Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-02-24
agricultural.
Grafton Farmers' Club.
HOW SHALL WE RESTORE OUR WORN oua
FARMs TO FERTILITY?

As q general thing we nave 10 mucn ianu,
Il would be better for the farmers in this
town if one half their land were taken
from them.
In restoring worn out farm would
proceed as follows: pillow in the fall, ten
inches deep, and pillow well. Some farm
ers cut and cover, and call it blowing.
The following spring would apply forty
loads of manure per acre, and plant, u.s.
ing superphosphate in the hill. The
second spring would pillow lightly and
seed down applying one-half bushel tim
othy seed mixed with fifteen pounds clio
yer to each acre. Many seed lightly and
the consequence is crop Of sorrel which
in this vicinity does not pay well. The
general tendency is to 60 over to much
ground many apply fifteen or twenty
loads of manure per acre, plant corn and
get good crop, then SOW with oats and
seed down. These two crops nearly ex-
haust the manure so that the grass crop
gets but little benefit from it. Would
apply forty loads per acre. Our lands
are as capable of producing two or three
tons of hay per acre as the quantity they
now produce. Manure should behoused;
LIQUID manure is worth more than the
solid, this should be saved by means of
a barn cellar, cistern, and the use Of alb
sorbants much manure is lost in the
manner of application, would not draw
out in spring; place in small heaps and
let it remain for several days, for in that
case one half the value is lost, would
draw out one day and put under the next.
1t is better for the farmer to invest in
manures than in savings banks; no farm
er ever made judicious investment in
manure and lost.
GARDNER UPHAM.-Our farms are
losing their fertility in consequence of
continual cropping. but comparatively
little land can be cultivated hard pan
moistish lands can be made considerable
fertile. We don't work our farms enough
we must work them more and apply all
the manure we can manufacture at home,
but no mercantile fertilizer can be made
profitable, they don't pay. If one has
money to invest in superphosphate, ashes
&c. and can afford to wait for results
they might be profitable, but for the poor
man-never.
J. H. PUTNAM-had raised 100 bush
els of potatoes per acre, by the use Of
superphosphate, on worn out June grass
pasture. Ie thought it paid.
IL. SToDDARD-thought superphos-
phate did not pay with him-ashes did,
Russell Understanding must be
done to restore our farms or we shall run
short of tillage land /; the cheapest and
easiest method is to let timber grow, and
when grown to clear off, this is especially
the case with many of our old pastures.
This method is pursued at the South and
the land produces as beautifully at the
second clearing as at the first. Our lands
require great deal of labor and manure
we should use more special manures, by
this means we should get larger crops,
with larger crops more manure, and with
more manure still larger crops and so on.
Worn out farms is the effect of owning
to much land, more than we can cult
vate; another cause is the emigration of
so many young men to the West leaving
US short of help.
Z. S. DAvIs-has lately improved q
small farm by clearing off brush, and by
liberal manuring; has a young orchard
which he intends to pillow and manure
would pillow worn out pastures where it i:
possible, has known brakes to be DESTROY
ed by burning in the spring, have known
old pastures to be much benefited by the
use of plaster. Think manure should be
housed, have cellar which is enclosed
all round under my barn.
Some members of the Club thought il
very destructive to the life of brakes and
bushes to cut them in the old of the moon
IN August, the age of the moon being es
sential. Others thought that if cut il
August they would die any how" and
that the age of the moon had nothing t.
do about it. Who shall decide wher
doctors disagreed"
G. 5. WHITE.-Our farms can be re
stored to fertility in most cases. Do no
believe In ten acre farms, they are no
profitable; young man who wishes Il
engage in stock raising, can with fiv,
hundred dollars ready money, run int,
debt for farm worth five thousand dol
lars and pay for it as easily as he cal
tor one worth only two thousand. It
we'll to own back farms to own back 8
that we can bring the produce upon tn
home farm and thereby improve i,
hard labor is essential to good farming
Believe in relation Of crops and the turr
ing under of clover. l manufacture al
the manure | can in my own yards an,
buy all the special manures ; can n,,
for; think highly of superphosphate 70