The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-06-29
ALFALFA IN MAINE. CAN
II Be GROWN?


different kinds and In different sec
lions the following article from the
Metropolitan and Hural Home will be
Of interest 70 our readers at this
time.
am going to tell you how | made
money on an abandoned New England
farm. This farm contains fifty acres
Of which | have improved but eigh-
teen | think that a thirty-acre farm
we'll improved Is large enough for
any man. A portion Of the sixteen
acre field was fiat, cold wet clay with
a gravel hard-pan partly covered
with rocks, some ferns and brush. but
with very little vegetation on the sur
face. When | first took this farm a
sharp-pointed pick could not be driv-
en- into the surface with one blow
to a depth OF three inches. This land
rises east. west and northwest until
the higher corner of the sixteen-acre
field is 1875 feet higher than the lower
end
The character of the soil changes as
it rises until 1t finishes at the highest
point, a gravel knoll Ne rly all va
reties OF soil may be found in this
field that are native to the country.
When | began clearing this field | re
moved a thousand tons Of rock per
acre This was done by digging
bitches nine feet wide and two feet
deep, and then blasting and hauling
these rocks into the bitches, covering
them one foot deep. The cost of this
work was $4750. This later expert
ence leads me TO say. was a mistake.
Had | hauled them off into piles or
fence the field would have been
worth a thousand dollars more, be-
cause this trenching interfered with
the subsoil water connections, and
unless you can get a perfect subsoil
water connection you cannot expect
to grow large crops OF any kind.
This abandoned New England farm
had not produced two hundred
pounds OF vegetation to the acre, any
year, in half a century, and when |
took it. it was literally covered with
rocks and small brush. | ha9e kept
small portion OF the original field
intact to show just what the abandon
ed field was like.
We have much talk Of WORKOUT
lands, but | am convinced that there
is no such thing as Wornout land.
Land does not. as a matter OF fact.
wear out where proper methods are
employed for the maintenance OF its
fertility. In the scheme of fertility
maintenance | hold that cultivation.
intense. thorough cultivation, IS the
basic fundamental. When | say cul-
tiyatjon do not refer to the ordinary
cultivation such as is emplored By
farmers in the mere blowing OF their
land and stirring the surface TO kill
the weeds but to cultivation that
will completely turn over and tear
up the texture and disintegrate the
minute soil particles. exposing as
much of the soils surface as posi-
bic to sunshine and air. which will
work wonders. not only in its main
teuance. but i'm lis restoration Now
that ] have learned what 10 10 ! feel
confident that / can take almost any
kind OF land and in twelve months
from the start produce iaHr 70 six
tons OF Well-dried hay 20 80 asr-.
| have experimental alOu- this line
for twenty years or more. and feel
confident to speak intelligently of
this work. From my observation ]
feel justified in saving that YOU can
make your farms pay as ! have made
mine pay by the adoption OF practi-
cally the same or similar methods.
The following is my method for
preparing the land. sowing and main
tanning a crop OF alfalfa. These
methods might necessarily be varied
somewhat 10 suit different conditions
but the main scheme Will generally
apply to all localities.
Alfalfa will grow an high dry lend
we0 above the water line To nron-
erly nr7nare the field the soil sbouid
ne nof only Thoroughly but Intensely
cultivated. torn broken up. loosened
and made fine 10 a depth OF six to
eight inches This prior cultivation
is essential. and unless it is given
failure is sure to result. In beginning
the prenaration OF a field / first use
a disk harrow 10 loosen The surface
so1 that would. in blowing. be turned
IN The bottom of The furrow. Now I
use twentv-six-inrb reversible sulkv
disk plow and a5te4ward an eight
foot smoothing harrow. followed by
the disk harrow. and again by the
smoothing harrow. alternating until
the field was intensely cultivated and