120 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



March 



which in a measure prevents the evaporation 

 of sap ; worms find their way to the wood and 

 injure it, and what is termed "powder-post- 

 ing" often results to the serious injury of the 

 wood. 



But there are other considerations in the 

 case, equally important with the durability of 

 the timber. The preservation of the forest 

 is no less important than the durability of its 

 productions. And here nature furnishes a wise 

 provision to effect both objects, for it is a fact 

 that the seasons most favorable to cuttino; tim- 

 ber for durability are also most favorable to 

 its reproduction. The chestnut and other 

 trees which are reproduced by sprouts from the 

 stump or old roots send up vigorous growths 

 from stumps of June-cut treeS; and also when 

 trees are cut in early winter. Where heavy 

 bleeding from the stump follows the cutting 

 down of the tree, the vital energy of the roots 

 appears to exhaust itself more than at other 

 seasons, and in many instances no sprouting 

 up follows. This is eminently the case where 

 timber is cut in February, March and April. 

 If we wished effectually to clear a field of 

 wood, we would by all means remove the tim- 

 ber during these months. 



William Bacon. 



Riclimond, Mass., Jan. 4, 18G9. 



For the. New England Farmer, 

 HOW, SHALL "WJB IMPROVE OUH 

 FARMS? 



One tells us to keep stock, another to buy 

 commercial fertilizers, another to make com- 

 post, and another to plough in green crops, — 

 each and every one contending that his method 

 is the shortest and most economical. Now, 

 how many of these theorists know whereof they 

 speak ; or, in other words, have figured the 

 exact cost of their favorite methods ? 



In the case of the commercial fertilizers, it 

 is very easy to get at (he cost, but with the 

 other methods it requires time and much care 

 with some figuring to bring worn-out land to a 

 state of fertility ; and when done to know what 

 it Las cost. Now I do not profess to be able 

 to do this, but I have been at work at it for 

 thp past ten years and have kept as close an 

 account as possible under the circumstances. 



Ten years ago 1 purchased thirty acres of 

 worn-out land. The soil a slaty loam, and so 

 thoroughly worn out that one field of five 

 acres gave only four bushels of rye to the acre 

 the previous year. I decided to try plough- 

 ing in clover on the piece, if I could get 

 enough started to plough in. In the spring 

 of 18i»8 I ploughed and harrowed, then sowed 

 fifty pounds of clover seed, and bushed it in. 

 In the latter part of May I sowed five hundred 

 pounds of plaster, costing $2.00; ploughing 

 and harrowing cost $15.00 ; clover seed $5.50 ; 

 labor, sowing, &c., $2.00,— total for the first 

 year of $2 1.60. The clover came up very well, 

 but did not make much growth, and about one- 



third of it winter-killed. The remainder 

 started, in the spring and made some growth, 

 about enough, my neighbors estimated, for 

 half a ton of hay to the acre. The last of 

 June I ploughed it under, and in September 

 ploughed again and sowed one bushel of rye 

 to the acre. The cost this year was the clover 

 crop, one-half ton hay to the acre, two and a 

 half tons worth $20.00, less one-half for har- 

 vesting, leaves $10.00 ; five bushels of rye $5 ; 

 labor $17.00,— making $32.00 the second 

 year, and with the expenditure of $24 50 the 

 previous year, a total of $56.50. 



The next spring sowed fifty pounds of 

 clover seed, $0.00 ; five hundred pounds plas- 

 ter, $2.00; harvesting and threshing rye, 

 $17.50; total for this year, $25.50, or $72.00 

 for the three years' cultivation. I had now a 

 crop of thirty-five bushels of rye, worth 

 $35.00, to deduct from former indebtedness, 

 which leaves it $47.00. 



The next summer the clover was estimated 

 to be equal to a ton of hay to the acre ; allow- 

 ing one-baif for harvesting, it would be worth 

 $20.00 ; this was ploughed in and sowed to 

 rye, one and a half bushels to the acre, $7.50 ; 

 labor^ $17.00; making a total of $14.50 for 

 the jear, and $91.50 for whole four years. 

 Sowed clover in the spring as before, also 

 plaster at a cost of $9.00 ; harvesting, thresh- 

 ing rye, &c., $22.00, making $31.00 for the 

 fifth year, or $122.50 for the whole. I had 

 fifty -six bushels rye, which, at$1.30perbushel, 

 amounted to $72.80, which reduces the ex- 

 pense to $49.70. 



The sixth season went through with the 

 same formula with a cost of $60.00, increasing 

 the expense to $109.70. The seventh year 

 the expense was $42.00, and the income nine- 

 ty bushels of rye at $1.65 per bushel, mak- 

 ing $148.50, which lacks only $3.20 of mak- 

 ing the account even. 



The eighth year I mowed two tons of good 

 clover hay to the acre, worth at that time 

 $15.00 per ton, or $75.00 for the half of it, 

 allowing one-half for harvesting, which is more 

 than is customary in many places. 



1 have thus brought the land from four bush- 

 els of rye to the acre to eighteen, and from 

 half a ton of hay to two tons, by the use of 

 nothing but plaster and clover, and in the 

 eight years have made it pay all the expense 

 of doing it, except the interest and taxes, and 

 at the present time it has paid up all those and 

 a little to spare. 



I paid $20.00 per acre, but this same land 

 in its present condition would have brought 

 $50.00 per acre at the time I bought it. It 

 will now bring $80.00. 



This jiiece of land was remote from the 

 barns, and so situated that it was very difficult 

 to get barnyard manure to it. Now the ques- 

 tion arises, can one buy a worn-out farm, run 

 in debt for part of it, make a living, pay his 

 interest and taxes, and bring it to a good, 

 state of fertility by ploughing in clover with a 



