The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-03-20
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From the Buffalo Courier.
What Poor Farmer cannot Afford.


Is, that no poor man can afford to be Il
poor farmer. When have recommended
agricultural improvements, l have "t;cn
been told, "this expensive farming will do
well enough for rich people, but we who
are i'll moderate circumstances can't afford
it," Now, it is not ornamental farming
that recommend, but profitable farming.
1t is true that the amount of a mans c;p-
tai must fix the limit of his business, in ag-
ricul,urc as in everything else. But how
ever poor YOU may be, you can afford to
cultivate land well if you can afford to cu-
tivate it at all. 1t may be out Of your
power to keep large farm under Il high
state Of cultivation, but then YOU should
sell a part Of that, and cultivate small one.
1t you arc poor man, you canuot afford
to raise small crops; you cannot afford to
accept half Il crop from land capable OF
yielding whole one. If YOU are u poor
man, you cannot afford to fence two acres
to secure the crop that ought TO grow on
one; YOU cannot afford to pay or lose the
interest on the cost of a hunlrcn acres Of
land to get the crops that will grow on fifty
! No man can afford TO raise twenty bushels
of corn to the acre, not even if the land
we've given him, for twenty bushels to the
! acre will not pay the cost Of the miserable
cultivation that produces it.
No poor man can afford to cultivate his
land in such II manner us vii. ra,,>e it to
,!rlcrioratc in value. Good farming i'm
proves the value of land, and the fulm.r
who manages his farm SO AIS to get the lar
ycst crop it is capable of yielding, increases
its value every year.
No farmer can afford TO produce weeds
They grow, to he sure, without cultivation; !;
they spring up spontaneously on all land,
and especially rich land, but though they
cost no toll, farmer cannot aifold to
raise them. The same elerncnts that
feed tf"m, would, with proper cultiva-
ton, nouri,h n crop, and no f,rner
can afford to eXpcnd on weeds the natural
wealth which was bestowed by Providence
to ill his granarics. am accustomed, my
friends, to estimate the Christianity Of the
localities through which pass, ly the all
srncc of weeds on anil about the firms
When see Il farm covered by gigantic
growth of weeds, take it for granted that
the owner is Il heather, a llerelic or an in
Elel-a Christian, lie cannot lie, or he
would not allow the heritage which Cod
gave him to dress and keep, to be s!c!or.nc,!
and proi;lncl. And if YOU will allow me
to make an application of the doctrine
preach, | must he permitted to say l,n,
there is Il great field for missionary til'r, o:
the f,rms between here East ua,uhurg)
| and Buffalo. Nature has been hountitul to
you, but there is great nccd of better cult
| yation.
Farmers cannot afford to grow crop on
soil that does not contain the natural cIr.
ments that enter into its composition.-
When you burn vegetable, large par,
of its bulk passes away during the process
of combustion into the air. But there is
always Il residue of mineral matter, co.,sis-
ting Of lime, potash and other ingredients
that entered into its composition. N,w,
the plant drew these materials out of the
earth, and if YOU attempt to grow that
plant in soil that is deficient in these in
gredients, you are driving an unsuccessful
business. Nature dose not make vcgelu-
blcs out of nothing, and you cannot expect
to take crop after crop off from IL field that
does not contain the clements OF which it is
formed. If you wish to maintain the fer
tility Of your farms, you must constantly
restore to them the materials which are
Withdrawn in cropping. No farmer can
afford 10 sell his ashes. You annually cx-
port from Western New York large
amount Of potash. Depend upon it, tl,.re
is nobody in the world to whom this is
worth so much as it is to yourselves. You
cant afford to sell it, hut Il farmer can well
afford to buy ashes at higher price than
is pail 10y any body that does not wish to
use them as fertilizers of the soil. Situated
as the farmers Of this country are, IN the
neigEborhool Of city that burns large
quantities Of wood for fuel, you should
make it part Of your system of farming
to secure all the ashes it produces. When
your teams 60 to town with loads Of wootl.
it would cost comparatively little to bring
back loads of ashes and other fertilizers
that would improve the productiveness of
your fa,ms.
No poor farmer can afford to keep fruit
trees that do not bear good fruit. Good
is always valuable, and should be raised hy
the farmer, not only for market, but for
large consumption in his own family. As
more enlightened views Of diet prevail, fruit
is destined to aupplant the excessive quan
titles of animal food that are consumed il.