Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-01-06
\ grtGulturol,
Best System Of Farming.

Messrs Editors Il wish to make some inqui.
res oiyou and OF your numerous correspondents,
and also to state some facts, for it is upon these
only that we can rely for Improvement in our
agriculture.
have noticed that the Correspondents Of your
paper have recommended to us inexperienced
farmers to adopt better system, and rotation of
crops, but have unfortunately failed to inform us
what that best system and course of rotation was;
and that is precisely what we most desire to know
If you or any of them, would state what is the
system and course Of cropping best adapted to
soils rich enough to produce wheat, corn, oats,
and roots of all kinds or what would be still
better, the system necessary 10 make our poor
soils rich enough for such course of cropping,
real benefit would be conferred on the COM
munity.
1t is often the case, in this section Of coun-
try at least that young man comes of age and
receives from his father 100 acres of land, more
or less, and he settles upon it, thinking to make
a support for himself and family, But he finds
the land worn out, and the crop hardly pay
ing for the labor. lie is industrious and collects
and uses all the manure possible; but all are a.
ware that where the land is poor, the manure piles
are poor Also and he finds that he can till it out
of the soil faster than he can return it to the soil
How is such man to get start up hill? lie
has to look to the farm for his living, paying of
his hands, &c, and too often at the end Of the
year he finds himself in rather a light fix and
la. i
Robinson says, both ends meet There are ma
ny of US who would be glad to start right, il
we only knew or could he told how, and not be
left to guess and surmise for ourselves. My soil
is clay loan resting on red or yellow clay and
stable manures ashes will bring good crops
Lime appears TO be Of little benefit, or did
not apply it right. put ii on in the fall and
turned it in the next year for corn.
J. G. CHAMBERS.
Kent Co., DEL 1913.
We hope some of our correspondents acquain-
ted with the best mode Of treating such soils as
that described by Mr.. Chambers, will respond tc
his inquiry, and lay down not only the best mode
of rotation on such soils, but the best course OF
restoring them to fertility when exhausted by
improper treatment We once head young
man complaining to an old and experienced one
whose success in farming gave value to opln.
ions that he as unable TO manure his lands
sufficiently to produce good crops. "Then ma
nure less" was the reply Of the veteran; al
you have only manure enough for five or ten
acres, apply it to five or ten acres and not spread
it o,er twenty or fifty. A soil properly consti.
tuted, if once made rich aud then well treated
is made rich forever My farm was an exhausted
one like yours, but made it an invarabIe rule
to cultivate no more than could place in the
best possible condition as went along. If il
was only five acres we'll; if twenty acres, SC
much the better. Remember when your land
is once rich, under good rotation of crops
but little manuring will be required to keep it So
or indeed constantly improving" This, at the
time, we thought sound doctrine and many years
observation has confirmed this opinion. OuI
friend, if he has peat, muck or even turf at his
disposal, may treble his manure by composing
his stable manure ashes, &c. with such matters,
in the manner adopted by the best farmers. We
should think from the description OF the soil
that sandy mail, would operate favorably
in its ameorat,on; but this is manure from
which immediate effects can rarely be expected.
The way for the young farmer to start right,
may be expressed in two words,-industry; eco
nomy, Industrious in labor, industrious in the
employment of time, industrious in the accumu-