Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-10-05

stautially the same as though he grew but
one. We find that nature requires her
periods Of rest, which she takes everywhere
in one way or another, as she takes it
here in winter, and if you endeavor to get
two crops, you must endeavor to increase
her resources accordingly and you will
lind that two crops in o single year will
cost quite as much as two crops in two
years. l
Weknow that in ancitAt times they had
system of agriculture that grew some
times large crops. One of the Roman
writers tells of a farmer who divided his
land, and applying the same amount of
care and labor to the half of his farm that
he had formerly to the whole, he found
his crop nowise diminished Again, he
found that an equal amount of labor ap-
piled to one-fourth of his land produced
the same result. He found that the value
of his farm depended not upon the num-
Der of acres, but upon the product per
acre. Ii men only comprehended that l
think there would be far greater advance
ment made in our agriculture.
Well then, these truths. that the thol
rough cultivator is the most successful,
and that no man ever impoverished him
self by enriching his lands, these truths
are as old as human observation, and the
farmer Of Abraham's days understood
them. The poor farmer was subjected
to ridicule and reproach 5000 years ago
just as he is to-day. Such farmer was
poor in more senses than one.
| say then there is an old science Of
farming-an old system of the laws of ag-
riculture re--veRerable and sound, which
farmers to-day may well give heed to, but
there are certain results that modern farm
ers are trying to develop, which, as CON-
pared with the ancient system, are worthy
Of attention. | think the ancient farnl-
ing tended to exhaust the soil, especially
in the neighborhood of great cities. Wher-
ever was built great city--as Ninevah,
Babylon, fhebes, the continual crps Of
grain and vegetables for their supply tend
ed to exhaust the soil so that the neigh
borhood of great cities became deserts,
and these cities, decayed ftf many rea-
sons, but one potent reason, was the in
creasing inability of the soil to feed the
people who depended upon it. Thus an
cieut Rome depended on Sicily for her
grain, but that source of supply gradual
ly failed her, aid then, at last, i'll imper-
ial times, the food of the people was
largely taken from the valley of the Niie,
the strength Of which was renewed by the
annual food, SO that grain crop after grain
crop was taken from the same soil without
exhausting its fertility. Thus say that
the ancient agriculture was an exhaustive
-ystem. 1t left the soil poorer by every
successive crop, so that in the process Of
generations il became unable to feed the
inhabitants.
Now then, to-day, We start on new
ioundation--that there is no true cultiva'
tion that does not tend to a steady increase
Of the powers Of the soil.-that he is moi
a good farmer who grows large crops thi'
year, without restoring to the soil al
equivalent for what has beet withdraw
from it, and m king provision for at leas
as large crop next year, and we see thai
this really condemns not merely the agri
culture of the old world, but also the az
riculture Of the new. ''
For instance, there was time wher
New England grew her own wheat, but
she gradually failed to meet her own de-
mands, and the people began about fifty
years ago, to buy barrels Of -four, put "
in New York and Pennsylvania. At thai
time it was rather a sign of gcntility tt
have barrel Of Genessee -four. 1t was
little above the common average, and
the Genessse was generally kept for com
pany purposes. The valley Of the Gen
cssee was then among the richest lands OF
earth, but continual crops of wheat aftel
wheat so exhausted the soil that to-day
Western New York Goes not fairly grow
her owr bread. We are told that the
cause of this decay is the weevil, tho
midge, and other insects. This may b'
true as a secondary cause, but the
cause that produced the weevil wal
the exhaustion Of the soilI 10 illus
trate that truth desire to state fact.
Gov. Packer Of Pennsylvania said t.
me, " | know small valley on western
branch Of the Susquehanna. A road for
,..o,lv ran nm the centre of that small val