The Southern field and fireside. (Augusta, Ga.) 1859-1864, September 03, 1859, Page 118, Image 6

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118 AGRICULTURAL. ' DANIEL LEE, M. D., Editor. SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 1859. THE STUDY OF GRASSES (HO. 6.) Lucern, ( Mtdirago sativum) It may be doubt ed whether there is any one forage plant that better deserves cultivation in the Southern At lantic and Gulf States than the perennial-rooted. trifoliate plant known by the name of French clover, or Lucern. Being indigenous in the hot climate bordering on the Mediterranean in the south of Europe, it is better able to withstand the tropical heat and aridity of our summers than common red clover, which is a native of central and western Europe in the latitude of Germany and the British Islands. There are many species of the genus medicago , some of which are valuable shrubs in Italy and Greece, and ought to be introduced into the cotton grow ing States. They will be described hereafter. Common luccrn has an interesting history, and according to Pliny it was introduced into Greece from Media in the time of Darius. It was called by the Roman agricultural writers Medica; and for twenty-live centuries, it has maintained its medicinal character in the south of Europe. “Os all the plants which please us’’ says Columella, the herb medica is the most excellent; because one sowing lasts ten years, and affords common ly four, sometimes six cuttings in a season—be cause it enriches the land that produces it, and fattens all kinds of lean cattle, and is a remedy for such cattle as are sick —and because one jugerum of it completely feeds three horses for a whole year.” Pall a Dll'S cites the same au thority as follows: “One sowing lasts for ten years, and the plants may be cut from four to six times in a year. It enriches land, fattens lean cattle, and cures sick cattle; and a jugerum completely feeds three horses for a whole year. Pliny agrees with these two authors as to the number of cuttings, but asserts from his own investigations of the matter that the plant con tinues so long as thirty years. Varko joins the Medica and cytisus together, [the cytisus is a shrub of the same genus] and says that both are fit for feeding sheep, that they easily fatten them, and produce much milk. Aristomacrus the Athenian strongly recommends the cytisus as food for sheep, and when dry, for swine like-' wise. He says, “working cattle fed on medica despise barley. That “it excels all other forage in producing milk of and excellent quality and in large quantity; and by the experience of all it is found to be the best medicine for the disease of cattle." The cultivation of lucem is of unknown anti, quity in Old Spain and the south of France, but in Holland, Belgium and England its introduc tion is of a comparatively recent date. Perhaps no man in the last century investigated its mer its more searchingly than Jethro Tull. At once a thoroughly practical farmer and a good classical scholar, he studied the geoponics of the ancients with great success, and improved on both their systems of tillage nnd their theories- Tull was not only a student, but one who brought rare genius, talent and perseverance to the original investigation of agricultural facts. It was his practice carefully to remove the earth from the roots of plants, and learn from personal observation both the depth and lateral extent to which they attained in different soils, and under different modes of culture. In the chapter which treats of'Lucem, he says: “It has a tap-root which penetrates deeper into the bowels of the earth than any other vegetable she produces.’’ Again: “Its roots are abundantly longer than the roots of St. Foin; I have one that measures very near two inches in diameter; those which are higher than the ground have a bark like a tree** Lucem is the only plant in the world that can pretend to equal or excel St. Foin. I have known instances of the pinguifying [fattening] virtues of this medica hay that came up to the highest encomiums given it by the Romans; which being to the vulgar incredible, I forbear to relate, but leave to be confirmed by the ex perience of others when it becomes frequent [common] in England.” Few farmers in England could read in the early the last century; and our author was sadly annoyed by the prejudices and hos tility of “the vulgar.” He found that “Lucem is much sweeter than St Foin or any other ar. tificial or natural grass.” “Lucem makes great improvement in the south of France; there when their too sandy land is well prepared, and very clean, they sow it alone, in March and at Michaelmas as we do clover.” Tull planted the seed in drills some thirty inches apart, and cultivated between them with his famous horse-hoe. ne generally used less than two pounds of seed per acre, and was care ful not to cover it no more than a half inch with light earth. He says: “I have seen Lucem in the comers of vineyards in many places in Franclie Compte and Switzerland, not above two or three perches together, which they will have at any expense to cure their horses when sick.’i “I have one single lucem plant in a poor ara. ble field, that has stood the test of two-and twenty winters, besides the feeding of sheep at all seasons, and remains yet as strong as ever.’’ Wo will cite briefly from a few recent and jiving authors. ‘Wilson says: “Lucem is sooner ready for cutting in the season (spring) than any of the grasses; and in a favorable year, may be two or two and a quarter feet high, so early as about the middle of April,” [in England.] “It ought always to be cut before coming into blossom, or at latest, as soon as the flower begins to develop, as it will then grow again with the greatest vig or and luxuriance.” Speaking of its cultivation on rich land, spade-trenched, he remarks that <SHR£ SOTOHEEM VXS&H £IH VX&3SBXBS. it will yield “from April to November, an amount of produce which utterly astonishes all mere clover and rye-grass farmers.” Rye-grass farmers have reported the cutting of one hundred tons of green feed from an acre in twelve months. Mr. Rod WELL reported to the National Board* of Agriculture, that he “kept 23 farm horses in a thoroughly good condition, on eleven acres of lucem twenty weeks.” He sowed twenty quarts of seed to the acre on rich and deeply till ed ground. Three years ago the writer dropped, by acci dent, a single seed of this plant on a patch of Bermuda grass, which grew, and has continued to multiply itself till the lucem now covers several square yards, presenting a thousand or more well seeded plants. We have just purchased eight pounds of the seed of Mr. La Taste, of this city, for experi mental purposes. It cost a quarter of a dollar a pound; and if put in drills, will seed two acres as thick as we care to have a stand for growing seed. We shall try some broadcast with tur nips, and use Hoyt’s super phosphate of lime as the manure, and sow seed where we are cul tivating Bermuda grass for sheep pasture. — White clover, lucern and Bermuda, if not fed too closely, will make excellent permanent grazing lands in this State. Where land is so cheap, fifty acre fields are small enough ; and in these we would have patches of tall oat grass, blue grass, orchard grass, red top, and timothy mixed, and growing in all moist places. The study should be to make the soil do its best for the economical production of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and hogs. The long tap roots of lucem will draw the bones of live stock up into their food, from the deep sub-soil; and bone-dust is a valuable manure. If there is any truth in the prolonged history of agriculture, or any wisdom ih the agricultural experience of many generations, then the forage plant under consideration is second to no other, to nourish and preserve the health of all our most useful domestic animals. One hundred pounds of it converted into mold or manure will yield to the soil six times moro ammonia than a like weight of wheat straw, rye straw or corn stalks. Its medicinal properties consist partly in its aperient character, and partly in its ten dency to keep open the biliary ducts, as well as the intestinal canal. Like green red clpver, if eaten in excess, the fermentation that ensues causes the hooven or wind cholic, which some times proves fatal. It is prudent to partly dry all green, succulent plants cut and fed to work ing and dairy animals in stables or stalls. The cultivation of lucem seed for market can hardly fail of being profitable ; for it is easily raised and sells high. The management is like that of red clover, which will be fully described hereafter. As an element in all permanent pas tures in the South, lucern deserves a fair trial. Plow and subsoil the ground in the most thor ough manner before sowing the seed; and treat the plants precisely as you would red, white or yellow clover. The old Romans covered the seed with a light wooden harrow, regarding an iron plow or harrow to cover the seed of medica, or to work among the plants, as most injurious to the crop. It was carefully weeded by hand, and at great expense. Southern enterprise and tal ent ought to excel as much in growing this South ern plant as they do in producing cotton. The reason why the Romans acquired so strong a pre judice to the use of an iron plow or harrow to cover lucern, was the then unknown fact that both buried the seed so deep that it could not germinate. A simple roller passed over the seed sown 911 mellow ground, is sufficient to make it grow. As we are in doubt as to the best month for putting the seed into the ground, we shall sow it at different times, and learn what we may from actual experiment. February is, per haps, the safest month in the climate of Augus ta ; although we prefer September for theoreti cal reasons. We want the plants to develop as much root as possible before the heat of a semi tropical sun in summer surrounds them in early life. Henco. our policy is to make the most of Autumn, Winter and Spring growth. Occasion ally, the frosts of winter will kill a few plants. If so, fill up the vacancies by replanting or sow ing. Every farmer should raise his own seed as soon as possible, of whatever kind. He can then have good seed and use it freely. High Prizes. —ln a list of premiums, to be awarded at the Fair to be held in St. Louis, Mo., from September 26th to October Ist, we notice the following: SI,OOO for the best through-bred bull of any kind; SI,OOO for the best roadster stallion in harness; SI,OOO for the best through bred stallion; S3OO for the best steam plow; and four prizes of $125 each, and two of SIOO each, for the largest and best crop of wheat of named varieties. The prizes altogether amount to twenty thou sand dollars. The public spirit evinced by the citizens of St. Louis is worthy of all commenda tion. ESP The Southern Rural Gentleman, publish ed at Grenada, Miss., of the 27th ult., comes to ps with the salutatory of Dr. M. W. Philips, as its Agricultural Editor. Dr. P. has large expe rience as an agricultural writer, and is distin guished alike for ability, zeal, and indefatigable labor to promote Southern agriculture. —• » Too Much Rain.— Our exchanges are com plaining of an excess of rain in nearly all the cotton growing districts of the South. To what extent the crop will be injured, it is of course impossible to say; but that the damage will be serious in many places, cannot be questioned.— Late corn is benefltted by the rain that has fall en in this region; while peas and grass will afford a fair chance for making hay. THE TRUE CONDITION OF NORTHERN AGRI CULTURE We clip the following figures and remarks from an able article in the Albany (N.\.) Country Gentleman of August 18th : But how are these bright visions to be recon ciled with the stem fact that the rural popula tion of this country, if not becoming extinct, is at least rapidly diminishing, comparatively if not absolutely ? How by these rosy colored theo ries do we explain the fact that in this very county of Onondaga, with a soil as fertile as any reasonable man could ask for, with a cli mate healthy and invigorating, with the very best markets at all times for every variety of agricultural produce —where, in fact, there ex ists every inducement fop the prosecution of ag riculture ; that nevertheless the rural population has not increased at all for fifteen years ? And the same is true of very many parts of the State. The censui, will, I am sure, bear me out in say ing that nine-tenths of the increase in the popu lation of the State for the last fifteen years, has been in our cities and large towns. To support this proposition, the population of a few ol the counties of the State, being those which are al most entirely agricultural, are subjoined : 1340 1850. Cayuga . 50,333 53,571 cEenang* 40,785 80,015 Columbia.. 48,252 44,891 Cortland 24,607 24,575 Greene *. 80.446 81,187 Herkimer 87,477 88.566 Livingston. 87,777 37,948 Montgomery 35,818 80,SOS Ontario..... 43,501 42,672 0t5eg0........ 49,623 49,3*5 Senecca 24,874 25,853 Tompkins 82,296 81,516 Wyoming 84,245 82,148 485,044 481,975 Or in other words, while the whole State in creased in population more than forty per cent., thirteen of the counlies, almost entirely agri cultural, decreased. Nor will it do to account for this by the large emigration to the West, which has been going on for the last few’ years. The same facts whose existence here we have been deploring, exist ;liere to a more remarka ble extent. Mr. Horace Greely, an accurate and careful observer, and one who generally speaks within bounds, estimates that more than one half of the people in Illinois, live in cities and large towns. Only think ol it: in that fer tile State, where nature has poured out her fa vors for the agriculturist in such generous pro fusion ; where, unlike these barren New Eng gland hills, on which the weary labors of years only enables the liusbanaman to w’ring a scanty subsistence from the flinty soil, she has not only provided him with larms of the most inexhausi ble richness, but has cleared them up for him, all ready for the plow, heaved up the soil in graceful undulations, just rolling enough to secure drain age, and not so much so as to prevent cultivation; and yet in spite of all these inducements, more than one half of the people of that State pre ferred to live jp a condition of unproductive de pendence in-cities, to going forth and obtaining an honorable livelihood from the cultivation of the soil. These facts seem to be utterly at variance w’ith the generally received opinion ip regard to the superiority of the profession of agriculture, in its intellectual, physical and moral results, as com pared with other pursuits. One reason why so many farmers and their families abandon agriculture and a country life to reside in towns, is the want of intellectual, so cial and religious advantages in rural districts. Mothers, fathers, brothers nnd sisters, all see that a sequestered residence on a farm in the interior deprives them of mental and moral culture, of social and educational benefits, which they would enjoy if they lived in a city, or even in a flourishing village. In place of purchasing li braries, maps, and other aids to intellectual im provements and contentment, farmers think of nothing but digging money out of the soil to be expended elsewhere, or hoarded at home.— Small effort is made to elevate the standard of general intelligence, and refine the society of our agricultural population, except in towns.— Hence, we witness the skinning of the land to gratify the morbid taste for the fashions and vices of village and city life. American civili zation is at best only semi-barbarism. It every where, north, south and west, fells the forest, and tills the earth a few years in a most savage manner, and then forsakes its steril fields as an impoverished and worthless heritage. No one generation has been taught from infancy to love and embellish the farms where it first saw the light of the sun. No home attachments bind children to the pursuit of agriculture, and make them collect in riper years all their wealth, and cherish their brightest hopes of happiness in connection with rural labors, honors and amuse ments. The dullness of country society is due to the want of care and culture —to the lack of reading, and social intercourse. Isolation is the bad rule now in vogue. MEAT BRINE POISONOUS. The brine in which pork and other meats have been pickled is a poison to horses and hogs.— This was urged several years ago by Mr. Rey nal, a distinguished veterinarian of France, and last week, says the Kentucky Turf Register, we were a personal witness to its practical demon stration. A gentleman in the village of Law renceport, Ind., emptied brine from a pork bar rel into his lot. A herd of hogs, as also one horse, partook of it, and the result was the horse, and seven hogs out of nine, died in less than six hours from the time the barrel was emptied. All waste brine should be put on the compost or dung heap, or be spread in the garden to kill worms. It is a good manure. We read in the Apostles of “salt not fit for the dung heap" — showing the use it was sometimes applied to. — Maladies of Plants. — The Revue Horticole, of Paris, has a letter from a learned botanist, Julius Kuhn, upon the subject of the maladies of plants. Whenever a plant does not receive proper nutrition from the soli, disease is the re sult. Deep cultivation is one of the best reme dies that can be applied. He recommends all true culturists to use the microscope to discover the causes of the disease. The microscope is doing much for the advance ment @f both horticulture and agriculture; and intelligent cultivators will interest as well as instruct themselves by learning to use it, and study parasitic fungi, insects, and the maladies of their several crops. bots and cholic in horses. Notasulga, Ala., Aug. 20,1859. Mr. Editor : You will confer a favor on many of your subscribers by publishing in the South ern Field and Fireside a recipe for the Bots or Grubs and the Cholic, in horses and mules. There has been an unusual quantity of the for mer disease among our mules and horses in this section of country, recently, and many of us have sustained losses from not knowing how to treat the disease successfully. Yours, A Subscriber. Human power over disease, whether in man or his domestic animals, is not so absolute as the remarks of our correspondent would seem to imply. It is better to prevent horses and mules having the cholic by never allowing them to have an excess of green corn or other green feed, and keeping them constantly supplied with salt, than to depend on any recipes to cure them of this distressing complaint. Pretty fast ri ding to work off the wind in the stomach is a common reined}’ for cholic, and one that is gene rally effectual. Recently slaked and burnt lime, partly dissolved, and partly mixed in a bottle of water, given as a drencli, will speedily absorb so much carbonic acid in the stomach oi an animal having the cholic, as to relieve it at once. We have little confidence in bot remedies.— Perhaps the spirits of turpentine is as good as any. Two ounces given in a drench is enough for a dose. Some horses will eat it in wet com meal, or wheat bran. If any one knows an advantageous or useful prescription for either of the affections above named, he will oblige our agricultural readers by giving it to the public through our columns. —— The Tobacco Crop in Connecticut. —The New Haven News says the tobacco all over Con necticut promises great things at present The cultivation has spread out of the valley of the Connecticut, and now there are few towns in the State in which tobacco patches here and there are not to be found. The prices of a few years past have ruled so high as to present irresistible temptations. ——— Gen. Stetson's Astor House Farm in New Jer sey, comprises 300 acres, in a high state of cul tivation, on which are fifty choice imported cat tle, producing 450 quarts of milk per day, 400 head of swine, and 4,000 hens, roosters, and other “gallinacious indiwiddles.” —— • [Written for the Southern Field and Fireside.] ROTATION OF CROPS. No. IL We commence the rotation with land two years in fallow. It is thoroughly broken up, as soon after the finishing of picking cotton as can be done, in order to preserve the litter of weeds and grass from being borne away by the winds. If covered with a heavy, tough sod, as of Ber muda grass, the two horse harrow is run over it, in a dry time, at right angles to the directions it was plowed, and repeated, if necessary, to secure a good tilth, some time before preparing to plant. The field is laid off into rows three feet, three inches, or four feet wido. Allow us to say here that the width of rows and the dis tance between plants in the drill, should always depend on the fertility of the soil, but we en deavor to give such distance as will, of an ordi nary season, allow the plants to shade two thirds of the land at midday by the first day of August—and manure in the drill for cotton. If the land be too poor, after this application of manure to bring a fair crop of corn per acre without more help, or if it be land well set in Bermuda grass, we prepare and apply manure in the same drill, and plant to cotton again. In the first case where the soil is too poor to bring a good crop of corn, we plant to cotton the se cond year for the purpose of again manuring it, •as more manure is applied in the drill for cotton than in the hill for corn, and our object is two fold, to improve the soil so that it will go through with the succeeding crops unaided, and to make the cotton crop from the least amount of land.— In the second case where the land is possessed by Bermuda grass, in addition to improving the soil, and producing the cotton crop off of the fewest aerDs, is the consideration of getting the land free from grass so as to make the corn crop with the least labor. If, however, the soil, with the first application of manure,is able, and after the first crop of cotton is sufficiently cleared of Bermuda grass, it will be seen our arable land, about one-half, is infested with this grass, and we are obliged to make a provision for it, as we have long since learned that land set in it requires peculiar treatment, which, if it does not get, becomes arduous to till and poor to yield, but if rightly managed, is easily worked, and produces best —to bring a renumerative crop of corn, we have broken down with sticks, the stocks, as early as other more important business will allow, and then bare the stubs very close but not deep, with the cast-turning, or Allen plow, for the sake of securing from the winds and rains, and decomposing the leaves and fragments of stalks, to aid in feeding the suc ceeding crop. When ready to plant corn, wo check the land off, if sandy, five and a half feet, but if stiff and clayey, five feet the wide way, the narrow way being the width of the cotton rows, and the balk where the stubs stand an swers to mark the cross. A word here in re gard to the proper distance to give corn—we de sire to the land by having the plants stand thick as can be done without impairingthe quan tity and quality of the product. Superficial cul ture requires that the plants should have more space than deep culture. The furrow which with the balk, forms the check, if first made with a scooter plow, seven inches wide by elev en inches long, and then a shovel plow eleven inches wide is run in this furrow for the pur pose of widening and deepening it. The grains of corn are dropped in this furrow just opposite the centre of the balk as nearly as can be done, in order to have the plants stand in a straight line each way. We cover the corn with narrow scooters, three inches wide and eleven inches long, by running a furrow on eith er side of the grain the wide way. Care ought to be taken not to cover the grains too deep, three inches depth of earth over them being suf ficient. A brief account of the manner of tilling land thus planted to com, may not prove uninteres ting, and we deem it necessary as the usual mode of cultivation practiced would not answer to insure as good a yield as the land <sn render. The first ploughing is given the wide way. The plants are run around with scooter ploughs four inches wide, and eleven inches long, and arc made to pass into the earth as deeply as possible, there being no occasion to fear going too deep. The remainder of the middle is plough ed out with scooters, seven inches wide, and eleven inches long, and they are also required to do the work deeply and thoroughly. The sec ond ploughing is executed the narrow way with the last named scooters entirely, and is done as deeply and thoroughly as the first. The third ploughing is given when an occasional tassel is visible through the field, and we use the cast turning plough, in land free from roots and stumps, and the Allen plough where they exist. In performing this working, the ploughs are not allowed to go deeper than two or three inches, and are not permitted to pass close to the plants unless there is young grass, and then the earth moved on either side by the plows, is just allowed to meet so as to cover the grass, but not to be heaped against the stalks. Peas are dropped in the cent e furrow between the plants the narrow way which are covered with earth in siding the corn. The middles are ploughed out with the same plows except a nar row balk in the centre which is left for the pur pose of again planting peas. In ten or twelvo days, as soon after a good rain as the earth is in order to plough (if we are so favored as to get it) peas are dropped on eitheV side of the balk alternately, two to three feet apart, and the balk split with a shovel plough, which operation covers them. These three ploughings, with hoeing and thinning of the plants after the first ploughing constitute the culture we ordinarily give corn on upland.' It may be thought, well, what of it? In re ply wo say that in the preparation but little la bor is consumed—that we have not yet seen any other mode practiced, more efficient in pre serving the manure so long applied to the soil, from being washed away by rains, and evapora ted by the sun and air from exposure to them— no other way more effective in causing the wa ter to remain where it falls, until it percolates and evaporates—and no mode of preparation combined with the method of culture, which cause to be lost by the effects of tillage, less of the elements of food existing in the soil, and at the same time rewarding labor with crops com mensurate with the productiveness of the land and the propitiousness of the season. The char acteristic features of this method of preparation and culture, are thoroughness, economy oflabor and frugality in the resources of the soil. And in truth any mode of preparation and culture, not bearing marks of the existence of these prin ciples, ought to be avoided by the young farmei% owning unproductive land and possessing no “ ready money, if he desires to accumulate wealth and preserve the old Homestead. To continue the account, we say that hogs in tended to fatten are allowed to have the run of corn fields first, and as soon as there is an ap pearance of scantiness of food suited to them, they are removed and cows are assigned their place. We do not permit cows to remain in corn fields, as long as pinching hunger may force them to consume what little of vegetable matter may lie on the earth. In February, usually from the first to the fifth (the condition of the earth as to wet and dry and temperature, must influence) the fields in which corn grew the preceding year, are planted to oats. The lands are laid off in the direction of the narrow way of the corn, about ten or twelve feet wide, and one bushel of seed sown to the acre, (many persons object to this quantity saying it is too much; but our intention is to have so dense a growth of oats as to choke down other growths, until they are removed, and for ten years wo have succeeded, having made from eight to twenty bushels per acre) and ploughed in with the cast turning, ploughs wherever they can be used, as land uprooted by them does not so soon become compacted and is less likely to bake than after the Allen plough. Where we design cutting the oats for horse feed and seed (and that is always from the best land) we run the harrow for the purpose of better fitting the sur face for the use of the cradle. The oats intended for feed are cut before ripe, and cured like hay, (only when the stems and leaves are much affected with rust,) and then they are allowed to ripen in order that stock shall only eat the heads. Seed oats are always allowed to ripen thorough ly. As soon as all the oats reaped, are removed from the fields, the hogs, except sows and young pigs, are let in to consume the remainder. No stock is permitted to run on this land, excepting these hogs, until the grass, weeds and peas (with the latter the earth is nearly covered or dinarily) are about to seed, and then cows are allowed to enter long enough to prevent this process, but not to remain so long as to graze the plants close to the ground. After oats the land is allowed to lie in fallow two years, during which time it is grazed lightly at intervals, by ho’gs first, then cows, and then sheep, for the purpose of allowing no grass nor weeds that either will eat, to go to seed, and all other kinds we will endeavor to exterminate. We will annex here that where one wishes to grow wheat, it is equally as well, only it inter feres more with the cotton operations. We are beginning to plant a small portion of the com land to wiieat, and perhaps will continue to do so, if we find it to be to our interest. Oats are preferable for food for all kinds of stock, in our judgment, and we can produce more of them on an acre of laud, but wheat commands a better price and more ready sale. We are, however, in the habit of consuming all provender at home, and if we dispose of any produce besides the cotton lint, it is cows, sheep and bacon. Oats constitute an important part of the food we give stock. We consider them mixed with corn and fodder, better than either separately.— That it requires less labor to produce them, than corn, none will doubt, and though they are classed amongst those plants which exhaust the soil most rapidly, we cannot but think when a proper estimate is made of the loss of fertility sustained, especially in our climate, on account of the greater amount of tillage the one requires than the other, we should consider the soil is less taxed in growing oats than corn. And another consideration: Oats are a more fouling crop than corn, and cropped soils want, occasionally, such crops for the purpose of accu mulating vegetable matter to farm humus. And again, and another advantage of a small grain crop preceding a fallow is, that the surface is left smooth and level, in which condition it is much less likely to wash and becomo gullied. It may be deemed improvident to permit land to remain in fallow so long. We might think so, too, if labor were cheaper, and land higher in value and more productive. We deem it much more wise, to allow poor land to lie in fal low, and employ the labor requisite to cultivate it, in making composts and improvements, than to till it when the crop it gives only feeds the stock and pays for the labor. In tho one case wo are supported, our land becoming more ex hausted, and no per centage on the capital and labor invested; but in the other case we are sup ported, our labor is remunerated, and our capi tal, tho land, is enhanced in value. Let our system of Agriculture be changed, from one of exhaustion to one of improvement, and lands will increase in value, and labor will be clienp enened. A Planter.