Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-04-15
firm, 6srtIftl 4 aIOalsehold.
From the New Fork Tribune.
WHAT / KNOW OF FARMING.
by HORACE eREElEY.


has unusually iDaHu sohic part W paftS W ~
devoted 70 wood; and this, if notiD excess, he
viii mainly preserve, while he studies and
plans with view to the ultimate devotion to
timber Of just those portions of his land that
are best adapted to that use. In locating hi;
timber, would have him consider these sug,
gestions
]. Land wisely planted with trees and
fenced SO far as need be TO keep out cattle,
costs nothing Whatever else you grow in
wolves labor and expenditure; trees grow OF
their own accord. Yon. may neglect them
utterly-may wander over the earth and be
absent for ten or twenty years, while your
fences decay and your fields are overcropped
to exhaustion; even your meadows may be
run out By late moving ard close feeding at
both ends Of the season, TIL a dozen acres
will hardly subsist a span of horses and a
COW, but your woods need only TO be let aloue
to insure that their value shall have decided.
" increased during your absence. They viii
richly reward labor and care in thinning,
trimming, aud transplauting nay profit
ably employ in them any time that you can
spare them-but they will do very we'll II
simply let alone And. unlike any other
product with which | am acquainted you
may take crop after crop of wood from the
same lot, and the sod viii be richer and more
productive after the last than it was before
the Grst. Whether wholly because their roofs
perneate aud braak IN the soil during their
life and enrich it in their decay, or fordiverse
= I, a. l., J
especially poor lsnd-is enriched by growing
upon it 4 crop of almost any timber. the
evergreens possibly excepted So, should
ron ever have land that YOU cannot til to
profit, whether because it is too poor: or be-
cause you have sufficient that is better
you should at once devote it to wood.
II. Your springs and streams viii be ren.
dered mere stable and enduring by iucreas
ing the area and the luxuranee Of your tim
Der. They may have become scanty and
capricious under policy of reckless, whole
sale destruction Of trees; they will be re.en-
forced and re-invigorated By doubling the
area Of your wood, while quadrupliug the
number and increasing the average size Of
your trees.
III. All rsyines and steep billsides should
be devoted to trses Every acre too rocky to
be thoroughly cleared of stone and plowed
should be set apart for tree growing. Where's
er the soil will be quilted or washed away bv
violent rains IL under tiNage, 1t should be ex-
Guided from cultivation and given up to trees.
Men often doabt the profit of heavy maaa--
ing and well they may, if three,fourths of
the fertilizers applied are soaked out and
away by flooding rains or sudden thaws and
Aoated off to some distant sea or bay; but let
all that is applied to the soil only remain
there till it is earted away in crops, and it will
hardly be possible to manure too highly for
profit
". Trees, especially evergreens, may be
so disposed as to modify agreeably the aver
age temperature of your farm, or at least Of
the most important parts Of it. When
bought my place-or rather, the first install.
ment OF 1.-THE best spot I could select for
garden lay a, the foot of hill which half sur.
rounded it on the south and east, leaving it
exposed to the full sweep Of north and north.
west winds; so that, though the soil ras grav-
ely and warm, my garden was likely to be
cold aud backward. Toremedy this, plant
ed four rows Of evergreens tBalsam Fir,
Pine, Red Cedar, and Hemlock), along low
ridge bounding it on the north, following an
inward curve of the ridge at its west end; and
those evergreens have in sixteen years grown
into very considerable trees, forming shady.
.leanly, inviting bower, o. sylvan retreat.
daintily carpeted with the fallen leaves oftbe
9verhanging frs. Judge that the average
temperature Of the soil FOR some yards south
ward OF this wind break is at least FIVE degrees
higher, throughout the growing season, than
1t formerly was or would now be if these ev
ergreeas were swept away: while tie aspect
OF the place is agrecally diversified, and even /
beautded, by their appearance believe it
would sell fer some hundreds ofdollays more
with than without that thrifty, growing clump
Of evergreens.
v Ihave already urged, though not strong
ly enough, that crops, as well as springs. will
be improved by keeping the erests Of ridges
thickly wooded tbus depositiug moisture in
Winter and Spring TO be slowly yielded to the I!
suLjaceut slopes during the heat and drou,b
Of Summer, j firmly believe that the stones /
OF a bill whose crest is heavily wooded will
yield larger average crops than slope aud crest
together would do if both we're bare Of trees.
vi. The banks Of considerable streams. /
ponds, &c, may often be so planted win !
trees that these win shade more wator thar
land, to the comfort and satisfaction of tbe
hsh, and the protection Of those banks from
abrasion by foods, and rapid currents. Sve.
amore, Elm, and Willow, do well here. #
good Grape Vines are set besides and allowed
70 run over some Of them, the effect is good
and the grapes acceptable to man and bird.
H. Never forget that good tree grows
as thriiuiy and surely as poor oae. MANY
q larmer has &c day ten to forty acres Of in.
aiierent eoFd-weod where he might, at a rery
shshs cost, have had instead an equal quaint.
y OF choice timber, worth ten times as n,neb
hickory Chestnut, and Walnut. while tbev
yield nuts that can be eaten orsold are worth
ias more as timber than an equal bulk of
Beech, Birch Hemlock, or Red Oak. Chest.
nut has more than doubled in value within tbe
last few years, mainly because il has bea,,
found excellent for the inside wood. work or
dwellings. Locust also seems to be Increasing
IN value Ten acres OF large, thrifty Locust
near This City would now buy pretty good
'aFmi as presume it would, if located near
any of our great cities.
VII Where several good varieties Of Tim. /
oes are grown together, some insect or atrnos
pheric trouble may blast one of them. VI
ieafe me residue alive and hearty Ard, if Z
ell continue thrifty. some may be cut on, and
soia, leaving Others more room to grov and
rapidly attain vigorous maturity.
IN. Wherever timber has become scarce and
Gaina6le, woodlot .bould be thinned out
neVermore cleared of, unless it is 10 be ae
voted to different use. Il seems to me that