The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-11-21
From the American Asriculturis,.
HOW TO SUSTAIN AND IMPROVE
THE QUALITY OF THE SOIL.

II has become an important inquiry a.
nong many Of our farmers, how they shall
leriilze such of our lands rs are yielding
large burdens Of produce. which are taken
off The premises for saIe?-Where remote
from large city, or places for supplying
nsnures, ,,his is a most important query and
one which ,asy are highly interested III hay
Ing answered correctly. Il is absolutely
certain that farmers csnno, annually Iob
their (alms Of large crops Of grain, grass &
Too's, wl'hou, either supplying manure to
The sui, or losing rapidly in lis fertility
JPe shall briefly indicate some of the mosl
obvious resources for sustaining and
improving the producIVeness Of the soil.
In ihe frs, place, not an ounce oi animal
manure should be suffered 10 be wasted
either liquid OF solid. Hhen not dropped
On The feeding grounds, but around The sis
bes aud yards, il slouIG be carefully ssveC
md lressured up where II cannot DC wasted
| ill used. This shoulc be carefully aud ju
lliciously compounded with turf OF pea. o
vegetable nsuer, so as TO retain all lis gasr
aLJ NO, be permined TO drain away and a
soon aS proper time offers. II should b
lcsrrird on 10 the fields and al once incorpc
rated with the soil. Another resource 10
many Of our Eastern farmers, is the i'm
mense stores Of peat and muck that ar
within their reach, and which tends great
to benefling ligh. sandy or loamy sol
Ian the animal mater ashes leached or un
Ieached should be carefully collected an
,pplled 10 their land &, any other lerllizn
substance which is 10 be found around N
premises or can be collected al not TOO gres
an expense in the neighborhood.
But in many cases where the stock G
cattle is not large and the produce sold frof
she land is considerable some more detini.
aad certain means for sustaining fsr
mus, be resorled TO. With the most intel
u igenI and Systematic agricullulsl, propt
i Iro,a,ien is adopted which has been found b
Iexperience to be adapted 10 Ihe locality an
producls. BY this is mean. regular sut
cession of crops on the same field through
= series of years which at their expiration al
j gain repeated. They are so arranged tn
Two grain crops never follow each other, b
I lrs separated BY root crops grsss, &
This system prevents the necessity Of Il
soil yielding similar ingredients ihroug
wu OF more successive seasons, which
4 will seldom do 10 an exlen,s sufficient 10 pr
! luce good second crop Time is requ
d for il 10 decompose such of the iugred
i lents which il contains, as are necessary
form. what are called the in o'eauic porIiG
. Of The plant, in such conditions to be- take
np and appropriated by the pAnI II al
y enables the cuIlValor TO apply his green
IputrescenI manures to such crops as 4
Il most properly adapted TO receive theI
t Such are corn and roots, and nearly all Il
objects of cultivation excepting the small
y grains.
The gles, hjsc, Of rotation, however,
II 70 give the laut rest as it is termed, VIII
elallowed to remain in grass or Meadow
ss(reshlpsnI when clover or other leruIiZi
It crops are powed into tho soil for manu-
y ISuch crops carry back to the soiI SO mu
of its materials as they Asvs taken from