History of Logan County and Ohio, Part 29

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 798

USA > Ohio > Logan County > History of Logan County and Ohio > Part 29

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Owing to the richness of the soil the sub- ject of fertilizers has not received the atten- tion which it has obtained in the less favored portions of the State. Phosphates are never used and land plaster, only in comparatively few instances. In many cases scarcely ordi- nary care has been exercised in preserving the ordinary accumulations of the barnyard, much less to add to this by artificial means. This neglect has not been so seriously felt on account of the remarkable qualities of most of the farming land in this county. Indeed, the application of manure requires fine dis- crimination. It is not an infrequent thing to see a crop of grass or wheat partially spoiled by the lack of judgment in the appli- cation of manure. On the other hand, fields are to be found that have been constantly cropped for from ten to forty years. This practice has, in most cases, borne its legiti-

mate result, and has awakened a decided in- terest in the subject of the science of farming. Rotation of crops is now generally practiced, corn being the first crop planted on sod ground, followed by another crop of corn and that by wheat. With the latter crop the manure is generally used, as it is thought it shows the largest result and leaves a better soil for the grass which follows. Deep plow- ing with the Michigan double plow was prac- ticed to a considerable extent some years since with good effect. Crops grown upon land so treated furnished an increased yield upon those grown upon shallow plowed land. Their heavy draft soon made these plows un- popular, though a few are still found in use in the county. The practice of deep plow- ing, however, is still maintained, and is now generally accomplished by a heavy steel plow drawn by three horses. The great ob- jection to the double plow, that it buried the surface soil too deep, was not felt here to be a serious evil. A year or two was neces- sary to reap the full benefit of the sub-soil- ing, but when this was carried on every year the soil becomes thoroughly acted upon by the elements and thoroughly mixed through- out, and in a few years of this treatment the farmer has a fine, friable soil ten to fifteen inches deep.

Artificial drainage has been a necessity from the first. In 1826 eleven county ditches, with an aggregate length of nearly twenty- five miles, the longest of which reaches a dis- tance of five and two-fifths miles. These were constructed at a cost of $11,170. Since then several other important ditches have been constructe 1. In addition to these there are thirty township ditches, with an aggre- gate length of eight and five-eighths miles, which have been constructed at a cost of $3,104. The first drain-tile were introduced about 1860, and have rapidly grown in the public estimation with each succeeding year.

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

There are some fifteen drain-tile establish- ments in the country, the oldest of which was started not far from 1870. These manufac- tories have found a ready sale for all they could make, disposing in the last ten years of not far from 200,000 rods of their product. Farms are everywhere being greatly improved by under draining and ditching. Low lands that wore nearly an en- tire waste, and rolling lands of the character called " spouty," are being reclaimed, so that the untillable land, if all collected intoa body, would scarerly cover a section. The very summits are wheat fields, and though now in some parts of the county the first clearing's are being made the whole available land is destined soon to be brought under the plow. The land thus reclaimed produces the finest erops; can be cultivated much sooner after a rain, and from eight to ten days earlier in the spring.

The subject of grass land has not attained the importance it does in a country chiclly de- voted to grazing. Wheat and corn are the principal products and sources of revenue, and grass is cultivated for the use of such stock as the system of mixed husbandry adopted here requires. Timothy and red top grasses are mainly relied upon for the supply of hay, meadows being turned over about once in four years. Meadows are never turned over to pasturage, the grass lands being seeded for the especial purpose for which they are do- signed. Mowing lands are but little under- trained, and then only where the natural ly of the land demands it to carry off the settling moisture. Top dressing for meadows has re- ceived but little attention, the manure being generally applied to the second crop of corn or wheat just before seeding. Orchard and blue grass have been introduced in a limited way of late years, experiments with mixtures. of these grasses have proved, it is thought, its value as pasture. Nour of the former is sown

for hay , although it is highly recommeded by some. Millet and Ilungarian grass have been used to some extent for the past fifteen or twenty years, and are in de- mand more or less every year. The latter is the one principally used, and furnishes a valu- able substitute for a failing crop of meadow grass, or when the acreage has been tonijn- rarily cut down too low for the necessities of the farm. The average yield of the county is from one and a quarter to one and a third tons per acre. In the matter of clover lands the farmers seem fully alive to the importance of their proper use. The market demand for seed, however, which makes it a cash article with a ready sale, proves a great temptation to raise it for the market. It is frequently sown in combination with timothy for the purpose of producing a quality of hay highly esteemed for milch cows and sheep. It is used to some extent for pasturage, but the predominant purpose, perhaps, is for seed. The acreage turned under has been small though there are evidences of an improvement in this direction.

The history of wheat-growing in Logan County really begins with the building of the railroads. Before this the principal product was Indian corn, and what little wheat was used was obtained from the older counties. The railroads, however, brought a market for this cereal right to the door of the producer- a fact that gave an impetus to its cultivation. In its early culture the usual discouragements were met. The rust proved a great plague, and the Hessian fly worked considerable de- struction at times. There is less complaint of these during late years, and in most parts of the county wheat is considered a fairly re- liable crop. Its greatest enemies now are the occasionally cold, snowless winters. The large admixture of clay in the soil of the county makes the wheat peculiarly susceptible to the damaging action of heavy frosts. For the

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

past three years, however, the yield of this grain has been unusually large, and the largest acreage ever known in the county was reaped this year. This fact is due large- ly to the good prices which wheat has com- manded of late, and to the fact that a dry May, last year, prevented the grass from " catching " ou pieces that were newly " secd- ed down." The variety sown in later years has been the Scott, the supremacy of which is now disputed by the Fultz. Experiments have been made with the Genesee, White Mediterranean, Golden Drop, and Amber, which have made some friends, but the Scott still maintains its hold upon the best farmers. No particular system has been adopted in the cultivation of this grain. The practice of plowing " barefallows " during the summer, and then replowing or harrowing deeply be- fore sowing in wheat, is still continned to some extent. Corn stubble ground is most frequently used for growing this crop. When the manure is used with wheat it is thorough- ly harrowed in and the seed then drilled in, the character of the soil obviating the necessi- ty of plowing. The practice of sowing upon the same ground for several successive years is becoming much less common, though still followed in some localities where the soil seems well nigh exhaustless. This grain is one of the principal sources of revenue, and has given Logan County the reputation of a great grain country. The grain is usually threshed in the barn-yard, where it is hauled for con- venience in handling the straw. The horse- power thresher is still used, but the steam- power is rapidly supplanting it among the farmers.

Rye and barley arc but little cultivated. In former years rye was in considerable de- mand for local distilling, but this demand has long since passed away. It is now grown oc- casionally as a winter pasture for sheep. After pasturing it closely, it is turned under,

save occasionally when it is allowed to grow for the straw which finds a slight demand for the purpose of binding corn fodder. Barley is raised to some extent in the southern part of the county where the nearness to the brew- ery markets of Springfield and Dayton render it a profitable crop. Buckwheat has but a nominal place in the list of grains grown in Logan County, the product barely supplying the meagre home demand.

The home demand for oats is large, and but little more than enough to supply this is raised. The crop is inclined to run to one or the other extreme, and the complaint is usu- ally that the growth is too rank or too short. It is usually sowo on the thinnest soil, and a wet, drizzling April and May gives it such a rank growth that it lodges on the ground and frequently proves an entire failure. In case of dry weather, during these months, the crop is put back and often proves so short, both in straw and yield, that it is hardly worth the expense of harvesting. Rust occasionally complicates matters, and, amidst all these difficulties, the erop is looked upon as gen- erally uncertain.

The corn crop, however, while not grown to the exclusion of the others, is the one upon which the farmers of Logan County most con- fidently rely, and the land devoted to its cul- ture is only limited by the necessity of the situation. It is far more stable in its yield, less liable to disease, and may be slighted in its cultivation with greater impunity than any other crop. The soft varieties of seed arc generally preferred, and are usually planted in sod ground. A second crop is frequently grown on the same ground, to be followed by wheat and then sod. It is usually well put in, the ground being prepared with considerable care and worked until the crop "tassels out." The old rule of "going through " the field a certain number of times before " laying by " the crop has long since been abandoned

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

by the better farmers. The last plowing, after the corn has reached the height of five or six feet, is considered the most effective in its cultivation, but the exigencies of the season often prevent the farmer's bestowing this crowning attention. The lands, being in the hands of small farmers or renters, are gen- erally worked by the proprietor alone, and the clover and wheat cutting, coming close together, frequently obliges the small farmer to slight his corn. When, however, the farm- er is able to hire help, or has boys who can be trusted to do the work, the plow is kept going through the corn-an expense that is amply paid by the increased yield. The crop is usually cut and "shocked up" in the field, where it is husked in the fall. After the husking the fodder is "re-shocked " and left until needed for feeding. The custom of husking from the standing stalk, which was carly much in vogue, has been abandoned some time since, as wasteful of time and ma- terial.

The other crops that occupy, or have occu- pied, a prominent place among the agricul- tural products of the county, are potatoes, flax and sorghum. The quality of the soil is well adapted to the raising of potatoes, and farmers who have given considerable atten- tention to the proper cultivation of this highly prized and indispensable esculent, have al- ways been well rewarded for their labor and pains-taking. It is a staple vegetable, uni- versally used, always commands a fair price, and its general cultivation for exportation would undoubtedly prove highly remmera- tive. The fact, however, seems to have been overlooked or ignored, and no more are pro- duced thon are used in the county. The lending variety is the Early Rose, with the l'eorless and Peachblow cultivated in consid- orally quantities. The Snowflake is highly prized and cultivated to some extent, while other varieties are cultivated as experiments.

The average yield of this erop is good, and it is not often seriously affected by insects or disease.

Flax, although grown in this county to some extent every year, is subject to violent fluc- tuations in the acreage devoted to its culti- vation. It is now raised exclusively for the seed, which has become an important ar- tiele of commerce, considerable amounts he- ing purchased by the grain dealers of the county. It is an exacting crop and the fiber is only incidentally valuable, owing to the un- salable condition in which it has to be sold; an amount of discouragement which is only overbalanced by the fact that the seed fre- quently commands a high price, and is always a cash article. Years ago, when an oil mill and a flax mill were regular establishments of the county, this crop proved quite a source of revenue, but since the decay of those institu- tions this crop has been of less importance.

The history of the cultivation of. sorghum cane in Logan County is similar to that of most other parts of the State. The first introduc- tion of this cane was received by the farmers with great enthusiasm, and high hopes were entertained that in this would be found a substitute for the sugar-cane that would prove a valuable addition to the resources of their farms for home supply, if not a source of in- come. The first seed was brought in about 1860, and small bags of seed, containing about. half a pint, sold readily for $1 each. Small plats were planted with this seed, and almost every farmer did a little in the way of experiment- ing with the new crop. The new venture rapidly gained ground, and the means of con- Ferting it into molasses was provided on every hand. The first product, in most cases, owing to the lack of information on the subject and the carelessness with which its manufacture was conducted, was sorry stuff. To the skep- tical part of the farming community, this re- salt was received as the inevitable outcome of

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

the experiment, and discouraged the experi- menters in proportion to the satisfaction it gave the self-assurance of the doubters. An- other cause which contributed to the same end, was the exercise of a ruinous economy on the part of the mass of farmers. Instead of purchasing new seed for each planting, and sparing no pains to make a fair test of this new crop, the majority of those who planted it borrowed seed of their neighbors, or used that saved from their own crop, and allowed the work of the farm to seriously interfere with the cultivation of the sorghum. The re- sult was that the cane deteriorated in quan- tity and quality, and the whole thing was voted a failure. This was true of many of the carly experimenters, but quite a considerable number of the farmers are yet cultivating this cane with creditable results. The manufac- ture of the molasses is still carried on by sev- cral establishments in a limited way, and by careful and intelligent handling of the cane, produce a first-class article, which has at- tained a considerable local reputation.

Tobacco has been cultivated to a very lim- ited extent, simply for the private use of the producer, and it may well be hoped that its culture may not be further extended. It is an exacting crop upon the land, and, sooner or later, the exhaustive process will ultimately work the deterioration of any neighborhood or farming district where its culture is a promi- nent part of the farming operations.

The forests of Logan County are abund- antly supplied with the sugar maple, and the people have not been slow to utilize these trees in the way of making sugar. It was the practice, at an early date, to make the product into ," crumb sugar," as in this shape it ans- wered the needs of the household to better advantage, and this practice continued, until of late years it has become more profitable in the shape of large cakes. Large quantities are shipped abroad every spring, several firms

making a specialty of this business during the season. The product of the county is largely made in the eastern part, where single farms sometimes produce 5,000 pounds. Here it is made as important a branch of farm industry as the wheat culture, and is nearly as valua- ble a source of revenue. Sugar brings the manufacturer an average price of ten cents per pound, many of them turning their product to a more profitable account by furnishing cus- tomers abroad themselves.

Fruit culture, so far as it involves especial attention and care, mav safely be said to be in its infancy in Logan County. The first settlers deprived for a time of its use, and realizing the great demand in every family for this important article of food, carly set about planting orchards. Coming to this far off country, they supplied themselves with seeds of the different kinds of fruits, grains and vegetables they were accustomed to at home, and prominent among these were the apple, peach, pear and cherry. The garden patch, first cleared, received these, to be transplanted in a year or two into the first few acres cleared. The soil and climate were congenial; the trees grew at once, thriftily, and in a few years yielded fruit. There are still some remains of those orchards of natural fruit, but most of them have disappeared. Pears, peaches and cherries seemed in their native element, flourished without signs of disease, and produced bountifully the most luscious fruit. About 1830, pears and peaches began to be affected with disease, and have since acquired a character for uncertainty for which they are noted there to-day. Grafting and the planting of grafted fruit trees began here about 1840. At that time there was a nursery between Salem and New Lisbon, in Columbiana County, that had a wide reputa- tion for the excellence of its stock, and which supplied most of this part of the State. The favorite varieties were the Yellow Bellflower,

HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

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Golden Pippin, Pound Pippin, Seek-no-fur- ther, Pinnock, Maiden Blush and Trenton Early. Most of the farmers had a few trees of each of the best varieties, but after seeing them once well set, exercised but little further care in promoting their growth. The orchard culture of apples has only of late years begun to command the serious attention of farmers. The old orchards have been prolific producers, and in favorable seasons considerable amounts have been marketed. Before the railroads were built, large quantities of the fruit was dried and hauled to Springfield or Sandusky, almost every well-regulated farm being pro- vided with a dry-house. This abundance, together with the fact that the home market is so readily supplied from other points, has made the farmers careless on the subject, and the fact is becoming apparent that if some- thing is not done soon to renew these old orchards, there will be an interval when there will be a great scarcity of apples. Mr. Isaac Akey, near Bellefontaine, and Benjamin Knight, east of Zanesfield, are making some- thing of a specialty of fruit growing and have the largest orchards in the county. Among the varieties now found are the King of Tompkins County, Baldwin, Talpahakin, Northern Spy, and Roll's Jeanette. The latter is not a large apple, but it is noted for its wintering qualities. The first on the list is a favorite apple here, some of the fruit measur- ing fourteen and a half inches in circumfer- ence, and at the same time retaining its fine flavor and smooth grain. This is a fine mar- ket apple and always commands a good price. The demand of a market apple is for size and not so much for the grain or flavor. The apple is the hardiest and most reliable of all fruits for this region, and there are probably more acres in apple orchards than in all other fruits combined.

Peaches, by reason of the unfavorableness of the climate, are, of late years, exceedingly

uncertain, and are but little planted. Late frosts in the spring usually eut off the crop, either in the blossom or when the young fruit has just formed, and, in addition to this danger, there oceurs, every few years, a win- ter of such severity that even the trees them- selves are seriously injured or destroyed. The case of cherries of the finer kinds is very sim- ilar to that of peaches, as the trees are some- what tender, and the blossoms are liable to be destroyed by late frosts. The hardier kinds, such as the Early Richmond, the Morellos, and May Duke, are planted most, but with indifferent success, save in the case of the latter. Mr. Akey set out at one time about 120 black Morellos, which bore one fair crop but failed ever afterward, and were cut down without realizing a second crop. Pears are planted in a small way, principally in gar- dens; but no extensive pear orchard exists in the county. The great enemy to this fruit is the "fire-blight," for which no effective rem- edy has been found. The first symptom of this disease is the dying of the ends of the twigs. From this point the blight follows up the twig to the body of the tree, when it splits the bark and loosens it clear around the trunk. Mr. George Foot has tried a remedy which seems to be beneficial. It occurred to him that to drive in rusty nails might be of advan- tage, and, having a tree that seemed destined to be destroyed anyway, he gathered a lot of old nails and drove them into the trunk and some of the larger branches. This seemed to arrest the disease, and, so confident was he in the effect of the iron, that he procured a quan- tity of iron turnings, which he placed in close contact with the main roots after clearing away the dirt. The effect, thus far, has been good, not a sign of the blight showing itself on any of the trees thus treated. So prevalent and ruinous is this disease that out of 260 trees planted by Mr. Akey, about 1862, but fifty are now alive. The Bartlett, Flemish

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

Beauty, Genesee, and White Doyane are the favorite varieties. Plums are scarcely grown at all, owing to the prevalence of the curcu- lio insect, although the trees grow well and remain healthy. Mr. Fcot has made some experiments with this fruit, and has been suc- cessful in growing some fine plums. A fine tree of a species of the egg plum gave promise of bearing fine fruit, but the insect took them all off each year. By making bags for the fruit, and fastening on to keep the insects off, a few were matured that measured nine inches around them. Such fruit was worth saving, and he resolved to try an experiment. He se- cured a quantity of gas-tar and putting it in a skillet set it afire and moved it about under the trees after they had bloomed, giving them a thorough smoking every morning. Having a brood or two of chickens, he placed them under the trees, which he shook thoroughly after every smoking. That year he succeed- ed in raising some fine plums. This year he has repeated the treatment, save the smoking process. After each shaking, the chickens seem to find a great many insects, which they eagerly devour, and the tree hangs so loaded with fine fruit that every limb has to be sup- ported to prevent its breaking down. The saving remedy is thought to be in the shaking and the chickens.

The abundant fertility of the soil has had the effect to divert the majority of the farmers from devoting a great deal of attention to stock growing. Probably not more than one- third make this department of agriculture the leading pursuit, though among these may properly be included a majority of the wealth- ier farmers. Among this portion of the farm- ing community a persevering, patient, investi- gating spirit has been manifested that has ac- complished large results for the stock of the county. No class of farm stock has been slighted in this respect, though perhaps horses and sheep have profited most. It is quite

natural that the early history of the horse in Logan County should be somewhat obscure. In the early settlement the nature of farm work called for the steady strength, the free- lom from accident, and the easy keeping of the ox, and horses found no general demand until the pioneers could afford the luxury of travel. It was not long before this demand made a marked change in the character of the teams, which has continued, until now one would scarcely meet with an ox team upon the road in a month's travel through the country. The early native stock of horses was known as the "Virginia Spot," some of the animals being a "vivid calico" color. The first effort to improve on the common stock of horses was by the importation of the Black Ilawk strain in 1832. The horse, the name of which has been forgotten, was im- ported from Tennessee, and was considered a capital general purpose horse. Closely fol- lowing this horse came a "Cleveland Bay," introduced by John Enoch. This strain of horse had then, as now, a high reputation as fine coach horses and roadsters, and added such features to the native stock as admirably paved the way for their further improvement. Another strain of the same class of horses was the "Sir Archie" stock, brought in by John Houser. The stallion brought here was a gay, high-headed horse, "rangy," about six- teen hands high, and of a dark brown color. Hle was greatly sought by breeders, and his stock obtained a ready sale as roadsters or coach horses. About 1848, Benjamin Butler introduced a strain of horses from Scotland, known as the Scotehman's. The horse brought to Logan County was imported by a Clarke County firm. The stock of this horse occu- pied a very prominent place among the horses of the eastern part of the county, and was considered a capital animal for farming pur- poses. The best judges of horses in the county believe this strain to be the origin of

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History of Logan County and Ohio, Part 29

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin Number of Pages: 798

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 798