The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-08-19
FARM AND OUSEHOLD.
Extract from Mr.. Lyman's ValedictOry
Address before the N. Y. Farmers Club.

bushels of rye from two acres, when
we mig hit take it from one. We run
over fifty acres for fifty tons of hay,
when it could he cut with less labor and
of better quality from twenty-five acres.
None of our acres but will bring some
income, without cultivation, by growth
of wood East of the mountains it
would be wisdom to give back half the
surface now cleared to forest, and con-
centrate all our pains and manures and
seed on the remaining half
The grand defect Of all American
farming is Indifference to the methods
by which the manure pile may be in
creased. East of the mountains we
know that we ought to use more manure,
but neglect the sources and tho arts by
which We are to make our lands pro-
ductive West of the mountains, vast
spread of soil naturally productive and
cheap has flattered the Western farmer
and cut the sinews of his thrift He
has neglected manure, he has despised
dung, he has pitied the less fortunate
who break their backs and tire their
arms forking over compost piles; mean
time the power of his soil has fallen
away from 35 to 80 bushels of wheat,
from 80 to 25, from 25 to 20, from 20 to
49, in the older States of the West, and
the crop is still in the down grade, and
will go as low as poor old Virginia,
where five bushels to the acre is fair
crop Of wheat. Nothing will arrest this
decline in the great staple of bread but
the saving of rich manure We can
not make rich manure without rich food
We cannot use RICH. c., oily and con-
centrated-food to advantage except in
stall-feeding cattle. Hence the distinc-
ton between grain farm and stock farm
ought to be unknown. Every grain
farm should fatten stock and every stock
farm houldproduce large crops of grain.
The best farmer is he who gives society
the greatest number of juicy steaks and
roasts and the materials for the greatest
number of wheaton loaves. Him | call
the best farmer; he is more, he is the
best MAN in society. The rest of use
takers, writer's, tradcrs-live by our
wits; we milk the COW we suck the
public pap; we are FRUGEs coNsUMERE
NATL The creator of food is father to
all energies and values; you may call
him mudsill, but the whole fabric and
superstructure of society, all pillars of
state, the platform, the pulpit, the sing
ers' gallery, the impressiveness of the
facade, the streaming glories of the
flagstaff, all rest upon that mudsill!
We want science of farming that is
an American system The Old World
can teach us much, but all examples
from England or France or Germany
need their constant qualification the
European climate is much cooler and
moister than ours, its winters are mildcr,
and good square days work can be
bought for % cents In all our adapta-
tons of continental example we arc to
remember that economy of labor and
uncertainty of securing laborers are
elements which every one of us must
take into account
Four years in six our crops are short
ened for lack of water in some part of
the growing season. The ways by
which this difficulty can be mastered
are true problems for every farmer
We need cheap and practicable methods
of spreading the rainfall of spring
through the growing season. 1t can be
done by ponds, cisterns, windmills, and
irrigating canals. AS general remark,
$500 well expended will give one COM
mand over ten acres to make them as
wet as the greatest prosperity of vege-
tation requires. This full command of
moisture will add over $50 to the value
of any cultivated acre. In many cases
land would be enhanced $50 per acre in
the product of the first year. The
American farmer should take a broad
view of the Importance and noblencss
of his work. Hunger has upset the
strongest and oldest governments of
history. Hunger will not threaten the
stability of our constitution for ages if
our farming is as good as our locomo-
ton; if we apply as good thinking to
the solving of problems in agriculture
as we do to the problems of medicine
or law or mechanics He who does
most to make our farming perfect is
working directly to make our Constitu-
ton perpetual in time and model for
all the races.