Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1847-06-10
FROM THE BALTIMORE AMERICAN.
RENOVATION OF WORS-OtT LAND

FROM THE BALTIMORE AMERICAN.
RENOVATION OF wORs-OtT LAND.
A communication from Col Capaos. Of the
I.aural Factory. ia answer 10 many enquiries
as to his mode Of renovatiDg worn out lands.
appears IN the American Farmer II contains |
facts and suggestions which commend HEM |
selves to tn stie tive consideration Of farme.s.
Travellers on the railroad from this city 10 |
Washington can hardly pass without obser-
wing the fourishing village Of Laurel, some
distance from the road. eny!Foned by cultivated
fieiis, of remarkable fertility. in the midst Of
region Of sterile lands. The change which
has made this spot 50 distnguishable has
been wrought within the las, nine years By |
the energy, enterprise and judgment Of Col. !
CAPRos, who carries into his agricultural op-
erations the same activity and practical sense
which have gwen him success as a manuiac-
,urer. The following account Of one Of bis
agricultural experiments may be interesting 10
some Of our readers.
There are two ways, Mr. Editors, OF reno
waiting these old fields; one see recommended
frequently IN your very valuable work: that
is, 10 sow broadcast over the land some five
bushels Of ashes with a bushel of plaster per
acre, TO be followed by ploughing in Of green
crops, Sc. Now this may suit with some lat
itudcs, but it will not do here, where good
northwest wind after frost in November will
sweep into the fence corners every particle Of
vegetation from the face Of these old fields
The labor alone which would be required in
the ploughng and reploughing, &c. on this
method, would. if hired out by the day TO
work upon some public work, purchase ash
es enough 10 do IN one year what would re-
quire five years TO accomplish in this slow me-
,hod.
Another plan is to 90 at ii Taytor fashion,
and do the thing right up. As an example Of
this latter plan, | will give you the result, Of an
experiment made last year upon one of these
cod fields" and take this merely because it
is now fresh before me. having just finished
thrashng out the crop grown upon this field,
aud not because il shows any more favorable
result than twenty oiherexperimentS OF which
have memoranda.
purchased last year an addition 10 my farm
of 800 acres OF land on this tract there was
one LOT which lay in upon the lands had al
ready improved IN such manner as to injure
the appearance Of the whole. In the spring Of
1916 resolved TO make an attack upon ihls
old field and, TO satisfy myself still further of
the cost Of such improvement, had II survey
cd and plated by regular surveyor, and found
de contents TO be u acres, OF, Of which there
was taken tor house, lot and road oae acre,
leaving twenty SIX acres 10 be cultivated
This field was tenanted out in the year 1915
TO very worthy man, who cultivated il in
corn, and have bis word for the product (and
am sure no person who saw the crop grow.
ing will ever think Of questioning the amount)
was twenty-five bushels of nubbins. or less
than five bushels Of corn per acre. This, by
the way, is about the character Of MANY crops
grown in the neighbsrhood.
In March, 1916. as soon as the grounds
would Gs to haul over, brought out the right
arm of my resources, my flying artillery. in
the way of mule teams loaded TO the muzzle
from my manure heap, and made a regular dis
charge upon my greatest enemy, the washed
and quilted side hills. These peppered thick
and strong. ! then put in the ploughs and
flushed the whole field up deeply. following
in the stiff clay parts with the subsoil plough.
then brought out my other forces iii the shape
Of leached ashes (Which cost. delivered on the
ground. $40 per hundred busi,els,) and spread
over the whole, MANFRED parts and all, at the
rate OF 100 bushels per acre, puverizing the
ground and mixing well with the harrow
Sowed Il bushels oas per acre, narrowed again
---sowed one peck Of clean fresh cloverseed per
acre and followed with roller. This was all done
in the right way and just at the night time
After the oats were well up, put the finish
ing stroke to the whole battle, by bringing UP
my corpse de reserre, in the shape Of g'.a,,o.-
The first moist day. all spots that appeared to
have been missed in the spreading OF ashes. or
appeared weak. dressed over with about Two
hundred pounds guano, mixed with one bush
el plaster per acre. 10 the amount OF about tive
acIes IN spots and spread over the whole Geld
plaster at the rate Of one bushel per acre
You will say. perhaps, this is going it
strong, and requires more capital lha, can
generally be commanded BY the most OF our
farmers. There are very few, however, who
have not some halfdozen or more worthless
coats eating their beads of every year, to say
nothing about the hogs and horned cattle.
which might be disposed of in some way to
raise $780, which would improve permanent
~ ten acres of land with leached ashes, or
they might borrow 800 for twelve months
with almo,; a certainty Of returning from the
by increased producto the crop, as you shallsee
the following results Of the above experiment.
have just finished thrashing out and clean
ing up 1917 bushels Of first rate oats, grown
upon this field OF 26l acres-an average of
i5i bushels per acre, and no Chester county
land ever presented a finer coat fgrass This
year II will be cut for hay. and | would not
thank any man toensure me TWO tons per acre.
Now for the figures:
DAssy.
1900 bushels ashes, $500 90
80 wagon loads manure on quilted
$50 places, so 90
dAl mounds q no