Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-10-30
TIE MORE FLOWING InE seIIes


sosp, Agricuhural Editor oxford persocfs
Paris. Ne.
The MORE FLOWING THE Better
We are all becoming pretty vel
agreed that the great trouble with New
Englsnd farming il that we have allow
ed the land to lie in grass too long With
out replowing.
IL Is a convenient way to farm ana
does not require great expenditure ol
labor, rs the harvesting of the crops |:
all there Is TO Ii. Bus old grass field,
furnish small crops aud but little money
returns, and every time we nov Over
them we are dissatisfied with them, with
our business, and with ourselves.
The field covered with dense growth
OF grass and clover Is most encoarxg,
ing and happy sight. IL conveys tC
every pssser-oy an impression OF pros
perity and contentment. As proof OF
the position that lack of working the
soil Is a cause of It's unproductivenes.
We have but 10 direct attention TO ths
mesgre crops OF the unwoTked fields
OF course plant food must be applied
20 the lands In connection with thorough
NuAtNaeiVu, W mhAc Nttttu Ntii utXi-
mum crops. But there Is much materisl
10 sn unavailable condition In the soil,
and IL IL unavailable TO the plants simply
because the land is so solid that the air
cannot circulate through IL and by con-
tact change IL 20 such condition that II
may become available food for plants
One thing Is certain; unless the land
Il cultivated, the materials Il contains
viii oe very slow in yielding nourish-
ment 10 plants. There are quite q num-
Der OF instances within our knowledge
where fields in low state OF production
have oeen plowed, thoroughly TILED,
and fertilizcG with ihree or four hundred
pounds Of fertilizer per acre, and seeded
20 clover and grass, and the crops that
have grown the irst year or two have
been very satisfactory. The trouble
with work OF this kind. as undertaken
oy many, has been that they have ex-
pected lands treated In this way 10 yield
half dozen or more satisfactory crops,
and because they did not, the practice
was regarded by the operators as not
worth repeating. IL they could have
realized that the soil when first cleared
OF It's forest growth WAS well filed with
rotten leaves, mold and vegetable mat
ter, and that the presence of organic
matter had much 10 do with the pro-
ductiveness OF the soil, and that when II
was exhausted the soil PARTICLES settled
together and the land became hard, the
air WAS denied entrance sud circulation,
aod It's capacity for retaining moisture
Was reduced. they would have seen the
necessity for replowing IL again after It
had Welded one or two crops OF hay,
and turning In the sod and aftermath
that were upon the land, 20 decay Ia the
soil and furnish IL with humus.
While We do not believe In the practice
OF working over large surface for in-
different crops, but do believe In inten-
sive work, We recognize the fact that
many farms have large areas ot free
land that are now unproductive. but
which by team work, almost wholly.
can be again brought into such condition
that grass will grow upon them, and
these moderate crops, used on the farm,
will return manure for the fertil,Eing OF
the land where they grew, and the re-
pested snd fr' quent blowing In OF good
grass and clover sods will change any
naturally good, bGt abused soil into such
n condition that its ownership will be n
satisfaction rather than matter OF in
difference.
II but three or four Scres on a farm OF
such soil a. have spoken OF. are plowed
shallas. this fall, and tillsge and seed
ing follow another sexsoo, Il will he but
few years b. fore Nnother COW or two
can De added 70 the herd and mSintsinrd
from the produce Of the improved land.
The application OF this plsn Is not
costly, for the money expenditure ia not
great, aud most farmers Who are In
earnest can ind the time of team and
man for the starting OF extrS work.
This Il 10 new aud untried scheme,
for it has been worked out on many
Maine farms. The plan i SIS plain as
the main travelled road 10 tosn, aud IL
followed persistsutly l. a. SURE of results.
sm not writing this for the edifica-
ton of those farmers who have steam
up and Are AZ the head OF the line, In
thought and action, bat IL Is 20 those
other men, who sra writing me AZ home,
and whose inquiries meet AZ Institutes,
who have ploSable fields OF twenty or
forty scres sud bat half dozen cows
that say: Put sharp share on the
ploW aud drive the furrow strsight
across the field-from border 10 border
and only stop when you are sure you
have reached the limit Of your ability 70
till, well. next year. Plow no more
little pieces, where you think the soil IL
best for corn or potato plots. The
days OF patchwork plowing are past.
where men are making a business OF
farming.
There vet remains TO Us month OF
good weather before the ground will
freeze up this fall, In which time We can
unlock some Of the plant food that Is
now beyond the reach OF the weak plants
that are starving upon IL. Somsiime,
somebody will let IL loose and plants
and animals will thrive In proportion 10
The thoroughness OF the work. Ia II
worth your while 10 try ht-Cor. In
Turf, Farm aud Home.