1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



427 



bandry and bad economy. And I regard as bad 

 economy every system of crojiping which reduces 

 the strength of the soil,— which diminishes the 

 real value of the land. I say system. The removal 

 of a specific crop may exhaust the land more than 

 is equivalent to the manure applied for tliat crop, 

 and the land not bo injured in the long run. But 

 every circle or rotation of crops should leave the 

 land in as good heart, at least, as it finds it. Oth- 

 erwise there is bad husbandry and must be ulti- 

 mate failure. 



Good teamsters understand that it costs less to 

 keep a horse in good condition than otherwise. — 

 They know also that a horse thus kept will per- 

 form more labor and endure more hardships, and 

 that, too, far more to the satisfaction of his own- 

 er, than one which seems vacillating near the star- 

 vation point, and is permitted to eat only to live 

 and not die. They know, too, that when a horse 

 begins to "run down hill," 'tis hard keeping him 

 back. 



So of the soil. Newly cleared land, which will 

 produce thirty bushels of rye to the acre, requires 

 no more labor for tillage than the same land will 

 require when so reduced as to produce no more 

 than seven bushels. If there is more profit in 

 raising the former crop than the latter, why will 

 not farmers take the necessary step to secure it ? 



As in the case of the horse, the soil, when in a 

 good condition, is easily kept so. These need on- 

 ly to supply from year to year the mineral ingre- 

 dient of which the crop has robbed the soil. All 

 the other ingredients necessary to fin-m the pabu 

 lum of plants, the soil, with the combined agen- 

 cy of water, air and caloric, will elaborate for it 

 self. 



Here we see, Mr. Editor, the necessity of a lit- 

 tle "book knowledge." Thefarmer needs to know 

 what his soil contams, — in what it is deficient, ol 

 what his crop of rye has robbed it. This can be 

 learned only by analysis. But when learned, the 

 remedy is at hand, and can easily be applied. — 

 And when agriculture is conducted with the same 

 regard to economy and thrift as other depart- 

 ments of industry, this will be understood and 

 practised. But to return from this digression to 

 the oil fields. They were compelled to submit to 

 a constant drain, with no means of redress. Soon 

 they were so far reduced as not to be capable (tl 

 producing corn, and rye was thought the onl} 

 cro]^ #iat would pay. Consequently these field,- 

 have long been in the condition of the "poor old 

 horse." 



It is not that the soil is entirely worn out, that 

 its productive pn)perties have all been exhausted. 

 There is still vegetable mould ; and the pabulum 

 of other plants, than rye, still exist in suflicient 

 quantities. Tliere needs but a husbanding of the 

 resources which abound and a change of crops. It 

 is often easier to locate disease and give it a "name, 

 than to prescribe a remedy. 



I do not lay claim to superior knowledge in this 

 matter, nor have I had much experience. I will 

 venture, however, a few suggestions, which, if in 

 themselves worthless, may elicit from others in- 

 formation upon this important topic. 



I. These lands should be properly plowed. Thi.- 

 has seldom been done. The number of farmer.- 

 who plow well, is small indeed. The number i- 

 still smaller of those who pljw old fields properly 

 The belief is common, that these worn-out land; 



have but little soil, — that that lies near the sur- 

 face and that, in "plowing," care must be used 

 not to disturb the subsoil. 



The truth lies much deeper. One cause of the 

 deterioration of these lands is improper plowing. 

 I believe in making soil. Let the subsoil, or "yel- 

 low dirt," — be exposed to the sun and rain, — let 

 it absorb the carbun, which is afloat in the at- 

 mosphere, and the other fertilizing elements with 

 which it is charged, and in one year it changes ita 

 cojor and assumes the appearance and actually 

 possesses the properties of vegetable mould. — 

 Hence the importance of deep plowing. And 

 these old fields should be disturbed with a "deep 

 tiller," to the depth of six inches, and then sev- 

 en, and so on to at last ten. Then let the sub- 

 soil plow foUdW. 



Or, if manure is to be applied, in the first in- 

 stance, in sufficient quantity to secure a crop of 

 corn, let the subsoil be disturbed to the depth of 

 at least twelve inches from the surface. I have 

 said that these exhausted lands might be reclaimed 

 by supplying the mineral substances of wliich 

 they have been deprived ; that the veget;ible would 

 be procured or elaborated by a natural process. 

 Land, from which a heavy growth of pine timber 

 has been removed, will not yield another crop of 

 [lines. But oaks, chestnuts, or some otlier spe- 

 cies will spring up and grow vigorously. Let the 

 mineral ingredients of the pine be supplied, in 

 sufficient quantities, and I suppose a second crop 

 of pines would grow and equal the first. So with 

 these old fields. If you would continue the grow- 

 ing of rye, you must apply lime, potash and phos- 

 phorus, and other minerals which enter into the 

 composition of rye. 



2. These fields should be plowed frequently , — 

 plowed, not for the purpose of cropping, but for 

 fertilizing. If light, heat, moisture and atmo- 

 spheric agencies are relied upon to work the 

 change, the soil, and the whole soil must be kept 

 in such a condition that these agencies may act 

 freely. 



3d. The products of the soil must be used to en- 

 rich it. One of the most common errors of farm- 

 ers is the cropping of lands to exhaustion. The 

 wool-grower, who in December shears liis sheep, 

 luay save his wool iind get a quick return. But 

 he injures and probably destroys his flock, and in 

 the end sustains a great loss. Not less unwise 

 is the husbandman wlio carefully removes from the 

 soil everything it produces. 



When in good lieart, lands will make liberal re- 

 turns for all they receive. But when exhausted, 

 when bankrupt, — when they have been "run"' till 

 their vaults are empty, they cannot be expected 

 to make dividends. Tliey must keep what tliey 

 have got and get what they can, or become hope- 

 lessly insolvent. 



If the merchant were to abstract every dollar 

 he makes in trade, and invest it in real estate, his 

 business would sufler. If wise, he keeps it as a 

 working capital. Let the farmer^mitate his ex- 

 .imple and he will reap a like reward. When he 

 has succeeded in growing alight crop of clover or 

 buckwheat or rye upon this long abused and ex- 

 liausted soil instead of removing it to his barn, let 

 him deposit it, furrow deep just where it grew to 

 be reserved as a working capital. 



Let every thing which grows from the soil be re- 

 turned to it, and in a short time, "with no outlay 



