THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



117 



science in improvement has taught will successfully 

 reclaim their lertilily. 



I labored under a strange delusion when I first 

 settled in this country. We have lands on our 

 larm exactly similar to those 1 am now describing, 

 and we then believed ihem almost useless, that 

 in consequence of their open sandy character 

 nothing could be done to restore them, where 

 once exhausted, or even to make tolerable crops, 

 when first cleared and brought into active 



use. 



The best plan that I can devise for the benefit 

 of the owners of such property, is to give our 

 own experience, when placed exactly undersimilar 

 circumstances. 



I vouch lor the accuracy of every statement 

 here made, and would thank gentlemen to call on 

 us and have an ocular demonstration of its cor- 

 rectness. When my connexion, Mr. Beale, first 

 got possession of his larm, a tenant had previously 

 cleared about thirty acres of his sandy land, and 

 had then absolutely worn it out, the last crop ol 

 rye he sowed producing less than five bushels to 

 the acre. The whole of this field was covered 

 with running, and the fence corners filled with 

 standing, briers ; not one single spear of grass 

 sprung up or made its appearance on any part of 

 the improvements. He then possessed no other 

 cleared land, all the balance of his estate being an 

 entire forest. On this spot he placed his dwelling. 

 And then the question arose wiihhim, what was 

 the first move to restore the feriiliiy of this land ? 

 How shall 1 accomplish it 7 Where are my re- 

 sources ol' manure to come from ? The balance 

 of my land is in woods, and I must make this 

 land, by its own recuperative energy, spring into 

 life and useflilness again. ° 



He commenced operations by applying his 

 strong horses to a good plough obtained °from 

 Pittsburgh, and breaking the soil deeper than 

 ever his tenant had previously ploughed, sowed 

 ^all grain in September with clover and timothy. 

 Yes, timothy on that poor sand bank ! Most of 

 the seed grew. A sorry crop of grain followed of 

 coiirse, but his grass seed had loriunately taken 

 well, and in that he saw the germ of future fertili- 

 ty. It was lightly grazed the first year ; the 

 scythe applied to the briers in August. His stock 

 added by their droppings a powerful auxiliary well 

 prepared. 



That grass remained three years, subject to the 

 same treatment, and was then turned under. A 

 wheat crop followed, that, I well recollect, was 

 aljundant. Clover and timothy were a^ain sown, 

 with some green-sward that he obtained from 

 Kentucky. By this time he had cleared some of 

 his front bottoms, and commenced feeding his 

 fodder from them on those exhausted fielde,°now 

 well set in sod. This process of feeding in the 

 wmter, and mowing any briers or weeds that 

 spring up in the summer, was continued until he 

 left our country and passed his estate to his son. 

 At that time those exhausted sandy fields were 

 brought to such a state of fertility, that the areen- 

 eward had taken entire possession of all the dover 

 and timothy, and was seen lodging in all directions 

 over the field, havingeradicated entirely the briers, 

 leaving not one stalk as a memorial of its former 

 desolation. 



Now for the benefits and subsequent profits that 

 bis eon has been enabled to enjoy, from the ad- 



mirable course of treatment formerly given to thia 

 land. He ploughed all up, and took two succes- 

 sive crops of corn, each averaging at least fifty 

 bushels 10 the acre. It was then sown in wheat, 

 clover and timothy, giving a o;ood yield of wheat, 

 and taking well in grass, remaining but one year 

 in sod, his lijt cattle being fed on it in the wimer. 

 It was again turned over, and two more succes- 

 sive crops of corn, equally good, followed by 

 wheat and grass. Continuing two years and fed 

 on in the wmter as usual, he last spring ploughed 

 again for corn, and has at this time a crop almost 

 sufficient to take the premium to be awarded on 

 this occasion, at a minimum of one hundred 

 bushels to the acre. 



I must explain, that although the measure- 

 ment has been made in the field of this sandy 

 land, yet the spot measured (or the premium was 

 naturally richer ground than the general average 

 of the remaining portion : but I have no hesit'a- 

 tionin asserting, that at this moment, on an 

 average square acre of land in the lot so previous- 

 , ly exhausted, there is standing at least sixty 

 j bushels of corn to the acre. 

 I You will observe by this statement, that after 

 the renovation of the sand, six crops, of grain, 

 [ (lour of corn and two of wheat,) have been taken 

 tin seven successive years. Then foilov/s three 

 years in grass, and thus it is now again in corn, 

 clothed with the best crop it has ever pro- 

 duced. 



What think you now of worn out sandy lands 1 

 Do you believe you possess any more comjtleiely 

 prostrated than that I have accurately described 

 above 7 Are you willing to enter upon the career 

 ol improvement? If you are, here then is an 

 example worthy your imitation, fear not the result. 

 You have seen what judgment and preseverance 

 has accomplished. 



While on this subject, I will state another ex- 

 periment now in operation on exactly a similar 

 character of land. The growth was allblack oak 

 and hickory, the ground so porous and sandy, that 

 in early times I have frequently taken my ramrod 

 Irom my rifle and without difficulty thrust the 

 whole in the earth. How would you nndertake to 

 make such soil yield its hundreds 1 Now for the 

 process. The timber was all killed, the under- 

 growth taken out, sowed in grass seed and ripe 

 hay fed over the whole, to form a good sod imme- 

 diately. The land was then grazed with cattle, 

 and fed over occasionally during the winters. In 

 six years succeeding the girdling, when after the 

 bark and brush had been principally torn off by 

 the storms and trod in pieces under the feel of 

 the cattle, all the standing hmber was cut down 

 and burned, and the whole mass of vegetable 

 matter thus collected and now nearly decomposed, 

 turned in with the sod last year. 



What think you was the average yield of 

 the first crop? I am sure at least sixty bushels 

 to the acre. Hogs were then turned in, and con- 

 sumed the standing corn on the field. The ba- 

 lance of the winter and part of the spring fattening 

 cattle were fed on the same lot with cut up corn 

 and fodder until the earth was nearly covered over 

 with litter. All was again this season turned un- 

 der, and at this moment there stands upon it a 

 crop of corn, some shocks of which have been 

 husked, showing a yield of upwards of seventy 

 bushels to the acre. The same process is again 



