The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-03-03

A Triumph Of Scientific Til
lage.
FARM OF THE LATE PROF. J. l.
MAPEs.
About twenty years ago, a New
York gentleman purchased 3
small homestead, two miles west
of Newark. There were forty
acres, and when the first payment
was made he had no funds in bank
to make Improvements with fol
he had taken this piece of land
not to have a polite way of show
ing how much money he had
made, but that he and his chill
dren might live by using it. Ii
was a rough old farm, with half
ruinous farmhouse, a large, mus
ty-smelling cider shed, and asmall
old-fashioned barn. Great, spraw'
ling, stone fences, dilapidated, and
overgrown for two or three yards
on each side with elder bushes
and sumac, and briar, ran across
the tract In various directions
When he put his-share in to see
what was his prospects for rye
bread and potatoes, he found tha'
he had a tough time of it.
There were about three inches
of soil, some places four, perhaps
and below, a hard pan Of yellow
clay, full Of red stones, small ano
large. 1t was hard, rough work
for ploughmen and steers, to get
up six inches Of this stubborn soil
and when ploughed and sowed
what would it produce? Five
and in good seasons, seven bush,
els of rye to the acre. One field
was over grown with young. per
simmons, so they called it the per.
simmon lot. Sometimes it would
give fifty bushels to the acre OF
Irish potatoes, and sometimes it
would not. But with these dis.
couragements and drawbacks, the
purchaser had one supreme over
mastering advantage. He had
the knowledge, the conviction
the ideas, that make one a scien
tifc farmer. He believed that
chemistry, in which he was
learned, would aid him in the op
erations of agriculture that skill
patience, labor and shrewd man
agement would enable him to
bring order out of chaos, and
make the rough hillside yield
beauty for ashes. He believed
that the productiveness of a sol
depends no more on its chemlca
constituents than upon its me-
chanical condition, as much or
the pillow as on the dung-heap
and that nobody has improved
much on old Roman Cato's three
rules for farming: First, ploW
thoroughly. Second, plow again
Third, put in the fertilizers. HI
commenced with one. corner,-
about the tenth Of the tract-anc
plowed it we'll and manured it.lib
orally. A great Number of stone:
came to the surface. These were
picked off and hauled away t.
make a deep and perpetual road
bed. Tbe. bushes were grubbed out
and the old stone walls all haulet
away for foundation stones ant
| roads. This was kept up yea
after year, till more than 3,O0(
cart loads of rock had been taker
from the surface. Prof. Mape:
| was not satisfied that he hao
| obeyed Csto's first rule abou
plowing thoroughly. He though
be ought to invade that tough
| subsoil, and let air and moisture
into it, to make it porous, SO tina
in a dry spell it would act as
sponge and draw up moisture
from the stratum below. Nov
came the question how he was t.
loosen it in the best manner. 81
could take a big plow and two O
three yokesof oxen, and break nj
and turn over the earth. Bu
this would invert the soil, throw
ing the dark tiIth now enriched
with stable manure, and lime, ant
salt, and bones, and blood, and de
caved fish, ten inches below tn