The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-03-03
What I Know of Farming.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
PLANTING AND GROWING TRERR

farm. has usually found some part Or
pQrts Of It devoted to wood: aud this, IT
not in excess, 'ho will mainly preserve,
while lie studies md plans with q view to
the ultimate devotion to timber Of Just
those portions Of his land TINT orc best
adapted TO that use. In locating his tim.
ber' would have him consider these srg-
gestions p" '. ~, .
/. Land wisely planted with trees and
tAnl fenced so fir as need DO to keep out
cattle, costs nothing. Whatever else you
grow involves labor and expenditure;
frees grow Of their own accord. You
may neglect them uttcrly-rnNy wander
over the earth and be absent for ten or
twenty wears, willie your fences decay and
YOUR fields arc ovcrcropped to cxhau5-
lion; even your meadows may be run out
by Into moving and close feeding at
both ends of the season, till a dozen
acres will hardly ,subsist o span Of
horses and COW; but your woods
need only to be let alone 10 insure
that their value shall have decidedly In
creased during your absence They will
richly reward labor and care in thinning,
trimming, and. tr4nSplanting-you may
prOiitably employ In them any time that
YOU can spare theni-but they will do
very well IL simply lot alone, And, un-
like any other product with which | am
acquainted, you nAy take cropalter cropof
wood from the same lot, and tic soil will be
richer md moro productive after tho lust
tllanit was before the first. Whether wholly
because their roofs permeate and break up
tho soil during their life and enrich II in
thcir decay, or for diverse reasons, II Is
certainly true that lGnd-and especially
poor lands enriched by growing upon
It crop of almost any timber, tho, over
greens possibly excepted. So, should you
ever have land that you cannot TILL TO pro-
fit, whether because It Is too poor, or be-
c,luse you have u sufticiGcy TINT Is better.
you Should at once devote 1t to wood.
II. Your springs and streams win be
rendered more cquuble and enduring by
increasing the area and the luxtrianCc of
your timber. They may have become
scanty and caprictOus under a policy Of
reckless, Wholesale destruction Of trees;
they will be reinforced and Refrigerated
by doubling the area Of your woods, while
qualrupling the number and increasing
tho average size Of your trees. :. =,
III. All rayines and steep hill.sides
should be devoted to trees. Every acre
too rocky to be thoroughly cleared Of stone
and plowed should be set apart for tree
growing. Wherever tho soil will Ge gul:
lied or washed away by violent rains If
under tillage, it should be excluded from
cultivation and given up to, trees Men
often doubt the profit Of heavy lnanuring;
and well they may, II. tllree.f0urtlls Of the
fertilizers applied arc soaked out and swept
away by flooding rains or sudden haYs
and 'loatel of 70 some distant sea or buy
but let all tint Is applied 10 the soil only
remain there till It Is Carted away In crops,
and twill hardly be possible 10 manure
too highly for profit fyl,,,i.-,....
". Trees, especially cyergrccns, may
DO so disposed Us 70 modify agreeably the
average temperature Of your firm, or at
least of the most important parts Of It.
When I bought my place-Or rather, the
first instaIImcht Of 1.-THE best spot l
could select for garden my ut the foot
Of q hill which half surrounded II on the
south and east leaving it exposed 70 The
full sweep Of north and northwest winds;
SO that, though the soil was gravelly and
warm, my garden was likely to be cold
and backward. To remedy this, plant
cd four rows Of cvergreeIls (Balsam Fir,
Pine; Red Cedar, and HemlOckl, along u
low ridge bounding iton the north, follow
ing an inward curve Of the ridge at Its
west end; aud those evGrgreeNs have in
sixteen years grown into very conslder'I'
bic trees, forming d shady, cleanly, in
viting bower, or sylvan retreat, dalntily
C,lrpetel with the fallen leaves Of tic over:
hanging frs. I Judge that the average
temperature OF tho soil for some yards
southwark Of the wind-brcak is ut least
five degrees higher, throughout the grow.
ing season, than it formerly was or would
now DO If these Gycrgreens were swept
away; while the aspect Of the place is
agrcclbly diversified, and even hcautt,
fled, by their appearance. l believe It
would sell for some hundreds Of dollars
more with thanwithout that thrifty, grow
ng clump Of evCrgrCcns. no.
". I hive already urged, though not
strongly enough. tllat crops, rs well rs
springs, will DO improved by keeping the
crcstS Of ridges tllickly wooded, thus dc.
posting moisture IN Winter and Spring 10
he slowly yielded t0 the subiaccnt slopes
during tue heat md drOutlI OF Summer. |
firmly believe that the slopes Of d hill
whose crest is heavily wooded will yield
larger average crops than slope and crest
together would do Il both were barc OF
trees. ,4a
VI. The banks Of considerable streams,
ponds, &C., may often be so planted with
trees that these will shade more water
than land, to the comfort and satisfaction
Of the fish, md the protection of those
banks from abrasion by floods md rapid
currents Sycamore, Elm and Willow.
do well here; ifgOOd Grape Vines arc set
beside and allowed to run over some OF
them, the effect is good, and the grapes nc
ceptablc to man and bird. EfE..,
VII. Where several good varieties of
Timber arc grown together, some insect
or atmospheric trouble may blast ono Of
them, yet leave the residue alive md
hearty And, ifall continue thrifty; some
may be cut out and sold, leaving others
more room to grow and rapidly attain n
vigorous maturity. gtGIsI .#.Iu. ,H.l'l
VIII. Wherever timber has become
scarce and valuable, u wood-lot should be
tliinnel out, nevcrmorc cleared oil, unless
II Is 10 DO devoted TO different use. II
seems to inc that destroying a'iorcst be-
cause we want timber Is like smotltcring n
hiye Of bees because VIC want honey.
Tx. Timber should be cut with intClli.
gent reference 10 the future, Locust and
other valuable trees that 1t Is desirable
should throw up shoots from the stump,
and rapidly reproduce their kind, should
DO cut In March or April; while trees that
you want to GxtcrmlnatG should be cut in
August, so that they may not sprout.
There may 10 exceptions 10 this rule; but