Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-08
AGRICULTURAL.


ADVANTAGES OF CLovER.-At meeting
of the Farmers Club of the American In
ktitute, not long since, and interesting let
t.r on this subject was received from q.
Smith, 1onia, Mich:
Fourteen years ago came to this coun-
ty, and purchased the land on which 1 now
live; 1t was already worn out, although it
had been cultivated but few years. Clo-
yer at that time was hardly known in this
region; but / obtained seed as soon as
possible, believing that could soon prove
that such land could be made productive.
] sowed plaster on my clover, and the re-
suit was astonishing. My crops, while
was preparing the ground for clover, hard
ly paid the expense OF cultivation; put as
soon as began to plow under clover my
crops began to grow better and better to
such an extent that felt perfectly satls-
fled with my return. My wheat crops soon
run up from ten bushels per acre to thirty
and even forty bushels; and my corn from
twenty five to forty and fifty bushels per
acre. NV circumstances rapidly improved:
] bought more land, and continued to sow
everything to clover, new land as we'll as
old, always sowing plaster at about the rate
of one hundred barrels to the acre. i
commenced with one hundred and fifty
acres and have increased the amount to
six hundred. Last year, although 1t was a
bad one, my wheat crop amounted to elev-'
en- hundred bushels from fifty acres, sold
for $3.50, but soon went up to 50. MY corn
TO nine hundred bushels from eighteen
acres; my wool to l ,440 pounds, from two
hundred and seventy-five sheep, sold for
811S cents; and other things in proportion.
Now ascribe my success to the use OF
clover and plaster, accompanied, OF course,
with industry and perseverance; and my
experience Is that of hundreds of others in
this region of country.
as"I have seen many erroneous statements
~, hrNft1 of oil
plaster best to the acre. One writer stated
for the Tribune, some time since, that clay
land needed about one-third more SEED
than sandy land. The reverse is true here.
The same writer said that from two to four
hundred pounds of plaster should be APP
plied per acre. have found that when l
sow clover at about the rate of two bushels
to ten acres, mixed with timothy seed, it is
sufficient even on our sandy lands, and l
believe that one hundred pounds of plaster
will do as much good as greater quanti-
ty; fifty pounds frequently causes clover to
fall down before itgets in blossom.
81 think the best treatment of clover
ground, in preparing it for wheat, is to let
the clover get up about to blossoming, and
then trample it down with sheep before
plowing."
READ THE MARKET REPoRTs.-Few farm
ers realize the value to them of correct mar
ket reports and although ignorance or in
attention are not so prev alent now as years
ago, yet there are some old fogies left. An
instance has recently come to notice illus
trating the value and Importance OF this
subject. Hay was sold few weeks since
at St. Albans, Vermont, for $l4 per ton
At this price Spectators bought largely,
pressed and bailed, and sent to Boston,
where they realized S40per ton. One farm
er sold 100 tons at the former price, yielding
him $1,4O0. If he had been posted in the
market reports, he might have shipped his
hay thither at an expense OF only 81 for
pressing and bailing and Sc for freight per
ton: total expense 81 ,0o0; yield 81 600; re-
suit $1,000; profits over price actually "b-
tanned $1,60 So much lost for the want
of good city paper. Three dollars year
would have saved it.
BE Nor AFRAID TO PLANT TREEs.--A re-
markable instance of tree growth is given
IN the following letter to the Country Gen.
tLenaan.- Let all who have hesitated now
See the fruits OF their own efforts, they have
the consolation OF knowing they have left
a goodly Inheritance to their children :.
Il want to tell my story, which l know
to be true and perfectly correct, as all the
parties are to NE well-known and of un-
iiDpeachable veracity. The scene Is in
Berkshire county, Mass. A boy Teaped
wheat in a field; that boy grew to be man,
and lived to the ripe old age,ot 81 years.
Before he died, he sat in his chair and saw
neighbor of his from day to day drawing
saw-iogs to mill. This man drew and
sawed, and sold 152 600 feet of lumber; and
from 81 acres of the ground upon which
the old man when boy had reaped wheat.
The timber was mostly pine, some oak.
"Keokuk, June 1857 ..HAwK-EYE."
Poor PRAT1cE.-Iti is poor pratice for a
farmersto dig and clear up fifty acres of
land at a cost of $4,000, and then in the
third year surrender about fifth of it to the
briars, brambles, and ox-eye daisies. cr
Poor practice to halt manure, half plough,
half seed, and half cultivate field, and
then harvest from it lessthan half crop.
To keep two inferior,. scrawny, scrub
COWS for dairy purposes, that give less milk
than one good one, and consumes more food
than three. ,,, - - - d p.
TO purchase in town 500 loads of livery
stable manure, and suffer 600 of letter
manure to run waste.
To, attempt to fatten three hogs into
1900 pounds of pork on just as much-feed
as would keep two nicely growing. gs1- e5 q
To house up thousand bushels of grain
waiting for rise, till sone-tenth has gone
to feed rats and mice, and the remaipder
smells like the essence Of rat, and the price
is down to 40 per cent. E-gt. .l7s,4t ID
Tokeep two fancy five hundred dollar
carriage horses, and pay six dollars a day
for alteam to plOw. 81 - A-s1
1t is positively poor practice to call
''book laTnin7 all bosh to ignore news and
- sH.