John Adams Nash

The Progressive Farmer John Adams Nash

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1861. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... have made hard farms good ones, are rich. I do not find that they were born rich, nor that they have married rich wives, but some how or other, they have grown rich; and I know not how to account for it, but on the supposition that this making good land out of poor, and then raising crops on it, is a pretty well-paid business. I think it is so--that the man who malces a poor farm better, is better paid for his trouble than the one who makes a good farm poorer. His satisfaction, if he ever reflects on his doings, must certainly be greater. 435. On another part of this farm was supposed to be a heavy clay soil, too refractory to work with remunerating results ; and, side by side, as not unfrequently happens, a light sandy loam, unequal to the trust of retaining the manures committed to it. Now, if the owner should be tempted to go with his team and work for other people, at $2 a day, it may be wise; he may need the ready pay--we suppose he knows his own business ;--but let him remember that a day's work with his team, in carrying back and forth, from one of these soils to the other, would be likely to bring him much more than $2 a day in the end. ROTATION OF CROPS. 436. The prevailing system of rotation in England is what is called the Norfolk system. It is a four years' course--turnips, barley, clover, wheat, and then the same over. This is adapted to light soils--those called barley-soils. It is considered that the turnip crop, eaten off by sheep, prepares the ground for bar ley. The clover, being sown with the barley, fills the ground with its roots, and thus prepares it for wheat. For heavier clayey soils, a six years' rotation is there preferred, in which wheat, oats, and beans, are made to occur as often as possible. 437. In this country, our climat...