The Portland daily press., 1866-06-19
Agricultural.
How to make Farming Profitable.

Is it good economy for any man to be at the
expense of purchasing, fencing and cultWating
five acres of ground for the same value in
crops that can or will be produced from one
acre? We think not. In these days, concen-
trated ideas, concentrated labor, as well as
concentrated manners are the fashion, In
stead of one mans expanding his skill and la
Dor to make an entire shoe, or whole pin,
the practice now is for ten men to con-
centrate their genius and workmanship ON the
separate parts, and thus ten shoes or ten pins
are made quicker and better than the same
number could be produced in olden times. 80
should it be in the cultivation of the earth
Why should farmer try to raise everything
the climate will produce, on his own farm?
Let it rather be devoted to those crops, spec
tally, for which it is best adapted; and let him
confine his operations to those. Then he will
acquire better knowledge of their habits and
wants, and will be more successful in the pro-
duction ofthem. Some men will always raise
more corn, per acre, than others; why? be-
cause they understand, by careful practice,
how to prepare the soil, manure, plant and
cultivate it better. So OF other crops. 1t is in
husbandry, as in the mechanical arts-@prac-
tice makes perfect"
We believe that iffarmers, instead of spread
ing twenty cords of barn manure on four
acres, would work it into two, or even to one,
they would find their account in it. BY this
means they would have premium crops of
corn, potatoes &c, the first season, large yields
OF grain the next, and great quantity of
grass for years afterward. 1t is as well to cut
two tons, or three, Of hay to the acre, as one
or half ton-nay, much better. The true
policy should be to get the farm into good
grass as soon as possible and this can only be
done by making the ground rich in cultivated
cops and laying 1t down in good shape Let
two, four, six or more acres, as the case may
be, be prepared every year by being heavily
manured, and let that quantity of ground be
added yearly to the moving area, till the
whole arabic lands are thus worked over
The few acres devoted to corn, grain, pota-
toes and vegetables will ordinarily produce
enough for the family use, whilst the grass
fields will yield great burden and almost a
clear profit. Hay is, on the whole, our surest
and most profitable crop, either to be sold in
the market, or to be converted into stock.
man, with his land properly enriched and
prepared, especially if near ready market,
can produce greater value upon small
piece of ground than many are aware of. He
might make a garden of nearly all he cultivat-
es, or cultivate his farm as well as he would
garden, and thus from small piece support
his family. Suppose he has two acres near
his house which he intends to keep up all the
time. Let him the first year put thirty or
more cords of manure upon it and plough it
in. This is base of operations which will
support the soil FOR great length of time. For
years to Come after that, five cords per acre
will be enough. Indeed, we hold that when
the soil is once made rich as it can be without
gangrcning, there should be no more dressing
applied yearly than each crop annually con-
sumes and digests, leaving the base as firm as
before. Over-stimulation is as injurious to 4
the soil as over-eating is to the human stom- 4
ach. Care should be taken the first year to
keep all weeds down, and not allow one of
any sort to go to seed. And never after that
should new manure from the stable. full as it
will be Of the seeds of foul stuff, be put upon
the grounds. Nothing but old thoroughly rot
ten manure as free from seeds as compost
made from rockweed, should be applied. On
such land you can sow seeds and set plants
and weed them out as well as on corn or po-
tatoes, for the weeds will not be there to choke
them.
The land being thus prepared, you may al
ways raise the largest crops Of everything you
plant,-that is, if you are faithful in the sub
sequent duties OF good cultivation. II you
must raise your own corn, and not purchase
itwith something else, which, not competing
with the prices of Western crops, is more prof.
liable for us to grow here, you can give half an
acre to that and then have, as you ought, for .
ty or even fifty bushels of good sound corn,
which is enough for breading the family and
fattening two porkers, besides an occasional
mess for the horse or cow. One-fourth of an
acre in choice nursery trees, would yield per-
petual income of at least one hundred dollars
per year. On one fourth of an acre of carrots.
two hundred bushels would not be an exagger-
ated crop, and on the same amount of land
three hundred bushels of mangold wurtzels
can be as easily raised. Are not these worth
in market at least twenty-five cents per BUSH
ell? and If you have horses, stock or hogs
they are worth all that to yourself for home
consumption. Here then are $125 on anoth-
er half acre. On a quarter of an acre devoted
to onions, man can raise his own -four; that
is, he can market his crop for enough to pur-
chase as much ofthat kind of bread stuff as he
n aeds. Now half an acre is left for early veg
etables and choice small fruits to be run into
market at the highest prices; and a man can
raise very great amount in value upon, half
an acre devoted to early salads, rhubarb, to-
lnatoes, radishes, peas, beans, cucumbers,
squashes, beets, turnips, cabbage, peppers, cur
rants, gooscberries, grapes, black and white
raspberries, &C., &c. The great fault is, that
VIC skim over too much ground which is al
ways kept quite poor, and which, in time, also
keeps us as poor as itself. TRAxI.
ERRATUM. The printer, by substituting
this for that, Gas it was in the copy,) made me
say last week, that the public spirited man
who died in the aims house, was a citizen of
Augusta. 1t was not so. The name IF the
city was not given, nor intended to be gwen.