VoL. III. No. 2337 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 10, 1894. 
1.00 A YEAR 
JONATHAN WILLIAMS KERR. 
A “ C JI E M I C A I. 8 AND CLOVER” FAR M E R . 
Readers of The R. N.-Y. are quite familiar with 
this name, and its owner is well entitled to a place in 
onr picture gallery of enterprising and successful 
farmers. In an exceedingly modest sketch of his 
life, Mr. Kerr says : 
“I was horn January 23, 1842, in Monaghan Town¬ 
ship, York County, Pa. I began my apprenticeship 
to the nursery business in IS.'iS, tying buds for the 
late Jacob Cocklin, who, at that time, conducted the 
business, together with extensive fruit-growing, and 
doubtless was the most proficient pomologist in the 
State. Two years in the Key¬ 
stone Nurseries at llarxdsburg. 
Pa., were followed by five more 
at the Cumberland Nurseries, at 
Carlisle, Pa., with David Miller, 
whose business life was unique, 
in that it was a complete proof 
of Pope’s line, ‘ An honest man’s 
the noblest work of God.’ 
“During the war, the nursery 
business, like many other indus¬ 
tries, was stagnated. School 
teaching, however, held its own, 
and I followed that for a change. 
When the present U. S. Pomolo¬ 
gist was superintendent of the 
public schools of York County, 
Pa., I was one of his teachers. 
The drafts for soldiers were being 
repeated at rather short intervals 
at this period, hence an enlist¬ 
ment with the 200th Regiment 
of Pennsylvania Volunteers fol¬ 
lowed. This proved to be the 
best opportunity I ever had for 
the study of human nature. The 
real inwardness of a civilian is 
thoroughly exposed by his con¬ 
duct as a soldier. 
‘ ‘ At the close of the war 
the nursery business again felt 
the enlivening touch of pros¬ 
perity—and rather by accident 
than otherwise, I was induced 
to go to the eastern shore of 
Maryland to reorganize, and put 
in proper shape, a very badly 
managed nursery, that had been 
started there a couple of years 
previous by a farmer and a tree 
agent. As a result, Kerr & Zook 
began the Choptank Nurseries. 
The untimely death of Zook the 
same year necessitated a change. 
In 1868, Kemp & Kerr started a 
new plant—this firm prospered 
better than it agreed. In the 
winter of 1870, another partner¬ 
ship was formed (for life) with a 
young lady of Caroline County, Md. In the fall of 
1871, Kemp & Kerr dissolved. I again started on a 
farm adjoining the old firm, the purchase of which 
involved me in debt, but by hard work succeeded in 
paying off the mortgage on time. The Eastern Shore 
Nurseries, in 1875, were embarrassed only by very 
poor land and very poor buildings. The new firm, 
however, worked together very harmoniously and 
happily, and besides remedying these defects, addi¬ 
tions in land were made, so that at present there are 
three places to attend to instead of one. 
“The original firm has been supplemented by the 
addition of two more members—both girls. The older 
fini.shed her education at the New England Conserva¬ 
tory last year, at 18 years of age. The younger, 14 
years, intends taking the course in a business college. 
All this has grown out of the nursery business. The 
home place, 165 acres, is devoted entirely to frixit- 
growing and nursery, with native plums a specialty. 
Another place of 127 acres, has 16 acres in peach 
orchard. A third is being worked with chemicals and 
clover, with marked improvement on the crop of corn, 
wheat and clover, without the aid of any stable 
manure whatever during the last 12 years. Crimson 
clover is now relied upon and used as the chief source 
from which to draw fertility for the orchards.” 
Soil I.mproved Without Starle Manure. —Mr. Kerr 
gives the following account of the operations on 
the fax-m that has been redeemed without manure : 
“ In 1882, the operations on the 75-acre farm were 
commenced. When the purchase was made, but 20 
acres of it were cleared ; the remainder was covered 
with pine timber. Over 400 cords of wood were cut 
and sold, which netted about ^1 per cord. The new 
land was so divided as to make two fields of 10 acres 
each of that in tillage before the purchase, and three 
of nine acres each. Oyster shells were bought at 
the rate of $25 per 1,000 bushels, landed on the wharf, 
1}4 mile distant; these were hauled and burned into 
lime, which, on the newly cleax-ed land, was applied 
at the rate of 75 bushels per acre, and on the land 
already cleared and clean when bought, at the rate of 
50 bushels per acre. This land is located one full mile 
from the home place, axxd the latter required all and 
more stable maxxux'e than was made there. As the 
xxew pux'chase was fai’ined by the same force that was 
kept at home, comxnercial fertilizers and clover pre¬ 
sented the only px’actical chance of impx'ovexnent. 
“ In five to eight years after cutting the pine tim¬ 
ber, evex*y stxxmp had been removed. At first, two of 
the fields in coxm annually woxxld not supply enough 
to feed the stock and fatten a half dozen hogs. About 
25 bushels per acre was the vex’y best cx*op that could 
be gi-own under the circumstances ; with two fields in 
clover and one in wheat. As will be seen, wheat, 
clover and corn were the x’otation, and a poor catch in 
clover was vigorously guarded 
against. The first crop of clover 
was made into hay, and the sec¬ 
ond growth allowed to die and 
fall on the land, lying there until 
spx’ing, when it was turned xxnder 
for coxm. Corn is all planted 
here in hills, distant from each 
other fx-om 3 feet 8 inches to 4 
feet 4 inches each way, and 
thinned after it is up 4 to 10 
inches high, to two plants in each 
hill. At the distance of 3 feet 10 
inches each way, the yield has 
been gradually increased so as to 
x-each 61 bushels per acre—the 
maximum so far, 
“ Soxne of the land has been 
lixned but once, and none of it 
mox’e than twice in these opera¬ 
tions. Animal-bone, acidulated 
rock and potash, with a vex*y 
moderate amount of nitrates, are 
the chemicals used. Even when 
a wheat crop fails to pay, as they 
nearly all do now, a good stand 
of clover in the stubble after the 
wheat is oft’, is very soothing to 
such disappointments. During 
the past two years, the five fields 
have been changed into four, as 
one of corn is found to be suffi¬ 
cient to fxxxmish 600 bushels, 
which is the minimum amount 
necessary for use at home, where 
none is grown. 
“ I have progressed far enough 
now to know that I do know 
nothing yet as to the possibili¬ 
ties of chemicals and clover in 
the renovation and improvement 
of run-down land. In plain 
farming, experience gives me a 
very decided preference for Me¬ 
dium clover over Crimson ; while 
in fx'uit growing, or truck farm¬ 
ing, the preference for the latter 
would be quite as decided for 
reasons obvious to any one who 
has grown both. • Though a clover sod is always 
turned under for coxm, from 250 to 400 pounds per 
acre of fertilizer are applied, as I am a convert to the 
belief of a farmer fx-iend, who puts it in this way : 
‘ Defeat is inevitable to every farmer that tries to 
cheat his land.’ ” 
R. N.-Y.—The peninsula between the ocean and 
Chesapeake Ray is one of the most interesting farm¬ 
ing sections of the world. This part of the States of 
Delaware and Maryland pos-sesses many great natural 
advantages, not the least of which is the ability to 
grow Crimson clover to perfection. All kinds of farm¬ 
ing, from the gxmwing of truck to the breeding of 
terrapin, ax-e to be found there. 
