The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1858-06-23
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Essay on Clearing Land infested with Sas
safras and Briers.
BY w. W. GILMER.

BY W. W. 0ILMER.
Repeated cropping in corn. wheat and oats,
will but multiply these pests. The best plan
to eradicate them, have found (after many
trials) to be moving them off in the month Of
May. and subjecting the land to close grazing.
A field of mine, in 1850, was, after corn, 50
thickly set with sassafras and briers, that
friend remarked. that it afforded good
swarth nearly all over. It was sown in wheat
and grass in the spring. and was afterwards
grazed for four years to the utmost limit OF
its capacity; the bushes and briers were
moved but once, and to my great delight,
the entire field had not left upon it brier or
bush except where sasafras tree had been
grubbed up. Gfubbing thick-set field is
very costly operation, and will not cure the
evil The idea prevails in the Valley OF Vir-
einia, that our lands on this side OF the noun
tains are far more liable to such pests than
theirs. The reason for this impression is
obviously not in.the greater liability Of our
lands to be SO infested. but IN the different
modes of treating them which prevailed in
these localities respectively. Their lands are
set in grass when fresh. and moved and
grazed from the year they are cleared, by
which means these pests are kept under;
whilst ours have been generally worked as
long as they would pay. and in many instan-
ces much longer, and not grazed, because We
had but little stock. and were only moved to
very limited extent on which account the
evil complained Of has been checked by the
remedial process have suggested.
Let me not, however. be misunderstood on
this subject. The moving recommended re-
! fers only TO the bushes and briers. He who
has an abundant supply Of fcornstalks, shucks,
wheat-straw and chaf. has no need OF hay Tor
stock Of any kind. II near to market, and hay
can be sold for one dollar cash, then NOW It /;
but if at a distance from market. and the
staple crops are corn and wheat, NOW not. II
is my decided opinion that the cutting oil a
crop Of clover. hay, and the taking away OF the
seed, will exhaust land as much as crop ol
corn. Rich flats will stand. but common high
land cannot.
The question may be asked. why Craze u
so much opposed to hay-making Because
cash payments are made TO the land in graz
ing il, whilst but little is returned to It when
il is sold off. Again, the grazing process
proceeds slowly and but gruadually despolls
The land Of its covering. while moving leaves
it suddenly denuded and exposed to the blsz
ing summers sun. keep as tat horses ant
oxen as most persons, yet have not, on
farm peculiarly adapted to the business, Gu
FIVE TONS Of hay within the space OF twenty
years. Let those who have rich moist flats
institute careful experiments to test the rela
tive value Of their production in corn and u
bay. IL will be found that the corn will giy'
at least fifty bushels Of grain per acre, whit
the rough food from that acre, will amount Z
+. al least as much in quantity and be iull.
equal in quality to hay so FAR as il eaten. Ih
difference, then, in favor Of the corn crop, vii
, be the net gain Of the amount OF grain pro
duced. the offal Of the crop being ially equa
in value to the production OF the same quan
ti,y Of land in hay. Southern Planter