The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-06-10
Our Old Farms.
WHAT SHALL WE DO WIFE THEM.
RESoyATING cpups

RENovATING CROPS.
In the last three numbers we have
discussed the subject of grass culture
topic of rapidly increasing interest
Agricultural writers have been press.
ing in upon public attention for long
time, but whilst the old extensive
system of cultivation prevailed, there
was little room for the grasses. With
the decrease oflabor and adoption OF
the intensive system, however, there
is now an abundance of land which
may be devoted to them. The hesita
ton necessarily incident to lack of OK
perience in their culture, is the chief
difficulty in the way. This will soon
disappear, and we expect in few years
to see our beautiful South land COW
cred with verdant meadows az we'll as
blooming fields.
We return to grass culture again.
however, not to unseal the volume OF
the future, nor sketch the pictures of
fancy, but to add that wherever cir
cumstances favor, it is we'll to seed
down clover with grasses at first
The former will pretty we'll take pos
session of the land for the first year
or two, but will then yield to the grass
es, and leave t. them rich legacy, in
a soil deeply loosened by its numerous
decaying roots, and filled with organic
matter, rich in those heterogeneous ele-
ments that the grasses delight in. A
very heavy dressing of manure would
not do more for the grasses than the
preceding growth of clover.
CLOVER AND PEAS.
These we designate particularly as
reverberating crops. Farmers have
always recognized the Importance Of
such crops. In former years when a
field was "run down" as they term it.,
by successive and continued crops of
cotton, it was customary to SOW it
down in small grain. Such practice
had the good effect of checking the
washing away of the soil and Of giving
it vegetable matter or humus. But q
true renovating crop will do more; it
will add available nitrogen to the soil.
Az every one has learned the great
value and costliness as nitrogen as a
fertilizer, it is unnecessary to dwell on
the utility of the crops in question:
We proceed rather to discuss the
grounds upon which choice Of plants
should be made aud how to obtain
the best results of them.
In the abstract, clover is preferable
to the peat requires no cultivation
it is more easily turned under with
the plougl--its roots penetrate the
earth more thoroughly and subsoil it
m're effectnally-its chief growth
takes place when rains are usually
abundant.--and in the plan we have
proposed, one sowing of clover will do
as much perhaps as three Of peas, for
it will occupy the land after the small
grain is removed, both during the re.
of that year and through the
next, and properly managed will re-
seed itself But it has the disadvan
tage of being more choice in regard t.
snil--it will rot thrive on very sandy
soil, one upon which the pea will grow
nor upon rs poor soil as the pea.
II about to begin the Improvement of
a very poor piece of land without ma
nure, we should select the pea to staff
with. or if the soil was very sandy,
should make the same choice. On the
other hand, the necessity of planting
and cultivating the pea at q time of
the year when the hoed crops require
is great drawback upon its
usefulness. The ground is often so
hard at the proper time for planting,
that furrow cannot be made to re-
ceive the seed-the same difficulty ari-
SEES, if it is desired to turn under two
crops of them in season. On light
sandy soils however these objections
have not the same force, and with all
that can be urged against the pea crop
it is a most valuable one.
We suggested in a former article
that one third of the cultivated land
on the farm should be in one or both
of these crops, every year. To state
it in another form, that once in three
years every acre of cultivated land on
the farm should receive the benefits of
II renovating crop. Once in three
years receive the benefits Of small
grain crops, with their land preserving,
Lnmus furnishing OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
too, which are tn he consumed 1T home
and therefore make restitution to the
land of those substances they have Ia
ken from the soil. in form harm yard
manure. Once only in three years il
an exhaustive or market crop to rob
the land-and with regard to this, the
South has an advantage over most
countries, for the cotton seed being re-
tanned on the farm, the lint carries of
with it a minimum amount Of soil in
gradients. But for the hunus destroy-