Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1869-11-19
VOL. V.,."."N0. 6
Improving Poor Land.

There are many fields to be found, even on
farms that are ordinarily kept in goud cuiti.
yation, that show signs of running out, either
from having been over cropped with grain, or
from neglect in seeding down grass l. c. being
SEEDED down without a proper preparation Of
the SOIL ny cleaning crop This is espec-
Tally the case on large farms ia the older
countries, and those where the soil is light
sandy nature. In most cases the difficulty of
obtalnng mhhure in sufficient quantity. or
the distance aud cost of conveying il from the
Homestead to the far off fields, has been in
great measure the reason for ncgecIny them,
us the farmer is nost apt in these days of high
priced labor to consider it more profitable to
apply manure to those fields that are most
handy and c'sily worked without any great
less OF time in going to aud from hcadauar.
ters. Such fields often are allowed to remain
just barely in grass for many years, then
ploughed up, crop OF oats or late spring
grain taken off, and nothing returned to the
soil
Now it would be an easy matter to bring
them into good and productive condition by
keeping sheep OH them and not merely as
many as could make living off such poor
lands, but by herding them ut nights and du-
ring part of the day, allowing them access to
a better pnsturage during the afternoons. In
this way the lund would he greatly benefited
at little expense, as the sheep, besides leaving
their d,oppings scattered over the land, and
no better m"nure could be desired, would
crop all the bushes, weeds poor grasses, &C.,
SO closely that they would soon be extermina.
ted, and white clover would spring up in their
places. After two or three years Of such
treatment. If the land is then rloughcd shal.
low and thickly so@n with red clover it would
produce good crop Of feed for early sumtner;
and the, clover being left to itself to 81 ow and
attain good size after the other pastures
come in at harvest time, could then be rlt ugh.
ed under and form good foundation of green
manure on which to grow crop of wheat or
other grain, to b, followed bv ccn ming crop
Of roots, corn or potatoes, then barley, seeded
down to perlnancnt pastura.r. IN this way
many fields that now are good for nothing hut
to produce n crop Of weeds aud hrals and &
scnnty bite for hungry stock. might be made
10 come in as a part of rotation on tile farm
without expending argc amount f labor
and manure, when both these items are too
costly to be indulgcd in
We have seen fields Of blowing sand con.
verted into profitable pasturagc by the simple
ext edient of Ike ping sheep on tuun in large
plumbers aud afterwards seeding with clover
and turning that under when in full bloom.
Sheep may also be allowed to run on summer
tallows to great advantage, proyid they get
access to good pasruragc Mt least once u dny.
They are great dcstrnyers. Of all we, d. and
noxi"us plants, and besides, on light land
help to make the soil more compact and re.
tentive of manure by the constant trnmrng
in their wanderinrs in search of food and
have been known 10 eradicate the most invet.
crate briars and h'ambles by their constant
browsing on them while they are n growing
state Canada Erm"r