Middletown transcript., 1875-04-17
Aoritultural.
Department Report for March.
SURPLUS CROPS.

fruit and vegetables Sussex. the south
ern county, though exclusively agricul-
tural, imports half its -four supplies.
Tobacco is the surplus product Of
Maryland agriculture, nearly all going
out of the State. The counties produc-
ing the bulk Of the crop are Anne
Arundel, Calvert, Charles. Prince
Georges and St. Mary's. The Eastern
Shore counties, lying west and south Of
the Delaware and east of the Chesa-
peake, ship largely Of peaches and
sweet potatoes It is the surest peach
section Of the country. The cash bring
ing product of Montgomery is hay; Of
Washington, wheat; of Frederick,
wheat and corn. Mixed farming pre-
walls in all the counties Of Western
Maryland to the Alleghanies. Fred
erick, Hartford, Baltimore, Carroll,
Cecil and Washington are most exteH-
sively interested in stock-raising.
The principal surplus Of Virginia is
tobacco, which is grown more or less
in nearly all the counties, but extern
sively for shipment only in counties
east of the Blue Ridge and in the south
ern portion Of tho State. The great
wheat region is the Shenandoah valley
and the slopes of the Blue Ridge in
Northern Virginia. Princess Anne
and Norfolk are truck patches for the
Western market. Cotton is grown in
Prince George, Sussex and Rappahan.
mock to a limited extent, and few
bales in several other southern counties.
In Prince George wheat formerly ex-
ceeded in value all other crops, but
rust so prevails that it is now confined
to the banks of the James river, and
cotton, peanuts and winter oats are
cultivated in its place. Wheat is
drawn from the valley to Richmond,
where it is manufactured into superior
quality of -four, of which 250, 900 bar
rels are annually shipped to Rio Jaaerio.
CLOVER AS A FERTILIZER.
The use of clover as fertilizer is
extensive in Delaware, Virginia and
Maryland, especially in Maryland.-
In Maryland clover and commercial
fertilizers constitute about three-fifths
of all, used. The following extracts,
from very full returns, afford spesi-
mems of prevailing processes and re-
suits.
sCecil.-After moving and pasturing,
the sod is plowed under for corn, by
which farms are very much improved
Mine yields double, perhaps threefold,
what,it did twenty years ago. Dor
chester. Generally the first crop is cut
for hay, then pasture till time for Atock
to come to the barn then plow under
for corn; the best fertilizer we can get
for that, and tells on the wheat crop
which comAs after. Charles-General-
ly practiced the'frst crop allowed to
fall to the ground, as q cover, instead
Of turning it under, because regarded as
preferable for its fertilizing effects.
Have reclaimed an old wornout field by
using Turner's Excelsior, at the rate
Of 200 pounds per acre; good stand
of wheat and clover, the latter allowed
to fall on the land, not grazed. The.
following year the increase Of corn was
threefold, the season not being very
favorable. Glover is wholly regarded
as the cheapest and most permanent
fertilizer. Carroll-The full crop
turned under for wheat considered by
some as equal to good coat Of barn.
yard manure. QueenAnne's-On nine
tenths of our arabic land red clover is
almost invariably sown to succeed the
wheat and oats crops. This clover is
generally pastured the second summer,
and if not left ever is followed in.
August for wheat. We consider
good clover lay the best fertilizer for
wheat crop. If the ground is well pre-
pared, and moderate amount Of super
phosphate drilled in with the wheat to
give an early start, good crop, say
twenty to twenty-five bushels per acre,
is the almost certain result. Red clover
is to US what the turnip crop is to Eng
land. Calvert-The full crop seldom
turned under; the usual practice to
turn stock on the second year when the
clover is in full bloom; the stock tram
pie NEST Of it under foot, and it is plow-
ed under the following spring. This
system is considered quite improving
to the soil. Some years ago had an
odd corner Of five acres, thoroughly
exhausted and dead-poer. l plowed
the land, narrowed in commercial ferti-
lizers at the rate of 400 pounds per
acre, and planted in corn The season
vas favorable, and the crop forty bush
els per acre. which paid for fertilizers
and left handsome profit I followed
the corn with wheat, drilling in an
additional 200 pounds of phosphate
per acre. The wheat crop did not pay
expenses, but the succeeding crop Of
clover was unusually heavy. This was
flushed under the second summer, and
ii