The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-02-13
Concord Farmers Club.

concord FafmefB C1uD. Ut .H......a
Editors american Rural Hone.-At
the meeting of the Concord (Mass9 Farm
ers' Club, held January 4th, the following
subject was discussed:
RESTORING WORKOUT IANDs--How
SHALL WE DO TT?
j. X. said all land that has been cul-
tivated may be said to be more or less run
out. BY cultivation without manuring,
the virgin soils of the West are losing their
fertility. All good farming includes the
application of manure. There is no land in
Concord that will bear such crops as when
first cleared. Every crop taken from our
lands takes away some portion of their fer
tility. Even when rotation Of crops is
practiced, as in England, fertilizing ele-
ments are taken from the soil. Change of
crops does not prevent this-only the ele-
ments taken are different. To restore or
keep up the fertility of our land, we must
return to it, IN some form, whatever ele-
nents of plant food have been taken away.
This may be done directly by manure.
Indirectly it may be done by applying to
the soil some chemical agent, which, by
dissolving or combining with matters in the
soil, make them available to the use of
growing crops. Another indirect way is
by blowing in greens crops, but this is q
slow process. He has some light land, on
which ne plowed in three crops of buck
wheat, with no apparent improvement
Then tried piper grass local here for
Twitch grass and weeds; then winter rye,
but after all could not see that the soil
was bettered has finally concluded to sow
winter rye, sell the straw and buy manure.
On such poor soil the growth is too small
to have any sensible effect when plowed in,
E. w. thought farms in Concord had inn.
proved in productiveness, especially NOUS
lands. These do not become WORKOUT
they are only bound out. They may be
improved by seeding down in the fall with
80 loads of manure to the acre. Lighter
lands may be MANFRED and seeded down to
pasture, or sown to rye, with 30 loads Of
manure to the acre. This would pay at
the present price of straw. Has not found
benefit from green manuring. Both rye
straw and clover are too valuable to pillow
in. In the West clover is plowed in to
restore fertility to worn-out soils. Here
we must manure before clover will grow.
Has used nitrate of soda as top-dressing
for grass land. One hundred and fifty
pounds per acre gave tons where the year
before but II tons grew. Nitrate of soda
costs about three cents pound.+ Lar
II. j. said lands that cannot be plowed
to advantage should be allowed to grow to
wood. Has known eight acres Of bushy
pasture, half of which was left to wood,
the other half kept as pasture. The four
acres of pasture kept one cow indifferently
well. The four acres of wood has been
sold for $500. The true way to improve
poor soil is to pillow and reseed. On oat
lands would pillow in buckwheat, next year
clover, then apply fifty bushels leached
ashes, and seed down. On some pastures
plaster does well.
Mr.. II. said blowing and manure will i'm
prove land, but we want to know how to
do it without manure. He plowed in buck.
wheat, clover and rye without apparent
benefit. -a.5lr.
MP. p. thought that at present prices O.
forage, blowing in green crops would moi
be economical.
q w. H. II. said it takes pretty good
soil to start clover at all. Can not afforc
to.plow in good crop Of buckwheat, clio
yer or rye.
f&hir. X. said the English theory is: tn,
more roots the more cattle !; the more cattl,
the more manure, and the more manur
the more roots; and by these feeding tn
crops on the farm, the fertility of the Ian,
isskept up. But practically it is not SO
Selling off fat cattle carries off the ele
ments of fertility. We buy grain for GU
cattle, and that improves our manure.
we take off more than we restore, the lam
must grow poorer. +. G. p.
~Nitrats of soda is undoubtedly valuabl
fertilizer for grass lands 1t is found in large d.
posts in South America, and is probably one {
the cheapest, in proportion to its value, Of a
commercial fertilizers. One peculiar effect
has on grass land is to send the roots of tn
plants deep into the soil, thus extending the
feeding area and helping EN- to bear dry SCI
sons without much injury -r