Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-12-03
WHOLE NUMBER 779.


vi
10 six or eight of The north eastern
counties of Ohio dsirying is q chief bnsi.
ness among the farmers Almost thirty
years ago We set up a cabin in the county
VI Ashtabula and became familiar with the
.y',em OF agriculture as then practiced in
,na. ~ooosy locality aud the counties ad.
Joining To clear of niece bf land
STOCK 10 TO grass and get on a lot "a eows
was the highest snd most earuss, .;r, -
the farmers who were making for ,h.n,'
selves home in that region. How 70 go.
living and pay for their land meapwbiI.
was hard struggle between self.depisl ani
discomfort. With the best of sawed Iun.
Der at four dollars per thousand. home.
made potash or black salts at q figure
waich would net the producer less than fif
y cents day for his labor with the mate.
rial thrown in, and the sale Of hickory nuts
at forty to fifty cents bushel, we're about
,he only means which the early settlers
had OF setting up in business, and we can
bear witness that these were tough times
for men who had not some money before!
hand, as but few of them had. Bnt when
ihe farmer had fifty acres cleared and in
grass, end stocked with cows be was on
the hig b road to competency and comfort.
ana u IS not 10 be wondered at that after
vanqui'hing his wolfsh enemy in such a
hard struggle, he should adopt the motto
OF the politicaus-.o the vctors belong
the spoils.
Ine soil OF this region was remarkable
strong and could bear for many wears tha
unreasonable drain upon it's strength and
the abuse OF the victors upon it's fertility.
But the time came when the constant
strain upon its vitality became a burden
100 severe even for the strong lands of
A Ashtabua. La its virgin state this soil
mad reared forest Of such monstrous Ia.
lip trees, chestnut, ash, oak, walnut, hicko.
ry, &C, as no other region of the west ev.
er bore; it bas now been fer fifteen, twen-
ty, thirty, years, literally sucked to death
~ droVes of cows, which are the hardest
feeders of ell domestic animals. The con!
sequence is that for present purposes q
good many of these farms are used up and
must De recruited or abandoned for ali
profitable cultivation.
The clements lacking in these soils and
winch need be restored, are chiefly mineral
as phosphate, sulphate of lime, aud iron
oone-producing elements which dairy crop.
ping exhausts more than all farm pastur-
age Unfortunately much of this land js
Nat, spou,y and destitute of the elements
and conditions which enable the farmer 10
restore them by system of rotation with
cereal grains, clover aud other lcguminous
plants, and their distance from lime stone
renders it tedious and expensive TO procure
that much needed material Compassad
abont with these necessities and difficulties,
the daily farmer must set his wits to work.
and If be will exercise half the persistence
and tact which be displayed in the clear.
ing up and stocking bis farm at the begin.
ming. the difficulty will be overcome and
his farm redeemed from its present sterii-
lty.
The high price of dairy products for the
last two years has stimulated the business.
aud made it more Immediately profitable
than any other branch of farming-eyen
more remunerative than wool growing. But
while wool growing redeems the soil it
feeds upon and improves it all the time.
dairying impoverishes the soil and points
to sterile future. Will it not be well
then, since the pinch of pioneer life is past,
for the farmer to revise his motto--,o the
victor belong the spoils, and give his land
a more generous treatment before il is
spoiled entirely and the spoils become his
plague in tbs future? We think so and
advise accordingly.
The FIRST best thing to be done with
such land is to plow it deeply in the fall
and let the frosts of winter pick it ia
pieces as fine as meal; then plant to corn
in the sPring, with as much stable manure
as can be afforded then if it is land
which will bear wheat. at the third plow.
ing-the first after the corn put in the
plow to the bottom of the original furrow
and bring up the rotted turf harrow il
fine, give it all The lime, plaster and ashes
that can be aff9rded and try a crop of
wheat, follow this with red clover and
sheep If practicable, and finally let it 90
into permanent grass. This will take one
year for corn, one year for wheat and two
years for clover, and the ffih year will
give stand of permanent grass which can
be used for meadow or pasture for cows,
sheep, or whatever may be most desirable.
We invite correspondence from dairy far
mers on this subject.-O Ohio Farmer.