The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1866-10-05
AGRICULTURAL.
Thorough Farming-or Much Labor on
Little Land.

Little Land.
The great secret Of European sue
cess in Agriculture has been describ-
ed as 'smuch labor on comparatively
little land" But the whole tenor Of
American husbandry from the first
settlement of the country has been
directly the contrary, Or ''little labor
on much land" And this is the cause
of the deterioration of our farm and
crops-of the exhaustion Of the ele-
ments of fertility in the one, neces-
sary to the production of the other.
It requires no great amount Of labor
or store of knowledge to grow crop
at a cost equal or exceeding its value,
and leaving the land poorer than be-
fore; but it does require both work
and wisdom to produce one which
shall bring profit to the farmer and
prepare the land for productiveness
in future. Any one who can follow
the plow and scatter the seed can do
the former, but capital, experience
and energy. are required to accom-
plish the latter.
Thorough farming bestows much
labor-wisely directed and skilfully
managed labor-upon every acre it
cultivates. It drains the land if it
needs it, so that it may be worked in
the proper season, and no stagnant
water ever stands to chill and blight
all healthy vegetation. 1t deepens
and thoroughly pulverizes the soil, so
that every crop may freely send down
its roots for moisture and substance;
and it adds every needed manurial
element, that their growth may be
vigorous and rapid. It suffers no
weeds torob the soil of it's riches and
the plant Of it's proper and rightful
nutriment; and gives the crop the
needful care and attention through all
the stages of its growth, from the
deposit of the seed to the garnering
of the product.
ssTo cultivate his land well,' says
a contemporary, "and to increase its
: productive powers, is a prime object
with a good farmer. To do this, tits
absolutely essential that he employ
the requisite amount of labor. This
seems to be self-eyident proposition,
and yet it is more generally disre-
garded in American husbandry, than
any other principle of sound econo-
my. Because we frequently hear it
said that labor runs away from the
profits of farming, our farmers lay it
down as maxim to get along with as
little labor as possible. The conse-
.quence is, they attempt to do with
less than they ought. They are thus
out Of pocket by loss Of. season, and
deterioration of land and crop, and
in other ways Of which they hardly
dream. {. There is many farm, of
broad and fertile acres, furnished with
suitable: buildings and fences, well
stocked and provided with all need
full appliances to make it productive,
the owner of which undertakes to
carry it on with half the force ade-
quate to it's cultivation. Is. it to be
wondered at that farming under such
circumstances is decried as unpro6t-
ble?-that the interest on the in
vestment, the taxes, the repair of
buildings and tools, and other Incl
dental expenses eat up the profits,
when these profits are not half what
they might, by the employment of
more labor, easily be made to be?
"Labor is the root and spring of
profit" But well-directed, earnest,
thorough work is required to produce
large results and full remuneration for
such outlay Of toll and. care. The
farmer who gives the cultivation which
is needed on five acres, to fifteen or
twenty, does no part of his work well,
and must fail Of getting q profitable
crop, Five acres of corn, producing
four; hundred bushels annually, is far
better for the farmer and the country,
even if the'same expenses be incurred
in it's production. than sixteen acres
skinned over to yield the same "a
mount. Half a dozen choice, thrifty
and productive fruit trees are worth
more than one hundred poor ones,