The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-04-23
TWENTY ACRES ALL WE WANT.
From colman,s Rural World.


quarter section 10 meet our idea of what
the spread of model farm should be.
Later in life we said, - Forty Acres
Enough'-but now we have settled
down in the full conviction that, Tween
ty Acres is all We want, because it is all
that we can properly cultivate with the
means at hand. Hence, we have deter
mined to sell off from our farm until the
whole is reduced to just twenty acres
have Ii orally
"A little farm well titled,
nutr house well filled,
little wife well willed:''
Our ideal of happy Hearth and
Home"
Two facts have forcibly Impress d
our mind OF late:
Eirst.-It Is lot, as rule, the man of
many acres that makes the money. The
experience of almost every farmer tells
him that if he had attempted ont- half
as much, and tended his crops twice as
well, his profits would have been double.
Our own case illustrates this: Our
gross sales, the past season. on ten acres,
was $4,000. On one hundred acres, less
than one-fourth of that sum.
The second fact is: The man who is
gra ing after ''more acres" than enough,
is Spreading himself in vain. though
rich i'll lands, he is poor in purse, and
dies foolish man!
The man OF few acres: little and well
donel Yes, this is the idea. 1t sug-
gests dear, sweet little cottage, where
love, comfort; order and plenty dwell.
'But, can you get q living from TWEEN
ty acres"-it is asked!
Yes Sir, and better living than we
have had from the large farm. Briefly,
here is how we do it. We grow few
kinds of veget: bles in quantity, for ship
ping purposes. For kan pie: we have
now i'll hot-bcd, 10000 cabbage plants,
which will be set i'll open ground about
the first of April, or soon after, and will
occupy one acre or less. Those will be
sold i'll the Chicago market by the last
of June, and win probably bring $500
very well for an acre of cabbage. In
the meantime, three acres of tomatoes
will have been set in the best possible
manner. and will begin TO ripen about
he 4th of July, and will be sold for a
| lew days in ST. Louis or Chicago at So
per bushel. Entire proceeds, probably
81 900. This is very moderate state
ment, but satisfactory for three acres of
tomatoes.
We have, also. coming on, five acres
Alton La; ge Nutmeg Melon. We begin
to ship the lat of July, atS3 per dozen /;
and they may--as was the case last year
run up in price to So per dozen. We
| viii say $1,000 for the crop. These are
40 fancy figures the thing has been
done. We may not do so well again.
We will be well satisfied with half the
return in the future.
About the time We are through ship
ping the tomato, and before We are
through with the melon, we have three
acres of sweet potatoes ready, for the
market. Say in all, 400 bushels, at 81 so
per bu> hel-S600.
We have now left eight acres, which
has been planted to Early Goodrich,
Early Rose, Early York, Carter, Harri-
son and Peach Blow potatoes. With
fertilizers and proper culture we ought
to have 1000 bushels of potatoes, worth
as many dollars.
This gives US as the gross proceeds of
our twenty acres, SO, 100. But, Mr.. Hen
derson aud other gardeners do four
times us well as this
But, this 'high farming" requires
plenty of brains and manure; besides,
we wish 10 make only moderate state
ment OF the facts.
We will now suppose that the cost of
the production and the marketing of
twenty acres of produce, has cost 50. 100
and it could hardly cost that-tEeu we
will suppose that, from some cause, the
crop has failed nearly one-lialf, at a loss
to us, say, of $1,000. This still leaves
us net profit of $4,000 for six months
work OH twenty acres-a very comfort
able salary; double that received by
most of our excellent College Pres
idents and Professors; our NJ. DIS and
ID. DIS.
The novice in horticulture will not be
likely to do so well the first year, for the
reason, more than any other. that he
will attempt too much. He thinks he
can run fifty acres and SO he can-run
them up to weedsi
In conclusion, let me whisper in the
ears of young men: Why do you de-
sire to live by trade, by Office, or by
something else, rather than by farming?
Horace Greeley has long head, and he
wants boys 10 learn farming. All,with
rare exceptions, will do well to take the
old mans advice. O. 1. BARRIER.