The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-06-13
From the Ara,or.
TOM INC AThtOr.
How to Improve Worn. out Land.

@Ao@ W @AnPtusO NWnsUut
We hope every newspaper in the State Will
publish this valuable communication. and call
attention to it, for the information OF their
readers. They and their children after them
will be thankful for the favor. 1t will be
seen that worn-out lands, in six wears. are
reclaimed and made highly productive, with.
out lime, without mari, and without cents
expenditure for foreign manures Of any kind,
except small quantity of gypsum. A farm
that produced, in l848, with six hands, only
five bags Of cotton.and just corn enough for
support. produced, in 1854, with seven
hands, ffty-fye bags Of cotton and two hun.
dred barrels of corn And the great secret
of this result is, thorough drainage, deep
ploughing, and compost manuring-means
IN The hands Of every farmer in North Caro-.
lima.
These facts are given by the most reliable
authority; and we are strongly tempted to
publish the name Of the author, though he
las modcstly written under an assumed sig-
nature. We viii say, however, that from Ills
high character as 'nan of honor and as a
skillul and successful armer, the most inn
plicit reliance may be placed in his state
ments. lie has practically solved problem
Of more vital importance 10 the people If
North Carolina than that Of the philosophers
stone; and hts name will be honored among
her greatest beneiactOrs:
Marlborough, 3oth April. 1855.
Some years ago. as have been informed
by old farmers, the busiest time of the year
commenced about this season. and continued
until the first oi August, when the cultiya-
tion Of the crops was finished, and but little
remained to be done the balance Of the year,
more than TO gather the crop. which was gene.
rally short-but little more than a support.
Now, Mr.. Editor, see how things have chang
ed. The quantity Of work done the first four
months oi the year, decidedly the busiest
portion. is now nearly equal to what was
lurmerly done in the whole year, and the
crops ui corn aud cotton doubled, ii not tre-
bled, under the present system oi manuring,
ditchlng, &c. do not believe there l. any
part ol the world where the same amount of
laber don't mean money! iSemployed in inn
proving the soil, as is now going on ia the
county of EdgecOmb. Most Of our ilnpro,-
ing farmers are raising from eight hundred
To one thousand leads manure 10 the hand,
and putting from one hundred TO one hundred
and twenty five loads 10 every acre cultiya-
ted IN cotton. This amount Of labor tells
heavily on our teams. and many Of US think
we are doing too much in this one branch Of
business, causing many other things equally
necessary to be but imperiecty done vet we
still persist in this course, like thousands who
have preceded aud millions that will follow
US:
:" We know the right, and approve il too,
"Condemn the wrong, and yet tie wrong pursue"
But time will doubtless correct this and
many other errors We are committing. The
permanent Improvement Of the land, under
this system, is great. think the increased
value 81 land, at the expiration uf each year,
treated ~ this way, is more tlian equal (say-
Ing nothing of tie greatly increased cgop,
which Is ample remuneration for expense.
trouble, &c.) 10 the simple interest on moni.
ed capital invested in the land.
Allow me 70 give you the result Of nv III
mIted experience as farmer do 80 from
no egotistic views. Of desire pf putting NV
self, but from a sincere wish Of beneiiiting
others. began TO farm in ls4s upon an old,
worn down plantations --soil originally good !;
but owing tO the skinming system ii plow-
ing and imperfect draining, or, rather, no
draining at all. pursued BY my predecessors,
the land was reduced TO the lowest degree
ofsteriliiy. thought then, and every years
experience since has strcngthenedme il thato
pinion, that drumming, dep thorough drain
ing. was the FIRST step to improvement. Ny
bitches were cut frum three TO five feet deep,
still deeper wont do any injnry.l which laid
my land sufficiently dry--the quantity oi
land in North Carolina sobbcd and injured
by water il cleared aud well drained and put
10 cultivation, would feed the armies Of Flu.
rnpcl--to receive other improvements 10 the
way d manure, deep blowing. &c. Buthere
let me caution ny young brother farmers Of
an error committed in piowing. | thought
u deep pluwing was necessary to improve the
soil, the sooner did il the better. turned
up about three inches 81 the original sub.sOil
which had never been disturbed before. and
the consequence was, complete failure in
that years crop on the small purtion Of land
50 treated. am inclined to think the deep.
cning d The soil should be done gradually
not exceeding an inch 0f year. The same
object will be accomplished in few years,
without sustaining the loss did.
] continued tOimproye IN every way could
BY removing ditch banks ; composing stable
manure. cotton seed keeping iattening hogs
pens and COW pens well supplied with either
litter or swamp mud. The result Of thi,
course | here submit. My eropof isls--si,