The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1858-12-08
From the Newberry conservatist.
RESTORING AND PRESERVING LAND


RESTORING AND PRESERVING LAND.
The following report was read before the
Newberry IS. Co. Agricultural Society last
year, and has never been published before.
The Secretary handed it to us the other day,
and we give II to our readers as one of the
best, straightforward and simple essays on
the subject that we have seen.
Can it be done? That land can be pre-
served in constant cultivation for any length
of time there can be no doubt, some of the
oldest countries in the world being the rich
est. But can our lands in Newberry district
be preserved in their native fertility, or re-
stored when exhausted, and are they worth
the trouble and expense of doing it! II we
find that they are doomed to grow poorer
with every crop which is taken from them,
without hope ofrec0yery, orif we find that
their preservation and restoration will cost
US more than they are worth, why then our
Society is engaged in vain pursuit, and we
should disband it, abandon the homes Of our
the fertile regions Of the far west. But gen.
tlemen, your committee rejoices in the belief
that there is still hope for our old country,
and that our interest will not require US to
leave it, but that our lands which are yet
good. may be preserved, and that those which
have been exhausted may be reclaimed and
we have been led to this conclusion from ex-
perience, which we consider the only com.
petent evidence in this case. One at least Of
your committee, feeling deep interest in
the subject, and knowing that our agricultural
prosperity depended upon the solution Of this
question, has for the last fifteen years adopt
ed series Of experiments in planting, with
view Of ascertaining whether the thing is
possible, and he Is happy in being able to
state that he has succeeded not only in pre-
serving such portions Of his lands as were
good at that time, but improving those that
had been injured by bad system Of cultiva.
tion. The plan which has been tried and
which we recommended, we will briefly
state:
The object is to prevent the land from
washing, If broken or rolling. as most Of our
district is, which must be done BY ill-side
ditching and horizontal plowing, the direc-
tions for which we hayn't space to give, but
which you find in any of the agricultural pa
pers. But one thing we would urge, not to
use bitches, except where they are indispen-
sable to prevent break. Next manuring,
the subsoiling, and the most important of all,
a proper rotation Of crops. But we will ex-
plain more fully. The manure used is com
post and cotton seed, the first on the corn
crop and the latter on wheat and oats. The
compost is made in two ways; lst, the old
fashioned way oflttering the stock yards with
leaves or straw, or any other vegetable mat
ter, and after being sufficiently tramped aud
mixed with animal manure, put into pens
to ferment. This is an inferior plan, and
Injuries stock il allowed to stand on the lots
in bad weather; but large quantity can be
made this way, and should be applied to
fields nearest the lots. But for the more
distant parts Of the plantation, the manure
should be hauled dry and fresh from the sta
bles, and cOmposted with leaves and mould
near where it is TO be used. Ii should be
put up in square rail pens ten or twelve rails
high. The stable manure well mixed with
leaves and mould, which should be wet, one
wagon body full 0f stable manure TO each
pen. ii those two pens should not make
enough Tor the whole corn crop in the hill,
then use guano Cor composing :-l50 pounds
will be sufficient for one pen, such as above
named, mix and put up the same. Go on
making until you have enough Tor every hill
Of upland corn YOU intend to plant. The
manure should be made in August. immcdi-
atcly after crops are laid by, otherwise 1t
will not be fit for use the next spring. The
manure should be put into the drill three
feet apart, double handful in each place,
the rows being 4! feet wide, and the corn
dropped on the manure by hand. pressing It
with the foot in passing, and all TO be cover.
cd with scooter lurrow, on each side, throw
ing bold ridge on il. to be boarded of ne.
eessary. The snbsoil plough is TO be run as
deep as possible in the shovel furrow with
which the land Is laid of; and after the corn
comes up 70 be run in the scooter iurrow,
which covers the corn so that you have three
deep burrows Immediately under the corn as
a reservoir for water in dry weather. II
would certainly be better TO subsoil the land
entirely, but we only recommend what we
have tried, and found to answer the purpose
very well. We use the Ilroyls' subsOil plow,
prelerring II 70 all others. on account oi SIM
plicity, chcapness and efficiency. The 70.
tation which we have tried, and which we
recommend, Isl: lst, corn with manure as
above stated, together with peas between
every hill Of corn Cd, wheat or oats, nanur-
ed with cotton seed or guano; Sd, cotton,
which you cannot manure, the land having
been manurcd the two years previous will
weld fair crop without it. We would re-
eommed years rest after the small grain
rrop, but have not had sufficient open land
% try Il. We DO not consider the mode