The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-08-24
Deer Creek Farmers Club.

18TH, 1871, the following active members being
present: Messrs. Webster, president Bayless'
(Secetary,) Hays, Archer, Ball, Glasgow, Jas
Lee Lochary, Moores, Munnikhuysen, Willis,
Walters, Silas Silver, George E. Silver, Rogers
W. d. Lee, Janney, Gorrell and Allen. Also
Messrs; r. b. Mccoy. Joshua Husband, Jr.,
8. NJ Lee, A. NJ. Fulford, Geo j. Finney
and f. w. Baker, honorary members and guests
The committee Of inspection, Messrs. Moores,
Lochary and Munnikhuysen made critical ex
animation OF the premises and stock and report.
ed in terms complimentary to the proprietor
An opportunity was given to see the Eureka
moving machine at work. and it performed ad-
mirably. The committee expressed their pleas
ure at the line appearance of the Alderney and
Durham cows. They adverted to the fact that
Mr. Hays last spring spread lime which had laid
In pile on the ground since 1872, and saw no
benefit whatever from its application.
Mr.. Allen, on behalf of the committee ap-
pointed at the preceding meeting to ascertain
what steps are necessary TO put in operation the
contract system of road mending, stated that the
committed was not yet ready 10 make full re-
port An animated and lengthy discussion took
place on the subject, and general condemnation
of the roads was expressed. Some of the mem
bers, however, commended that the roads were
better than they used to be, but that the present
system was not carried out as well as it might
be. Mr.. Allen offered the following resolution:
ResolUed, That it is the opinion of the Deer
Creek Farmers Club that the present system of
road mendng is a failure and that We the Deer
Creek Farmers Club, are in favor of the con
tract system
The resolution evoked considerable discussion,
when, upon motion, it was referred to the com
mittee previously appointed.
Upon motion of Mr.. Allen, gentlemen visiting
the club are invited to participate freely at ali
times in its discussions.
The discussion of the question of the evening
as suggested by Mr. Hays, namely, "What course
would the club advise me to pursue to make my
farm first-cass grazing farm" was then com
mcnced.
Mr.. Allen said he could sum it all up in very
few words To make this q first -class grazing
farm make 1t rich, the quickest and cheapest way
he can. Mr.. Hayes, he thought, had the right
idea of raising something green TO pillow under.
Mr.. Gorrell would advise him to pillow in all
the green clover he possibly can, put on all the
fertilizers possible, and stock it as largely as
possible.
Mr.. Lochary said he would not plant great
deal of corn. Put the land in wheat with half
ton of bone to the acre, and there would be a
good chance for clover. When you can get
clover to grow you are all right.
| Mr.. Archer said: Mr. Hays has big job before
him. Three hundred acres of poor, unmproved
land to bring up 10 iirst-class grazing farm
| One hundred and fifty acres of poor land is
enough for any ordinary man to improve in an
| ordinary lifetime, and when you try 300 acres
| it is enough for two men. So, would advise
him, us he has undertaken the job, to double
| team. That is to crowd two years. labor into
one. Let one of his so-called teams be the feed
ing of say 20 head in his present stables, and
feed everything he raises, even the hulls on his
| wheat, and make nil the manure he can from
| them, and spread it, don't care where. Let
| him run the farm in the ordinary way, BY ap-
plying bone and other fertilizers on the sedge
fields, &c, and the other team to be independ-
ant altogether of the farm. Let him put up.
temporary stable, which will accommodate
say GO head of cattle; buy everything they eat,
| put them in the stable say on the 1st of Deem
Der, and feed them all the corn they will eat; bed
| them literally and feed say till May LIST, and he
will have big pile of manure, which will act
anywhere, don't care whether it is on sedgr or
weeds or brars. | think if he buys the cattle
judicously, feeds them judiciously and sells
them judiciously, he will make enough on them
| to pay for all the corn and rough feed, al
tendance, interest on the money invested, and
insurance. So he will have manure enough
clear to cover over 20 acres. Let him continue
this process for 20 years and say he will have
good farm. But you say that it will take
| good deal of money and good management
Grant it. know it will; and know Mr.. Hays
| If he has no other means can command it, and
| | know also he has the brains to manage WE'LL
1t is prevalent idea in this neighborhood, that
| if you see farmers team on the road hauling
bone he is going right straight along; no
danger of the sheriff ever selling him out; but
| if you see another farmer hauling corn and hay
| from another farm to his own, he is going right
straight to the poor house: the sheriff will have
| him inside of yoar. Now, nothing is further
from the truth, and would like to see that idea
banished from the minds of our farmers
Mr.. Glasgow would prefer to pillow under
clover or some other green crop for wheat-even
weeds-and make that speciality. Would
pasture the first crop and pillow under the second
| Would top dress with some compost, say BONE
salt and plaster for wheat of course blowing un-
| der the clover.
Mr.. Moores said he had been trying to bring
up poor land with bone dust, and it won't do
One of his fields has had nothing on 1t but bone
dust for Is years, and the last crop was only
three-quarters of ton of hay. He would adj
| wise Mr. Hays to make his land rich as fast as
he can with barn yard or stable manure, and not
| pillow it until he has some grass on it. Would
put stock on it, Would break up the old fields
applying some good phosphate or Peruvian
guano set in grass and apply manure as fast as
he could. Bone dust will not act well on all
lands, but stable manure is of advantage on any
| land.
Mr.. S. NJ. Lee would put little lime on the
| sedge either before or after blowing, whichever
would be more convenient. Then applying an
active fertilizer, not in too large quantities at n
time, and get good start of grass. When that
is accomplished he might burn one-half his
plows. Would not let the clover stand longer
than the second year before blowing IL under
There is q difference in the action of lime on
lands, but he had never seen any land on which
it would not act well the first time. He had
seen lands adjoining Mr.. Hays's improved by the
course he recommended.
Mr., Rogers said suppose Mr., Hays has so
or 10 acres producing good grass His plan
would be to Keep all the stock that would fatten
and work on the thin land. Raise all the grain
on that the stock would consume, make all the
manure possible and improve without heavy
outlay. On so or 60 acres he can Craze rs head
of cattle. The rest of the land must be fertili-
zed before it can be improved He should raise
all the corn, wheat, grass and provender for his
stock and increase their number each year. You
can not get land in high state of cultivation
without fattening cattle. Simply farming land
and putting on bone dust won't do it.
Mr.. Mccoy
When soil becomes much exhausted, as near
ly all the farms in Maryland did fifty years ago,
many farmers rapidly improved their lands by
lining and sowing clover and blowing it down.
This practice was continued, and with the appli
cation Of what manure was conveniently made,
| until guano was discovered, when many farmers
bought and applied it to their wheat crops. 1t
seemed 10 Increase the product, but some had an
idea that it did not improve their soils satisfacto
rly As guano became scarcer and dearer manu-.
featured fertilizers followed. Many farmers
bought and applied them, and the practice of
| blowing in green crops nearly ceased, which
think was bad policy, as it appears to me with
| all the money expended in the purchase and ap-
| plication of these manufactured fertilizers the
| productveness of our farms has not increased
SO fast as under the green crop system. In my
own experience / have been more successful in
| increasing crops by blowing down clover, even
after the first crop was taken off, than by the
application of phpsphates or ground bone, and
surely it costs less. am almost ready some
times to think that this whole artificial fertilizer
business has been an unfortunate thing for the
farming interest. Now there are several econom.
Ical modes of increasing fertility The blowing
down of clover after growth Of two years,
when roots become large, buying and feeding
! large quantities of bran, increasing the live
stock, particularly sheep and swine, hauling in.
to their yards md pens all kinds of substances
suitable for manure, as muck, soil, leaves weeds,
grass, straw, fodder, potato tops and in fact ali
kinds of vegetable growth about the farm, but
do it before pernicous seeds are ripe Still better,
adopt the soiling system. There are two very
| imnnrtant adYantaGes in il: first. the great in