1808 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
247 
BUILDING UP A RUN-DOWN FARM. 
TIIK NEEDS OF SOUTHERN SOIL. 
With great interest, have I read The Story of a Run-Down Farm, 
by M. Garrahan, for the simple reason, that since coming here in 
June, 1890, from Michigan, to make my home here, I found the 
farming lands badly run down, my own included. By observing 
the methods of cultivating (?) the land, I soon saw the cause; the 
lands were run-down and poor, and the farmers generally equally 
poor. Large tracts of land had been rented out ever since the 
late war to Tom, Dick and Harry, crops were taken off every 
year, and nothing returned to the soil; and such plowing! A mule 
or a steer is hitched to, what would be looked upon, in the north¬ 
ern States, a small garden plow, and the ground is scratched over 
from 1*4 to 8 inches deep. This plowing is done in time for plant¬ 
ing. The principal crops raised in this vicinity are corn, peanuts 
and some cotton. These crops are cultivated according to the 
notion of each individual farmer. After the crops are taken off, 
tlie ground is left to the mercy of the elements till planting time 
comes around again. The result is that there isn’t a particle of 
organic matter or humus to be found in the soil, which is like 
road-dust, and the country is full of gullies and washouts. In 
spite of all this barbarous treatment, the struggling soil still 
produces some crops, at which I often have wondered. To im¬ 
prove such run-down soil has been my aim, therefore I adopted 
many a plan, and with the keenest interest read everything that 
referred to such aim and matter. Hence I followed Mr. Garra- 
han’s story with the greatest attention, and conclude that he has 
advantages which I am far from having. His soil was strong, a 
sure sign of the soil having a body to it; strong soils are never 
considered by us as poor. Remove the stones and we have a 
strong, fairly fertile soil; thus it was in Europe, and I found it to 
be a true test in America. Then, he had the means financially to 
lift the soil from poverty to prosperity; it is not everybody that 
is so fortunate. 
The soil hereabouts is generally a sandy loam, of considerable 
depth, or a loamy sand of various depths resting upon a dayish 
subsoil, and as stated, not a particle of organic matter or humus 
in it. We find bullets from war time, but not a stone. How to 
improve such soil to produce fair crops, is the serious question. 
We farmers down here are financially poor. All progress must 
be made with muscle power and active brain. I had contem¬ 
plated sowing Crimson clover or cow peas or rye to turn under, 
but am advised that turning under green stuff here is likely to 
do more harm than good, since the climate is too hot. This, I 
can't understand, since Dr. A. Oemler, of Georgia, in his Truck 
Farming at the South, advises to do so, and I think that it is 
fully as hot in Summer in Georgia as it is in southeastern Vir¬ 
ginia. Again, Dr. C. Harlan, of Delaware, in his Farming with 
Green Manures, does not hint of such harm or danger, and Dela¬ 
ware is but a little way north of here. Somebody lias an erro¬ 
neous idea. Had my health been good during 189(5-97, I would 
have tried to find out for myself; but I came here seeking health, 
and cannot rush things as I want to. I’ve read Chemicals and 
Clover, and Fertilizer Farming, by Herbert W. Collingwood, and 
I’ve learned that, before fertilizers or concentrated manures can 
lie of any profit, the soil must be supplied witii organic matter 
or humus, and I fully agree with that doctrine. Humus in the 
soil is essential to the farmer to raise paying crops, as is good 
yeast for the baker to have good bread; at least, such is my idea 
about farming. Land to produce good crops requires manure, 
good manure, and plenty of manure. After the soil is tilled with 
humus, concentrated fertilizers, if supplied, will enable any soil 
then to gladden the heart of its owner. j. a. f. s. 
Petersburg, Va. 
ANSWERED BY M. GARRAHAN. 
As I understand the matter, J. A. F. S. would like 
to know how to fill his soil—a nice, kindly one, by the 
way—with vegetable matter, in the least expensive 
manner, and also wishes to avoid expensive mistakes 
in turning under green crops. The more you look 
over this question, the more important it appears; 
from the statement made above, there is, evidently, 
a notable lack of organic matter. Hut is J. A. F. S. 
quite sure that an abundance of the mineral elements 
is locked up in that long-neglected subsoil ? Some 
time since, I dug out and burned two fair-sized hickory 
trees—burned everything. After the fire had died 
out, I shoveled the ashes into a barrel—perhaps three 
or four bushels—all that was left of two whole trees— 
at least four wagon-loads. Where was the rest ? 
Probably resolved into its original elements by the 
action of the fire. Let me see whether I can make 
that plainer. The elements of fertility in any soil 
may be classed in two grand divisions—vegetable and 
mineral. The mineral elements contained in those 
trees were right there yet in the barrel ; they came 
from the soil, and I can now return them to the soil; 
fire could not consume them. The vegetable has gone 
off in flame and smoke, to reappear elsewhere in 
vegetable form, for we are told that, in the great 
economy of Nature, there is no waste. 
When a soil is “ worn-out”, how can we restore this 
vegetable matter that Tom, Dick and Harry, have 
been burning up all those years? Generally, we will 
find that those so-called, worn-out soils, possess a 
great deal of recuperative power; in many cases, it 
will be found that those seemingly impenetrable sub¬ 
soils contain a great deal of potential nitrogen that 
needs only the quickening influences of atmospheric 
forces, to awaken it into newness of life, and just as 
the hickory tree obtained the greater share of its 
nitrogen from the atmosphere as long as it had an 
available supply of the mineral elements in the soil, 
so, also, I would lay myself out to grow soil-enriching 
crops, such as cow peas and clover, by applying the 
mineral elements—phosphoric acid and potash—to the 
soil where needed. Hut a man must have some capital 
to do this; how much ? That depends; if J. A. F. S. 
could interest a sufficient number of his neighbors, 
and all cooperate in buying that class of goods in car- 
lots, they might get some interesting figures. Hut 
suppose that doesn’t work, what then ? Well, per¬ 
haps J. A. F. S. can get a neighbor to change work 
with him, so that he gets the half of his neighbor's 
team to subsoil, at least some portion of his farm in 
the latter part of Summer, especially that hillside 
that is in danger of being gullied. 
Hut let’s start a field this Spring, and afterward we 
will find a remedy for the gullies. If this sandy loam 
is well plowed, prepared in good shape, fertilize with 
500 pounds acid phosphate, and 200 pounds muriate of 
potash ; half of the latter will be better than nothing, 
but I would prefer to use 200 pounds if I could possibly 
afford it, and the growing crop could profitably use 
500 pounds phosphoric acid. In small quantities, 
acid phosphate—14 per cent—ought to be obtained in 
his neighborhood for from 60 to 75 cents per cwt., or 
$12 to $15 per ton. Muriate of potash—50 per cent— 
could, probably, be bought for $2.25 to $2.50 per 100 
pounds. An acre of ground can be fairly well ferti¬ 
lized for from $8 to $10 per acre, and if sown to cow 
peas, the resultant crop will be worth to the soil, not 
less than $20 for manure. That sounds- encouraging, 
doesn’t it ? 
If I lived where J. A. F. S. does, I would plant a 
few acres of cow peas this spring in rows far enough 
apart to cultivate with a horse, and thrash them for 
seed purposes. Properly cared for, an acre ought to 
produce from 20 to 30 bushels of seed, and the haulm 
will be worth to the soil all it cost to grow it. There 
will be considerable demand for those peas as soon 
as their merits become better known, and now since 
there is a practical machine on the market for harvest¬ 
ing this crop, the expense of gathering ought not to 
be so great. 
I would never turn under a crop of this kind in the 
green state, because, in hot weather, this great mass 
of vegetable matter decomposes t r ery rapidly, and a 
gas is developed in the process that is likely to “ sour ” 
the ground for that season, unless neutralized by an 
application of lime. 1 have spoiled ground in Penn¬ 
sylvania in that manner, and I have every reason to 
believe that, farther south, the trouble would be 
greater, because the increased humidity would favor 
more rapid decomposition, and the congenialities of 
soil and climate, naturally tend to an increased 
growth. There has been a great increase of practical 
knowledge along this line since Dr. Oemler published 
his Truck Farming at the South. At all events, the 
above method will be found perfectly safe in practice, 
North or South, and as a rule, it is “ better to be safe, 
than sorry I greatly favor the idea of permitting 
the pea vines to lie on the surface over Winter, rather 
than to turn them under in the Fall, and allow the 
surface to remain uncovered all Winter. This prac¬ 
tice is far more injurious than most of us are aware. 
It would be well for .J. A. F. S. to sow Crimson 
clover early in August, on at least a small portion 
of his cow peas; if the weather be at all favor¬ 
able at the time of sowing, he will wish later that he 
had sown a larger area. Hut to obtain the best re¬ 
sults in his latitude, he mwt have the surface covered 
with some crop in winter. If too late to sow Crimson 
clover, sow rye. Sow clover in the corn after the last 
working, not less than a peck to the acre. 
I have been called down frequently, when talking 
in this way, by the other person, with the remark, 
“ You have something with which to buy clover seed 
and fertilizers.” Those best acquainted with me, 
never accuse me of being a “ bloated bondholder.” 
The only answer I can make to this argument is to 
tell of a friend who bought a farm for $5,000 or $6,000, 
and found that it would require nearly as much more 
to put it in the shape he wanted. He had just about 
money enough to complete the payment, and leave 
him the farm debt free, but not a cent for working 
capital. Accordingly, he arranged to allow the 
greater part of the purchase money to remain under 
a mortgage on the place at six per cent to be used in 
its development; in other words, he borrowed money 
at six per cent to improve his farm. That man came 
through all right, but I would hesitate long before 
advising a stranger to attempt such a thing without 
knowing something of his environments. I know a 
number of farmers who would be in far better shape 
financially if they would sell half of their farms, and 
use the money thus obtained to improve the remainder. 
After all, is it not true that there is more in the man 
than there is in the land? Some seem destined to be 
hewers of wood and drawers of water, because they 
have neither wisdom to plan, nor ability to execute. 
Another proof that the bicycle has, in some locali¬ 
ties, taken rank with the horse, was furnished on 
Long Island, where a bicycle thief was sentenced to 10 
years in Sing Sing at hard labor. It was the second 
offense, and this was the full penalty. In the West, 
according to some writers of more or less credibility, 
horse stealing is the most grievous crime a man can 
commit. In the East, bicycle stealing is likely to 
rank high in the calendar of crime, if this case may 
be considered a precedent. 
■FT^MONG *THE» 
WMaMARICnWrN 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
Shipping Lambs in Hot Weather. —One commis¬ 
sion man just received a lot of dressed lambs, that 
were so nearly spoiled as to be nearly worthless. The 
weather here has been damp and muggy, just the 
worst for perishable goods of any description. These 
lambs were a long time on the road. Then, in dress¬ 
ing, the livers were left in, and these helped to spoil 
the carcasses. It is unsafe to ship dressed lambs or 
calves any great distance after this, as in case of un¬ 
favorable weather, they are sure to be injured, if they 
are not entirely spoiled. 
t X t 
The Demand for Mint. —“Doesn't it beat all?” 
said a commission man the other day, as I was look¬ 
ing at a basketful of mint in his store. “ A week ago, 
I sold all the mint that came to me at $1.25 a dozen 
bunches, yet I haven't succeeded in getting rid of this 
at any price.” The mint was tied up in quite small 
bunches, was fresh and in excellent condition, yet the 
demand seemed to have failed suddenly. It’s only 
another of those cases in which there may be such a 
demand for some special article one week that it sells 
for an exorbitant price, and tbe next week no demand 
at all worth mentioning. 
X X X 
Poor Butter, Good Packages. —I have spoken many 
times of the practice so many people indulge in of 
putting poor butter into prints, or small, fancy pack¬ 
ages. The idea seems to be that the packages will sell 
the butter. There never was a greater mistake. I 
have just run across a lot of five-pound round boxes 
filled with so-called butter that was little better than 
lard. These small packages are much liked by some 
retailers, but the contents must match the package. 
Another lot of butter put up in pound prints was 
equally bad. People expect something extra when 
they buy these. I have seen some rolls of butter that 
came in barrels that were of better quality than some 
of the butter in these fancy packages.- F. n. v. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
H. 8 . Barker, Nunda, N. Y., wants im to say that he has no 
more Mortgage Lifter oats for sale. Advertising sold every 
bushel. 
Turku saeks of Crimson clover belonging to a subscriber of 
The R. N.-Y., are in the hands of Somers, Bro. ,fc Co., of Pittsburgh, 
Pa., for sale at less than $3 per bushel, it is an opportunity if 
any one wants the seed. 
Mu. It. C. Jefferies, Liebenthal, Kan., writes Moore Bros., 
Albany, N. Y.: “I used two bottles of lnjectio Vaginae on three 
cows, and all of them got with calf and have calves now. 1 would 
like to get some more as I have three more cows that will not 
breed.” Moore Bros, are veterinary surgeons of exceptional skill 
and ability. 
The Pineland Incubator & Brooder Co., Jamesburg, N. J., 
believe that their incubators and brooders are just as good as 
any made, if not a little better than any others, and they are 
anxious to send an illustrated catalogue telling about them, to 
prospective buyers. Their machines are good ones, and the com¬ 
pany are reliable. 
There is no longer any doubt about the value of wide-tired, 
lowdown, wagon wheels. They save the back, and they save 
the track. Manufacturers of metal wheels were quick to see the 
coming demand for wide wheels, and now they are easily obtained. 
The Havana Metal Wheel Company, of Havana, III., make steel 
truck wheels that are no longer an experiment. They will stand 
all sorts of weather and usage. Send for a descriptive catalogue. 
WE have had several letters of late asking about the responsi¬ 
bility of a concern advertising from the State of Maine to teach 
country people how to make artificial flowers, and to guarantee 
them work at home after they have learned. This is a familiar 
scheme, exactly like the Tyrone, Pa., alleged artist. All such 
schemes require you to send money for outfit and instructions, or 
some worthless thing of the sort. Have nothing to do with them. 
We are informed, on what seems to be the best authority, that 
Dr. O. W. McKee, Benson, Minn., is not worthy of credit or confi¬ 
dence. It is reported to us that he never pays for anything that 
he gets credit for, and prides himself on the cleverness with 
which he escapes his creditors and honest debts. It clearly 
would not be safe to extend him any credit, and he is a good man 
to have nothing to do with whatever. 
The writer was once told to harrow a piece of ground for pota¬ 
toes until he thought it was just right, and then to go over it 
three times more, lapping the harrow every time. The instruc¬ 
tions were wise. Most ground is not harrowed or pulverized 
enough. Something depends on the right kind of a harrow for 
the soil being prepared. A harrow that will do excellent work 
on oue field will often be a failure on another. It strikes us that 
the Heller harrow will do good work on most soils. It seems to 
have the elements of a general-purpose harrow in it. Peter J. 
Heller, Montclair, N. J., is the manufacturer. 
C. H. Joosten, 193 Greenwich Street, New York, sends out a 
wholesale price-list of standard roses, rhododendrons and orna¬ 
mental plants in great variety grown and exported by the Bos- 
koop Holland Nursery Association. The propagation of hardy 
roses is one of the several specialties of the company, and Hy¬ 
brids are offered for $10 by the 100, and other classes of roses pro¬ 
portionately low. Gladioli, not named, are offered from $1.25 to 
$3 per 100, the named from 20 cents to $2.50 per dozen. 
Hardy lilies are priced at from $1 to $1.50 per dozen. Fostite 
(dry Bordeaux) is highly commended for mildew and black rot 
on grapes, gooseberries, roses and vegetables. Van Namen’s 
Excelsior White cabbage, it is claimed, is the finest of the age. 
