The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-06-24

people should select men to repre- :.
sent those who are wholly free from
all railroad influence.
Fraternally, PETER 6. DOYLE,
Sec'y Valley Grange, goo.
The Best and Most Ec0noinIcaI
Mode of Restoring the Fertility
Of the Soil.
Address of James G. Spencer, before
Flower Hill Grange, II3, Claiborne
county, Mississippi.
Worthy Master, Sisters and
Brother Patrons. Excuses are as
| odious as comparisons, though |
fear when am through you will
wish you had excused me- altogether.
The subject you have asked me to
discuss is one of such vast limits
and importance that | can but feel
my inability to do it justice or even
10 interest you, but the considera>
ton of it well becomes us. That
our lands are impoverished is
patent, and we have but to investi
gate our course to find where the
blame lies; but it is Dot only cruel
but often unnecessary TO remind a
sick man that such and such i'm
prudences have borne their fruit.
It is better TO try to remedy the
mischief and build up the system,
trusting the sufferer may profit by
experience, and right here we may
recall an old saying that ''He is a
Bappy man who profits by the ex
perience of others, a wise man who
profits by bis own experience, but
fool who profits by neither
1t is not in all climates that ma
ture is so kind and generous as in
Ours, and it is question that often
presents itself to me, care not these
favorable circumstances the Syren
that bears US TO destruction?" since
we are. so prone to trust to our mild
climate and productive soils, till
the patience OF the latter has be-
come exhausted ard il no longer
responds to our feeble efforts. With
those, soils in localities where ma
ture is stern and rigid you will find
a closer attention paid to the laws
and requirements of nature, and a
moro strenuous effort made to force
tribute from the earth. | often
think that there is either a great
deal of human nature in the soil,
or a great deal of soil in human
nature, since they assemble in the
fact that in each similar treatment
produces similar results With
man, i'll use, abuse and neglect
produce soreness, selfshness, and
finally exhaustion of both mental
and physical powers; and with soil,
complete cessation of fertility
and productiveness. On the other
hand, kind and generous treat
ment, proper rest and recreation,
and judicious training and man
agement, make a happy and useful
man, and profitable aud produce
tive condition of the soil.
Admitting, then, ::the poverty of
our lands. what treatment shall we
follow to remedy the evil?
First let us look into some of the
causes that have produced this state
of affairs, for these lands were orr
ginally rich and productive. 1t is
not the length of time that they
have been in cultivation, for we
have knowledge of lands far less
fertile originally and still yielding
abundant subsistence for dense pop
ulations for successive centuries
and rather improving in condition.
Then we must see that we have
foolishly starved and overworked
our lands. This may sound like
strange assertion applied to an in
animate clod that ir is tired and
starved, but how often the foot that
kicks the clod is more dull and in
animate than the clod itself1 This
dirt we disdain so much is a study
worthy of the master and is teen
ing with life, and when we realize
more fully the nobleness and i'm
portance of our profession we will
realize that it is indeed a profession
and study. Yes, we have heart
lessly starved and overworked this
faithful servant, and now complain
that 1t does not do our bidding as
of yore. We must realize that it is
valuable thing of life and needs
proper rest and food. How shall
we rest it? Many suppose that
turning tired, worn field out and
not cultivatingitis resting it. What
folly If you have hoed all day
does it rest you to chop wood all
night! If you plant and work
field, taking from it year after year
exhaustive cotton crops and when
too poor to be productive turn it
out to grow weeds and broomsedge
do you rest it, Indeed, mol neither
does it feed it. Let US see the error
of our ways and turn from them.
Let US take this worn out field
which has served us so faithfully
and search for and gather together
all the food that is palatable to it,
and if we can not give it all that it
needs let us do what we can. Let
US spread the table for it, i. e., let
US pillow deep and harrow smooth
the surface gratis, not asking pay
at once, remember, but let it take
in this feast, and you will soon see
a smile of green heritage irradiating
its face. Repeat this spreading and
blowing and strength ana vigor
will return. We must take a por-
ton of land, if it be but few
acres, rest and recuperate it by APP
plying to it all the fertilizers we
can possibly save, and by contin-
ually blowing under all growth