neighbours who are good judges, saw the field be- 
     
     fore harvesting, and estimated it at from 70 to 80 bush- 
     
     els to the acre. My usual crop on sward land cultiva' 
     
     ted in the common way, has been from 35 to 45 bushels 
     
     to the acre. As soon as the corn was harvested, the 
     
     stubble was loosened up by running- a light horse 
     
     plough lengthwise through the rows, and then the 
     
     whole smoothed down by a bush harrow drawn cross- 
     
     wise. All this was done withont disturbing the sward- 
     
     A bushel of winter rye to the acre, and a suflicient 
     
     quantity of grass seed, was then sewed, and the ground 
     
     harrowed with a light barrow, and rolled. Rye has, 
     
     in my neighborhood, for some years past, been a very 
     
     uncertain crop,—being almost invariably subject to a 
     
     blast, or mildew, which attacks it while in the milk. 
     
     It has however, as is the case everywhere, I believe, 
     
     with rye, succeeded better upon a new, than an old 
     
     soil. This circumstance induced me to believe, that 
     
     the new and fresh earth, which had been turned up 
     
     and kept upon the top of my sward land might favor its 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     growth, as well as prevent the mildew. I was not dis- 
     
    
   
   
    
     fio. 3. 
     
    
   
   
    
     appointed: the two acres ave me between four and 
     
     five tons of straw, and 69 l- bushels of excellent grain. 
     
     I had never before gathered more than fifteen bushels 
     
     to the acre. The grass seed sowed with the rye took 
     
     well, and the a pearance at present is favorable for a 
     
     great burden o grass the next season. I have then 
     
     with one ploughing only taken two crops from this 
     
     ground, and stocked it down to grass. That there has 
     
     been a saving oflabor will not be doubted, and that 
     
     there has been an increased roduee from this mode of 
     
     managing greensward, the oregomg facts sufficiently 
     
     demonstrate, and that the soil is substantially improy. 
     
     ad I have no doubt. 
     
    

    
     lfit be intended to sow or plant sward lanfln the 
     
     spring. the ploughing should he at as short an interval 
     
     before putting in the seed as possible.—-Tlie greater the 
     
     growth of the roots and tops of grasses at the time of 
     
     ploughing, the more perfect will be the fermentation, 
     
     and the award, by its increased toughness will be less 
     
     broken by the plough and barrow. The roller, loaded 
     
     as heavily as may be conveniently drawn by one yoke 
     
     ofoxen should follow the plough, as soon as maybe 
     
     convenient; this will smooth any unevenness of sur- 
     
     face. Set the furrow slices close together, and thereby 
     
     prevent their being torn up by the burrow, and also 
     
     prevent the esca e of the gasses that are thrown out 
     
     by fermentatio Every farmer who has three acres of 
     
     ground to till, should have a roller. One made in two 
     
     parts is much preferable to that made in the usual way. 
     
     After rolling, liarrow with a light barrow—the more 
     
     the better, provided the sod be not disturbed. The 
     
     compost should then be spread on, and the ground again 
     
     harrowed, when it will be ready to receive the seed, 
     
     either corn or potatoes. or the small grains, with or 
     
     without grass peed, or grass seed alone. 
     
    

    
     The strength of the team should be according to 
     
     the toughness of the sward, and the depth of the 
     
     ploughing. One good yoke of oxen anda horse, a 
     
     hand to hold the plough. and another to drive, were all 
     
     thatI found requisite to perform my work. 
     
    

    
     As to the number of lands, I would make as few as 
     
     possible, as the more furrow lands a lot is divided 
     
     into, the more vacant barren spaces will be left, and 
     
     the more labour required to fill them. Go round the 
     
     whole lot, and when finished, let the outside furrow 
     
    
   
   
    
     handled, putintoa cart or drag. and placed in the 
     
     vacant space (occasioned by turning the furrows out- 
     
     ward) in the middle and corners of the lot. This 
     
     will leave the whole smooth and level, prevent ridges 
     
     at the sides and ends, and save the necessity of back 
     
     furrows,which would give an unevenness of surface. 
     
    
   
   
    
     .N'. E. F. E' P. 
     
    
   
   
    
     RAILWAYS. 
     
    

    
     [Extract from a European Magazine, Aug. [825.] 
     
     EXTRAORDINARY FIAT or A DRAUGHT IOBIE. 
     
    

    
     An unparalleled instance of the power of a horse, 
     
     when assisted by art, was shewn near Croyden. The 
     
     Surrey Iron Railway being completed, and opened 
     
     ’or the carriage of goods all the way from Wandworth 
     
     to Mertsham, a bet was made between two gentlemen 
     
     hata common horse could draw thirty-six tons for 
     
     six miles along the road, and that he should draw this 
     
     weight from a dead pull, as well as turn it round the 
     
     occasional windings of the road. The 24th of July 
     
     was fixed on for the trial, when a number of gentlemen 
     
     assembled near Mertsham to see this extraordinary 
     
     triumph ofart. Twelve waggons loaded with stones, 
     
     each waggon weighing above three tons, were chained 
     
     together, and a horse, taken promiseuously from the 
     
     the timber cart of Mr. Harwood, was yoked into the 
     
     team. He started from near the Fox public house, 
     
     and drew the immense chain of waggons with appa- 
     
     rent ease,to near the turnpike at Croyden, a distance of 
     
     six miles, in one hour and forty-one minutes. which is 
     
     nearly at the rate of four miles an hour. In the 
     
     course of this time he stopped four times, to Show 
     
     that it was not by the impetus of the descent that i. 
     
     power was acquired ; and after each “oi 
     
    
   
   
    
     no 
     
    
   
   
    
     page he drew off the chain ofi‘ waggons from a de 
     
     rest. Having gained his wager, Mr. Banks, the go 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     tleman who laid the bet, directed four more loaded 
     
    
   
   
    
     slice be taken up, in pieces that may be conveniently '