Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-05-14

supdutu sh' Aanu, anu tho stohcs ahu
weeds still possess IL
Miss Sedgwiok once wrotea capital story
entitled "The Poor Rich Man." showing
that man may be rich, and still suffer all
the ills Of poverty, and We have often
thought that many Of our farmers are 50
rich IN land, as 10 be in everything else,
There was much pith in the reply of the
Yankee, when asked who paid taxes on
the barren land by which he was sur
rounded, "You don't suppose, stranger, |
am 50 poor as 10 own all this land do
We Z"
There can be no question that a little
farm wen titled, Is far more satisfactory
and more profitable than large one not
half cultivated. Swimming over large
surface for meagre results, is spending
money for that which is not bread" A
certain amount Of product pays for the
labor, and the surplus goes 10 the account
of profit. No more labor is required 10
plough and till an acre Of good soil, than
the same amount OF poor land, and while
the former pays, the latter is often done
at positive loss. We have seen thoughts
spread out so thinly on paper, that it did
not pay 10 CLEAN over II, and we have
seen many fields so sparsly covered with
crops, that harvesting them was labor lost,
Thorough draining, deep ploughing, liber,
al manuring. and careful cultivation may
cost something, but bring their sure re-
ward. We know no limit Ia the product
iveness Of land. II used 10 be thought q
thing incredible, that an acre could pro-
duce hundred bushels OF corn, but we
have seen il done and what has been
done can be done again, and more also
We have the word Of u neighbor, whose
word is as good as his bond, that he has
raised one hundred and nine bushels Of
oats per acre II i,a large story, and We
should hardly trust our own eyes and
scales should they testify 10 il, but when
our neighbor was asked how he knew that
his acre yielded at this rate, no straight
ened himself up and answered, Il meas
urcd the hand and weighed the crop my
self" and we had nothing more 10 say.
| fhrrr muy have bern some rrrtStakc IN the
weight OF this particular crop-thc best
Of men make mistakes, and our neighbor
is one OF the best-but there is no mistake
in the principle, that il is the large crop
that pays There may be an excess of
labor, such rs trausplanting corn and do
ing other fancy work, merely TO get a pre-
MUM, or tell big story, but where one
errs on this side, hundreds mistake by not
doing thoroughly all that ought TO be done.
4 If we have only given amount of labor
to bestow upon land, it is miserable econ
omy 10 spread il 50 thinly over so large a
surface, that its effects are invisible. We
have tried both ways and know. We have
raised fifty bushels of potatoes on an acre,
and we have raised three hundred, and
we know there is solid satisfaction and
profit in the latter, and small potato,
out-of-pocket feeling in the former.
! There is not space in this short commu-
nication TO elucidate what we mean by
4 thorough cultivation, but we will say
briefly, that thorough drainage lies at the
foundation of il. Much of our land in
New England is wet and cold, and it takes
till the summer solstice, before it is dry
enough to be ploughed, and then from its
shallowness it does not allow the roots OF
plants to penetrate deeply, and paradoxi-
cal as it may seem, is parched in drought.
The first medicine for such land, is a dose
Of George Jackson's two inch sole tile,
i placed at depth of three feet. 1t will
prove an Alternative to the land. as effectu-
al as calomel for the body, The Secretions
Of mother earth will be turned in an
other direction, and not be rising to the
surface to be slowly evaporated by the
sun, thereby producing chills and indi-
gestion As good physician does not
4 trus, to his calomel alone, but follows il
un with castor oil and substantial food, SO
the good farmer will not trust to tile
alone Deep ploughing, abundant man
I uring and thorough pulverizatiou must
follow the draining and with the blessing
of Providence we may calculate ON a
harvest that will amply remunerate for
the labor One of the advantages of good
culture, is the prolongation of the season
at both ends, making the time of growth
fortnight earlier, and fortnight later
As we now write-the latter part of Apri
we look out upon fields as green as they
often are in June, and they remain sc
through all the vicissitudes of the season
; till the snow flies. The sight is good fol
sore eyes, At the same time we can see
+ other fields, just as rich naturally, but fol
want of drainage and cultivation, waite,
soaked in the spring. parched in the sum
mer, and pinchcd by frost in October
, The Blown covering of nature may satisfy
, some, but We greatly prefer to soc hel
dressed in living green
Lee, Mass