Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-01-25
Farming ON Fl Acres Of Land.
BY WILLIAM GARBUTT.

MESSRS. EDITORS :-Many OF the cui-
tivators Of the soil, who occupy large pos
sessions, do not realize the amount of la
Dor that can be prOftably employed in
cultivation and few farm labcrers are
aware how small piece Of ground will
afford full employment to an industrious
man, and yield himself and fimily the
comforts Of life, and make them al inde-
pendent home.
In illustration of these facts, I will give
an account Of farmer B. His farm con-
sists of twenty-one acres one acre of 1t
is occupied with buildings, yards and gar
den, and twenty acres are for cultivation
all made productive BY thorough draining
and bountiful manuring. A good substan-
tial fence all round it, but no division
fences. He has 81 rods Of patent fence,
which is easily removed, with which he
encloses one-fourth Of the ground for pas
ture.
The farm is divided into four equal
parts-5 acres in each part. First season,
No. is in grass, clover and timothy, for
pasture No. in hoe crop-one acre In
wurtzels, one potatoes, and three in corn
No. 8, barley; and No. in wheat. With
these crops he keeps a regular rotation
each year. Second season, No. l is man
tired ir the fall with all the manure that
he has collected the past year, and plowed
for next seasons hoe crop No 9 is plow-
ad in tn. Gil s-- t--lAy next snrin9 Ma
(barlcy stubble) is sown with wheat;
and No. 4 (wheat) is .own with timothy
and clover for next seasons pasture
which rotation he uniformly pursues.
He keeps a yoke of oxen, two cows,
twenty good ewes and breeding suw, for
which 5 acres of fresh clover on a rich
soil will afford plenty of pasture, provided
that he does not turn into it too soon in
the spring. The wheat and barley straw,
corn stalks, and roots, will be ample for
age for them in winter He is industrious,
economical and prudent Every thing is
we'll done, and in season. The ground is
kept clean, no weeds being allowed to
grow, not even around the fence; it is
made rich by plentiful applications of ma
nure, which renders it very.productive.
His wheat averages so bushels per acre.
1t will take "a bushels to bread the fam
lily the Jear, (Which consists Of himself,
wife, and four little ones, and it will take
! bushels FOR seed, which will leave 1l9
to sell this, at sl per busheli will make
Sl19. His barley yields 40 bushels per
acre it will take 8 of it for seed, and 1872
bushels to market, at so cts. per bu., will
be 500. The corn averages 60 bushels
per acre the three acres produce $50 bu-
shells it will take 50 bushels to feed the
pigs, fat the pork, and use Of the family,
(for they eat Johnny cake nnd mush,)
which leaves him 100 bushels to market,
at so cts. per bu., is $50. The potatoes
and beets are all used at home. The wool
of <the 90 ewes averaging 81 per fleece,
will be $40 They raise 90 lambs, which
he sells in July or August for $40. By
taking the lambs from the ewes early, the
latter will get fat by fall; 10 of them are
sold for $50, with which he purchases 20
ewes for next seasons keepiug-and he
has 5 fat sheep left for the use of the fam
lily. The sows have 6 pigs the last of
March or early in April . Of them, with
the SOW, are fatted, and young SOW kept
for pigs mex. spring. The . pigs and old
SOW when fatted will make l, 100 lbs. of
pork 500 will do the family, with the
fat sheep, and leave him 600 lbs to sell,
which at o cts. pound is $50. The two
calves are fatted and sold for s.. This
makes $34O worth sold from the products
Of the 20 acres, and the family have had
their farm living the past year.
1t may be thought that this calculation
is too large for an average production, but
l assure you that if the operator is indus
trious, economical and judicious, he will
seldom fall short of the quantity stated.
But it is asked, how can an industrious
man be constantly employed on 20 acres
of ground cultivated for farming purposes7
Look at it. His ground for spring crops
is all plowed in the fall On the first Of
April he commences operations for the
season. He first sows the grass seed on
the wheat then 10 cwt. of plaster on the
hoe ground and as soon as the ground
is sufficiently dry he harrows it and sows
the barley; then harrovs and cross har-
rows until it is thoroughly pulversed, and
then rolls it. By that time the planting
ground is ready to harrow, which opera
tion is continued until the ground is well
pulverised, and the nearer it can be made
to a garden tilt the better.
But if he is ahead of the season with
his work he can always have full employ
ment in making the manure heap. He