Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-08-12

rroduced win regularity ten theusanu can
bage- Per acre Notwithstanding thi. large
return, the great expenses Of the removal Of
stone and the severe working Of the surface
with hand tools during the growth Of the
crop, lef, US with moderate profits. This
gave risc 10 an ahridgrment OF hard labor.
and we gradually introduced improved
horse tools. TO take the place Of hand hoes /;
these were Of various kinds, and have even.
tuaied in the use at present Of lifting sub
soil plows. horse hoes. carrot veedsrs. seed
drills, potato dicsers, two-way plows. cul,i.
va,or. for special uses, etc. But we can
say with truth. that neither then nor now
have wc ever worked a solitary acre Of land
without prod, tho same year. This prof
Il, however, j. many times greater now than
when We required twenty men for thirty
acrcs, Instcal OF eight men for hundred
acres, as AZ present Our want of capital
prevented the whole farm being put in ihi.
condition m a single year, hut we were ney.
er ieupiei 10 half do any thing. with a
promise ~ finishing IL some other time. We
were well aware then. as now, that one acre
properly and thoroughly prepared, would
paw us as well as ten acres half prepared.
and II at this time We could not use under.
drains and sub. soil plows, Nitrogcnircd SUI
ver-po.phatc Of Lane, and the smaller horse
tools, or either Of them. We should quit farm.
ins; flr a, this time il canno, be pursued
with fair rcmuneratiye profit. such As the
sane amount Of r1eriion will produce in
mercantile and other vocAuons. without the
use Of all these appliances. With them we
claim that farming aud gardening is pro-
h,ahle business, aud even with grass farms
it i a mere qu s,ion Of capital, and not Of
propriety or profit. whether the soil should
be prepared in the manner We have named,
or deserted.
We DO not believe that /, is either jude.
ious or patriotic to work farm moving
but enc ton Of timothy hay Per acre, when
with proper outlay ior understanding. sub
so,l plowins, etc, before putting the farm
down to grass, il may be msde to yield
three tons: in other words, 20 pay ten rer
cent. on the investment a. interest. in add-
ton TO a profit twice as large os can be real
iIed by the old style practice. Near large
cities, where garden crop. can be sold, pa,
each acre. in turn, in garden heart, and It
will pay it. own expenses by garden crops
root crops II you choose-and lhu' pro-
cced over the whole farm. seeding down to
grass, it The ohjrc, he TO make grass farm,
after each acre d. - improved and ame!lora-
tel. Once in such condition, and fairly
doan to grass, light top-dre-slngs will keep
It in grass forever and without deieuora-
tirn OF yield. We admit freely that the
prof, stated in the various reports OF our
farm. could no, be achieved ~ hay aud
grain crops, but that II appropriated to such
crops, the profits would be greater than
those Of our neishbors, notwithstanding the
expense fso thoroughly preparing the soil,
taking years together. The farmer who
even improves his farm in the way We have
suggested on borrowed capital, can repay
il rnd be better oG than his ncighbor, Who
has continued the old system Of using barn
yard manure alone, rcpudiaiins under
draining. sub-soil plowing, and the use Of
improved tools.
We have bad to hear the gibc. and jacrs
Of a considerable portion Of the agricul,ur-
al PRES. and Of many Supposed practical
friends all this Ne have done. with per-
feet Consciousness that the day would come
when these iault.6nders would become our
advocates. aud this We are happy To say has
proved true in des-ec and when those who
doub, the propriety of using the beet means
t. produce profitable results in farming will
visit ", they will freely agree with our
opinions.
We make no claims to originality, but
merely to industry in collatius the successes
Of Others, and avoiding their errors. We
claim that thousands OF acres IN our neigh.
borhood and elsewhere. might BE- worked TO
the same prof, by the same means Many
have supposed that we invested large sums
OF money in the preparation Of the land be-
fore earning il. This Is no, 80; We had no
money. aud therefore could only avail when
necessary, OF the simple credit Of the season.
as is usual among farmers. The profits o!
the farm has paid its own expenses, and
increased Us siIe from twenty acres to
is present dimensions, besides paying for
the original twenty acres. new buildings.
family. and personal expenses. etc.
We commenced twelve years ago, anil ale
though the profits OF las. year we're seven .
dollars greater than the fret year.
-iiil each acre. as It has ia turn been put
in full operation, has paid tho quota ol last
year.
IluNoARnS GRAss. Hon. A. B. Dickinson,
writes to the Country Gentleman that tho
'' Hungarian Grass Of iav year, and the
honey blade grass Of this yoar, i. nothing
more than what was known as miiisf, forty
years ago what was cultivated as barn
yard or summer grass scVenty.fye years
since. and the meanest grass Of all tha, !