Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-02-20
agricultural.


IMPROVING LAND WITH MucK.-J. L. Hall,
Ocean View, Del sends the following practical
and sensible letter to the ". Y. Times Your
article ON peat, muck, and mari, of Jan. %,
should be considered by every farmer in the
country, as indicating one Of if not the create st
source 70: fertilizer to reuovate and bring up
the rundown lands Of Our country. US the sup
ply is almost inexhausti. ialong the sea-coast
and the shores Of our rivers and creeks, and can
be used and applied to all the adjacent lands at
u much less figure and a,tuL outlay To the far
nier than any other fertilizer, aud with improve
ment more permanent. In connection with
this view, l will give my experience with an
acre treated with muck and lime. The soil was
sandy and extremely poor, it having been titled
every other year In corn, for Ali indefinite period
with no manure, and was 50 run down that the
ilrst year titled IL to corn | obtained only ten
baskets. rhe following season, during the
summer, gave 1t, Or rather Dumped on 1t, 100
loads VI muck, part of them was the sod Of Il
piece was preparing for cranberry culture, and
was not 40 good altogether as the pure muck
In September l put on some twenty five or
thirty bushels Of air-slacked lime, putting ii
chiefly on the heaps Of muck. The following
Spring lspread the loads followed up and plant
eu W col1l-tho,lgl the season was not favora-
/, Bile one obtained thirty baskets, or, In other
words, fifteen bushels. The next season anain
let 1t ''rest,' but during the Fall and Winter |
gave II a sprinkle OF muck a. cost not exceeing
w. The inst 100 loads did moi cost more than
| that inquire, II being nearer to haul. On about
one-half put fifteen bushels more of lime, and
the other half spread about the same amount
oi ieaehed asLes. They were pretty well leach
vi 100. The lime and ashes >pr,a | after plow
M, and then planted TO com, putting In the
hills a little muck which had been In the barn
yard. The corn grew finely until il was in tas-
SCI anu SIX, when a severe storm came uD and
l "a nd la... . a
INTO ribbons, from which il never recovered.
but notwithstanding, | gathered fifty three
baskets VI corn. The past season again let
IL "rest," with the exception | SOW ed broadcast
one bushel OF peas. They came up nicely, but
before warm weather came for them to grow
the "trab grass came up an choaked the peas
in some places. | cut the .rass ior hay, cI
ABOUT tiiree-io Irtls the acre, whic ma le ueIr-
y toI. | thsu ploWed under the peas. /
no" consider the land III far way uf I lnr,ui-
n,ht Improvement At cot Of 80 pet ,tir,
"h'l' Tie com, Over and ~ owe Mhat / would
nave Sot, ihJlt Than lils Tie cost Tor improve
ment' may again lrcur 10 this kind Of fer
tilizsr.
PROFITS OF SoIIIN0. More t;,au once We
nave alluded to the benefits resulting from ..soil
ing IN localities WLe.e 1t can be readily and
proiltably followed. We give below in conii,.
|
| asraphs:
MIR. II Sedgewick, OF Cornwall Conn. STA.
teu al the farmers meeting at Lowell, Mass,
that farmer, in his .iehbolhood we've engaged
| ~ producing milk ior the New YuIk nul kej,
Referring to the shut f. ID f the Fan If 1914,
| lie added:
"ouf Farmers all declare they will not 70 back
10 lac Old way Of feeding stock We cut up our
straw and everything available. MANY Of MS
have adopted the plan Of SCANNING the food for
our cattle, and We are satisfied from the exl,eli.
ments We have made that we save a third OF
our provender by scanning it. As sample of
what this manner of feeding stock will do
VIII relate al. instance of Young man who, A
year ago this Spring bought Il farm of eighty
acres OF land fol ii 1000. The fam then kopt
eleven COWS, four or five yealngs, and "a horse
| OF TWO. The young man took hold or that farm
ana immediately put in fourteen acres OF soweI
corn lie increased the stock o Twenty-Five
cows, and kept item on twelve acres, feeding
them the sowsd corn, and also cutting h,s oal
green for food. His receipts the first year were
over S3,OOO. This year lie has summered or
that same farm twenty-seven cows, and lac told
me the other day that his twenty seven COW.
would average him 500 each from tie pro6t u,
milk" f"' va