Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-14
RENOvATING OLD FIELDS.

Der.
RENOVATIKG OLD FIELDS.
To the Union and American:
DAVIDSON COUNTY, May u, 1915
If it was painful plOdding process
of trials" that enabled me to double
the products of one ten acre field, when
all the science of the best chemist of
the State could not tell, after he had
analysed its soil, why the field failed
TO produce crops, then 1 have always
been mistaken in my feelings. 1
thought then that it was one of the
most useful as well as successful ex-
periments of our life, and have con-
tinued to think 50 to this day. True
wisdom neither overestimates nor IN
derivatives these efforts. Science is
right when it reminds us again and
again of our insignifcance, and
this checks us in attempting
too much; but it is wrong
when it discOurages entirely those ever
repeated experiments of the farmer by
which he wrings from nature wherever
he. may be, the enioyments that follow
successful experiments. That we
should guard against any misapplica-
ton of the farmers labor is wise, and
we should ever act upon the truth
that the greatest success in agriculture
and other industrial pursuits exists
wherever men labor most IN harmony
with the laws of nature.
This field IN its natural state pro-
duced beautifully Of all crops. The
soil was then very loose; sod, trash and
roots were 50 mixed with the soil undLr
the process Of cultivation that
1t was several years before it
showed signs of running together
and getting hard, although the subsOil
was Of a tough, hard nature. I was
fully satisfied that if I could mix some
substance with the soil that would pre-
vent its running together and baking,
l could bring 1t back to be as loose and
pliable as 1t was In its natural state. I |
took strip of two acres on one side of |
the ten acre lot on which to try my ex-
pertinent. I knocked the stalks down
as soon IN October as the corn was
gathered, and l then covered the strip |
with straw-all l could turn under |
with a pillow drawn by four horses. l |
plUwed the whole field IN this way,
using a subgoil then hauled from a
sandstone cliff sand, with broken frag-
ments Of stone, covering the surface of !
these two acres from two to three |
inches thick, and then narrowed |
twice over, blowing it afterward |
with shovel plOws, but not disturb
ing the straw IN the bottom of the !
furrow. In this condition left it until |
spring. Then TeplOwed the wholefeld, !
using a subsOil, and sOwed oats and |
clover. The season was a good one,
neither wet nor dry. The yield Of oats |
on the two acres was one hundred and |
twenty.six bushels, and that on the |
eight acres was two hundred and forty |
one bushels. This showed a wide diff |
ference. There was equally as great a |
difference in the growth Of the clover. |
The next summer, after the clover was |
dead-ripe, I turned it under with the |
pillow, using the subsoil, about the last |
july In September / crossed 1t with |
shOvel-plOws, not disturbing the clover |
at the bottom of he burrows, then har-
rOwed and sOweO 20 wheat and covered |
with the harrow. The. yield on |
the two acres was seventy-six bush
els of wheat, the balance Of the |
field Welding not quite fourteen |
bushels to the acre. Corn followed.
The two acres raised one hundred and /
eighty-four bushels, and the balance Of /
the field turned out forty-eight bushels
to the acre. This vas a very favorable |
season, as the first part Of the season
was quite dry. My friend that had /
analysed the soil Of the two fields was
a frequent visitor, watching the eXper- |
iment and results with as much inter
est and anxiety apparently as 1 did |
myself. He freely admitted to me |
that the experiment had proved to his |
entire satisfaction that the Analysing |
Of soils could be of no real practical |
benefit to the farmer.
l felt quite elated over my success,
and reclaimed the balance of the field |
in the same way. Before the new field |
began to fail, turned under full crops |
of clover after it was dead-ripe. This |
increased the yield, which con- |
WINGED me that whenever the |
subsoil was such as it was in
these two fields, it was best to pillow |
under a full crop Of ripe clover. 1
could fill your paper with good sound |
logic, showing why this is so, but ev- |
cry sensible farmer will understand it |
at a glance, from the experiment de-
scribed above.
a moments reflection viii convince
any sensible man that an attempt to
determine accurately the quantity of
mineral substances or plant food that
enters into a composition Of crop Is
simply an absurity. Let US take one
acre, for instance, and cultivate it eight
inches deep. We would have two mil
lions of pounds of soil per acre. If
We put on each acre four hundred
pounds of guano, the increase in pro-
ductiOn on fair soil would be satisfac-
tory for several years. How, when this
four hun dred pounds Of guano is mixed
through this soil, 1t viii constitute
only about 003O Of one per cent Of the
whole. Where shall we procure bal
ances that VIII determine this weight
and detect the amount Of the ferti-
lizing clement?
ONE THAT LOVES To FARM.
THE COMING CHRISTOPHER.
Chicago Tribune.
In some portions Of Kansas and Mis-