Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-05-28
POOR LANDS.


TN almost every 1arm OF the extent OF
quarter of u section or more there are
several acres of land from which no re-
turns are received. What ia worse,
they greatly injurc the appearance of tho
farm and diminish its pccuniary value
il IL is offered for sale. 1t may be said
that these waste places cost the owner
of the farm nothing, as he spends
neither time nor money in cultivating
thom. Such, however, is not tho fact.
They arc taxed like other portions of
the farm, and rs rule they are SUR
rounded by fences. They call for an
annual outlay of time and money, and
they afford neither pleasure nor gain.
Sometimes these waste places are high,
steep and rocky, or have had the pro-
ductivc soil removed from them by tho
continued washings that follow heavy
rains. AT other times they are low and
marshy, and have no natural outlet
for the water that collects in them. In
some cases they can not be drained
without the consent of the owner of the
adjoining property. Occasionally the
waste land is chiefly occupied by ra-
vino, that is annually growing wider
and deeper for the reason that the banks
and bottom are not protected Us they
might be.
There are few sorts of land that can
not be made productive of either pleas
urc or profit, and which would not be
made TO afford both if they were in
countries whore land is scarccr and labor
more plenty. However steep and rocky
land may be it can be made to produce
trees and vines that are both useful and
ornaments. There are scarcely any
hills or mountains in this country that
are not covered with trees, shrubs and
vines, if they have been protected from
fires. The roots of trees and hardy
vines find their way among rocks and
obtain all the nutriment they require.
All the nut-bGaring trees do exceedingly
we'll on thc5D rocky elevations. So do
all varieties ~ cvergrecns. \ hill COW
cred with put bearing trees and eyer
green's prescnts vcty beautiful appear
ancc and Comments r farm better than
expensive buildings 20. Many Lardy
spple trees and grape vines do well on
these rocky elevations. The like is true
OF wild plum and cherry trees. a hill
covered with trees and vines will soon
become source of delight to the occu-
pants of farm. If they are from
place where forests abound il will re-
mind them of their old home. 1t will
be seen and admired by travellers and
people living several miles from it.
Many pieces of land that are too
rocky, broken or unproductive TO be
plowed can be made to produce certain
crops without much expenditure of labor
or money. Good crops of pumpkins,
squashes, melons and cucumbcrs can 10
raised on land OF which not more than
onc-fftecnth parts worked by any imple-
mcn;. Large hills can be made product
i've by the use of the spade, pick or mat
tock, liberal amount of stable manure
applied and the best soil mixed with it.
On this the seeds of the vines can be
planted and the young plants tended in
the usual manner. As the vines increase
in length they will extend over the hard
earth and do quite rs well as they would
on the most fertile soil. Pumpkins,
squa-hcs and melons will ripen finely if
they lie on high and rocky land. These
vine crops are generally neglected by
Western farmers because they are voted
Il bother" in corn-iiclds, and for the
additional reason that farmers do not
like to devote good corn land to their
production. Tomatoes also do very
well if planted in similar situations, and
the fruit ripcns much better than in
comparatively low and moist places.
RavincS can be utilized in various
ways. Some that are quite wide and
have firm banks can be rooted over and
made to protect all kinds of farm stock.
The Indians used ravincs for the pro-
lection of their ponies long before this
country was discovered and occupied
by the whites. Some ravines that have
hard banks and bottoms can be used
for the storage of water to use in t!mo
of drought. All that is necessary TO
convert them into reservoirs is to build
strong dam OF stone or timber, and 10
furnish it with discharge pipe, and q
spout for carrying off the superlluous
water. tits easy 10 prevent ravines from
increasing in size by sowing the banks
with the seeds of grasses that have long
and tenacious roots. The grass may
never be of any value as food for AMI
mails, but it viii protect the banks. and
will help make them beautiful. Trees
will grow in ravines, and many tender
varieties will do better in them than in
places where they are exposed to The
sun and to high winds. Recently sew
eral writers have advocated planting
gooseberry and blackberry bushes in ra-
vines. They state that they are well
protected in them, and that they pro-
ducc more and better fruit if they have
a partial shade.
III low places can not he drained so rs
to render the soil capable of being titled,
an effort should be made to make them
of value for other purposes. a pond
suitable for raising carp and some other
kinds of fish can often be made in u
portion of 4 slough at very small cX-
pcnse. During dry time = portion Of
the earth can be moved with n scraper,
so as TO make an excavation deep
enough for fish pond. The earth re-
moved can be used to raise Il part of
the land high enough to be of value in
raising cultivated crops. In Michigan
improved bogs have been used during
the past few years for raising celery,
which does best in moist soil In New
York improved Dogs have been used for
producing onions for the market.
Many small bogs so situated that tho
surface can be flooded Daring the win
ter might be made very valuable for
raising cranberries for supplying tho
family. As q rule cranberries are only
raised on an extensive scale, but there
are thousands of small bogs in the West
that might be made to produce berries
enough to supply local markets and
meet the wants of private families. -
Chicago Times
Danger From a Cats Breath.