18 How THE FARM PAYS. 



Is there any guide, Mr. Crozier, by which inexperienced men, with- 

 out any one to help them, can determine what is the best soil for gen- 

 eral farm work? 



A. If the farm is to be selected on lands where there has been 

 general cultivation, the best test to determine the value of such lands 

 is to closely examine and compare the crops growing on lands adjacent. 

 If under ordinary culture you see these lands producing good crops 

 of corn, wheat or potatoes, it is reasonable to suppose, if on the same 

 level, that the land in question will, in all probability, be of similar 

 quality. 



Q. But suppose the farm has to be selected in a region where there 

 is nothing but timber or the natural grasses to guide ? What then 

 would be your advice? 



A.' Under such circumstances I would take a spade and dig in dif- 

 ferent parts of the farm and find out what the soils and subsoils are 

 composed of, and what they would be best adapted for. The timber 

 and native grasses growing on such lands would not always help to 

 decide as to the quality of the land. There would be no safety in 

 judging from such indications, as we find sometimes heavy timber 

 growing on lands not well fitted for farm operations, and even some 

 lands on which the natural grasses seem to be poor, will under 

 proper cultivation produce excellent crops. So that in such cases, if 

 there are no cultivated crops growing in the vicinity, the only thing 

 is an examination of the soil by digging into it with a spade. For 

 this reason, it will be advisable, if a disinterested and capable practical 

 farmer can be found, for -any one about to invest five or ten thousand 

 dollars in a farm, to employ such a man to guide him in the choice 

 of the soil. Of course the object for which the farm is wanted must 

 be stated to the expert, whether it be wanted for grazing purposes 

 only, or for rotation of crops, or for what is known as mixed farming, 

 which combines stock raising and general tillage. If the selection be 

 a good one it is reasonable to expect fair success with ordinary indus- 

 try, while if it is bad, failure and ruin will in all probability be the 

 result. 



(Mr. H.) I have scores come to me in the course of every season 

 for advice in this matter of soils, but in most instances the advice is 

 asked too late. Many persons have been unfortunate enough to buy 

 or rent land that they had been led to believe was excellent, but only 

 " run down." In my opinion, this wide-spread notion of " exhausted 

 lands " is, to a great extent, a fallacy, and that the greater part of the 

 lands said to have been exhausted never were good ; and no power 

 on earth short of spreading a good soil over them, half a f6ot thick, 



