The Portland daily press., 1895-12-21
FARMING WITHOUT MANURE
a Brief Account of Results Obtained vr,,o,,
wornout Connecticut Farm

q wornout Connecticut Farm.
Keeping live stock to maintain the
fertility Of the land is accepted as the
best plan by the majority Of farmers
but there are some who tell us that this
is not the best way under all circum-
stances. Following is an account of re-
suits gained upon wornout farm of 10S
acres in Connecticut. The land was
mainly light sandy loan. Twelve wears
ago without fertilizer it yielded less
than six bushels of rye to the acre. The
fifth year afterward, intermediate crons
of corn and potatoes having been taken
from the ground, 16 tons of hay were
cut from the same 51s acre field. The
principal crops now are corn, S5 acres;
potatoes, 30; tobacco, s; tomatoes. z;
cucumbers, 5; onions, 2; squashes, 2,
and large acreage in grass. The Yields
for series of years have been generally
good and sometimes exceptional. There
are some sheep, a few COWS and several
horses, but the quantity Of stock kept is
comparatively small. The corn fodder
is fed to the stock, but most Of the hay
is baled and sold. All the barn manure
made is used, but this goes but little
way. The hay and other crops are prac-
tically all sold off the farm, and the fer
tility that goes with them is restored in
some other shape than that Of stable
manure.
The fertilizers relied on are tobacco
stems, castor pomace, bone meal, super
phosphote, muriate Of potash and nj
trate Of soda. Tobacco stems are applied
to a greater extent, according to cost,
than anything else. They are used as a
fertilizer for tobacco, potatoes and on.
ions and to certain extent for the hay
crop. In all cases they are plowed in,
except when applied to grass as a top
dressing.
For potatoes two tons Of tobacco stems
are plowed in and $50 pounds Of meal
and an equal quantity Of phosphate ap-
piled in the drill to each acre. Castor
pomace, muriate Of potash and nitrate
of soda are used differently under differ
emit circumstances. The same fertilizer
is not used alike for corn and potatoes.
For corn two mixtures are used. One
is castor pomace, bonemeal and muri-
ate of potash. The other is bonemeal,
superphosphate and muriate Of potash.
There is little choice between them.
Everything is broadcasted for corn, ex-
cept that when tobacco stems are APP
piled and plowed in one Of the above
mixtures is used in the drill. By these
means the yield of corn has been brought
up to over 100 bushels of sArs per acre,
and of hay to three tons to the acre.
Although the possibility Of improving
poor land by blowing under green crops
is not doubted, the method is not prac-
ticed because too slow. Applied ferti-
lizers bring quicker and more profitable
returns. The rule is not to plant rod
of ground that is not fertilized, and to
apply just as much fertilizer as can be
used proftably. Experience has shown
that it is not practicable to go much be-
yond certain mark for corn or stop
much short of it and obtain the best
paying results. Prices vary somewhat,
but for corn, ordinarily, an outlay of 15
cents an acre for fertilizers is found to
be about the profitable limit.
The same general practice with ferti-
lizers has been followed from the begin
ming, except with regard to nitrate Of
soda. At first small quantity, about
200 pounds, was used, but this has been
increased to between two and three tons
annually, mainly applied as top dress
ing to grass. Tobacco stems, castor po-
mace, grass roots and stubble are relied
on to furnish humus. A great quantity of
material is furnished by decaying green
roots where turf land is turned down
about every third year. The rotations
are frequent. The first year turf land is
plowed, in the fall, if possible, and
planted to corn. This is followed by po-
tatoes. The succeeding year what land
may be wanted for tobacco is taken
from this and the remainder planted to
potatoes; the next year the land is seed
ed down to timothy.
The result, contrary to the general
opinion, is that heavier crops of hay are
grown by following potatoes than to-
bacco. But, concludes The writer of the
foregoing, correspondent Of Country
Gentleman, with such a diversity Of
crops there can be no fixed rule as to ro-
tations except that cultivated crops are
not grown more than two years in the
same soil and the grass not more than
three years.