The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1870-01-15
MISCELLANEOUS.
The true system Of farming.

irving to do too much is common
error into which the farmer often falls,
His great easerness in srivirs Il, l." lir!l
i. doubtless, the cause Of his trr"r He
il ambitious and energetic. t,I forms
his plans on large scale. too often. per-
h,ps. without counting til" cost. H..
huvsa large farm and wants 10 he c;jm!;:.l
large farmer without understanding
or couside ring the true eiynleut> Kat
constitute real farmer. lie :Arc!~s the
greatness Of that protesssiun. Is is to,
often the common estimate. to :c in .,rn-
norton to the number of acres. not 10
sav cultiyate.l, embraced within the
boundaries of his domain The fact is
now brin. spread abroad. that lnr.r"
farm does not make man titi!.r.. l!t;i
contented or happy. but on ;..> "r''! Iry.
the reverse of all these, unless wei! tiled.
when his labor is re"al,!..d iy ample
crops and fair success in the va'inu~ de-
partmentS in WhIch he IL cl'1. ..c.l.-Nn
farmer can realize the full dement's u:' M
profession without adopting ,I.oron.!.
system Of culture. His Slrcu~~. cun.n:l.-
surato to lis wishes, always depends
upon the mariner ia which he prrp1re,
his grounds, plants his seed, au.! reals
his stock. -Neif',cr of these depart
ment$, which may be considered the car
diual ones of his profession. will tak-
care of themselves. The soil may ht rich.
but it needs culture. His seed may hc
sown. bHt it should be in lur time. aul
always on soil we'll prepared. and If a
suitable quality for the production OF the
crop desired. His stock must he con-
stantly cared for--it derives it, t|.iit
from the soil, and sends again to that
soil the su>tenancc it requires: but this
is not done III Il loose or hap hazard way.
The farmers care is required. and ::ll lis
better judgment must be exercised in
keeping up this system Of reciprocal hcu-
efts that may be realized by every iu-
telligeut and industrious farmer.
Thorough cultivation and 81 stcmat:c
attention to all parts of his business is in
dispensable to good degree OF success
The very corner stone to this winir svs-
TEN of farming. is to do what Nn,, do
Thoroughly will not be c.,eatr.l.
and uevrr give full returns to the half
way work that il lrAr,iced hv vastly too
many calling themselves farmers. II
the laud has been worn, the extent at
lhat VARd hSti1li FtEt wv fNtt 1t1tHf!ft
must De first considered. Wicn asccr-
taiuetl the full measure of these require
ments must be given, to bring ont full
returns. If the farmer has but IA small
amount of lIIanare to rcpleui>l his land.
it IL ebvious that hut Il small farin can
he supplied with it: and good Judgment
at once dictates that to cntivate prop
erly large farm, artificial fertilizers
must be used il good crops are oht!,ir"d.
Aud 90 much with the labor; two men
cannot suitably till one hundred acres of
land, when the labor oftwo, and perhaps
four, might be. protitally employed on
seventy-live acres.
This is the great error III farming.
Two men strive to do what four can
hardly do. and thus thousands of acres
are run over half titled, and producing
half crops. The land ia ran over till
worn out, sustaining year after year. tbs
unnatural tax, till its energies are en-
tlrely exhausted, and it fails to WELD
even feeble crop. because its life is
worn ont. Much of the soil in Virginia
and other Southern States is type Of
this.-Thousands of acres are entirely
aaeiess aud exhausted, and will ever re-
s'ss&A" cVs titA ttlG NISL VItiicHtS vi IlS lV"-
er are returned to it. This process is 60
ing on in many of the Western States
The coil ia treated like an inexlaustibIe
niue; the ti1lers crying give. give. give
till in q few years it win haves nothing
TO give. The boast of the West is, large
far'as aad large fields of grain; plow,
eow and reap is the business of Western
farmers, drawing out the very life of the
soil, spending it away in the heavy ex-
perts that are constantly going on ward.
without returning to tile soil the food 1t
requires to make it productive.
The light that ia being spread on this
sse1eet 10 beginning to correct this prac-
uce TO some extent, but in most instances
very little is returned to the soil to keep
1t alive, till after several years Of COLI
smnaa croping it mauife~ts signs Of ex-
naass'on and ultimate barrenness. When
saaess of the soil understand their true
lnseFeats, they will cultivate no more
'and THAN they can do we'll. Fifty acres
OF land for tilfage, brought to high state
o. eaih yation, pays better than one hun
afed run over in the way that a,any do.
.-sFeferson K.r,ner