d suffered to grow up again in forest timber, principally pine of the
"old field" species. No land could offer less inducements to the
cultivator or give smaller hope of renovation, than these old fields of
Virginia. Such was the conviction of impossibility to raise a crop upon
this kind of land, that Mr. Newton's first essay was looked upon by his
neighbors with a conviction that the fool and his money would soon part
company. One sensible old servant told us he thought his master "for
sartain was done gone crazy, cause he nebber seed no nothing grow on dat
land, no how could fix him." The negroes, wherever guano has been
introduced, have been violently opposed to using it; not alone from its
disagreeable odor and effect upon the throat and nostrils while handling
it in a dry state; but because they could not be persuaded that such a
small measure of stuff--200 lbs. measures about three bushels--could
possibly produce any effect upon the crop. Their astonishment and
consequent extravagant laudation of the effect produced, has often
afforded us hours of amusement while listening to their recital of
"massa's big crop," of perhaps ten bushels to the acre, which was at
least double that of any one ever seen upon the same field, "fore he put
dem little pinch of snuff on him."

_The increase of wheat from guano_ may be safely calculated upon at five
bushels for each hundred weight of guano used, one year with another,
and up to what may be considered a fair judicious amount to be applied,
which may be set down at an average of 200 lbs to the acre, upon all
light soils, similar to those of that part of the country we are writing
about.

GUANO vs. MANURE--EFFECTS UPON HEAVY LAND.

Mr. Newton related to us an anecdote of some value upon this point. On
one of his Potomac farms, a portion of the land is exceedingly
heavy--pewtery land, as it is termed from its tendency when wet to run
together, presenting a glistening appearance somewhat resembling that
metal. His overseer was about as unbelieving as the negroes, and
declared he could beat the guano by expending the same value in manure
upon a given quantity of surface. To test this and also to try its
effect upon the stiff land, he applied a little short of one ton of
Peruvian, which cost $50 upon ten acres, and promised a premium to the
overseer if he could make a greater crop by the use of all the manure,
men and teams he saw fit to apply to another ten acres lying right a