The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-23
Restoring Run Out Land.

IHVNsE&EaH - mum ! 1AANE go
account of how a Vermont farm has
been brought mp to a high state Of
fertility by the use Of chemical fer
filters. in connection with the
stable manure made rom the crops
grown on the farm. such an eN-
p~erience would seem 10 answer
some OF the recent questions Of our
readers as to the best method OF
improving worn out land:-
The farm under review consisted
Of some hundred acres, twenty-five
acres Of which were devoted TO I'll
lage. This land had been
worn and much neglected. Its
best fields had not been turned over
by the plough. or cheered by a
dressing, for many years. Nearly
one-half of the titled fields was a
low DOGGY meadow, upon which the
water of IA wet season was allowed
to rest until it evaporated. The
remaining acres consisted Of 4 series
of elevations, dry upon the top bat
full of springs at the base. The
soil differed in character and com
position as our New England farms
usually do. Some portions were
loose and d.y; others were compos-
cd Of moist, dark mould, with IA
clavey subSoil: and still others con-
tanned IA well-foImed, wet peat bog.
As it was before the experiment,
this farm produced only some ten
ions of indifferent upland hay per
year, but no corn or other gram
had grown upon it for ten years.
Almost no stock had been kept up
on the premises, and hence the
chief reliance for restoring the farm
to a good condition, was by the use
of special fertilizers. Five wears
from this time, the experiment had
been so far successful that eighteen
COWS, five horses, a yoke of oxen
and three hogs were fed from It's
productions; And these animals,
after this supplied all the manure
needed.
The whole amount Of fertilizers
used were fifteen tons of bone. one
hundred bushels of unleached ashes,
four tons OF fish pomace, two tons
OF Peruvian guano, five hundred
pounds of crude potash, II ton of
the oil of v%itriol, ten casks of lime,
and several hundred pounds of sui
phate OF magnesla; nltrates of soda
and potassa, chloride of sodium,
oxide Of manganese, sulphate OF
iron and sulphate of ammonia. OF
course, the animal manure produc-
ed upon the farm during these
years was applied to the soil to aid
in producing these results. The
whole sum spent for special fertll-
izers during seven years was $500,
during the same years stable ma
nure sold for six dollars per cord.
Had this kind of fertilizer been
used entirely, it would have given
only about three cords to each Of
the twenty-five acres, during the
whole time. This experiment
brings into comparison stable ma.
nures and special fertilizers, anc
can any doubt which are the mos
profitable? To have raised thi,
farm to its present high state cul
tivation by purchased manures
would have cost double the sum ex
pended.
One measured acre ploughed il
the autumn, and dressed in The
spring with five hundred pounds O
pure, fine bone, sowed broadcast, wa.
t planted with corn. A handful 0
r superphosphate "a placed in cacl
hill. From this acre one hundred
. and f~ifty-seyen bushels Of corn, il
the ear, were gathered. The fol
lowing year eight hundred pound
$ OF mixture OF ashes, bone dust an,
saltpetre were applied to the sam,
acre, and thirty-one bushels Of win
: ter rye were raised. \ few year
later the hay crop was cut from
this same acre, CATER Il topdressin.
Of five hundred pounds Of compst.
. two and a half tons. During tn
! entire five years, this acre vielde,
! ten tons of good hay. This acre j
a specimen of yield on this I'M
! proved farm. The corn crop wa
especially abundant, never fallin.
\ short of seventy bushels Of shelle,
corn, and once reaching one hun
Q dred and six bushels per acre.
O Second WORKING of Corn