The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-22
Farm Topics.
IMPROVING LAND.

VI course There are different processes
for renewing the fertility of soils that were
once naturally fertile, but through long
continued culture have ceased to be suf-
ticiently so to produce remunerative crops.
The renovation of a sworn out" soil may
be said to be impracticable from a pracu-
cal point of view. To restore such soil
costs more than the land used for ordinary
agricultural purposes would be worth in
our section wnere it is SO cheap In respect
to this matter ian ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure" and renovation
must begin before the land has become so
impoverished as to be unable to produce
the humus crop, by which it is to be reno
waited. 1t is well understood that this i'm
provement of worn, not worn out, soil con-
sists chiefly in restoring to it the humus or
vegetable matter that has become exhaust
ed from 1t. AS a general proposition it
holds that soil is poor simply because it is
destitute of humus. That restored to it
the land becomes fertile enough to produce
remunerative crops again and renders it
for many crops independent of the appli-
cation of any other substance, though al
ways justifying the additional apphcat ion
of the mineral elements potash and phos-
phoric acid.
Land that has run down to q condition
where its productive capabilities are not
more than 100 pounds lint cotton or ten
bushels of corn, may be cultivated to
greater profit and satisfaction and to the
ultimate advantage of the land by
having the crop grown in wide rows, say
feet apart for either corn or cotton or potaa
toes, manurIng these rows well and growing
crop of peas between, the vines of which
are allowed t. die on the land and in due
time are covered with soil. The following
year have the corn or cotton or potatoes to
grow IN the old pea row, every year fol-
lowing this plan of peas between and alter
mating from one to the other, and it will
not be long before land thus treated will
get in good condition again. When the
rows a,e wide 800 pounds of a good am
nominated phosphate will be heavy ma
Eurlng when applied to the main and list
burrows and larger crop will result than
where the rows are twice as close with
just half the amount of fertilizer to the
row. This IS the plan where returns are
wanted from land while undergoing recu-
peratlon, and with land of medium fertility
this is always the most satisfactory.
Pursuing this plan with part of the
land and then allowing the oat rye or
wheat land to grow up in weeds or grass
and not pasturlng too severely and never
when the soil is wet an amelioratlng sys-
tenn Will have been inaugurated thai will
III d HIIle WINE restore the lost fertility and
cause the land TO produce profita ble crops
1t is poor system that takes everything
possible from the land and gives nothing
pack TO II and humus tor vegetable matter)
Is the main thlng that poor land wants to
restore 10 to good condition. Commercial
1ertlllzer alone cannot effect this change
except as it may help to make vegetable
matter to be turned under, and Its uss
rarely pays on soils that have been robbed
Mo-, F.,
poor use OF commercial fertIl ger when they
apply 1t to the soil of such a nature 1t is
almost like throwing money into the fire.
First see tnat tue humuS is there then ap-
ply the fertilizer, and frequently this need
only embrace The mineral elements Pot
ash and phosphate readily dispensing with
ammonia, the most costly and more easily
wasted element of all. If our southern
farmers could only be brought to realize
how much to their ultimate good this care
Tor their land would prove, it would not be
many years before we would see a great
change IN our agricultural condition. If
tney would give even just half the care to
IL that the English, French or German
small tarn9r accOrds it, there would soon be
less compiaint Of wornout soil and bank
rupt farmers in the south.
GRAPE CULTURE IN GEORGIA.
Fellx Corput, a successful grape grower
VI NOl1u OoOrSla, recommends the follow
ing varieties IN the order named: OF the
ue OF black, the Concord, Ives and Hart
lord; OF the red, the Delaware, Catawba
ana Salem; of the white, the Niagara,
: Mart and Prentiss For period prior
10 1856 the Stale horticultural Society re-
FUSED is endorsement OF The Catawba owing
TO pretty general complaint of rot. In
1870 IL was restored to the list as a desira-
Ole KIND and seems to be doing very well.
III addition TO the above list the society
composed of practical srowers) indorsed
GHe following: For market, Wilder,
Dana Perkins; for red wine, Nortons-Vir
glnla: Jacques, Worden Lenvir and Gin
ION Tor white wine, Diana Warren, Scuu-
i'erhong. The Prentiss mas only qualified
Lu'rsement, and is commented only for
amateur use. Let those small farmers
VINO nave y yet made planting of this
Whoiesofneb dehghtful fruit come to de-
,Islon 70 lpake start this winter with
10" uoze4 plants of the above kinds prop
el!F Hl&ed, say ten OF each SIX kinds, or if
t .nis seems 100 many take just one-half, OF
eplrey v'nes. Do not plead ignorance of
tne subject OF grape culture or the expen-
slNeness OF 1t, or the delay of getting re-
.urns ON the crop. Good. practical infor-
mutton i9Itoh Is readily obtainable Good 1-year-
pIl VINES are to be obtained quite reaSona
ny, ayd the land devoted to the VINEYARD
! CAL 10 cultivated ID some other crop for