The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-10-28
stOck.Raising and the Improve.
ment OF Farms.

From the time of the earliest settle
ment OF America, when the virgin sol
was first brought under the discipline o
the pillow, the land has been yielding
crops to the cultivator. At the first
with the soil was filled with all the
elements Of fertility, gathered through
the course Of we know not how many
centuries, the yield was abundant, and
but little toll or anxiety was necessary
to secure bountiful returns. But after
the lapse Of one or more centuries the
soil has been in a great measure de,
prived Of its valuable qualities for feed
ing plants, and year after year the
crops raised have been falling OIL, until
at the present time farmers are not
without anxiety, when the needs OF
their growing and increasing families
are imperatively brought under consid.
Grafton. 1t is no longer possible for
the family to remain together under
the PARENTAL roof; and the sons depart
for the far West or seek living in the
towns and cities. The system of con-
tinuous cropping is, to use famil-
lar phrase, played out" and a change
has become necessary. The pastures
will no longer support the usual COM
plement of stock, and the meadows no
longer fill the gaping mows. Milk,
bone, and flesh, all rich in the most
precious ingredients Of fertile soil, have
been for years on years produced on
those pastures and meadows, and
sold off; and now their substance has
departed and the capacity OF the land
to feed stock has disappeared.
A remedy must be found. And, in
our minds, the remedy, theoretically
and practically, lies in nutshell. The
farmer has drawn on lis land until he
has exhausted his credit, overdrawn
his account, and is in debt to it. And
now the debt must be paid Practical
ly, paying debts when one is out OF
funds is slow process, and it will be a
slow process to pay that debt back to
the soil. But it can be done. There is
life in it yet. But an immediate rever-
sal Of former routine must be made to
save that life Grain growing first COM
menced to use up the soil, grass-growing
and pasturing have finished it. Now,
let, an effort be made to turn round.
There are so many head Of stock fed
on the farm now; five or ten years
back it carried double the number.
Get back to that number as soon az
possible. If means are wanting to pur-
chase stmuants for the soil, as guano,
bone-dust, or phosphates, gather the
stock into the barn-yard, and keep them
there. What manure is at hand put
abundantly on less land, raise larger
crop. Raise clover, corn fodder, corn,
potatoes, turnips, rye, and oats (cut
green), and tecd to the stock where
every particle Of manure can he saved.
Let none 90 to waste. Use the spare
time saved by cultivating less land in
gathering every waste thing-weeds,
muck, sois from ferce corners, leaves,
sawdust iii of hard woody, tan-bark,
scIapinss, etc, etc. and make COM
post, adding lime thereto at the rate Of
a bushel to cart-load. 1t will be
found that manure will gradually in
crease in quantity. Thus more land
may be cultivated, and then more
stock may be fed; and the rounds of
effect will act and react on each other,
always, however, bringing about an i'm
provement, each of which is step III
advance On the backward course we are
intoxicating. BY going backwards in
this way, we are advancing; and in
retracing the steps which led us down
the Hill, we are gradually getting up
again. But we do not advise going
back all the way; we would not fork
off on road which would lead to the
old system again. That brought de
struction once, and will again. The
aim must now be towards new life.
And this lies in the system of feeding
everything raised on the farm to stock
of some kind and in selling only beef,
mutton, pork, poultry, butter, cheese,
and wool, as q general thing, ana in
raising for home consumption only all
other ncceSsarics. BY and 10y there
will he an accumulation OF grain,
doubtless. that must bc sold; but 1t
will he found that the excellent mar
kcts afforded by the cities of the East
will cnaLl stock-raisiug to be carried
on with greater profit than any other
kind Of farming; and that it Is the
only system that enables the farmer
TO keep up the productive condition OF
his land and prevents it from rclapslnr
again into poverty.