Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-09-23
Agrieuttnrat.
The Increasing Necessity for
Making Farming . Science.

making F1rmtuS . 0Ol0uC0.
No intelligent and observing farmer.
as he sees each year bringing with IL
some new and deadly enemy TO his crors.
can avoid asking. "What shall the end
of these things be ," Every spring he
plows bis ground in hope. scatters in
the seed with a liberal hand, watches
and tills with care. and is doomed at
last to disappointment by seeing the de-
vouring insects or other foes sweep over
the fair grain. rendering it chaffy
waste. Forty years ago. our ancestors
had no trouble in raising an abundant
crop of wheat. aside from properly pre-.
pairing the soil, sowing. harrow ing. reap.
ing. garnering. &c. They got IN tho
seed in due Zine; and after that their
thoughts were troubled by no fans Of
frost. rust, or weevil; while We often
sow in fear. and reap emptiness.
The population of the world is in
crcasirg steadily with the years; white
II the caprbili,y ot production does not
increase in the same ratio. we shall evi-
dently come to want. 1t is said that
our vast country, if skillfully titled, 10
capable OF supporting 5ooo,O00,O00 OF
human beings; but it is plain that it
could not be done by the present system
of tillage. And yet, we may confidently
believe that this immense number will
one day inhabit our land: ard if 20,
what shall they eat In Belgium, the
most densely pecpled country on the
globe, 23s persons occupy, and are fed
from. one square mile; and yet it is
well known that the soil Of that country
is by no means the most fertile in Eu-
rope. Our country is naturally far rich
er. Still, even at this early date, we
see immease tracts in Virginia deserted
entirely, and thrown open as commons.
on the plea that they are SO poor that q
'living cin not be made on them" tho
without doubt they were once fertile ond
Out on such farming
Cnhappily, this method of cultivation
and its inevitable results are too COM
mon in this "fast" age and country.
Most of the European States, so far be.
hind US in other respects, and which we
SO hiughtlly and often unlust!y taunt.
are vastly our superiors in this particu-
lar. Again the ever-increasipg variety
and number Of insect enemies which an
nually irfest and destroy the crops, i'm
peratively demand new preventive,-new
means oi defense and preservation against
them. As the country is cleared up,snd
nd
and vegetables, like the human body are
wasted by new and ferccr enemies
W heat, our great staple product and
one Of the constituents of human exis.
.ence, lives precaricus life, and with
ers tciore the attacks of puny contemp-
,ible bugs. Corn, the pioneer cereal of
America, is cut down in the green and
youth of its short life by the
lnsightly worm, and poor man is left
With little hope and less bread What
shall be done! Shall we still continue
10 plow and SOW and not reap, as did
oar fathers: Plainly, we can not
Then the only thing to be done after
there remains no more land to be settled,
which must, most assured!y. be the
state OF affairs at some future day. and
he population Is still increasing, is to
'arm better. Land specui uiation must bo
lboli>hed. and men must be content to
1wn no more land than they can thor
1ushly and pieftably till. And rot
only that, the principles Of good farming
must be more studied. In fact, farmers
must no longer work with the hands
only, but with the head also. 1t must
40 longer be spoken of coatemptibly as
Farming" but as "Geoponics." Agri-
cultural Colleges must be founded and
in which farmers sons can
De taught the science of their art as thor
aeh'y as lawyers are in theirs. Eu.
'ope supports 400 of these schools tho
nited States but two. The eff cts arc
'eadlIy y seen IN their respective systems
II agriculture, and the extent of their
population. Much must be allowed for
he youth OF oar country; still, much is
leeded. S. PowERs,
Gtncscc Farmer.