The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-10-26
Commissioner Capron's Address

1.-THE following address wms delivered before
the Montgomcry County (Maryland) Agricui.
tural Society, by Hon. Hornce Cnpron. Com
missioner of Agriculture, on, the j +h nit, at
Rockville, Maryland:
Mr.. President. FSiends, and
Fettoao aoonke,s In Agricultare-
4 is with no ord nary pleasure that
revisit place which has become
remarkable in the rarnl annals of
Maryiand-f"r triurnphs of prngres.
sivc agriculture. / see in the Gun
sricuous signs of thrift, of high
fertility, of heavy prvducii,.n,
where once barrcnness and desola.
ti"n ruled the scene, confirma.
tH'"is strong as pnnfs of holy writ"
ocular and conclusive 'denlonstra.
tions, that you and Iwere right.
and tie "l"w.pressnre' delivers in
the old fields were wrong.
lhirty years ago these smiling
neids, now green and luxuriant at
the Close of summer of unusual
severity, were dry and bare, the
soil hard and intrac:abIe, lis az.
pearance indicative of that decay
and decrcpitnde in. which "the
grassi"prers shall he n burden"
l feel a personal interest in these
""id fields and the story of ,f,eir
Improvement. My first essay in
their attempted renovation was in
1886, when | plowed fifty acres
and sowed oats and clover, hoping
through the agency of plaster of
paris to secure a isettipgpt clover.
lbe spring. was, favorable; the
oats spr"nted, as didrthe clover; a
good sprinkling OF plaster was ap.
piled, hut not one sprig IF clooer
eoer greso, and the oats were har.
vested on the grab system" then
so conmon. For the benefit of
young farmers, who are presumed
not to understand this mode, | vii.
explain: The GRADER makes a
sweep with his cradle. and as il
rises o,t offhe grain. lie "crabs" "
1t with the left hand, and laws it
down ca ehnily. in a t,nnch to en-
able the binder following after TO
.56ad ,stl In less than ten wears
these lands yielded SO bushels of
wheat per acre, 100, bushels of
corn, and q tons of hay; and t,e
crops had paid the expense Of i'm
provemeDt ;S,yhile stlIe value. esti,
mated at SIC. per, acre, had ad.
rvanced to $50, and stands, to dav
at double that sun, after large and
Il. profitable crops, have, been taken
for 80 many years, at small expense
for ter ilizers.
Another tract, a swamp Of sixty
acres, which succeeded in urain.
ing and improving, soon bore a
heavy crop Of timothy, and was
permanently reclaimed, becoming,
from an nnsigiaiy and unhealthy
morass, a beautiful and productive
! meadow. l at.
] thank God that I have lived
to see the renovation inangurated
in Gays so general and so
successful, especially in this neigh.
borhood, and / feel proud saiis
factionin Alaving hNfnean nF,7umbles
part t-iH -tIris ~Ss5r K of~s.austag wo'
blades of grass 10 grow where but, :,
one grew before. - -, /,
Ngnory recurs with pleasure to
my first visit'te tiis nefghl,orhood
in 1S47, visit made mt the invita-
tioi1of StewCcf fhe,pieneers mis-
improvement. who desired me TO
witness 'fhe effect SfalnsE sys,em
for the restoration of .s.s worn out,
3 laDd,p then in its infancy, now the
= established means OF fertility and
wealth. 1t is a system of liberal
feeding. in opposition to the blah
of leaving the soil to improve
: itself. Nme of these men be
: ile,ed that an application Of ma.
nWe' would Sire y the, crop, as
many didost ihat day, or that star.