The principles of practical agriculture ...

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Dale Due

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Preface To The London Edition

In offering to the notice of the Farmers of their country a translation of the great Agricultural work of M. Von Thaer, its Editors have only to request of those skillful cultivators an extension of the same kind feeling which they have (01 so many former occasions exi)erienced from them. The appearance of the work has been delayed much longer than its Editors could have anticipated, by unavoidable causes in which the reader would take tut little interest. Octoler 1, 1844.

Contents

MEMOIR OF THAER page 3

Section I

The Fundamental Principles. — Sketch of Systematic Agriculture. — The Bases of the Science of Agriculture. — The Bases of Enterprise. — Capital. — The Farm and the Manner ( of Taking Possession of it. — Leasehold Estates. — Hereditary Leases 11

\ SECTION 11.

{ The Economy, Organization, and Direction of Agricultural Enterprise. — Labor in General. ^ — Draught-Labor. — Horses and Oxen. — Manual Labor. — Proper Method of keeping

? the Journals, Registers, and other Agricultural Accounts. — Manure. — Fodder. — Cattle.

S — ^Various Systems of Cultivation. — Corn — Alternate Cultivation. — Rotations. — Pastu-

/ rage. — Succession of Crops. — Stall-Feeding of the Cattle 35

] SECTION III.

Constituent Parts and Physical Properties of Soil. — Method of acquiring a Knovs^ledge of different Earths, and ascertaining their Value. — Silica, Alumina, Clay, Lime, Gypsum, Marl, Magnesia, Iron, Humus, Peat. — Theory of the Soil 131

SECTION IV.

Agriculture. — Manuring and ameliorating the Soil. — Vegetable Manures. — Mineral Manures.— Agricultural Implements. — Plowing. — Clearing Land. — Hedges, Fences, and Enclosures. — Draining Land. — Draining Marshes. — Irrigation. — Earthing and Warping.— Management of Meadove-Land. — Hay-Harvest. — Pastures 200

SECTION V.

Reproduction of Animal and Vegetable Substances. — The Harvest — Wheat. — Spring- Wheat— Spelt.— Smut in Wheat.— Rye.— Bariey.— Oats.— Millet.— Cultivation of Grain in Rows or with the Horse-Hoe. — Leguminous Crops. — The Pea. — The Lentil.— Beans. — Vetches. — Buckwheat. — Mixtures of different Kinds of Grain.— Culture of Hoed or Weeded Crops.— Vegetables fortheMarket.— Oil-Plants— Rope-Mustard. — Oily Radish.— Gold of Pleasure.— Poppy.— Thread-Plants— Flax— Hemp.— Other Thread-Plants.— Coloring-Plants.— Madder.— Dyer's Wood. — Dyer's Weld.— Saffron. — The Hop. — Tobacco. — Chicory. — Caraway. — F ennel — Anise — Potato. — Field Beet. — The Turnip. — Cabbage. — Carrots. — Parsnip. — Indian Com. — Clovers. — Lucerne. — Sainfoin. — Various other Fodder-Plants and Varieties of Grasses 396

SECTION VI.

Economy of Live Stock. — Homed Cattle. — Breeding of Cattle. — Feeding Cattle. — The Dairy. — Cheese-making. — Fattening Horned Cattle. — Swine. — Sheep. — Sheep Mangers and Racks. — Treatment of Sheep. — Horses 500

MEMOIR OF THAER.

Of an agi-iculturist so celebrated on the continent of Europe, and of an author so distinguished as the author of these volumes, the English fanners wiH be glad to receive some infoi-mation. The editors, -herefore, deem it unnecessary to apologize for the inti-oduction of this sketch, the materials of which they have chiefly obtained from his Life, published in 1839, at Leipsic, in one volume, by his son-in-law, M. Keorte.

Ai.BKECHT Daniel Thaer was bom in Oelle, a neat little town in Hanover, on the 14th of May, 1752. His father, Johann Friedrich Thaer, was physician to the Court, and bom in Liebenwerda, in Saxony ; his mother, Sophie Elisabeth, was the daughter of J. SafFe, receiver of rents and taxes of the district of Celle. Albert was the first-born, and had three sisters, Christine, Albertine, and Wilhelmine, of which the first died in infancy, the second was married to Captain Schweppe, and the youngest to the well-known privy counsellor, Doctor Jacobi.

Very little would have been known of his early years of boyhood, and his academic life, were it not for some manuscripts found amongst his papers after his death, and a letter addressed to his future consort, headed " My Life and Confessions, for Fhilippine ;" in which he thus expressed himself: —

" My father was a cool -tempered and unaffected man. Every one who came in contact with him knew his straightforward way of acting, his scioipulous honesty ; but iew, very few, of hia friends knew his noble and manly heart. Indifferent to praise and fame, as well as calumny, he ■was ever anxious to do good in silence ; and it can be said of him, Avithout fear of contradiction, that during his whole life he could never reproach himself with having been guilty of a bad or mean action.

" My mother, as much as I can remember from my early boyhood, and from what I heard of her after her death, -was of a most lively temper, and possessed of a good and noble heart, but a little Inclined to sensibility ; her greatest pleasure was to see every one happy about her. She loved me dearly and spoilt me. I adored her. Alas ! I lost her when only a little boy, and never shall I efface from my memory the day of her death and funeral. I ■was very sickly and weak during the first years of my infancy, and ■was, as much as I can remember of myself, a very whimsical boy. Sometimes I learned with enthusiasm, and often found myself in such a kind of ecstacy that I neither could see nor hear what passed around me. In these fits of thought I forgot playthings and playfellows ; I was happy only in my own musings. I always preferred the company of little girls to boj-s. I was not ten years old when T presented them ■with some poetry and little verses, the effusions of my heated imagination ; some of them fell into my hands in riper years, and, after reading them over, I left off poetry altogether. I loved my first private teacher verymuch ; I even can remember him now. My second teacher ■was a simpleton ; he could never understand me, nor enter into my feelings. My antipathy to this man grew daily greater ; I could not leara of him, nor could he teach me anything. At last, when in my thirteenth year, I got rid of him. and he being encumbered with debts, I gave him my saving-box when he left. — Whether I did this for pity's sake, or joy to get rid of him, T did not know. My father sent me, the same year, to school, but here I was not in my sphere ; I hated the low and vulgar conduct of my school-fellows as much as the vulgar mode of correction of the masters. However, I selected some boys a little better educated for my daily companions, especially one of the name of Strauss, (227)

MEMOIR OF THAER.

who unfortunately combined with his romantic ideas a ^eat inclination to drink ; we daily played truant, but nevertheless I applied myself in my private lessons with great eagerness and perseverance to the study of matliematics, history, &c. so that I contrived to ingratiate myself in the good opinion of my masters, who never missed me during the school hours, being always ready when called to my class. My best friend amongst the masters was a' teacher of the French language, named Ferry, who professed secretly all the principles of freethinkers. He procured for me all the works of Voltaire, and other French freethinkers, and, some time after, when I understood English, all the vi'orks of freethinkers of that nation. This was a pretty preparation for my confirmation, which was now at hand. The religious instniction I received of the Lutheran pastor Bode, preparatory to my confirmation, produced no effect upon my mind in favor of the truth of ' our divine religion, having studied all the works written against it with so much energy. I often i insinuated to pastor Bode my doubts on religious matters, but either he did not or 'would not un- ' derstand me ; I ^vas wavering betvi^een deism and atheism — so much so, that had it not been for , ' the love towards my revered father, and the persuasions of Ferry, I should have avoided being present at the imposing and sacred ceremony of confirmation, w^hich produced such an effect up-

" on my j'oung mind, that I prayed sincerely to God to give me faith , and had I not continued to

! read \\-ith Feny and one Belzing so many blasphemous works, I should have returned to my for- i mer religious principles much sooner, as I did at a later period of my life. I continued for .some time longer to ramble with Strauss and other school-fellows, to visit coffee-houses and billiardrooms, but had a great antipathy to other debaucheries. The company of comedians of Mr. Sei-

j ler came just now to Celle, performing comedies and tragedies. This was a new life for me ; I became acquainted v/ith each individual of this company ; they all were fond of me ; the beautiful Madame Koch gave me lessons in daucmg, and I suddenly deserted all my fonner companions, neglecting them to such a degi-ee tliat one Mackphail, considering my conduct as an insult to the whole school, sent me a challenge, which ended in my wounding him in the hand. My father loved me dearly, but did not much inquire into my conduct : he allowed me a great deal of money,

' but owing to my attachment to Ferry, whose salary was but small, I provided him with money, and having myself an extravagant taste for dress, I was often in great difficulties to pay my bills, of which my father •w-as ignorant, till my creditors became trouble.some, and my good father immediately discharged them, after giving me some kind admonition.

"I ^vasnow in my sixteenth year, and for the first time it occurred to me that, although conversant with the most of the modem languages, I did not understand a word of Latin, and thought the knowledge of this language indispensable to my future prospects in life. I spoke to Rector StefFens, and got permission of my father to leave school entirely, and devote my whole time to the study of Latin. In less than tvk-elve months I was completely master of a language which is ^ often the torment of boys from their sixth to their twentieth years, and still remain ignorant of it. Since then I have v/ritten several pamphlets in Latin, which ^vere admired ; and in Gottingen my Discourses were generally delivered in that language. Doctor Taube, physician to the king, gave me lessons in natural history, botany, and anatomy ; I bade farewell to philosophy and belles letlre^, and began in earnest, and v/itli gi'eat perseverance, to study physic ; but still I was in bad odor amongst many of the learned, and it was said, when they heard of my progress, that henceforth thej' should not despair of making something of the most stapid of pupils.

" In my eighteenth year, my father sent me to the University of Gottingen. The first winter I did not leave the Anatomical School, and although I gave myself up to the most intense study, I willinglj' entered into all the gaieties and amusements so much sought by German students, but avoided carefully debaucheries of any kind ; they gave me the cognomen, Half Renommist, owing to my puerile look and feeble and ^veak voice. Unzer and Ebeling, t"wo students in physic, took '^ me under their powerful protection, and extricated me out of many scrapes.

" In the second year of my residence in Gottingen I entered my name for a course of lectures on practical phj-sic, against the advice of all my friends, but I have never regretted so doing, as there never has been, and probably never will be, a greater man at the ixniversity than Doctor Schroeder, physician to the king, who gave, at that period, his celebrated lectures on practical physic. Schroeder himself was astonished at the step I had taken ; but when he perceived that I fullj' understood him, I became one of his favorite pupils; nor had I the advantage alone of receiving private lessons gratis, but he took me with him in most of his professional visits, where I had all the advantages of his great practice. Thus I caught a putrid fever which ^vas then veiy prevalent ; Schroeder attendee? me day and night, and, giving up all hopes of my reooveiy, he observed to one of his friends, not thinking that I understood what he said, ' The expansion of the sinews increases.' 'Then,' answered I, in a quiet manner, 'I .shall (228)

MEMOIK OF THAEB.

die in four days, according to such and such a rule of Hippocrates : pray prepare my father to receive the news of my death.' However, immediately after, a sudden lum in the disorder talcing place, I soon recovered ; not so my memory, which I lost for a time, so that I had forgotten the names of my best friends ; my nerves were so completely shaken, that I had no wish to recover. , ' After my recovery, Professor Schroeder being himself attacked with the same fever, requested of his wife that no other physician than myself should attend him ; but when he became light-headed, she called in all the physicians of (^ttingen, and these gentlemen not agreeing in opinion respecting the treatment of the patient, this great and learned man fell a victim to ignorance and jealousy, April 21, 1772. I cannot think of this celebrated and good man without shedding tears of regj-et and gratitude.

" After his death I did not attend any more lectures, although I paid for them. Schroeder was succeeded by Ernst Gottfried Baldinger, bom in Gross Vargula, near Erfurt, 1738 ; and descended in a direct line, on his mother's side, from Doctor Martin Luther. He established a dispensary for poor patients, and gave medicine gratis, on condition of his being attended by about thirty pupils. Here it ■was that I first began to display the knowledge I had gained fi;om my friend, the late Doctor Schroeder; and Baldinger, not seeing me attend his lectures, naturally supposing I was lazy and dull of comprehension, exclaimed, with astonishment. " ^Vhat will become of this boy ?" Whereupon, considering myself insulted by the Doctor, I wished to retire ; ^vhen he embraced me and said, good-humoredly, ' No, no ! such a clever young fellow never came under

' my observation.' From this time I became his best friend and daily visitor ; I passed whole days

' and weeks in his valuable and extensive library, and almost in the constant societj' of his amiable, highly gifted, and accomplished wife ; his confidence was so great, that he left the entire direc-

\ ' tion of his dispensary to me, and even entrusted me with the care of his o^vn family when unwell.

' Having given up all connexion with my former friends, the students, I selected one Leisewitz, the audior of 'Julius de Tarent.' We sympatliised in each other's feelings, and became inseparable. His amiable qualities and inoffensive wit drew around us the best society ; but, to our great regret, many of them belonged to a new school of freethinkers, whose principles we endeavored, by the assistance of the pious Madame Baldinger, to eradicate from their minds; and thus it was that Providence brought me over again to the firm belief of the truth of our Divine religion.

" In the mean time I paid the sQ-ictest attention to my profession, and was so completely successful, that there was no patient of any consequence in Gottingen that I was not called in to ; but as I was not allowed to make up prescriptions, not having taken my degree, and in order to avoid a heavy penalty, I was accompanied in my professional visits by Doctor ToUe, a man who knew the lectures of Schroeder by heart, but did not understand them. I dictated to him what to prescribe, he took the fee, and was content. I had nothing but the honor, and plenty, of good dinners. At last I took my degree as Doctor of Medicine, and resigned my patients to the care of Dr. Strohmeyer, which was the means of inti-oducing him into practice. I left Gottingen full of honor, with tears in my eyes, at leaving behind me so many dear friends. Puffed up with pride, I arrived in Celle, but was received with coldness and pity. This was too much for me ; I could not brook the insult; but said to mj-self, 'How can I expect to be othei-wise received, when I consider my former conduct, and look back on the heedless manner in which I passed my boyish years V My consolation was, that • I should be soon as happy here as I was in Gottingen' in the choice of my friends. The physicians in Cellc were fifteen years behind in their practice ; they had heard of a new style of practice, but regarded it as a mere cliimera. When

1 1 I ventured to say a word or two, they did not understand me : when I appealed to some great authority, they were ignorant of it : "when I spoke from my own practical experience, they looked at me, from head to foot, and said sneeringly, 'Well, well: experience will come in time,' But when by chance I ventured to make some proposal, they turned round, and wondered where they should find room enough in the churchyards to bury my patients. The great applause- with which my Dissertations had been received m all the learned journals, even in England as vv^ell as in France, gave me courage, hoping that this circumstance would make some impression on the mind of the public ; but it was generally thought I had ill employed my time, and knew httle or nothing. Being obliged to frequent society, I was so disgusted with the general tone »nd the topics of their conversation, that I was almost in despair ; at last, some young ladies treated . me with more attention. I began to reconcile myself to my forlorn condition, but still I was not ' what I wished to be : the worst of all -was, I had no friend ; not a human being that understood me. I wi-ote daily to my friend Leisewitz ; he resided in Hanover, and was just as unliappj- as myself, except that he had some friends, and plenty of money. In this respect I was differently (229)

Vi MEMOIR OF THAER,

sitaated, and although in want of money to bay books, I was determined not to be any expense to my father. Some watches, snuff-boxes, and rings, presents I had received in Gottingen, soon found their way to the hands of Jews at half price. I was even, against my will, driven to the necessity of accepting small fees from mechanics and peasants. This cut me to the heart ; but I could not help myself. The follovdng circumstance, however, overcame me more than all : My father w^as a man of great know^ledge and experience, but, like all old men, he remained faithful to the old method of practice. I visited many of his patients, and without telling me exactly what mode of treatment I was to pursue, he only observed, ' You wiU act so and so ;' however, I saw the patients had confidence in my father only, and not in me ; they wished me to be his tool, and I \ therefore followed his mode of practice, and thus lost several of his patients, w^ho could have been saved had I followed my own method. Among others. Doctor Caritens died during a momeutaiy absence of my father, who recommended while stepping into his traveling chariot, to bleed the Doctor a second time. I did as he bid me, although convinced that emetics and opening medicine would cure the patient without fail : the Doctor died, and you may easily imagine the state of my feelings. I had just begun to publish a work on practical physic, but had no heart to finish it ' , after this sad catastrophe. I betook myself again to philosophy. I v^^ished daily to return to Gottingen, if I could do so with honor. I passed three years under such painful circumstances, when my friend Leisewitz invited me to go v^^ith him to Berlin, for which purpose his brother-in-lavs^ in Brunswick would advance me money to defray my expenses. Without much consideration, I accepted the invitation, and my portmanteau v^^as soon ready. Arriving in Berlin, I found myself in my element, and began to breathe freely. Jerusalem and Leasing had given us letters of introduction to the greatest men in Berlin ; but they knew us already, Leisewitz as author of ' Julius Von Tarent,' and myself as the author of my Dissertation. We had daily the choice of the first society ; covers were laid for us La the first families daily, for dinner as well as supper. Von Zetlitz sent a general invitation that covers were laid for us every day during our stay in Berlin.

, Most of the time ^ve could spare w^as divided between physicians and philosophers, of which the

' ' latter had the greater share. Spalding, Mendelssohn, Eberhaxd, Engel, Nicolai, Reichard, andMdme. Bamberger, daugliterof Doct. Sack, Bishop of Berlin, honored us w^ith their most sincere friendship The latter, a highly gifted and accomplished lady, possessed the rare art of spreading over the most abstract hypothesis and theorem the brightest and most charming light ; Jerusalem, the father of the ill-fated Werther (see the ' Sorrows of Werther,' by Goethe), used to send her his works to con-ect, and she alone alone was able to console and comfort him, when he was infoi-med of the death of his beloved son. This amiable lady assumes in common life the character of a plain woman, and when at court, as friend of the Queen and the Princess Amalie, she won all hearts hy her truly noble manners and unconstrained courtesy ; at court beloved, she was admired, nay, adored in the philosophical clubs. But do not think that here alone we spent all our time ; Madame Bamberger knew how to blend study with amusement; she issued frequently cards of invitation to select parties, for suppers and balLs, and her house w^as the point of union of all that was learned, beautiful, and amiable. Thus Berlin became my Paradise. I had the most tempting offers from the Minister of State to stay here ; hut the illness of my father obliged me, after a stay of three months, to return home. I visited Lessing on my journey back ; stayed two days, which were the most interesting of all days I ever remember.

It v^^as now, I thought, high time to think earnestly of getting into good practice as a physician. I followed, in order to effect this, my ovs^n method ; I cared not for criticism ; good luck attended me ; I was successful in many cases given up by others as hopeless. My father watched me now closely, but let me have free sway ; he felt great pleasure at my success and would now and then say, ' Well done, my bsy ;' but nevertheless entreated of me not to offend a certain great personage ; which, however, I frankly confessed I had already done, not caring much about it, as it was my intention not to stay in Celle. I wanted a greater sphere of action. My father's weakness and infirmity increa.sed daily, which prevented him from visiting his patients, and determined him to give up altogether his practice, ar d to retire from a profession in which, during many years, he had so nobly done bis duty ; he informed his patients of it, telling them that they were perfectly free and at liberty to take the advice of his son, or any other physician, thereby insinuating, that in their choice they must not suffer themselves to be influenced by their feelings of friendship and regard towards him. Almost all his patients honored me -with their confidence. Now, my dear Philippine, a few words more. I am not rich ; but my affairs are not in a deranged or desperate state, and were I to die to day, and my property sold, it would fetch 5,000 dollars at least, so that I possess 2,000 dollars more than my father gave me. I have but 400 dollars salary ; my practice is good, and

I becomes daily more lucrative ; the income I derive from it now is more than sufficient ^ keep a

MEMOIR OF THAER. Vll

good and respectable house ; my prospects are flattering ; but I can and must not name them at present ; I will not bring them into account."

Here ends the letter addressed to his future consort ; he calls it his confession, and surely the writer proves throughout that he was guided by a most sincere and open heart. He was now physician to the parish and the House of Correction, and shortly afterwards, (1780, without soliciting for, or even expecting it, he was appointed physician to the Court of Hanover.

Thaer, being now at the summit of his profession, he was called in to all consultations, far and near , hit opinion always had weight. ' His noble demeanor, the great kindness and affability with vs^hich he treated every one, rich or poor, won all hearts. His talents were held in the highest estimation ; in short, he was looked up to by all. However, Thaer, (although the learned Himly called him the most talented and most successful man he ever knew in his profession,) 1 1 notwithstanding his great and lucrative practice, got nevertheless daily more and more tired of it. ^ This mast be attributed to the sympathy for his patients, and a kind of sensibility which he never could conquer, and which induced him, several years afterwards, to relinquish a profession of which he had been the ornament, and still, at this period, continued to be, to the greatest joy of his friends and admirers. Thaer now thought seriously of his maniage ; he had opened his heart to Philippine — he loved her dearly, and was loved in return. Her parents, however, and herself, being very religious and devout, could not forget his younger years ; a pamphlet on religious matters, written with great freedom and wit, made a great noise amongst the orthodox clergy and laity ; it was published by Lessing, under the title of " Fragments of the Unknown of Woltenbuttel," but presumed to be written by Thaer. This circumstance was foi a time a great obstacle to his happiness ; but, at last, his great fame, and the general esteem he enjoyed, brought on the happy day of his union with the object of his affection. He was married on the 19th of April, 1786. His lady was the daughter of a nobleman, and President of the High Court of Appeal in Celle. His name was George WiUiam Von Willich.

Thaer, immediately after his marriage, moved from Celle to a little garden beautifully situated on the river AUer, near the town. After having bought this piece of ground, he built a small cottage upon it, furnished it handsomely, and spent there the honeymoon. He was now happy ; but became daily more averse to his profession. In his hours of relaxation, he amused himself by cultivating flowers, and thus became a florist. The garden became now too small for him ; he enlarged it considerably, making a purchase of sixteen acres of ground, and enclosing the whole.

Thaer's garden soon became the admiration of the inhabitants of Celle ; and w^hen he began to lay out plantations and orchards, to cultivate herbage and vegetables, the whole countiy were astonished at his science in the art of cultivation. But Thaer was not the man to stop here ; he now seriously contemplated the improvement of Agriculture, and, in order to carry out his plans, he purchased a considerable tract of land. He followed his agi'icultural pursuits with heart and soul, at the same time not neglecting his patients. He was daily seen, -when coming home fi-om his \ ' visits, running to the plow, or occupying himself in his fields, orchard, or garden. Just about this I , time, (1 796,) when he seriously contemplated the relinquishing his profession, could he do so with ' honor, he received from London his patent as physician to his Majesty George the Third. This honor was unexpected, not having been solicited ; he could not well, under these circumstances, withdraw himself at once from his profession, but began by degrees to resign his practice, and recommend those professional men he thought most clever. Thaer, having now more time on hand to pursue his favorite occupation of the improvement of Agriculture, kept pi-incipally m view the establishing an experimental husbandry, and the improvement of bad and ungrateful soils to such a degree as to yield a good, or, at least, a proportionate return for the money laid out. Ee likewise studied the best works on Agriculture : Bergen's work, published 1781, on Improvement of Breeding Cattle and Stall-feeding, was very useful to him, of which work a new edition was published in Berlin, 1800, by Thaer himself, who enriched the same with his own remarks and experimental observations. He took, likewise, the advice of his friend, Schubard von Kbefeld, so celebrated as an enthusiastic freemason, introducing the system of strict observ- [ : ance, or reestablishing the system of Templars. Thaer gave Schubard the name of '• The ardent apostle of the culture of clover and stall-feeding ;" he little thought then that he himself would soon excel him. He combined with the culture of herbage fodder, the growth of carrots, cabbages and potatoes — ^which latter root he most vehemently defended against its numerous adversaries and assailants. His agricultural implements were of the most ingenious kind, and mostly made in England. His work on English Husbandry was so well received in England, that die Board of Agriculture sent him unanimously their thanks. The letter was dated Whitehall, June 6th, 1797 : (231)