“to improve the soil and the mind.’ 
New Series. ALBANY, MAY, 1850. Vol. VII.— No. 5. 
Jmprctmnmt of ©Ur Ccmiro. 
How shall oar Worn-out Farms be restored to 
Fertility ? 
Editors of The Cultivator— A few days ago, 
an enterprising, inquiring young farmer, asked me 
the question—“ How shall I bring up my poor old 
farm?”—As this question is often asked me, and be¬ 
ing persuaded that there are many young farmers 
scattered about, who really wish to be told how to 
go to work with the means immediately within their 
reach for the improvement of their land, I shall now 
attempt to give the substance of my reply to the 
young farmer, so far varying it as partly to answer 
the general question propounded at the head of this 
communication. To advanced farmers, my remarks 
may be quite common-place, but it should ever be 
borne in mind that there are those behind that want 
to come along up. 
I am aware that the course I am now about to 
advocate for the renovation of worn-out lands, in¬ 
volves, what, if you please, may be called a good 
deal of hard work; but, for wise reasons, it is our 
allotment, in any and all the various walks of this 
life, to be beset with difficulties that must be sur¬ 
mounted, and to reap our most substantial advanta¬ 
ges and enjoy our choicest pleasures, only as the re¬ 
ward of patient and strenuous exertion. To all 
such as are unwilling to use the means within their 
reach for the improvement of their soil, because 
there is work in it, I would say:—You are not fit 
to farm it here in New-England, at least; and it 
would be better for yourself, and all concerned, that 
you should immediately abandon the business, and 
be at something else, or go west, where you may 
find a virgin soil, and enjoy the inexpressible plea¬ 
sure of giving it a clean thorough skinning. The 
question very naturally arises here, which I will not 
now discuss,—Whether a diligent and careful hus¬ 
bandry of the means for making manure, and a li¬ 
beral application of that manure to the soil, is not, 
in the long run, the easiest , as well as the most 
agreeable and profitable course of farming in this 
land of barrenness? 
Much of our soil, under a long course of wearing 
tillage, has been deprived of its vegetable matter; 
and in supplying this material, we also supply va¬ 
luable inorganic elements which are contained there¬ 
in. We are led by observation to conclude that the 
presence of vegetable mould is a grand essential to 
fertility; we find that nature, every where, in ma¬ 
king her choicest soils, endows them liberally in this 
respect; its presence makes the soil more permea¬ 
ble to heat and moisture and more retentive of the 
same; it keeps land from packing down too hard, 
and helps the roots of plants to penetrate and range 
about at pleasure,—to find that genial air. and 
health-giving water and pasture, which cause the 
crops to mature into bountiful harvests. The ab¬ 
sorbent and retentive properties of vegetable mat¬ 
ter, make its presence desirable in the compost 
heap, also; for there it imbibes and retains those 
liquids and gases of the manure, which too many 
of our farmers, from negligence, or the want of a 
proper appreciation of their value, permit to run to 
waste. So we see, that by gathering up the waste 
substances on our farms that are rich in vegetable 
matter, and mixing them w T ith the excrements of 
our farm-stock, we not only return to our tillage 
fields an important, deficiency, but with it, we also 
carry on rich fertilising saline matters, which would 
otherwise too often be lost. In other words, there 
are means within our reach, by which we may more 
than double the quantity, without detriment to the 
quality, of our manure. 
The first material I shall name, is swamp muck. 
The farmer who has an abundance of muck at his 
command, who understands how to manage it, and 
is willing to go at it resolutely, may be sure of ma¬ 
king his land productive. I know several men who, 
in a very few years, have added barn to barn, and 
filled them too, as the result of a vigorous and tho¬ 
rough system of muck-composting. To manage 
muck to the best advantage, the arrangements for 
draining the swamp should be so complete, that men 
and cattle need not work up to their knees in mud 
and water. This being done, a quantity of the 
muck may be got out into heaps on dry ground, to 
be used when wanted. It pays well to keep two 
years stock beforehand in these heaps. The atmos¬ 
phere will act favorably upon the muck, and it will 
be lighter to handle and draw; it will also crumble 
down to a fine powder,mix up better with the manure, 
and more completely absorb its liquids and gases. 
It is also well to get a year ahead with the compost, 
for by giving it more age and ripeness, the gases of 
the manure will all be developed and absorbed by the 
muck, and retained in the form of salts, and that, in 
turn, will expel all acidity, and thus the compost 
will be very much more effective upon the crops. 
A barn cellar for the reception of the compost 
should by all means be had, if the construction of 
the buildings and the shape of the ground will ad¬ 
mit of it. A layer of muck a foot deep may in the 
fall be spread over the cellar bottom, and when 
enough manure has accumulated under the scuttles 
in the stable floor to make a coat over the muck of 
7 or 8 inches, the same may be spread. Then ano¬ 
ther coat of muck and manure, as before, and so on. 
If it can be so contrived as to get a year’s stock of 
manure ahead, the compost may remain in the cel¬ 
lar till after haying, and then, at leisure, be carted 
out into large compact heaps on the field where 
wanted. The heaps should be nicely laid up to pre^ 
vent unnecessary loss by evaporation. 
