The Lansing state Republican., 1862-12-17
fafts for farmers.


We are not aware that any experiments hav'
recently been made in this regi0d - tess sh'
practicabity Of the system We are sbout % rec
ommend. but we, nevertheless, feel fully psssua
drd in our own mind, that is cannot. Il eysesmae
ic.lly and rigidIy carried ost bs fsllosed by
other than the best resulta Every fafmes U
aware that q successful process IN the labor o.
enriching soils 10 that Of turning them Out q
pa.,pr. and that soils which have been thu
treat. a and faIosed 70 recuperats during Q -
ries OF years, are iound. Oh being again p'ooghed
AID .uhj.ct TO cultivation, to DO eIdUed with
princpi of f.rtrity sometimes equal to those
which they possessed in their priDitine OF vir.
gin state. TINS, se conjecture, would Do the
Common result of the system When thoroughly
earned out; add we kGOs Of no instance ia
VIII ca : lis that have been dePAssured Tor . se'
ries q. ,.as-no matter how csrelessly they
IN, have been cropped-have been injured BY Is
On the contrary, many exhausted helds. from
which all the Industry and skill 0f the cultivst0r
were mad, q iate 70 secure . Temunersting crop.
have been restored 10 prOducvveness 10 lev
seasons simply by turning them out-"
This as once a very common opinion 10 some
Of our Oldest agricultural districts. No sooner
Gii field that had been robbed Ut its fertility BY
a long course OF severe and IL idiciOus cropping
fail 10 pfOduce hb-isly, tbau iG ass turned
out To pa,tur.." What the precise operation Of
natural las upon the Land is, left In this cond.
tion, ~e are not able TO say with certainty, but
have no doab, iha, it may be fairly imputed to
three causes: the annual decay vi the vegets.
bl. ma',-r WHICH gro~s upon the surface, which
s.ivrs a. a top d., --Ing. though it may be very
sIght-,ne ,ff-ct of the solar rays in attracting
mnrssi matters o. ON below, upSard, nearer the
surface, where the 1905. of the plAuts may read
i, fad them. aid the ferr'Iizng Aaenc-s Of
the atmosphere, that great Oc su OF light moist
eHin. aud guICkeuiug gases ever spread over the
sp'I, AID descending upon t To perfect and iced
the vegetation that covers the surface VI the
earth We are inclined to think that the princ.
pal adyantag. received by land in Q state OF
exhaustion ia from the Latter source.
Whrn Land is tbu- partially or wholly restored
to state Of i-'tiiity. We too often hud little in
suDs, q .e.t details 70 recommend. After hav
ing re epos-essed himself Of portion Of valuable
SOIL almost the first step Of the proprietor is to
adopt The precise system Of management in crop.
piug. by which It was originally made poor. In
stead ot carefully Outstanding his re attained
wealth, he goes immediately and blindly to work
to s-ipite and destroy it.
Thr pan We have To suggest 10 this: Let the
pGof fields b. at once "turned out" let them
lie two, four ar SIX years. as the case NAV seem
t. demand and until the soil has again acquired
it, former vigor aud healthy tone, and then With
out the Intervention Ot any grain crop. or il the
Object is gra.s exclusively. without any crop
whatever. let them be laid down to grass. The
period tor ploughing should be that in which the
vegetation is in its greatest vigOr, although We
should, If the land is naturally poor and thin,
prefer sowing the seed the subsequent spring
II thorough improvement 10 contemplated, the
y -
peas met OF buckwheat s0wn, TO be turned
down a. "a green dressing. and q few bushels Of
ashes and gypsum s0wn, either before or after
plo~ius.
IL no case should ripe crop DO taken. nor
should the young grass be ED BY cattle until il
has thoroughly radcated or taken strong root.
la plowing care should be taken 10 let the
plo~ u little deeper, il possible, than in pre-
vious ploSngs, in order to turn up some Of the
suosol, and completely to inhume whatever Of
soiub matter Oi vegetable nature there may
be upon the surface, as well 40 TO furnish deep
and ge..ial medium for the expansion and susie
nance OF the yourg roots.
Lands managed in this way we have no doubt
would produce bountiiuly for four or Eve years
when they should again be po"ed and laid down
as before. Four years is sufficiently long 70 crop
any land laid down to grass. unless is 30 copi.
ously manuret, or t is = moiss swse land that
rec,ives the annual wash Of surrounding higher
lands Long cropping aud short feeding 10 the
fall and spring, aud no dressing. will infAllably
ensure short crops, an inadequate returh for the
cost aud trouble OF cultivation, and poverty in
the end-Neo England Farmer.