Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-06-22
AGRICULTURAL.
Devoted to the Interests Of Farmers
and st4kmsn.
Worn Out Lands.

walton. Turned.ou fields are grown
to sedge, briers and bushes, and have
many washed out gullies. A century
or less OF cultivation, so-called, has
done this, and he now is experiment
ing with grasses, to find some way to
make available pasture and return the
soil to usefulness. He gays there are
hundreds OF millions of acres in SINH
lar condition. 1t is well enough for
the people who commence to till a new
soil to look ahead to what the land
they own may come as poor inheri-
lance for their heirs, and try to follow
some method of farming that can pre-
serve some degree of fertility, rather
than exhaust its virtues and thereby
beggar their heirs. There are many
farms in this beautiful and fertile val
ley that have already lost 30 much
productive power as to not bring nearly
so good crops as in the beginning.
There is no profit left in growing
staple crops on such land, and the
question is: How long will it be be-
fore cropping such land will cease, and
it be turned out" like those worn cut
lands in TENNESSEE
II is possible to pursue profitable
system of rotation, with clover as a
restorer, when clover will grow, or by
putt ng land to grass and feeding
stock on the land, and by prudent
management prevent the continuance
of such waste as has been practiced
here. There is downright wickedness
in destroying the fertility that has
been accommodating for untold ages.
To do this ignorantly aud blindly is
bad enough, but the world has reached
a common-sense knowledge of soils
and their management that no man
can be ignorant of, unless he is blind
to all sense and deaf to all reason.
Robbing the soil should be made a
worse crime than felony.
The market for fat sheep shows
these days very clearly that the man
who remembers that carcasses as we'll
as fleeces are to be sold from his flocks
is the shepherd that is going to win.
In 1850 the English sparrow in
America occupied the area of q single
tree or tree-box. Now he disports him.
self over an area 1856, 900 square miles
in the United States and 10000 in
Canada.
DR.. w. L. Challis, of Atchison, Kas.,
is having the cottonwood trees on his
farm cut down and sawed into lumber.
These trees were planted by DR.. Challis
in 1858, and are now an average of
three feet in diameter,
1t requires more labor to engage in
gardening as compared with farming,
but less land is required. The most
profitable crops are not those that
give the largest yields, but which
bring the highest price, compared with
the Cost.
Pig pens should not be on the same
location every season. By having
them movable much valuable manure
Can be secured from the saturated
earth around the old sites, while the
change to fresh places will greatly
promote cleanliness and health.
Among the cat ,lemen who attended
the recent convention in Denver of the
International Range Association was
Ex-senator Stephen w. Dorsey, who
is one of the largest cattle owners in
New Mexico. His holdings of ranch
lands at one time aggregated 1O4 900
acres
After removing the mulch in the
spring from the strawberries hoe be-
tween the rows after the soil shall
have become somewhat warmed, as
that will let more warmth and air
down to the roots. A small portion of
wood ashes scattered along the rows
after hoeing would be very beneficial.
The Marbles, or punches on the
backs of the cattle, may be killed by
puncturing them through tho en-
trance hole with an awl, or by syring
ing in a few drops of carbolic acid
slightly diluted. If let alone each
grub will make another gadAy to tor
ment the cattle next summer.
"False blossoms" or "rose blossom"
on the blackberry peculiar to the
Wilson especially is caused by worm
Matched from eggs deposited by a
winged insect. The canes should be
cut below the enlargement caused by
the worms, in the fall, and burned, in
order to destroy the insect.
The pereimmon tree does not de-
prive the 'oil of a large amount of fer
tlizing elements, and for that reason
makes the best of shade trees for stock.
In the South, even on abandoned
fields, the persimmon is allowed TO
grow. Its growth is slow, however,
but its fruit is highly valued by some.
Severely cutting back the dead wood
on the peach trees will start them into
new life. If the tree be dead at the
top and the wood near the trunk
green, the new buds will soon give a
new top By keeping all the injured
OIL wood cut away the tree will do ser
vice much longer than is usually the
case with peach trees.