Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-11-12
Dtrfeld.

'soeatus ~ 0ic Le"istoh oOeiu"' Sss~S
complinients oae of our Oxford County
farmers, who knows how to keep hotel,
as we'll Is farm it successfully.
Kindly received by the agricultural fra
ternity of Dixfield Village, and welcome
" quartered ut the National House, the
conversation naturally turned on agricul-
ture and agricultural imp ovements. We
were omewhatsurprised when mine host,
b. l.. Marble, esq. made the assertion
that farmers had not learned to farm it !;
and that Ia the morning he would show
specimen Of landlord farming. What.
landlord lsrmer? Well for the sequel.
The morning came and found mine
hosts team at the door. Five minutes
drive brought us TO what we recognized
as once as a blueberry plain, covered with
bushes. stfmps and the refuse OF timber
cutting. Here % acres by the magic
wand of cultivation had been subdued and
wrought into the most beautiful and fer
tile fields that can be found about the
country.
He had SUBSIDIZED part of his fields
twenty-five inches deep. He gets out
his manure in the fall, breaks up his land
and applies his manure on the surface.
and Incorporates u we'll with the soil by
deep cultivation and cross blowing. Con-
sequently his spring labor is lesscncd,
his land being ready for planting by pass
ing heavy cultivator over it. In this
respect he has the advantagclof most farm
ers, his soil being sandy loan.
He plants the first year, and sows and
seeds down the next year. We have new
err seen so neatly cultivated corn and po-
tatoes. Not weed can be found among
them. This Is due TO the faithful old gent
who inhabits hi, premises by night and
by day
He mows his fields three years and then
again puts them under cultivation. He
never feeds his grass lands in the fall or
SPRING considers it very damaging to
the grass crop. He sows his whea, III
April-thinks the earlier sown the better
This year he cut 80 tons Of hay from IA
acrcs-3 tons of second crop from 2 acres.
Last year he raised % tons Of hay, worth
5000 bushels of rye from 3 acres,
worth $50. 10 bushels OF rye and peas,
5000 bushels Of oats, Sis.-5 bushels
of peas, sl5, and 900 bushels Of potatoes
on three acres, $40.
Here is sum total Of Sl,243 from %
acres OF land What other man. farmer
or landlord. has raised this amount in pro-
portion To his acres?
Where lies The secret OF this successful
husbandry, You answer. 30. Mr. Marble
keeps tavern and buys large amount OF
hav which he converts into manure Not
so. He says nc buys but little hay for his
stable There must be some secret about
this matter. The secret is not haify that
he cultiyatcs his land Alright. The grand
secret which he wishes 10 divulge is. ~
make manure
He has stable 100 feet long. and \
cellar under the whole extent, will a &C.
ment bottom. lie throws into this cellar
all his manure and bedding, and large
amount Of rich loan and muck. 10 geiher
with all the refuse and offal, urine, suds,
sink water &c, from his hotel. He has
spouts leading from his house and well
20 different parts of his cellar, in which
he conveys liquids and water In sufficient
amount 10 keep his manurewet. He does
nor suffer his manure to heat and burn
up.
Then he keeps men partly. and IL sturdy
hogs working this great heap of manure.
He keeps sows mostly, and has sold s5O5
worth of pigs in one season. The saying
applied to the miser and common hogs is
not applicable to his hogs; ''Hc is no
profit to the world until he dies" The
amount Of manure in his cellar was enor-
nous.
Now the whole secret is out. Farmers,
initiate this taverner Manufacture ma
nure as he does; initiate his husbandry.
and you will not derry Maine as "a rock
bound. ice bonnd country" and stink
away TO Minnesota or some other land Of
forgetfulness, to groan away your lives,
and live on ''hog and homiuy."