Montgomery County sentinel., 1880-11-19
farm aud Aumsetula.
How to Reclaim Exhausted Lands.
BY HON. JOHN II. cRonrR, OF TENN.

N'sSssa@+N't
There are various degrees and stages
of exhausted or worn-out lands. Some
writer's recommend clever as reclaimer
for exhausted lands; but soil that will
grow clover is by no means exhausted
at all events, it is not the exhausted soil
we shall allude to.
What we shall refer to is old fields that
have been turned out for years, and have
grown up with briars, pine bushes or
sedgc grass. Even these lands can be
reclaimed and made profitable while be-
ing restored. Nature makes an effort to
restore or heal all wounds that are in
ficted upon her. If man or other an
imal receives cut or confusion, nature
at once applies her healing powers to
cure the wound. So it is also with the
vegetable kingdom. If tree or shrub
be cut or wounded, nature exerts her
healing powers in proportion to the con-
stitution of the plant So if the soil be
exhausted or wounded by bad farming,
nature will cover it with something in
process OF time-most probably pine
bushes, sedge grass Or briars. If field
has grown up with briars or pine bushes,
cut them Down in the month of July or
August, and as there are probably gull
lies in the field, fll them up with the
briars or bushes, leaving any balance
that may be on the ground The next
spring the native grass Of the country
will probably begin to make its appear
ance. if it does not, it will the year after.
But whenever it appears and gets start,
pasture it with sheep or cattle. The
fall from these will add greatly to the
soil. The second year after the bushes
or briars have been cut down, they will
probably have been sufficiently rotted to
plough the ground. Then run a coulter
or heavy harrow through it, and in Au-
gust sow it down in rye, and pasture all
through the winter with sheep and cat
tie when the weather is dry, and so con-
tinue until August, when plough or har-
row again, turning the ground over and
SOW again in rye, and pasture as before.
The result will be, after several years of
this process, you will have soil that
will produce clover, and then it will be
easy to make it produce wheat. In the
meantime, the pasturagc of your land
will more than compensate for the labor
bestowed upon it.
If a field has grown up in sedge grass,
commence to pasture it with sheep and
cattle early in the spring, when the young
grass is tender. and pasture it heavily
throughout the year, SO as to keep it
from going to seed. Sheep will fatten
on it. dry cattle will keep in good order,
and it will even increase the flow of milk
from your COW, which will make golden
bstter, In two or three years the sedge
grass Gill disappear, and then SOW rye
and then clover, pasturing the rye when
ever the weather is dry enough to pre-
vent the ground being cut ID by the
cattle. II
Rye is a favorite grass of mine. 1t
is very nutritious as grass, and makes
very good hay if cut when in bloom or
the grain is in the milk
Horses eat it nearly or quite as we'll
as they do timothy or red top. Throw
ing straw or weeds on CALLED places in
the field is good way to restore land.
| have given cheap and economical
plan of restoring the worst worn out
soils. To haul manure from the stable
to putson such lands would be too ex
pensive; but by the process have point
ed out, as have before said, the annu-
al pasturage will fully compensate for the
labor performed, Southern Planter and
Farmer.