The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-10-05
Fr0m Tie Southern { ultivGso,,.
Farming in Pennsylvania.


PENNSYLVANIA contains many excellent
farmers, who particularly excel in good
barns, in the free use of lime, and in the
cultivation of wheat. Having just passed
through the State from tide water TO Lake
Erie, we were able to compare the gcner
al practice Of tillage and husbandry in this
old and staid commonwealth, with the
systems that obtain Ia the States North
and South Of it. Farmers in Pcnnsylva-
mia generally plow deeper and better than.
is done either South or West, and we be-
lleve, better than is generally practiced in
the great dairy State Of New York but
their neat stock is inferior, and their mead
ows and orchards show u want Of care and
attention. 1t is easy to push grain culture
to excess, and by lime and gypsum, draw
largely on the natural resources of the soil
for potash and bone earth, to the injury of
coming generations. Clover grown and
turned under with the plow, never gives
back to the land more Of its alkalies or
phoSpIoric acid than was extracted there
from. This is fact Of much Importance
to those that rely on clover, or other
renovating crop, to fertalize the earth.-
For tern of years, the system will work
well, but in the end it must fail unless
bone earth, potash and other constituents
and grain aud hay be supplied from n
foreign source. BY making consi lcrable
manure, the best farmers in the keystone
state wisely prevent the iinpoyerishment
Of their old grain tields--a misfortune very
common in cotton and tobacco regions
Straw and hay yield large manure heaps,
and where these are preserved from loss,
and skillfully applied, excellent crops. of
wheat are raised from ysar 10 YEAR
Whenever afsrnf Is f,asnd without ale
quate provisions for mainring, there the
constant loss of the raw material of crons.
is followed 10y small haryests, and smaller
profits.
One should either make manure in pro-
portion to his land under cultivation. or
buy 1t. A large farmer in Kentucky, re-
Gently sold 100 two year old mules for o.
yer 81 1000, or:omething over 81 so each.
They were large tiue animals, but clearly
indicate the handsome returns one NAV
realize by stock growing. So far as we
could judge, this branch of farming is
much neglected in Pennsylvania. Where
clover may he grown so easily, and where
brood-mareS can pay for their keep by
plowing and doing other necessary labor.
there can be- no doubt that the rearing Of
mules may be made exceedingly protita-
bIe. Between York, in lancaster county
and Erie, clover generally indicated by the
crop or stubble left, that the SOL and eli.
mate favored this truly valuable plant. 1t
Is largely cultivated, and unquestionablv,
with advantage TO the land. Ii cut for
hay, and no manure returned to the soil,
Clover is quite an eXhausting crop; but
when fed to stock, and the dung and urine
carefully savel and restored to the ground
that produced the clover, few, If any crops
improve the soil faster This arises from
the fact that the long tap.roots of clover
penetrate into the sub-soii and extract
minerals thercfrom, while its numerous
leaves draw much alimcnt from the at
mosphcrc. Until the suhSpil incomes ex-
haus,ed, or where the surface soil is natu.
rally poor in phoSrhates and ak 4lies, if
Clover will grow at all, the land can be
made rich 10y its cultivation. In no State
is the wor h of clover better understood
than in Pennsylvania but instead Of plow-
ing 1t in, as is the usua! practice, it would
be better, in our Judgment, to feed it to
mules, horses sheep and neat stock, and
then apply all their manure.
The farmers of England grow much
more wheat than we do, and rely mainly
on the manure derived from turnips, hay
and straw, TO keep up a high degree of
fertility. In the planting states, this OBJ
ject is not easily attained, unless one buys
some of the things necessarily consumed
in forming crops II Guano we're cheap,
there would be no difficulty, and all reno
waiting piauts, like peas, clover, grass and
roots might be dispensed with. Pennsyl-
vania farmers, however, very generally
follow the German practice Of construct
ing barns, stables and compost heaps
They keep many horses and sheep, and
grow alarge amount Of wheat. This crop
has turned out well, in the three great
States Of Pennsylvania, New York and
Ohio, at the recent harvest Farmers have
had unusual trouble in hiring laborers, so
many are employed on the numerous rail
roads now being constructed in all parts of
tla country ID IEE