The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-07-21

A Model Maryland Farm.--A eorrespon-
| dent Of the baltimore SaR, writing from Belair,
Hartford county, describes at some length the farm
aud farming operations Of Mr. William Woolscy,
one Of the best known agFieuturists in the state,
from which we take the following;
"The exponent Of farming In this section IL Mt.
VIM. Woolsey. lie IL said TO be the best farmer
in Mary land, and second 10 none In the United
States. lls beautiful and fertile place 10 about !
miles from Delair Mr.. Woolsey r. not theuTist
who has INDUCED his fancy aud spent his money
in theoretical farming, but u practical, earnest
worker, who has made fortune from n small be-
ginning by the judcious culture Of barren land.
There are certain axioms in farming which Mr.
WOolsey states with an emphasis that will admit
Of no mistake. His favorite fertilizer, outside Of
barn yard manure, Is raw boue. lie says: "A
rich man may use 100 or 200 pounds Of bone TO
the IL he chooses, because u u not material
for him to raise n crop. but poor man must use
from 900 20 200 pounds to the acre or he will
be ruined Mr.. woolscy's grand farm l. in strong
contrast 10 IL former condition - wears ago. when
he took charge Of II. a. described by himself aud
ncighbOrs. For the 3l2 acres constituting the
home place he gave less than $4,000. IL was then
dead poor, aud would not grow q crop TO pay the
cost oi eultivating the land. Lime did not act on
the place, and he has improved with bone. Amer
two years experimenting with guano he gave 10
up. because he saw he was paying too much for
ammonia aud was not getting enough phosphate.
lie has always faTmed for money, and has always
made Il. MI. woolsey plants his corn 10 rows 81
feet apart, with ~ to u inches between the stalks
His average crop IL 100 bushels 10 the acre on all
the land cultivated. and In the last eighteen years
he has only gone n low as 50 bushels 20 the acre
on one occasion. lie never uses any kind OF ma
nuTe on corn, bat turns under n good sod. lie
seeds his wheat on corn stubblc. using ! ton of
raw bone per acre. or " he seeds wheat on falow,
which he docs rarely, he puts ! ton Of bone on
each acre. Timothy Is seeded with the wheat aud
clover in the spring Mr.. woolsey said so bushels
of corn per acre would have done IS years ago.
bat Il won't do now. Agricultural implements
aud fertilizers have forced farmers along. The
speaker continued, pointing 90 luxuriant fields Of
grass. tina, they would do for beds for any person
In winter time. 50 continuous was the growth
These fields stay In grass from I TO years, and
cut tons Of hay 20 the acre. As they grow older
the growth u not 90 heavy, but the hay IL finer.
His permanent pasture has been In grass IS years.
Cattle are on Il all the time from early spring un-
Ill late in the fall. IL was in many places over
waist high, and would have cut Gne crop Of hay.
The wheat average on corn stubblc Is about 30
bushels: last year |; was ~. On fallow the aver
age has been %. The oat yield IL so 10 GO bushels
per acre. and a. high 20 bushels have been made.
Cattle. grazing he regards as the most profta.
bic branch Of farming. and he fattens from i25 TO
$50 head annually. Drovcrs bring two year. old
steers o. his barn from West Virginia. lie buys
the feeding stock ut his barn and sells the faited
cattle there. lilo has large scales there and buys
and sells by weight. When he IL ready 10 sell
merchants come 90 his place from New York and
Philadelphia. Most Of his cattle are shipped to
Europe. The cattle for .aiicniug were bought
last October and sold from March to September.
In summer the cattle get grass alone lie has put
on ~ much A. an average of COZ pounds in l3
months On one whole lot OF elat,ic but generally
less. They are attaining greater weight this year
grass than ever before. and the whole herd will
easily average !.6oO pounds. They are all three.
year. old steers. Some were pointed out TO Mr..
woolsey a. having the beautiful heads. straight
backs and rich colors 81 the Dcvons. lie said yes,
and that some of the fancy breeders pretended TO
object TO Devon blood. but he always told the
drovcrs po, TO stop in the selection Of his cattle
On account Of an admixiurc Of Devon stock. be-
cause he liked IL. There IL much in the selection
of stock for grazing"