Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-11-20


CONTINUOUS CORN ROWING.
1t was in the year 1861 that Mr..
John Prout bought the farm Of Saw.
brldgeworth, Herts. The estate pur-
chased contained four hundred and fifty
acres of heavy clay land mixed with
strong loan. The price paid was
Gl6.000. About thirty shillings per
acre was the full value of the soil when
he entered into possession. He soon set
his farm in order by cleaning the land
from weeds, draining, subs0iling. ditch
ing, fencing. and cottage-building and
performing the necessary improvements
preparatory to entering on a novel
system of husbandry. At a cost OF
$1,000 these preliminary Improvements
were made. A powerful steam engine
purchased Of Messls. John Fowler, Of
Leeds, was an early acquisition with
which the stubborn soil was broken
Wheat was grown as the principal crop
and thirteen years ago Mr.. Prout, to
the establishment Of many, commenced
what was thought a downward course of
permanent exhaustion Of the soil by
commencing o series Of sale dsposing Of
the standing crops OF grain in the straw.
1t was apparent that, selling the pro-
duce of the farm in this manner saved
the risk and the heavy expense OF
harvesting. 1t was surprising to many
that, being his own landlord, he should
adopt such system OF agriculture. -
Had he been poor tenant whose lease
was well-nigh run out, his avarice
would be discounted, his honesty i'm
peached. AS 1t was, his wisdom was
Clearly thought to be at fault. Perma-
nent exhaustion Of the soil Of his newly
purchased property was confidently pre-
dicted. Analyses showed that the soil
was not Of remarkable fertility, and 1t
was assumed that, although the profits
derived at the commencement were
good, they would assuredly in few
years grow miserably less.
At the present time the success OF
Mr.. PrOut's system has become an
established fact Although at first The
land had to be repeatedly ploughed and
scariied each Year. one ploughing six
or seven inches deep now makes good
seed-bed. Artificial fertilizers only are
used homemade phosphate and pur-
chased nitrogenous manures-at a cost
of from fifty Slillings to sixty shllings
per acre annually. The sales are held
about week or ten days before harvest =.
The standing crops are put up to auc-
ton. The total cost of each sale and
The expense relating to.it Is about 600.
No live stock are kept except few
animals for household aud the general
working purposes Of the farm. Only
part Of the produce is thus returned to
the scilas tarm-yard manure, asd this
is applied to small acreage of green
crops. 1t is essentiallya corn-growing
farm. aud it may practically be said
that the entire produce of the farm is
sold annually, and carted away to en-
rich other soils. Still the fertility of
Sawbridgeworth suffers no deterioration.
The crops OF wheat and other grain
crops maintain their average yield in
all but exceptional seasons, such as
affect tie crops Of Mr.. Prout's neigh
bors as well as his own. The sale of
wheat averages little more than 9lO
per acre. This year the average was
9lO Is. Cd. The barley averaged go
los. and the oa,s e0 lbs. 6d., giving a
general average o. 60 l5s. 81. per acre.
Will this system pursued by Mr..
Prout pay! was the anxious inquiry of
farmers decade ago The answer is at
hand. 1t is authoritatiyely stated that
the annual profits amount to upwards
OF foOO annually. The estate purchas-
ed at less than 9lG.O0O is now worth
twice that sum. The land bought at
f33 per acre, after being long time in
the market, would now readily sell for
nearer go than eco per acre. The
amount received from the sale of the
growing crops is not augmented By any
adventurous circumstances. The buyers
are neighbOring farmers, not specula-
tive strangers. The same purchasers
reappear on the ground whenever the
sale takes place. They assess the value
Of the standing corn with great preci-
sion, knowing the farm, the soil, the
season, and the general character of the
produce ; many Of them having watched
the crops from seed-time until the
fields are white for harvest, from the
early blade to the fas: ripening ear.
There is no great novelty, however, in
continuous cOrn-growing. Mr. J. B
hawes, by his experiments, had long
demonstrated>ths possibility Of sn.h
system. The soil contains usually ali
the principal mineral constituents nee.
cssary as food-supply for the growing
crops, and these are practically inexhaus-
tible. Nitrogen aud phospaoric acid,
however, are essential to the life Of
plants. These valuable constituents
are scarce. and quickly exhausted, or
not presentin an availlng form, after
few years Of continuous corn-growing.
But they can be readily supplied by ar
tiiclal manures.andabundant crops may
doubtless be grown in succession by
their use on soils Of good mechanical