The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-04-29
From the Maine Farmer.
Pine Plains.

a 3AAN Il 4SSA@ASh
There is scarcely county in New Eng
E land in which more or less of this kird of soil
is not to be found. 1t is generally consider
ed as of little agricultural value, and can be
purchased in almost any quantity for from two
to ten dollars the acre. The growth on these
extensive tracts is composed of yellow pine,
gray birch, and oak the underbrush Of fern,
whortleberry bushes, and other small shrubs,
with occasionally maple or white pine. The
; texture Of the soil is strictly and invariably
silicious, reposing upon a subsoil of gravelly
sand of great frceness. Clay is rarely found.
Stones seldom occur Of any magnitude, espec
tally on the more level plains, and those Of a
small size are by no means sufficiently numer-
GUS to oppose the slightest obstacle to the OPP
erations Of the plough. Water of most OK
cellent quality and in ineXhaustibe supplies,
is always found near the surface. A man
will sink well in day, and when water has
once Leen struck, it rarely fails, even in the
sharpest and most protracted droughts. No
soil is more easily wrought, after it has once
been thoroughly subdued " it'll good man
agement, it produces excellent crops ofgrain,
especially rye, to both the summer and win
ter varieties of which, it is better adapted than
any other description of soil known. One of
our agricultural papers, last year, spoke of
splendid fields Of rye, {" pc for the harvest"
promising fields Of Indian corn, and luXuriant
crops of clover, on what had been regarded
as sterile plains. The most luxuriant crop Of
rye we ever had the pleasure Of beholding was
the produce of a piece Of land of this descrip-
ton, and which, but three years before, had
been purchased by poor, but intelligentman,
for little more than song. A writcr,rcmark-
ing upon this subject, says: awe have seen
extensive fields Of stout wheat on the Sarato-
ga plains, and the natural fertility of those
plains was not superior to that ofmany extern
sve tracts in the New England States. Some
persons will be ready to inquire why plains
are not more extensively cultivated, when
they are so valuable for grain raising, when
of their value We would answer that but
very few indeed have managed them WE'LL
Most farmers who cultivate plains, cultivate
hard lands also and the latter requires all their
manure, and the plains are neither enriched
by hauling on manure, nor by green crops
Of course, it cannot be expected they will be
productive"
One of the most efficacious and econmical
methods of enrichng or supplying staple to
this description Of land, is to turn in green
crops. For this purpose, clover is, perhaps,
superior to any other crop. The following,
which we extract from the Yankee Farmer,
will doubtless be read with interest by all who
are the owners Of this species ofland.
8" We saw, many years SINCE very interest
ing account Of The profitable management Of
light land-a piece OF pine plains, we believe,
We cannot rccollect the particulars, but we
will give the substance Of the article. There
was piece Of light, and as every one thought
it, worthless IanL, laid cUnIuIUiI, i,s EnU uIc
thought it worth fencing. AT length a new
farmer came into the neighborhood, having |
purchased a farm adjoining this piece Of COM |
mon. He purchased this also, which contain |
ed 40 or 80 acres, lat low price, for there was |
no competitions he fenced it, and ploughed it, !
and sowed plaster and clover,which he plough |
ed in; again it was ploughed and sowed with
clover and cats in this way it was managed
for three years. Whether one or two crops
were raised and ploughcd in annually, we do |
not precisely remember. On the fourth year
a very stout crop Of wheat was raised on this
land, and the soil was then in a GOOD state,
being much improved for future crops. There
was part ular account kept Of the price of
the land, and all the expenses Of fencing, cul
livation. seed and every other expense, and
tie wheat produced the 4th year sold for G.
nough to pay for the land, and other bills, in
Guiding interest, and leaving a handsome bal |
ance in his favor. The farmer then had his
land in a fertile state well fenced and prepar- |
ed for another crop. The addition Of q good
grain field of forty or fifty acres to ones farm
was surely no triillng advantage, to say moth" !
ing of the balance Of money in his favor"
We presume there are many who now pos
sess lands of this description, who, from being
ignoranteof their true value, would willingly |
dispose Of their right in them for less than one
fifth the amount asked for hard, stony upland.
In fact we know of sveral tracts that can be
purchased to-day, we presume, for two dol
lars the acre After the growth is removed
the soil, on plains land is by most regarded as
not possessing sufficient value to warrant its
enclosure. w.