THE "CULTIVATOB."

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 269, 18 May 1860, Page 4

THE "CULTIVATOB."

A VISIT TO WOOJ.STON FABM, WABWICK. (From Bell's WeeUy Messenger.)

The farm is divided into two parts, the upper and lower. We begin with the former, whioh consists of heavy land, and is diyidgd into two fields. No. l.—Turnips after wheat. (8 Aores.) This is the sixth crop after fallow, on a cold clay soil. There is an excellent plant of strong, healthy, roots, well forward, and holding out the prospect of a heavy crop. The turnips were drilled the 14th May, and towards the end of that month were dressed with 10 cartloads of farmyard manure per acre; and 10 cwt. of Peruvian-guano, and 10 cwt. of superphosphate were mixed and sown broadcast oyer the wholo field. The field was Steam cultivated twice in April, at a s. d. , cost, inclusive of wear and tear, of 14 0 per acre Horse cultivated once. . •;■.'• 2 0 ~ . Harrowed with one-horse harrow twice 1 0 „ Total cost . . IT 0 „ No. 2.~Wheat after beans. (8 Acres.) It. is five years since this field was in /allow. In these five years there will have been ing the present one, three crops of wheat and two crops of beans. The wheat was drilled at the rate of one bushel and a half a peck per arre, at a .distance of 13 inches from row row. Hadit been drilled at the ordinary dis-. tance of eight inches, the certainty is, that, neither as regards the stem or the ear, would it have come near the present crop/ which although here and there partially, laid by th # heavy rains which fell about three weeks since, and on the morning of the 26th ult., will, should the weather be favorable until harvest, yield at least 40 bushels to the acre. s. d. Steam cultivated onco . . 7 0 per acre. Horse ditto once . .20,, f~O „ Ho. 3.—Wheat after beans. (12 Acres.) The present is the eleventh crop since a fallow, and the fourth under steam, namely, peas, barley, beans, and wheat. Drilled same as preceding field. A good level strong crop, straw cleau, and, as is the case with all the other fields, no rubbish devouring the food intended for the growing crop. On the weaker part of this and the preceding field there was sown, with the desired effect at the end of April, 100 bushels of soot, at a Co3t of 30s. ' s. d.' Steam cultivated once . .7 0 per acre Horse ditto once . • 2 0 „ Total . .90 No 4.—Beans after Barley. (10 Acres.) The beans were dibbed the first week in February, the field ha>viog had a dressing of eight cart-loads of farm-yard manure per acre. The stetches 32 inches apart. Nothing could look more healthy, and unless some unforseen calamity should occur, this crop will well repay the attention that ha 3 been bestowed upon it. Let it be well noted, that this is the twelfth crop since a fallow. 8. d. Steam cultivated once . . 7 0 per acre Horse ditto once . • 2 0 „ Stetched or bouted • .80,, Total . . 12 0 „ No. 5.—-Beans after Barley. (5 Acres.) Cultivated in the same way as No. 2. Munured with 10 cwt. of home-made munure per acre. Appearance of the crop similar to the preceding. We now come to the lower part of the farm or the light land. No. I.—Mangold and Turnips after Wheat. (12 acres.) This is the eighth crop since a fallow. It was turned once over after clover. The manure used was afc the rate of 10 cart-loads of farmyard manure per acre. The mangolds were planted in the first week in April, and the turnips the first week in May. We might occupy si larger share than we can command in describing tbis field ; but it must suffice to say, that, while we have seen as good a plant of mangolds, we have not seen a better, and we have seen none so forward. The turnips are also more forward, and are a most capital plant, never having been touched by the fly, and are Dot likely to be effected by drought, the deep garden-like tilth, and frequent stirring, giving full scope to the law of capillary attraction. It was owing to these causes that Mr. Smith last year was the only successful grower in his neighborhood. What a mine of wealth is in the soil if men would only use the proper means to reach it 1 This field was &. d. Steam ploughed once . .10 2 per acre Subsoiled with horses . . 3 0 „ Total . 13 2 No. 2.—Oats after Barley. (6 Acres.) On going over this field we were struck with the unusual thickness of the stems, they being more like reeds than the stems of oats, and the full healthy ears. In fact, the crop is a magnifioient one, Mr. Smith fully calculates— and we do hot think ho is beyond the markthat the yield will be 12 quarters to the acre. No manure was used ia this field. b. d. Steam cultivated once . , 7 0 per acre. Horse ditto twice . . 4 0,, Total . . 11 0 „ No. 3.—Oats after Wheat. (14 Acres.) The wheat stubble was undisturbed till February, but tbe steam cultivator the year before •bad so thoroughly pulverised the soil, as to render its use this year unnecessary. The horse cultivator, however, was used twice, at a total cost of 4s. per acre. Eight cart loads of manure per acre were spread over the field, and mixed in with a culivator, in a most perfect manner. At ibe time the oats were drilled in, the soil, according to Mr. Smith's statement, was- in as fine a condition as that of a well-cultivated garden. The course pursued with the present crop, which is equal to tbat we have just described, furnishes'a good illustration of the judicious use of horses, and ought to convince those who are running away with the idea that steam is to do everything on the farm, that they are laboring under a delusion. No. 4.~Wheat after Clover. (13 Acres.) This field was .turned over -with horse 3, at a cost of 7s. 6d. per acre. No manure. The wheat.was drilled 13 inches apart, at the rate 1 bushel and r half a peok per acr&—the medium Between thick aiid thin Owing: t -We 1 have iibt seen a finer crop tHls" yea*; Stfeia^ clear md' strong, ears well-formed and filling well. Estimated profe, W frufthtli per acre,

No. 5. Wheat after bean_i. (11 Acres.)

Cultivated in the same way as No. 3, oats. No manure. Character of crop and estimated produce similar to No. 4.

No. 6. Barley after Turnips and Mangold. (12 Acres.)

As fast as the turnips were fed off, the land was stetched up 32 inches apart; with a common plough, turning one furrow upon the other, at the rate of three acres per day, three horses being employed, at 3s. 6d. per acre; it was then cultivated with 2 horse 3 down the stetch-— a narrow cultivator taking a stetch—at 2s. 6d. per acre, and afterwards cross-cultivated with the ordinary cultivator at 2s. per acre, making a total cost of Bs. per acre. The crop is a good full one, promising, should the weather prove favorable, a fair malting sample. Under the old system on this land the turnips generally failed, either "through drought or the fly, aud no barley ever grown upon it would stand comparison with the present crop. Tbis isa testimony in favor of the system now pursued by Mr. Smith that the most inveterate prejudice can scarcely withstand.

Having fiow gone over these portions.of the farms, let ua " tottlo" tho whole. As regards manuring, we find that on the heavy land 23 acres were manured, and on the light land 2Q acres—making a total of 49 acres. The plan adopted by Mr. Smith, and wbich, from experience, he fjnds best adapted to keep the land in heart, is to manure lightly and frequently; by this means, the whole of his land is dressed gradually once in two or three years, instead of being heavily dressed once in four years, as was his custom, and as is the prevalent custom in the neighborhood. As regards the crops, we have, on the heavy land—Wheat, 20 acres; beans, 15 acres; turnips, 8 acres. Go the light land, maogold wurtzel and turnips, 12 acres, oats, 20 acres, wheat, 24 acres, barley, 12 acres, making a grand total of 111 acres under crop ; and of these, the practicalman will note with admiration, if not with surprise, that 76 acres are under white crops 1 The remainder of the farm is in grass.

Let us note, lastly, and briefly, that only 3 horses are kept, and we are sure, that, could they have a voice in the matter, they would bear testimony to the superiority of the regime of the cultivator over that of the plough, for not only is the work they have to do much lighter, but they have more holidays in one year than tbey ever had in any seven before. But for the necessities ofthe farm at particular seasons of the year, the services of one of them might be dispensed with. As it is, however, while they are in capital condition, the cost of keep is very trifling, tbe meadows supplying them with food all tbe summer without any corn.

We have already gone beyond the limits we assigned to^ourselves, and therefore have no time to dwell upon the claims of Mr. Smith to the confidence of his brother farmers, or upon the vexed question still pending between him aud Mr. Fowler respecting the best method of working the cultivator. We say the cultivator, because the turn-over system has been virtually abandoned by its great advocate. Henceforth the plough is doomed to be subordinate to the cultivator. Ifc is absurd to talk of its being totally banished from the farm, at least at present; but it must henceforth, especially on the clay soils, hold a lower rank that the cultivator. We have converted with those who, yielding at length to the stern testimony of facts, have adopted tbe Wcolstonian system, and whose experience sustains to the very letter the statements of its author. " Nothing," said one of them to us a few days back, " nothing could induce me to abandon this system, as I believe it is the only system that can answer." And 60 witnesses could be brought into court to corroborate this assertion. May their names soon be " Legion."