The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-19
LITTLE WORKOUT FARM.
How 1t was Reclaimed and Made Profit
able with Commercial Fertilizers.

There are three possible methods for
bringing up wornout soils: L. To buy
large quantities of hay and grain to be
fed TO milk COWS, which at the present
condition Of the markets can only be
done at a loss. 2. To buy city stable
manure. half straw. of such uncertain
value and composition, with all the at
tendant expense in the way Of labor and
the tedious incorporating of it with the
soil. 8. To invest in some high grade
commercial fertilizer easily applied and
sure in it's results and of absolute quail
itv. The overwhelming evidence is that
many farms have rapidly been made
more productive and greater profits real
lied when liberal quantities of high
grade commercial fertilizers have been
used. Here is what one who has tried
the last named says about the method in
The New England Homestead:
am an ordinary farmer, depending
solely upon the product of small farm
for nv support and with no more time
to devote to experiments or to an exact
accounting Of each item of expense or
income from the use of fertilizers than
most farmers have. In 1880 I came into
possession of farm of Ia acres, the en-
tire product of which, it being nearly
all moving, would not support one COW
and a horse. With the exception of two
or three acres, the land was of the
poorest quality. One acre of the best
land was planted with potatoes, with
fair dressing of barnyard manure, and
produced 80 bushels Of potatoes, which
sold the following spring for 25 cents
per bushel It was early seen that some
way must be found to bring up the farm
other than what resulted by keeping the
stock it would support. I began apply
ing fertilizer in a small way. The same
year one-half acre was planted to vege-
tables, with commercial fertilizer at the
rate of about 800 pounds per acre. From
this was sold, besides home consump-
tion, over $50 worth. Another COW was
added from time to time and little
hay to keep her, while the amount of
fertilizers used was increased from year
to year as better knowledge Of their
composition and application was gained.
Until the year 1890 there was sold
from the ID acres over $400 worth of
small fruits and vegetables and enough
hay cut to keep five COWS and horse all
through the season and leave from one
half to two tons of hay in the barn
when haying time came around again.
Not one pound of fodder fed but what
was raised on the place. The next year
10 acres more of land were purchased,
light, run out, plain land. but a small
part of which has yet been made pro-
ductive, but from the whole 26 acres
last year was sold nearly $500 worth of
small fruits and vegetables. Besides
this, more than "a, 900 quarts Of milk
were sold at retail, seven COWS more fed,
also two horses. For six months the
COWS were fed entirely in the barn on
green fodder grown wholly on the place
and nearly enough hay cut to carry the
stock through the other six months.
More than five tons of the highest grade
commercial fertilizer were used in 1892,
and on some pieces at the rate of ton
to the acre, some for seeding down on
fodder crops as we'll as for strawber-
ries, vegetables, ETC. There is also
good prospect of cutting enough hay an
other year to keep all my stock without
buying. There is now more stable
manure to use, but it has been but three
years since it was possible to keep more
than three COWS, and it is during that
time that the greatest amount of COM
mercial fertilizers has been used. So /
am satisfied that the great increase in
the productiveness of the land has been
obtained entirely by the use Of CONNER
cial fertilizers. During all this time the
farm has been growing better, the profits
realized have increased, until the little
wornout farm now supports itself