The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-08-20
Best and Cheapest Method OF I'm.
proving Worn.out Lands.

Tuckahoe Farmers Club, and publlsneo
in the Southern Planter:
To the practical farmer there is no
more interesting or important subject
than the best method of restoring worn
out lands. The fact that they are worn
out implies that they were once fertile
and producing crops. Such lands are
worthy the attention of the farmer, and
are more easily brought back to their
former value and fertility than to cult
vate lands naturally poor and which re-
quire building up and constant feeding.
While these may seem too poor to
grow even q crop of stunted weeds, yet
there are elements in the soil which are
ready to do good service when permitted
to do so. For instance, as long as the
seed lies dormant in the land you cannot
kill it; but make the soil mellow by
turning it up for the action of the life
giving sun, air, and showers, then notice,
if you will, the generation of millions of
weed seeds.
This vital help Of natures ever ready
laboratory is what every farmer has when
building up the waste places. The first
growth of volunteer vegetation may not
be strong, but the turning of this small
crop of weeds will furnish more strength
to each successive crop. If this be re-
peated number of times, the land will
at last have received sufficient substance
to furnish food for other crops. This is,
however, slow process, but within the
reach Of all, for the thorough h breaking
up of the soil is all that is needed-na-
tu,e does the rest.
The application of manures and fer
tilizers of various, kinds in large guam
titles is more speedy process, but also
an expensive one; and while it may be
the best for the aggressive farmer, it is
not the cheapest, and this is one Of the
points asked after in our subject, and one
of immense importance to the average
farmer.
The practice of growing crops for the
purpose of plowiug them under to fer.
tilize the soil is one that, in my opinion'
has very much greater advantage than
any other, and there is no better way of
cheaply improving it than this. To pro-
cure sufficient supply of manure is, at
the best, a very costly process, but crop
that may be easily grown in few months
and then turned under, may furnish to
the soil as much fertilzing matter as
eight or ten tons of manure per acre, and
this process may be repeated several
times in one year.
Manuring with green crops is not only
the most economical, but, to most lauds,
one of the surest and most speedy means
of improving the texture and fertiliziDg
properties of the soil. Besides furnish.
ing plantfood, the soil is made more mel
low and better fitted for producing other
crops. Various crops are used for this
purpose sons Of course, are more valu-
able than others. If We may be permit
ted to place two at the head of the list as
most valuable, we would name red clover
and the cowpea, the former for general
use and the latter as best suited to this
locality. Among the numerous other
crops used for this purpose are buckSheat,
rye, oats, corn and millet.
The Hon. George Geddes, we'll known
throughout the United States as practi'
cal and scientific farmer, says of the clover:
"If our soils require improving, We turn
the clover crops under and repeat the
operation until there is sufficient fertility
to allow us to carry the clover of. The
oftener ne can fill the soil With roots and
then plow them Under, and thus allow
them to rot, the sooner do ne expect to
get our land in condition to bear crop
Of grain. A very considerable part OF
the cultivated land in Central and Wes.
tern New York has never had any other
msnuring than this clover and gypsum,
and its fertility is not diminishing" He
states that he had field, which for seven
ty.four years, had been manured with
nothing except clover grown upon it, and
plowed in and that this field had pro-
dueed wheat, corn, oats barley and grass
The clover thus used had, for fifty years
been regularly treated with gypsum, and
that the land was constantly increasing
in fertility.
Our own DR.. Pollard, late Commission
er of Agriculture, gives the following
direction for improving partially-e1-
hausted lands in the Southern States by
the use of vegetable manures:
"It may be said that a considerable
portion of our lands are too poor to pro
duce clover or even crop of grass
Then let 200 pounds of ground South
Carolina phosphate and 300 pounds o.
kainit (Dr. Ravanel's ash element) bs
applied to the land and peas seeded
when grown, turn these peas under ano
SOW clover, With wheat or oats, i
thought best, and We shall be apt to get 8
stand of clover, particularly if the lane
be lined after the peas are turned under
But if the farmer cannot get the 'ast
element, let him SOW peas or rye early ir
the fall, or oats early in the spring, turr
them under in June-then SOW peas ther
clover"
This brings me to my own experience o
the PAST four years in bringing to grass
producing point farm on which bushe
and broom straw reigned supreme. Th
plan most successful has been to SOW ry'
during the month of October, applying
$50 pounds of fertilizer per acre. Th
following spring, when the rye is in bios
aom nlow If down and soW meas on thi