The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-08-30
Renovating Wornout Lands.

my lOI plChluS up GuG SJOu6.
Renovating Wornout Lands.
At a recent meeting of the Vans
vile Farmers Club of Prince
Georges County, Md, the question
under discussion being 1.-The best
method of renovating and imDrov-
ing wornout lands, the following
method, recommended by Mr..
William S. Powell, president Of the
Powell Fertilizer and Chemical
Company Of Baltimore, Nd, whose
experimental farms are located at
Annapolis junction, Md, seems to
meet with general appreciation and
is well worth a trial by those who
are endeavoring to "make living"
and ''improve the land'' at the
same time. Mr.. Powell SAID:
"My plan, Mr.. President, based
upon theory and followed out in
practice, for the improvement of
wornout lands, is, taking them as a
class, these lands haye not been re-
Gently cultivated; it follows they
are occupied by bushes, briars and
weeds; therefore l grub them in
August, as this is the best month
to kill the bushes, as the sap is then
largely in the body and at its fullest
flow. | then break the land up
deeply, so as to turn under COM
pletely all the weeds, to get a bene-
fit from these weeds as green
manures, thus setting in motion
what is known IN chemistry as nitri-
fication, and further to bury the
weed seeds before they are sulfi-
GENTLY ripe to terminate, and there
by largely prevent return crop of
weeds in the field to be planted.
Early in the spring l harrow with a
spring-tooth harrow and cross-har-
row. l then drill with a wheat
drill a fertilizer containing only
phosphoric acid and potash. This
can be made of acid phosphate and
kainit, equal parts, say 400 pounds
to the acre, which supplies these
two elements of plant food in excess
of what any crop can use. | plant
to corn, and under the corn at
planting time l put 100 pounds of
fertilizer to the acre; this is quick
acting ammoniated fertilizer, COM
posed of equal parts of blood, tank
age 7 per cent. and nitrate of soda
which starts termination quickly
and pushes the young corn ahead
fast enough to get it beyond the
cut-worm age.
"Of course, the corn is worked
thoroughly as the season and other
farm work will allow. After the
corn is removed | seed with wheat
or rye using fertilizer, 800 pounds
to the acre which is low in ammo
MIA from bone tankage and high in
potash from muriate of potash and
medium quantity of phosphoric
acid, which is gotten partly IN a re-
verified state from the tankage used
as an ammoniate, and in a soluble
form from acid phosphate. With
the grain SOW half the usual guam
tlty of timothy. In the spring 100
pounds of nitrate of soda to the
acre is broadcasted as soon as the
frost begins to come out of the land;
the balance of the timothy and clo-
verseed is sown at the same time.
After the wheat comes off, I top
dress the Young clover with 100
pounds of Novia Scotia plaster to
the acre, which helps to attract and
retain the moisture, thus prevent
ing the usual killing out of the
young grass in the August droughts.
The next season | cut the grass,
but in the fall | topdress with lime,
and repeat the same crops in rota-
ton until | get to a good grass
stand then | can reasonably expect
good crop returns. If l do not
wish to raise the small grain, but
recrop to corn, at the last working
of the corn | SOW crow peas, j
bushels to the acre, in the corn
ground. | turn under when fully
ripe, making small application of
lime to the plowed ground, in the
spring harrow and cross harrow,
in a fertilizer containing
only potash and phosphate acid, as
it will not do to apply ammoniated
fertilizers and lime to the same crop
as the lime drives off the ammonia;
in fact, the peas turned under fur
nish all the ammonia the corn crop
needs.
81 believe under this plan paying
crops can be raised and land per-
manently improved"