The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-10-07
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Renovat,pg Exhausted Light Land.

Renovating Exhausted Light Land.
I gave in former letter to the Coun.
try Gentleman, p. 260, description Of
some acres Of light sandy loan lands on
my farm, aud my method Of cultivating
them This year have been experiment.
ing on them with plaster aud salt 10
limited way, 10 view Of taking new de.
purture In their cultivation in future,
plowed about cne.half acre Of this
land about the Goth of May; it was part
OF bound.out moving field. About a
week afterwards | dressed it with two
bushels Of plaster, sowing it broadcast,
and then narrowing the surface Of the
field with light harrow to mix the salt
aud the plaster with the soil. then
opened rows three feet apart one way, not
running the pillow SO deep as to disturb
the sod. About the both of May plant.
ed in drills about three.quarters Of the
piece 10 fodder corn, and the remainder
to potatoes and beans; the potatoes and
beans had plaster in the hills also in ad.
dition. June was very dry indeed in
consequence my corn, potatoes and beans
on other lands, d,es5ed with barnyard
manure, came ~ very slowly, and good
many hills d;i not come up at all. But
on the field dressed with the salt and plas.
ter, the corn, potatoes and beans came up
rapidly, and though their growth was
slow through the dry weather in June, the
plants had from the first start a healthy
appearance, and we of dark, rich green
color.
Since the rains set in, about the first
Of July, their growth has been rapid and
vigorous, all | could reasonably expect or
dcsire-fully equal to similar crops where
dressed the land quite literally with
good compost manure.
am so well pleased with the expert.
ment that l plowed few days ago an
acre more of this old field, after moving
off the light crop of grass on it for hay
This acre | intend to sow to rye and
herdsgrass seed about the first of Septom
Der, without disturbing the inverted sod
and | intend to press it with four bushels
of salt AID six bushels Of plaster, sowr
broadcast before sowing the rye and herds
grass seed, and early next spring SOW on
clover seed also and bush it in with O
light br 81. Providence permitting, ]
intend next year to try the fodder corn
potatoes and beans again, with the same
dressing Of salt and plaster on the invert.
ed sod of more Of this land, and | will
perhaps plant an acre or so to corn 10 ma.
turc for grain in thcsame way.
Should clover and the other grasses
take kindly to these lands, after the corr
and the other crops come off in the fall
and | see no reason why they will not
it certainly, think, must be a sound
profitable and progressive way to treat
these lands through one or two rotation:
at least. intend to try this method, and
save all the barnyard manure made
through the entire year to make into com
post for my moving lands, that have q
more compact, moist, finer and stronger
soil. This course, pursued with these bet
ter lands, in little while will double
their product Of hay, to say the least
while the salt and plaster treatment oil
hose lighter lands, | hope, will equally
improve them also, and increase their pro.
ucts.
The lands alluded to above are in grass
now, and have tolerably good sod to turn
down on which to SOW the plaster and salt,
and it is not designed to disturb this in.
verified sod during the rotation, not taking
off but one crop before seeding again to
grass. Rye perhaps should be sown with
the grass seed in the fall, and may be cut
for forage crop, or left to mature for
grain, as circumstances may seem to indi.
cate the better way. The object should
be to get paying crop Of grain, potatoes,
beans or sow forage crop, to feed out to
the stock the year the lands are under the
pillow. and grass the rest of the time dur.
ing the rotation, and have good sod of
grass to pillow under at the next blowing.
Should this sod fail, it will be an indica.
cation to return again to the compost ma.
nure as the proper dressing for these lands
for while. | have no belief that this
salt and plaster dressing will work or be
paying operation on old, worn, light,
sandy loan lands, where the grasses have
become extinct and the sod all gone.
Those worn lands, where there is no barn
manure to apply 10 them, would better be
put in pasture for sheep, and get the red
top and other grasses into them again, or,
what is perhaps better still, be left at once
to 60 back to forest Country Gentle.
nan.
ROYAL SMITH.
Franklin Co., Mass, July 80.