Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1871-11-02
Fewer Crops, Cleaner Culture,
and a Larger Yield Per Acre.

Joseph Harris (whosc Walks and
Talks" in the american AJricuawist.
We always read with great satisfaction)
talks in this wise on the above topic in
the September number Of that jonrnsl:
Americas farmers cannot be too often
reminded that What We should aim mt is,
fewer crops. cleaner culture. and larger
yield per acre We are a great beef-eat-
ing people, and are taking kindly TO good
mutton when il can be found. Already
large portion Of the beef consumed 10
the Atlantic cities is raised west of the
Mississippi. The price for the moment
happens to be low, but it will not rensin
so long. The farmer who raises good beef
or mutton in New England. New York.
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois.
Iowa, or any Of the older settled States.
need not fear that the hali-wild cattle Of,
Texas or elsewhere are going TO drive
him to the wall. There IS no sort of dan
ger. Unaided, nature cannot compete
with agriculture auy better than the In-
dian can compete with the Anglo-Ssxon.
Our population is rapidly increasing. aud
the demand for meat will continue to in-
crease from year to year. The, causes
which lead to an oyer-supply for few
months arc only Temporary. The demand
"a uncessing. and he is wise farmer who
looks ahead and quietly and perssveringly
improves his farm and his stock. He 10
certain of his reward. Wool, mutton,
beef. pork, cheese. butter, milk. poultry.
and all other animal products will be
wanted more and more as the condition Of
the world improves" There are millions
of people. even in Europe, who seldom
taste fresh meat. An Irishman eats double
the meat and does double the work here
that he did at home. Even the Chinese
in this country eat meat as soon as they
can earn money enough to buy it. l'f
The poiht want tc get at is this: We
have large country. Land is compara-
lively cheap, and labor comparatively
high. Crops are great in extent but small
in yield, and many of our farms are get
ting more weedy and less productive.
Now, what we must aim at Is to make
them cleaner and richer. We must do
vote less land to the production Of wheat
and other grain that is sold, and more to-
cut to animals On the farm. We all
know that it is far better to raise 800
bushels of wheat from ten acres than to
plow, seed, and reap twenty or thirty acres
to get the same amount. We obtain no
more money for the crop in the one case
than the other, but the profits arc quad
rupled. The market is not glutted with
grain, and there will be. more meat and
wool to sell, and manure usc. To bring
this about, we must summcr-fallow when
necessary SOW clover more frequently,
and not sell pound; let our land lie
longer in grass and when it is broken up
and planted TO corn, cultivate it very
thoroughly, and not ovcrcrop it before Il
is seeded down again. In some cases it
viii pay TO summer-fallow, and then seed
the land down to grass without, s.ugrain
crop. We must aim to save labor. enrich
our land, reduce tho area under tilage.
and, when il is plog ed cultivate thorough
ly to kill weeds aud develop tho latent
plant food in The soil.
Plan:-foai is the farmers capital ~
is present II large quantities. III most 70
our soils. butia great proportion cfit lies
idle. OnraroGts will be ia proportion to
the amount of this plart-food that VIC can
render available and kecp;n active circuia-
tion without allowing i to diminish faster
than fresh qualities arc developed from
the soil. by the leconDposing and disintc-
grating action Of the atinosphcrc.