368 The Land and Its Treatment 



for such farming demands rapid, positive, and large 

 results. The closer one is to his market, the smaller his 

 area, and the greater the variety of crops he is to grow, the 

 greater is the necessity of securing land in prime condi- 

 tion. Yet, so important is the market for these products 

 that the wise gardener sometimes buys an accessible piece 

 of land even though it is not the best and puts extra effort 

 into the improvement of it. 



If one has small capital, he may not be able to obtain 

 highly productive land. In such case, one takes land 

 either naturally inferior or run down. It is said to be im- 

 practicable to attempt to reclaim run-down lands. This 

 kind of advice has been over-emphasized. If run-out land 

 lies right and is naturally well drained, it can be brought 

 into profitable condition, in most cases, with compara- 

 tively little trouble and expense, if only the person goes 

 at it right. It requires time and patience. The first thing 

 is to till well and to add fiber (preferably by means of 

 clover at the North). The common notion that commer- 

 cial fertilizer is the first resort in such cases is usually an 

 error. The fertilizer is for the purpose of adding plant- 

 food, not of ameliorating the soil. If market-gardening is 

 attempted on run-down land, the operator should choose 

 the best part of the area for his more intensive efforts, 

 giving it what manure he has and bestowing on it his best 

 efforts in tillage. The remainder of the place can then be 

 slowly brought into condition by cover-cropping, rotation, 

 liming, and other cheaper means. Four or five years 

 should suffice to bring the average worn-out land into 

 good condition, without great expenditure of capital. 

 The " run-down " character of a farm is usually more a 



