Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-07-27
AGRICULTURE IN THE SOUTH.
BY TIL. POLLARD, EX-COMM1ssIoNER OF AG-
RICULTURE OF VIRGINIA.
IMPROVEMENT IN OUR LANDS.

Liz lllOuCo VI lhPlofSiLSho VI Jul AohuH
are numerous and it seems strange that far
mers know or practice so few of them, but
the down hill road is easier to travel than an
ascent (descensus Arerni lacilis-the down hill
road to ruin is easy and how many farms in
Virginia have been devastated, stripped OF
their fertility, their hillsdes exposed to wash
ing rains, the soil swept into the streams and
red gals left to greet the Responding eye.
''These things ought not to be, and this very
red soil on our hills proves in most cases the
natural goodness Of our lands and their capa-
bilties Of production-not in all, for sometimes
this red land, particularly in our Southern
border, has too much sand in it. Improve
ments of our lands must come mainly from
increase of stock; from green manuring,
clover, peas, etc., from proper rotation OF
crops and proper cultivation of land, so as to
give the land rest and nature al opportunity
to restore to the soil some of the abstracted
elements Of fertility, from lime and CONNER
cial fertilizers. We should prefer to COM
mence with
LIME AS TIE BASIS OF IMPROVEMENT.
This not only furnishes one the necessary
constituents of many plants, but acts as SOL
vent or mineral and vegetable matter found
in the soil and renders much OF it available.
In procuring a stand of clover lime is impor-
tant, for once this stand obtained and the
land will continue to improve if it is properly
managed-that is not grazed. Let it stand
two years, turn under the last crop, and
putting it back to clover after not more than
two crops. The quantity of lime must de-
pend on the quality Of the land and the
amount of vegetable matter contained in it..
Fifty bushels is considered good dressing to
begin with if the land is thin and light less
quantity should be used, though if there is
any excess the effects may be remedied by
thlashing the land with straw or pine tags.
Gas lime is good form to use and near the
cities may be gotten for two or three cents
bushel. If used strictly from the gas-house
it contains some sulphuret calcium which fires
crops, but by a few weeks exposure this be-
comes converted into sulphite of lime, which
is an advantage TO many soils. 1 have tried
gas lime with oats seeded in the spring with
clover, all being dragged together, and with
the production OF IN excellent crop of oats
with unsurpassed first crop Of clover. In
Underwater, Va, mari has been successfully
used in getting a stand of clover on lands
which otherwise would not produce it. The
writer, by clearing up old field pines, first
cutting them down and permitting them to
decay on the land for six to twelve months,
then blowing and then marling, produced
good stands of clover. The mari used was Is
per cent. carbonate Of lime, and from 25O to
300 bushels were applied to the acre. This
quantity is generally required, as the lime is
in quite all nsoluble state and has slowly to
he disintegrated by weathering and stirring
the land. Mr.. Edward Rutin, the author of
Il work on ''Calcareous Manures, which went
through several editions, was the pioneer in
the use of mari in Virginia. He was very en-
thusiastic on the subject and there is no
doubt but what he much improved his two
farms, one in Prince Georges and the other
in Hanover, by the use of mari, clover and
peas Later in farming life he has used green
sand mari, which in Virginia is an admixture
of carbonate of lime and green sand, the
active principle of which is potash. The mari
(Eocene) underlies the carbonate of lime Ter
tiary) and extends from the head of the tide
to about 25 or 30 miles below Richmond, and
is found on the James and Pamunkey princl-
pally Prof. w. B. Rodgers, in his geological
survey of Virginia, gives several analyses of
this mari, particularly of the deposits found
on the Pamunkey. Green sand mari has de-
cided advantages over the other us the potash
it contains makes it very favorable to the pro-
duction of clover. We have all heard OF the
wonderful effects of it on the land of New
Jersey, and Prof H. d. Rogers, brother to
Prof. w. B. Rogers, in his Geological survey
VI NSW OclSCy, SpCtlho VI VlC SlCuV SihSSeo Pio
duced by it on the sandy, thin lands of that
State, some of them he says, not being much
more than sand banks. Before the war when
our farmers had plenty of hands and much
more capital than they have now, marling was
quite extensively resorted to. Now they are
neglecting it great deal too much. Though
they cannot now generally mari large areas
most of them could 60 over a small quantity
each year, put that in clover and be gradually
extending the area and improving their fields.
Recently ground limestone has been brought
forward as a better improyer of lands than
buried lime, though it seems to have been
used for a considerable period and recently
revived. We have had frequent inquiries on
this subject and have replied that we could
see no reason in it's chemical or mechanical
condition why it should act better or even as
well as buried lime, but that there might be
some reason for it's action not explicable by
chemical scence-probably on the principle
that some mineral waters haye decided action
on the human economy, where chemical analy-
sis shows scarcely anything in sufficient guam
tity to he medicinal. The principle reason we
have seen adduced for the agricultural action
of ground limestone is that it contains much
carbOnic acid, which is promoter OF plant
growth, but then the atmosphere and the rain
waters percolating the earth have plenty of
this ingredient for the use of plants. Another
argument have seen for it's use is that vege-
tation along certain McAdenliZed road was
much better than little farther off, supposed
to be produced by the PARTICLES Of lime raised
by travelling and settling Oh the grass near
the road but this may be fallacious. For
some reason vegetation is always better on
either side of a trodden path than farther off
and generally on roadsides. We have recently
seen an experiment reported by correspOn-
dent Of the COultry Gentleman VIM. Reed,
of Pennsylvania) where 500 pounds ground
limestone at a cost Of S1.2O produced 80. I
bushels of wheat to the acre; salt, barrel ut
cost of 81, produced 29.G bushels to the
acre; while guano, 40S pounds, cost $3.50,
produced 29.3 bushels to the acre phosphate,
$40 pounds, cost S7.2S, produced 37.5 bushels
to the acre bone dust, $40 pounds, cost 50. l6,
produced 37.7 bushels per acre and fertll-
izer yielded l43 bushels per acre. Mr.. Reed
| processes to have conducted the experiment
with much care and the yields were by the
| thrasher's measure. These results, II true,
are astonishing us regards the ground lime
stone and salt The ground limestone beat
them all when reference is made to cost.
Well the farmers must try ground limestone
and compare the results. Salt has been fire.
ouently tried on wheat, and it is singular
with what varying opinions ofits effects. The
experience of English farmers has however
generally been in its favor, it we may trust
some recent reports. We can scarcely credit
that one barrel of salt q bushels) should have
| more than doubled the crop of wheat.
An evidence we did not mention of the gen.
eral efficacy of lime is that limestone soils are
almost universally good-we mean where found
naturally-and that they yield certain crops OF
wheat, grass, clover, and usually produce well
the other crops. But for the limestone lands
of England the country could never have at
tanned it's present degree of fertility; and the
limestone lands in Virginia are the most valu'
| VI ol,np !,