The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1871-01-05
EuyiuC Farms.

most Of the iarlns IN irg'nla auu ~ |
other Southern States have always !
been, and viii ever remaio poor. The
following contributed hy Peter Ecuder
son 10 the AyncutiWtsi, is timely and
Grcible
On many occasions | have referred
TO the great importance Of selecting
proper quality of soil for all gardening
and farming operations. But us year
by year you are increasing the num-
her OF inexperienced realcrs, the fac;
esnnot b. too often nor too f r,illy i'm
pressed that success hinges upon this
alone more than on anything else
Thousands arc every year ruined ty
a bad selection Of soil have score,
come 10 me in the course of every
season Tor advice in this matter Of
tolls but in the most instances The al-
vice asked is TO late the majority oil
the applicants having been unfortu-
nate enough to buy or rent land tha,
they had been lei to believe was cx.
cellett, but on'y run down. lu
my opinion this vile spread notion 0
exhausted lands i, 10 a great ex-
tent falIacy, and that most of the
lands sid to be exhausted never were
good, and no power on earth short OF
spreading good soil over them foot
thick would ever make them good
In Wis: to 10 sulerb Of Richmond.
Virginia, n few weeks ago ! cnconter-
ed man from the Eastern State,
that had gone down there four years
sgo He had bought an exhausted
farm of so acres, aul with Northern
energy and Norlheru capital, hoped
TO re'usitaie tito what it had been.
,os The former owner had told him
fertile farm and expenditure OF
uesrly $1,000, and the hard work VI
four years, had rs yet ia'ed to give
him a crop Of corn that paid for the
labor. Nut stalk coull see that
had been more than five icol high.
and many Of them not two feet No
wonder. His poor yellow soil in NJ
place exceeded four inches in depth
and was und,raIn by n harl Pan oi
clay. Ruin in all SUI h eases is iucve-
table; tho labor put upon such soil
can never pay, 80 long as here j.
anything better within 20 miles Of it
Our couuiry contains millions OF acre.
Of lands, that are bought and sold an
nually, whce are Of hut little more us
for farming purposes than ii'thc IL
tlc-dceds were given for The same area
in mid.ocean.
But" asks tho reader, how are
we TO select SOILS" First never bny
O farm without personal examination
never take the sellers word about
it he may honestly believe what b.
asserts is true, or hc may know it to
be false; but in either case if you are
deceived you suffer Let the cxsmi-
nation be thorough ; note he surround
ings, ifthc district is settled and crop
ped carefully examine the condition
Of the crops on the farm and upon
those adjoining it, they are sickIy
looking and weak if the corns'aks
instead Of being seven or eight feet in
height, are but two or three, you hod
better lose your time anil expenses
and get ne q. an thtn to tako the
farm a. u Gilt. Tut should there be
no corn or other crops by which t.
test the quality of soil, an exami-
nation shoald he made oy digging
down at short distances all over the
oupd, The top, or "truc soil, "
lould not be less than nine inches IN
!epth the best color is dark brown.
The subsoil, or stratum lying immed.
ately under the top soil, should he oI
porous nature, and it il usually. 10
frst-rate soils, Of a yellowish, sandy
loan. Occasionally We find gravclly
subsoil undertaking sole Of good quail
ity, but Il Is is not 50 common. less
fpqucnt still is a suhsoil of blue or
yellow clay, such clay as might be
used for brick making, A subsoil Of
this kind, when near tho surface, is n
cer,ain indication Of q poor quality Of
soil for the purposes Of either farmina
or gardening
TO illustrate the value Of different
soils for our market gradening puposcs
We have, in our immediate neighbor-
hood, men who now pey 500 per
acre annual rent, and who, in the past
10 or II years, have made snug little
fortunes upon eight or nine acres III
cultivation, At distance Of no,
more than half n mile, there are other
paying less than halt that amount in
rent vho have 1urinp tho somn t;nn