Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1875 — Bringing Up Worthless Land. [ARTICLE]

Bringing Up Worthless Land.

Most farms have some lands that is lacking in quality; this often happens in yellow or light-colored ridges, usually drift soil, and frequently quite bare, sometimes’yielding little beside weeds; this is aggravated by the drought, which kills grass or prevents its taking root. Buch land can be‘made good, tillable soil, highly remunerative, and with but little expense. It needs but manure and clover to start, and which will pay at once more than the investment, and soon become a profitable thing. It is done by first plotang pretty bringing up some raw soil, which is likely to be better than the top soil. This should be done in the fall or winter, or in the heat of summer, but never in the spring, unless unusually early; it must then be very dry. Apply to this a coat of manure. It need not be very heavy, but it must be properly applied, or there will be but little benefit derived. About this mode of application people are incredulous, and are also careless and ignorant.

They apply the manure generally after it has laid so long that all the strength has passed out of it, and it is partly hardened; thus applied in lumps that are but partially reduced, the manure is scattered unevenly. In this way the land is sown to weeds and receives but little benefit, what strength there is in the manure mostly passing off, not being sufficiently close to the ground to be within reach of its attraction. The first season will do nothing. The next, by shallow plowing of the soil, mixing weeds and the remains of the manure with it, will improve the land so that a little may be grown on it. If, however, the drought is severe, this little will dwindle to almost nothing. The thing repeated several times would at last get up soil that would pay something, but would not pay for all the trouble and expense. It is not the way to treat this soil successfully, as has often been demonstrated. 9 .Instead of this careless application of the manure, apply evenly, so that all the land gets covered; then reduce to powder. This can be done best by a brush drag from six to nine feet in length, three lengths of scantling framed at the ends and in the middle. Then put long, stout brush under it, the butts resting on the forward piece, and fasten them there. A seat is put on for the driver; two or three horses being required, according to its size, to drag it. This drag is the best thing we have ever known for reducing manure on meadows. It will also clean off what moss there may be. The manure being thus finely distributed and close to the ground* covering the whole surface, the first rain will wash out the soluble parts and thus enrich the surface soil Clover seed then sown win be sure to catch. This should be sown early in the spring on the snow, if the land has been prepared in the fall or winter, as it should be. If plowed and prepared in the summer it may be sown early in the fall so as to get a good footing, else the frost may be severe with it But we prefer the early spring sowing on well-prepared land; no harrowing is required to cover the seed as the action of the frost does that. There will then be a crop the same season, and if plaster is used, as should always be the case, and the drought is not unusually severe, there will be a fair crop the same season, yielding not far from two tons to the acre. Jfcjitin mid-summer there will be by winter a good growth for protection and manure and an early start in the spring. ' ! Then there may be two crops taken off, yielding from four to five tons per acre. This can be greatly increased by applying a eoat of manure in the f all, and the earlier the better. It is still better to apply immediately after the crop is removed. Plaster generally has a good effect on such land, and so has manure applied in the manner we described. It •is gratifying < toepe the effect, : as, we yearly do. The soil is-us rally drift, com-

of some clay. Sometimes a considerable amount « day covers the land to be used, in which case it must be drained tn order to be successful, as manure as well at plaster is thrown away on wet land. ......

We have insisted on the manure being spread evenly and closely ,to the ground and made fine. This is absolutely necessary to success. But another thing is also necessary. Let’ ho one undertake this without putting on plenty of good seed—ten or twelve quarts to the acre. Then there will be a thick set. It should be remembered that the same eoil will carry many plants $» read ily as a few, the strength being mostly obtained from the by plaster; a thick set will thrive as well as a straggling crop; two tons may be obtained as well as one, leaving the land not only unimpoverished but far more enriched. This is the effect of clover. This dense set will fill the soil with large, fat roots, which wUI be equal to a heavy dressing of the best manure.

A little manure well applied does all of this. Any crop can be grown largely, followed by seeding wich will take at once and yield increased crops. Thus we know that la>d that has been reclaimed in this way, bare at first, but now bearing a dense soil and yielding the heaviest of crops, could not be purchased at a hundred dollars per acre; it is fuUy worth that.

Such lands must be kept good or else it'will go back to nature. Being somewhat leachy the strength will eventually pass away- There must be treatment. The.soil must be fed from the surface; the sod then estabKshed, the grain then raised. It will not do to bury either sod dr manure deep in such land; 1 that would be its grave. Keep at the surface and all the greater will be the benefits. Rely first upon clover; then grass may be worked in; timothy will do well. Elevated land grows quantity better than low land. There is a plumper berry, brighter straw, sweeter grass and more nutriment, improving the flavor of butter and cheese, the former especially, which is readily noted. Ftuit is also improved on these uplands. There are also less insects. We should bring up this land and not neglect it, especially as there is profit in the improvement from the start. But follow directions, which is the experience of the best farmers here—F. in Indiana Farmer.