The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-06-23

How can Farming be Made to
Pay,


The first requisite in successful farm
ipr /, a proper preparation OF the soil,
nv iertililing and tillagc, The restora-
IN, of tbe elements taken from it by
wo.bipp rains aud cultivated crops, is
tbe nrime necessity Of success. Much Of
ibis can be accomplished by deep plow-
ing and the consequent exposure Of the
sub.oil TO the action Of frosts, rains and
tho atmosphere, All our soils are made
from the disintegratiOn Of rocks and
Wondering down Of original clays, by
the action OF the elements, or the de-
,trucliyc agencies Of inorganic chemis-
nv, and the union Of these dissOlving
matters with the deCaying particles Of
animal and vegetable life. A judicious
application OF these we'll knownlaws has
converted barren wastes into fruitful
fields, and deserts have become the home
Of wealth and prosperity. 1t should be
the aim Of the tiller OF the soil each year
to bring to the surface, at least q small
portion Of the subsoil, to supply the una
vOidable waste that every year elsnes
from the cultivation OF crops. This
should be pursued annually until the
depth Of we'll disintegrated soil should
be sufficient to accommodate the longest
roots Of cultivated vegetables.
Blu: deep and thorough tillage alone
will not be sufficient to render our soils
nroductiye, This will indeed only make
Il the proper receptacle for artificial up
plications to be supplied from the re-
sources ut tho command OF the farmer.
Manures in abundance must be provided
and well applied, To provide these in
sufficient quantity and quality Is the great
problem Of the day that farmers have to
solve. Still there are resources within
reach OF every one that In very few in
stances are utilized. Swamps and ravines
IRE filled with the accumulations OF ages,
that can he easily secured and prepared
by composing with manures from the
stables, and the quantity and quality in
creased a hundred fold. AS II now Is,
about all that il done upon large ma
iority Of our farms is to draw out the
bleached and wasted heaps Of stable or
barnyard manure md scatter II over the
most convenient field, and this not for
any especial good, but simply to get 1t
out Of the way, II these otials had been
properly secured from the bleaching
weather, swamp muckS, marls and min
erals mixed with them, their value could
have been indefinitely increased.
We do not consider stimulating ma
nurcs, such Us guano, phosphates, bone
dust, &C., the best things to be used by
farmers. They are simply stimulants,
and when applied will increase the pro-
duct Of the crop very materially for the
present, but they add nothing to the per-
manent strength Of the soil, but diminish
II, rather. But II We first make use Of
the heavier materials, to add strength and
permanence to the crop producing ele-
ments, then an application Of such stimn-
lants would be Of great benefit to every
years crop. w
As instances Of the capabilities Of our
soil from deep culture and thorough ma
nuring, we may look at the success Of the
market gardeners, near our cities and
towns. Very often they take upthe very
poorest soils, and after few years rem
der then capable Of the most abundant
crops Of every kind Of vegetables. And
instead OF going over large farm plOw-
ing, dragging and tOiling for very small
return per acre, they Conllne themselves
to Just what they can thoroughly prepare
and cultivate, and from this receive n
much greater return than they could from
ten times the amount Of land, and many
times the labor from fields unprepared.
II Is not the amount Of acres cultivated
that produces wealth, but the amount
that Is well done and thoroughly prepared
for the most valuable crops.