Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-12-13
WooDLAWN AGRICULTURAL socIE
Renortcd for the Alexandria GAZETTE.


Reported for the Alexandria GAZETTE.
The December meeting was held on the
9th instant at s. H. Snowden's, President
Roberts in the chair, and y. w. Pierson,
secretary.
w. Gillingham had two varieties of corn
and four varieties Of potatoes on exhibition;
William Hunter, ,jr., brought some very large
specimens of Burbank potatoes: :. II.
Snowden two varieties of corp. One ear OF
yellow corn measured IS inches in length
with % rows numbering 1906 kernels of dent
corn This was raised on q knoll of land
without manure. d. Z. Smith made an es-
| innate that with two ears TO each hill, four
| feet apart each way there would be 1l2
| bushels to the acre.
| Reports were made by the residents or
the original Mount Vernon estate Of the
amount Of wheat raised thereon the present
years. amounting II gross to II 300 bushels.
! The question for consiGeration--HoW can
we best improve our land: The President
called upon the members in rotation to give
their views Oh the subject.
! Isaac SnoWden read an article from al
agricultural paper on the value Of giving
literally ground feed, especially wheat
bran, to stock to make rich manure, as being
more economical than to purchase so much
commercial fertilizer, which agreed with his
I idea But until the desired amount of such
manure could be produced, he would put
enough fertilizer OF some kind on corn to pro-
duce crop, then drill in with wheat about
| 400 pounds of bone or S. {. dissolved rock to
the acre the next year SOW wheat again
with the same amount Of fertilizer, and seed
with timothy and clover. The year follow
| ing put on a flock of sheep and feed it down.
| William Hunter would get his land in
clover as soon as possible by using some kind
of fertilizer, keep as much land AS he could
in grass, and put on stock.
l.. Gillingham said that was his plan also.
J. w. Roberts said get your land in wheat
and clover, turn under the clover then put
on wheat again.
| S. H. Snowden said he did not approve
Of turning under green clovor: he would cut
the clover, then turn under the stubble.
d. Buchanan thinks that stone lime will
give good results on new land; could see
but little benefit from oyster shell lime ex-
| cept in making the ground more mellow.
| 4. w. Harrison said he would underdrain
all wet land as fast as he could put all sta
bic manure on the sod for corn, then follow
with wheat using South Carolina rock and
ashes, seed with clover, cut one crop of co-
| yer, then put on wheat and seed with timo
thy aud clover
W. Gllingham follows the old plan, in
planting corn and sowing wheat and grass
seed.
V. Baker said clover and the plow was his
main dependence; plow, replow. and plow
again was his rule for Al crop.
L. L. Mason gave his views in writing
which he said he would revise and hand to
the secretary. VIM. Walton would keep all
the stock he could, make all the manure
possible, and grow clover.
n. W. Pierson read paper he had pre-
pared on chow to improve our land tax.
ing for text the rule given by Judge Buell.
many years ago. 'First make your land
dry, then make it clean, then mako it rich
In proof of the first part of the rule, quo
ting the saying of the venerable John
most productive farm in Western New
York-that she would not take any land in
his county to raise crops upon as gift if
| he could not underdran it.
| The value Of the second part of the rule,
is made painfully evident to any one pass
| ing through the country in the early snm-
| mer in seeing the large amount OF bushes,
briars, and noxous weeds of many kinds
| that infest the fields and meadows, absorb
| ing the moisture and substance of the land
to the great detriment Of the cultivated
crops The third part of the rule is the
most essential of all in making farming
success, as it does not pay to farm poor land
from year to year The main dependence
| in making land rich should be the stables
and stock yards where all straw, weeds
and litter of all kinds should be used as
| bedding and absorbents in making manure.
This will produce clover as a basis for i'm
provement, which can be supplemented
| with lime, ashes, bone or other commercial
fertilizers as our means will allow, and care
full experiments will demonstrate what our
land needs. Cultivate no more land than
can be made rich in reasonable length Of
time with udicious expenditure Of time and
money.
G. Lukens would apply 400 pounds of
bone per acre to sod land in the winter, on
which he would plant corn in the spring,
using Bryant's No. 9 or Guano in the hill to
start the corn. The next spring SOW oats
and apply $50 pounds of bone to the acre.
Turn under the oats stubble, and put on all
the manure made on the farm during the
year. Sow wheat with another application
of 200 pounds of No. 9, seed with timothy,
and in the spring SOW clover seed In break
ing up sod use q three horse Syracuse or
South Bend plow and thoroughly pulverise
with an Acme harrow.
D. P. Smith applied manure to the up
turned sod for corn, then SOW wheat, and
timothy and clover seed NOW the grass two
years and plow again.
Mr.. Pelton wanted good rich manure to
improve his land.
n. Gibbs said, make all the manure pos
sible; put on the wheat all that cannot be
put on the corn land.
r. F. Roberts said, on poor land he should