The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-04-11
Sandy Lands.

~
the sandy light soils."--DR. DANA.
The common opinion is that sandy
lands are our poorest lands-and in
conformity with this opinion, thous-
andS Of acres are suffered to lie uncul-
tivated, to spring up to wood if they
will, or afford q scanty crop of wiry
grass TO sheep that are allowed to run
over them.
If cultivated at all, it is with rye,
generation after generation either ov.
cry year, or every alternate year, as
the land may hold out, and without the
application of manure.
All this is wrong, both in theory,
and practice, and would not.be con
tiRued five better understood tho IA
ture ofsoils and how to treat them.
Sandy lands are usually among our
most Lowell lands, and are eheaply cul-
tivatod on this account. They are
light, and are plowed at one half the
cost of adhesive soils. Twice as many
acres Of them may be hood in a Civ
en- time as can be in heavy and stony
lands.
Sinclair says sandy soils ola
good qaulity, under a regular course
Of husbandry, are Of great value
They are easily worked, at seasons
they are cultivated at a moderate OK.
pense are not SO liable to injury from
the vicissitudes oftho weather ; and in
general are sufficiently retentIve Of
moisture, to produce good crops, even
IN dry summers.
Sandy lands may DO improved in
several ways and the plan adopted
should depend upon surrounding cir
cumstanCSs. If they are adjacent to a
clay pit, clay may be used linear a
deposit Of muck, muck may be used
or both may be employed with decid.
eddy beneficial results.
If the land is too far from such sour.
ees ofsupply, then ANOTHER plan may
be adopted. 1t may be restored by
turning in crops, green or dry, where
they will decay under the surface
Sandy lands may therefore be reclaim
ed, wherever situated, and brought
into a fertile condition, and at a fair
profit.
One plan Of operation Is to plow an
der green crops, such as oats, millet,
buckwheat or clover, when the crop is
in bloom, reseed at once and plOw in
another crop the same year. If the
land has been dressed with clay or peat
muck, this operation greatly hastens
the work of reclamation. :
Dana says that it is the experience
If some practical men, that one crop
allowed to perfect itself and die where
it grew, and then turned in dry, is
superior TO three turned in green
The whole result is explained by the
fact that dry plants give more GENE
(thS word means "earth," on the pro-
duct Of decaying vegetable matter)
than green. Green plants fsrment-
dry plants decay.
A larger portion escapes, in fermen-
tation as gas, and more volatile prod
ucts are formed, than during decay
The one is 4 quick consuming fire
the other a slow Wondering embsr.
giving of, during its progress, gases
which feed plants and dsOOmpOse the
siliOatss Chat is sand flint, quarts) Of
the soil.
These hard Silioates in the soil, hAv,
their uses and important part to POr
form. 1t belongs to US to supply then
with vegetable matter. Feed them
well with muck, straw, meddow hay
rusheS, flags, or almost any other veg.
Stables, and their decay will "oauSO an
evolution of carbOnie acid gas; thai
decompossS the silicatoS Of potash in
the sand; the potash cOvSrtS the insOl.
ubls into soluble manure, and 10 6
crop" When once a crop is obtained
' 9 on the poorest lands, there Is the
nucleus Of fertility, aAd fair crops may
be obtained from it psrPstualIy.-Nev
ErgIand Farmer.