The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-05-31
AGRICULTURAL
For The Lancaster Ledger.
On the Improvement of Lands. &c.

On the Improvement Of Lands. &c.
This is certainly an age Of Improvement
both in art and science, as all will readily a,
gree, and every one seems willing and anx-
ious to add his mite Of experience and OBJ
servation to the general mass, for the private
and public good
avail myself Of the opportunity kindly
extended by you, to express through the
columns of your paper few thoughts and
observations by myself, and corroborated by
the experience of our most successful plan
ters, in reference to the Improvement OF
worn out or exhausted soils. That such
soils can be enhanced, in production, from
fifty TO three hundred per cent, and that too
without the use of compos, or stable manure
or the far famed guano, is no longer n
mooted question, but fixed fact. No doubt
that there are some who will be startled
and agreeably surprised, by this bold an
nounccment, nevertheless, it is true to the
very letter.
The plan we propose, and have seen tried,
is simply an alternating Of crops, thus:
Take field that is literally worn out,
SOW it early in the fall in rye, and you may
pasture it when it comes up and begins to
grow, if you wish, until the middle of Feb.
ruary. When it is well headed out in the
Spring, plow it in with good turning plows,
and sOa down peas, broad cast, then or later,
kify you wish and have time. The peas will
| um nlu fnr th.. hrs a,,1 x.c
seed, to say nothing about the improvement
of the land. In the Fall gather rs many peas
rs you wish, turn in your pork or fattening
hogs few days, until they eat the scattering
peas, then SOW down in wheat, and you will
make an excellent crup. Afteryou getyour
wheat off, you may pasture your hogs few
days, then SOW down peas again Broad cast,
when matured gather rs many as You may
desire, pasture rs before, and pfow IN tne
vines-you may then sow down In rye rs it
affords an excellent winter pasture for calves,
colts, and sheep. In the following Spring
plow in the rye when we'll headed out, as
before. Plant your field in corn with peas
in every row, as, by this time, there is vegita-
|
an excellent corn crop. Your land will be
loose mellow and loamy, and the circula-
tion free and easy. After your corn crop is
gathered, sDw down in wheat, &c. and thus
means plant bountifully Of peas, which is
the greatest fertilizer now known, the guano
not excepted. When you get your land
rich enough, it would be well to plant cot
ton crop on it. BY this process or system
Of farming you may, in few years, enrich
your poorest lands beyond your most san
guine expectation. 1t takes from three to
five, and sometimes eight years, to thus en-
rich the soil, owing, somewhat, to the de-
gree of exhaustion and nature of the SOIL
We shall not attempt here to explain the
niodns operandi by which the soil is thus
enriched; as it would not be Of interest to
mode Of improvement of land is adapted to
any kind Of soil, clay or sand. can refer
10 men who are now making from six to
twelve hundred pounds of cotton, and from
|
acre on lands that, fifteen years ago, the
proprietors could not make bread and milk
upon to sustain life, and had TO abandon
their plantations or perish. These lands
have been principally reclaimed and fertal-
lied by the above plan Of alternating crops,
and planting and sowing peas, All declin-
ing lands are highly improved aud fertilized
by sowing down, every other year, and plant
, Ing and sowing peas; and in confirmation
Of this have only to refer to my highly es-
teemed friend, Allen Morrow, Of twelve
mile creek, who has fairly tested the mat
ter-and take occasion here to remark we
have some superior farmers on twelve mile.
Sowing peas and small grains enables Us not
only 10 improve our lands; but also enables
to keep more and better stock, to make our
meat and raise our mules and horses. Rye
Is an excellent grain to SOW for young stocG
10 run on in the winter, as we before re-
marked. the peas and wheat pastures are ex.
eellent for hogs, saves corn. Wheat straw,
| Is good food for dry cattle in winter, and
good to put In our horse stables and COW
stalls, aud swell the bulk Of manure con-
siderably. | am not in favor Of a long con-
iinned pasturing. II my limits would per-
NIT, could show, most conclusiyely, that
| II has most pernicious influence on land.
Never pasture or allow anything to run 10
your fields 10 wet weather or when the land
is wet II kills the virtually Of the land,
breaks mp the circulation, and establishes
morbid associations, il ! may be allowed
the expression.
From the foregoing remarks, Il might be
inferred that was not In favor Of fertilizine
land with common manures. On the con.
trary I am strong advocate for making and
nanuring with sll sorts Of nhnorc. Make
all the manure you can, you can hanl IN